Hey Guys,

Total noob here. I'm considering purchasing a 1979 MB SL450 with 64k miles on it for 19,500. I can't seem to make up my mind as this would become my main transportation. But this car is just too beautiful. It's in really great condition.
Does anyone have any information on if this car is reliable or if there have been known issues? I know very little about cars other than the ones I think are pretty. My boyfriend, however, is really great at fixing cars and volunteered to help with the upkeep. Is this a bad decision? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Car is well over 40 years old and probably not best suited for your Daily driver.
Heck it might need more repairs.

Things to look for:
Anything made from rubber would need to have been replaced in the last 5-10 or so years - What is that? Fuel Lines, brake hoses, Engine Vacuum lines.
Plastic items will get brittle and can easily be broken with normal use.
Wiring and the insulation on the wiring may need some love.
God forbid there is hidden rust underneath as lots of sellers are skilled in hiding rust by using that rubberized undercoating.
If you ever need a part - Well finding that PART might be a real pain and cost a small fortune and take months to get it.

This does not mean she is not worth the money and would be a lot of fun to drive.
It means the car would be more prone to having something break and repairing can get expensive and take a lot of time.

Consider this a SECOND car used on the weekends or special events.
Something you put a couple thousand miles a year.
And then make sure you have daily driver for normal everyday use.

IT is a fun car with the top down cruising on a nice sunny day.

good luck
PS get it checked out by local mechanic who knows these cars before committing to buying.


That is not what you want for daily driver.
This car is meant to take you to the Beach or fancy restaurant.

 

This.

Also... this question was recently asked - my response then pretty much mirrors the above...

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-slc-cl...450-560-a.html

 

Back in the 1970s-80s my family had a 450SL as a daily driver (‘73 and ‘79). These 450SLs were “long in the tooth” by the late 1980s, and were happily replaced in the 1990s, with no one ever looking back. I think the consensus of many then was that the R107 stuck around a bit too long. The sales numbers dipping down in 1988 and then for the last year of 1989 bear this out.

That being said, the R107s are now recognized as a modern classic. I started to look for a first year 450SL (nostalgia and the bumpers) when a friend who is a master MBZ technician and has a high end restoration shop told me to instead focus on a 560SL. He said MBZ really perfected the R107 with technology etc. and the 560SL is a much better car. I took his advice and, after much research, just purchased a 1988 560SL. It is a one owner, meticulously maintained car. I am prepared to spend what it takes to keep this car in fantastic driving condition. I bought it for a fun weekend car, and am looking forward to a top-down summer.

If my commute were a couple of miles, I could DD it. I also have a classic muscle car, which is not just faster than my 560SL, but still beats some modern cars off of a green light. That being said, modern creature comforts aside, these vintage cars really aren’t as safe as modern cars. When they were made, the streets weren’t full of pick up trucks, huge SUVs, etc. I am very cautious when I drive my older cars, as they wouldn’t hold up well in a cross-:median accident with a Suburban. Even in the parking lot of our local grocery store, people in big vehicles whip around corners, pull out without looking, etc. I have a modern MBZ as my DD, and feel very safe in it. If someone backs into it, so what? I wouldn’t be happy about it, but the relative damage to the car and to me would be far less than it would be in a little vintage SL.

Anyway, my .02 cents. A well-maintained R107 is capable of it. Whether you should is something only you can answer.

 

Your boyfriend does not know the intricacies of Bosch CIS fuel injection. If you try to daily this and problems come up, don’t give it to him to fix.

It cost you 130-150 bucks an hour maybe even higher to find somebody who knows what they’re doing with these cars.

10/10 would not daily.

 

weekend car for a pleasure drive