yes they are recommended by mb usa, but they don't have a lot of stuff, like an owners manual for my euro 500sl - they say its out of print. i am trying to get one from mb in germany - not holding my breath

Mine is a 1977 450SL that I bought in Florida this past January. I live in Forest Lake, MN and yes, mine DOES get out in the snow and cold. No, it is not the best car for snow and ice but once moving it tracks pretty well. Mine has the smog pump sitting idle and that doesn't seem to effect anything that I'm aware of. I admit that I can barely wait to get the hardtop off and use the ragtop but it will have to wait for April.

I live in the Atlanta area and have a 1985 380sl. For various reasons it has become my only car. Has 81,000 miles. Belonged to a cousin in Dallas for the first 15 years of it's life - she only drove it in the Summer. Original everything. A few minor problems. The spring bracket in the drivers side mirror broke at the hole - I filed it down and redrilled, seems OK, mirror is stable again. Gas odor in the trunk after it sits a while - I removed the rear trunk panel today but didn't see any cracked or rotted hoses. I did find a broken plastic tube which I spliced - I don't know yet if it did anything about the gas odor, but it did fix half of the door lock problem. I can now unlock the doors from the outside drivers side. Still can't lock with the key on the drivers side. If I lock the drivers side from inside, I can lock the passenger side with the key. I'm going to think about it for a while since I can't figure out how to remove the door panels and don't want to break anything. Engine runs fine, about 20 mpg in town on Premium. Might be the original plugs - I'll change them one of these days.

I am so excited about my SL that I'm beside myself (its a good thing the car is a two-seater). I am a Mercedes enthusiast to a severe degree. I don't think anyone should drive anything but a Mercedes (I have four). Anyway...about my SL...It is a 350SL "Euro" and is cute as can be because it is a basic stripped-down model. It has a four-speed stick, manual windows, no cruise, no power antenna or power door locks or power seats. It does have cold factory a/c. Wow...its like a wonderful motorcycle but with four wheels instead of two. I bought it on eBay on February 2nd and drove it from California to Tulsa (1,580 very cold miles 'cause the heater didnt' work). Its just a great car...such spirit when you shift through the gears...also...it naturally has no smog pump, etc.

About me? I'm 63 years young and my dad, when I was very young, has his own DeSoto-Plymouth dealership...so I grew up around cars. I got the Mercedes bug in the late '60s with a 1962 190Cb, then there was the 1966 230, and the 1962 220SEb Coupe. You can see the list of four cars I presently have at the bottom of this email, but I've recently owned and then disbursed to the rest of the world the pride of my fleet, a rich wonderful black 1994 S420 which I won honors with at Star Fest at Indy in August of 2002 (I sold the car to my son...so it stays in the family). I also has a fine 1983 300SD, white in color, and a gold 1983 300SD. 'nough said for now...except that I am very appreciative of this web site! Thank you for asking.

Jim Sehl
1980 350SL (Type 107) "Euro" 100,000 miles
1980 300TD (Type 123) Wagon 215,000 miles
1984 190D (Type 201) 4-spd 268,000 miles
1985 500SEL (Type 126) Sedan 218,000 miles

My 560SL is my first Mercedes, it's an '87, kinda metallic dark blue with gray interior. I found it at our local BMW dealership in fall last year when I was looking for a used Bee-em ... on a whim, I took the SL for a test drive and had to have it. I drive it every day on my 22 mile commute to work and haven't had any problems except a worn tie-rod. Looking forward to springtime when I can get the hard top off again and enjoy (see my posting on the discussions forum for my current hard-top issue). I just found this forum today, so am looking forward to sharing experience with other SL fans around the country.

Keep up the goo work.


Murray

I own an 89 560SL in desert taupe metallic with parchment interior. Pristine and only 29K miles on it, and like SteveJ, I'm also a detailer from hell. I recommend the new acrylic polymers, by the way - they deliver a real show car finish and protect the car beautifully. Try Klasse All in One or Blackfire. The 560 is my show car - it's taken best in class in 2 shows. My daily driver is a 2003 CLK430 cabrio. Last year of the body style - may become collectable in about 20 years. I dream of having a 56 Benz 300Sc cabrio, any gullwing, a 57 TBird, and a 62 Vette.

I'm a retired officer from the Norwegian Air Force living 150 km south of the capitol Oslo.I've had different oldies, a 1932 Plymouth Sedan, a 1951 Ply Conv, both sold no. My inventory at the time being is a 1950 Ply Convertible 5-seater and a 1973 450 SL. I love them both but they are so different. The open car season in Norway is rather short, but my first trip with the SL took place yesterday under the soft top because outside temperature was only 43 F, but is was sun from a clear sky. It's allways a big moment when I take the SL out of the garage the first time.
My SL is in very good condition and have only 60000 miles after 30 years. No rust and it have only signs of a less than normal usage. I'm going to keep it in this original shape and will not do a big restoration job other than keep it as a safe runner. The only thing not working properly is the A/C, but I'll fix this during the springtime.
I wish you SL-lovers a nice and warm summer with a lot of joy and riding pleasure with one of the best cars ever made by the Mercedez company, the W 107.
Best regards from Norway!

Hi, I'm Bo from Phoenix. I purchased a 88 560SL in late 2001. She is white with palomino interior. I had researched MB and was in love with the 280SL but decided that I needed a ,more modern car and the older SLs are considerably more expensive that the 107 series. I discovered that the motor on the 560 was expected to last a million miles, if taken care of. And, since mine is a daily driver, that was important to me. Since purchase, I have replaced the soft top, put in a new stereo, replaced all the body mounts, new radiator and heater valve. I was disappointed that the radiator is plastic and must be replaced whenthe hoses go. But, with the new mounts, the car drives like new. I love the car and I always get looks. My next project will be the timing chain. I also have a 1998 Ford Explorer for hauling stuff and friends. I drive my 560 everyday for my short commute to work. I would still like to have a 60s SL, 56 Ford Thunderbird and maybe a Aviator.

Could be medium blue poly (paint code 396), midnight blue (paint code 904), or deep blue (paint code 920). Find your paint code, usually stamped atop the frame on the crossmember in front of the engine but could be elsewhere, and if you find a code other than the one I've mentioned here, let me know and I'll look it up.

Fuchsl89

quote:

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Originally posted by a73450:
Another new first time MB owner here as well. I have 73 450SL that I bought last week. I just happened onto the site doing generalized searches for SL info. My car is dark blue with a tan interior. Does anyone know what Mercedes called their dark blue in 73? Thanks

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Alan - 68 years old... bought my sl as a response to my perpetual mid life crisis. Sometines when you've got an itch, the best thing to do is scratch.

I still work. And when I am not working, I travel.

Demarest, NJ

1989 560 sl.
I once owned a '71 280 sl. I thought I bought it with 22,000 miles on the odometer. Turned out that the real mileage was 122,000. But the price I paid was for a car with 22,000 miles. So I got rid of it. At the correct price for a car with 122,000 miles on the odometer.

S500, Acura MDX

A pristine 1971 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet
A pristine 1971 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet
A pristine 1971 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet

The car is used on weekends only, when the weather is nice.

Wow! an amazing bunch of SL fanatics! How cool! Mine is an '84 380 Sl with 54,000 miles. Dark blue with palo interior and Sheepskins. It has BBS 14" gold wheels (It's growing on me...). It seems to be a runner in that it wants to go faster. I replaced the really bag Becker radio with a Pioneer CD XM receiver. I like it because the ignition is on the dash where it belongs!

Hi, My name is Pat, and I just found this site today. It Looks GREAT!!!! I am a small business owner in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have a 1979 450SLC. I would rate the car on a scale of 1 to 10 about a 9. I have owned this car for a little over a year, and I plan on keeping it for years to come. My 450SLC has 121K on it, and it has been garage kept since new. I plan on keeping up with it basically touching up and renewing were possible. The paint is near perfect, with only a few small rock chips. The only that needs some work is the rear window fins, that are inside the glass. Condensation has bubbled the paint. I think it will talke more time to get them out vs. painting them. The car needs a nice sound system that I hope to put in soon. The car is stored for winter, and I hope to take it out very soon. This is my fun car, and used for going out and day trips. Thank you for building a very nice site for 450 and MB owners. I know I will learn alot.

Hi Ladies and Gents, I just logged on to this amazing site today and didn't realize there were so many fanatics about their M-B's out there.
I just acquired a 1985 280SL with 49,000 mi. on it. It's smoke silver, black leather, and has a 5-speed tranny. I bought it from a real gentlemen in FL who took very good care of it and threw in a lot of extra parts (he has owned 7 or 8 of the 280 SL's). The trip back from FL to northern VT where we live was a lot of fun and the weather was great.
We also have a 1964 230SL that we restored about 10 years ago and she still looks new even though we drove it about 15,000 km's around the US a few years ago. It is light ivory with a black hardtop and soft top. The interior is red MB Tex. It, also, is a Euro model. Our third MB is a '93 300 TE with a 320 engine. I suppose it was made when the 320's came out so they put in a 3.2 litre engine. The car had 88,000 mi. when we bought it and now has 134,000. We have not had any problems with this car except with the air mass sensor which is an easy swap. This is my wife's favorite because is is bright red. Has anyone out there seen a red TE? If so, please let me know as I haven't.

My business is restoring and selling antique clocks and I also enjoy woodworking and traveling. I would like to some day own a Porsche but I'm over 65 and think we have anough "iron" around the place. In the winter we drive an old "89 Camry and a Toyota T100 pick-up. I also have an "87 BMW motorcycle, that I bought new with less that 20,000 miles and loads of extras. I have been thinking of selling the BMW so if anyone is interested my e-mail is clocks@signofthedial.com.

Thanks for bearing with me.

Dick Diefenbach, Danville, VT

sounds like you have a beautiful garage-full. please post pics if you get a chance.

Dief - I hope you'll check out Pagoda113.com, this site's Big Brother. It'll have answers to the questions you've got about your 230SL!

Hi I'm Johnno from Sydney Australia.

I'm picking up a 1974 450SLC from Adelaide 1600km away in a couple of weeks. It's silver with black leather and 170000km (about 100,000 miles) & was priced right. ( I can't believe how affordable these cars are in the USA BTW )

I was originally looking at getting a 1960's 300SE coupe but spotted a mint imported 350slc which I was impressed with. Took a couple of 350s and 450s for a spin and decided to go with an Australian Delivered 450SLC.

SL's seem to be fewer downunder for some reason and about 50% dearer than the SLC's. I prefer the coupe anyway and with a sunroof. Most cars down here are rust free and on the whole usually well looked after. I did however spot a few dogs amongst the 24 or so I had a look at.

I've already managed to get a copy of the workshop manual on CD. I've informed the guy in the states who sold it to me about your site so you should hear from him soon.

My other car is an '83 GM Holden. Sort of a downunder version of the Opel Senator. I have never owned an unleaded car!!!

Johnno

Thom, I just recently logged on this site so you may have your answers to your problems by now. Anyway, it sounds like the hose you found in the trunk area whike looking for the gas odor is to your vacume lines which operate the door looks, trunk and gas filler flap. Since you have corrected part of the problem by splicing thhe hose. If you can get hold of a "schematic" of the vacume system you may find you have a cracked or broken hose in another place.
Dick Diefenbach, Danville, VT

quote:

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Originally posted by Thom:
I live in the Atlanta area and have a 1985 380sl. For various reasons it has become my only car. Has 81,000 miles. Belonged to a cousin in Dallas for the first 15 years of it's life - she only drove it in the Summer. Original everything. A few minor problems. The spring bracket in the drivers side mirror broke at the hole - I filed it down and redrilled, seems OK, mirror is stable again. Gas odor in the trunk after it sits a while - I removed the rear trunk panel today but didn't see any cracked or rotted hoses. I did find a broken plastic tube which I spliced - I don't know yet if it did anything about the gas odor, but it did fix half of the door lock problem. I can now unlock the doors from the outside drivers side. Still can't lock with the key on the drivers side. If I lock the drivers side from inside, I can lock the passenger side with the key. I'm going to think about it for a while since I can't figure out how to remove the door panels and don't want to break anything. Engine runs fine, about 20 mpg in town on Premium. Might be the original plugs - I'll change them one of these days.

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I just bought my 6th MB, an '82 380SL. 70k, 1 local anal retentive owner, Black/Henna, never spent the night outside, double chain, upgraded A/C, new soft top, new rubber seals all around, etc. Darn near perfect! When the owner bought it new, he was told henna was a rare color, so he bought a roll of the material from the factory, just in case. In case of what, I don't know. I was the 4th caller and first looker the day it showed in the paper. Bought W/O wife permission, though she'll forgive me in 20-30 years. Currently have a 2002 ML320. It is shocking how the material and build quality has deteriorated from my '73 280 to the M. The SL takes me back to when MB was the best. I can now check another off the "master dream list". Peace.

My name is Jim Jackson, age 75. I just bought a 1980 280 SL, and am trying to learn about it. I think it is a "eurocar" since all controls are in german or metric. This is the first SL I have owned. It is delightful, but there is much about it I do not understand. Like how to take off the hard top. I am going to install a winch in the garage ceiling, then will try. I have read the thread about problems getting the hard top off, and will try those ideas before crying "uncle".

I live in north Texas and plan to join the local car club soon, and will attend activities with those folks on weekends, but am also driving daily, since I had to trade my old work truck to buy this little gem. My wife insists on a dual-purpose vehicle, so she has an Explorer Sport Trac.

First big question--my insurance company wants to know the value of this car when it was purchased in 1980. I haven't a clue nor do I know how to find out. Any suggestions? Or does somebody know? HELP!

Jim Jackson
jemjax@texoma.net

quote:

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Originally posted by [dorian]:
Hey, lurkers, show yourselves! Tell us about yourself & your car. Here are some questions to get you started:

Who's reading this?

Are you an owner, parts/service supplier, or a professional restorer?

What do you do when you're not driving or working on a nice car?

What state/country do you live in?

If you own an SL, which model/year do you have? Any interesting options/extras? Does your car have any modifications you'd like to tell us about? How many SLs have you owned in the past?

What other cars do you own?

What 3 other cars do you WISH you owned?

How do you use your car: Weekends only or daily? Racing? Concours competition? Road trips?

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welcome. yes it is a euro. there were no 280sl sold officially in the US.

as for the price - you should look for how much a us model 450 sold in 1980 and discount it by 20% to 30% for the smaller engine - that really is the only difference. It was cheaper to buy in germany and ship it over then so you might deduct another 10% - really it was that much less expensive in Germany than in the US!

can't help with the hardtop question.