I am a total newbie/novice thinking about buying an early to mid 70's 450 sl. The reasoning is that I think they look totaly cool, and since I've moved my office into my house, I don't need a heavy use commuting car-about
10-20 miles per week.I've heard horror stories about the cost of and difficulty in finding replacement parts, and that buying a parts car can be a good move. So, I'd like to know in general which cars' parts are compatible with this era of
450 sl's. For example, and what immediately prompts the question, is that there is a 76 450 sel for sale in today's paper for $1000 that supposedly runs well, but needs painting, ac doesn't work, I'm sure other flaws. I'm about to go look at it. Other than the obvious (top) will the parts from this fit, for example, a 73 or 74 450sl? What about parts interchangeability between different years of 450sl-say from 72-78?Finally, ona broader perspective is this a bad idea in general if I'm not an enthusiast with mechanical skills or money to burn? I'm certainly not the former, and am not interested in burning too much money.
Any input would be appreciated.