New to this forum...
I have a chance to purchase an 85, with a new engine, for $7500. mechanically seems very good, no rust (repainted this year apparently). Told it has 'zero' miles since the engine is new. Complete hard and sft top etc.
is this a good deal? What should I look out for?
My mechanisc is selling this car to me - they also service my 89 260E and 87 Jag XJ6, so I assume they won't stiff me...
Let's put the "new" engine aside for a moment and look at the car.
How many miles on its transmission?
It's suspension?
These are not zero miles components and they experience wear just like an engine and will need to be replaced one day.
Without knowing more, I suspect the "old" engine's timing chain broke allowing its valves to hit its pistons. Rebuilt cylinder heads are then needed to get it running again. The question you should ask is, whether the entire motor was rebuilt - piston rings and bearings etc. and ask to see some evidence of that. Also, what's the shop's warranty on the "new" engine?
This 3.8L V-8 makes only 155 HP; it's no screamer and the car's no light weight so don't expect high performance if you buy any 380SL.
good point!
I will get answers on these. They are offering me 1 yr / 12,000 miles for a warranty.
What does this mean? I use cars for hiway driving for 30-40 mile trips. Will this car outperform my '89 260E or my beater 1991 Honda Accord?
Barely. M-B tweaked the torque in the 380SL models to give an "impression" of power when you take off from standing still. But take the car out on the highway and see how quickly it will pass other cars from 40 to 70 mph and you'll see that it struggles with the small motor. The later 560SL engine was a HUGE improvement.
My 380SL often had a hard time when getting onto freeway on-ramps (especially uphill) and getting out of the way of faster cars.
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