old SL advice needed

Nov 17, 2006 4 Replies
E

I've always loved the Mercedes SL series cars.



Recently an 83 380SL has come up for sale by me. It's black/gray with



125,000 miles. Looks very clean in the pictures i've seen. Having never owned an old Merc before, would this be a car I could use everyday? When I go look at it, what should I check for? It's at a dealer so hopefully it will have service records but i'm not counting on it. Lastly, how much should I expect to pay? I was hoping I could get a great deal right before winter. It does have the factory hard top on the car right now. And if there is anything else you can add about the 380SL, i'd love to learn as much as I can. Thanks.



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T

There are some special interest SL sites that may be helpful, do a Google search for them. The 3.8L V-8 isn't very powerful yet the chassis is relatively heavy so a 380SL's performance is bland - if that's OK with you.

Early 3.8L V-8s had a single timing chain - most were converted to dual chains for durability, be sure the one you buy, if any, has been too.

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T

Just open the oil cap and you can tell if it has double chain or not... double chain is like 1" width as compared to 1/2" for the single chain.

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S

What does the soft top look like?

And it will be underpowered. (find a 560SL)

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T

What was the US speed limit again? 70 miles?

Ximinez

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