Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1973 Mercedes-benz 450sl Hard Top Soft Top Convertible on 2040-cars

US $9,000.00
Year:1973 Mileage:70800 Color: Black /
 Red
Location:

Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Wilmington, Delaware, United States
Transmission:Automatic
Body Type:Convertible
Engine:4.5
Vehicle Title:Rebuilt, Rebuildable & Reconstructed
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
VIN: 10704412007016 Year: 1973
Number of Cylinders: 8
Make: Mercedes-Benz
Model: SL-Class
Trim: Convertible
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Drive Type: Automatic
Options: Convertible, Becker Europa AM FM
Mileage: 70,800
Power Options: Air Conditioning, Power Locks, Power Windows
Exterior Color: Black
Interior Color: Red
Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

Ready to drive anywhere.  The most attractive version of this long run of the Mercedes-Benz r107 with the small bumpers as the car was originally designed, contoured front turn signals and vertical bumper guards paying tribute to the Pagoda SL. 

Beautiful 1973 450sl with shiny black new-looking paint and a nearly flawless red interior with antique-style orange piping that contrasts the body amazingly.  This is a very rare color combination.  The seats and dash have no rips, cracks or damage whatsoever.  The entire interior appears flawless, as you would expect from a collector condition Mercedes Benz. 

I am only selling because I purchased a convertible that can seat three kids in the back seat.  (I wish it was as nice as this 1973.)

My mechanic (who has restored a few Mercedes) verified that the car looks like a 70,000 mile car which was garage kept its whole life (and through my ownership).  The odometer has always worked normally and the steering wheel appeared to have never been removed before I attempted to replace the instrument cluster gasket.  So I am very confident that the mileage is correct.

RUST FREE with the exception of some very small bubbles on the bottom edge of the trunk lid under the paint (not broken through and been there as long as I have owned it).  I found the cause of the water infiltration into the trunk lid via the 450sl badge which did not have the required rubber washers on two of the three badge pins.  I installed the correct rubber washers and added silicone sealant too.  No further water should get into the trunk lid and the rust progression in this trunk lid appears to be very slow or non existent. Trunk lids are easy to come by for these cars so there is no need to repair the small bubble contained to the trunk lid.  Repairing them would require paint work, and this car has no blended paint and does not need a full paint job.  So the decision has been made to leave the rust bubbles alone.  If they were to turn into rot, the whole rink lid could be replaced easily and economically.  As you can see from the extensive work on this car, the decision to not grind out the rust or replace the trunk lid and replace it is not a cost-cutting measure, but a decision to keep the paint as high-quality as possible without blending paint which would be required to attend to these small bubbles.

Work done in the last 3000 miles includes:
- new timing chain installed
- new timing chain tensioner installed
- metal-backed timing chain guides inspected ok
- new intake manifold gaskets installed
- new injector seals installed
- new fuel hoses installed
- new brake hoses installed and brakes flushed
- new rear sway bar links installed
- new front sway bar links installed
- new motor mounts installed
- new control arm bushings installed
- new steering damper installed
- new center-link installed
- new tie rod installed
- new front sub-frame / axle carrier bushings
- new control arm bushings and ball-joints installed
- new shocks installed (front & back)
- new front wheel bearings installed
- new air conditioning compressor clutch / pulley installed
- waterproofed Mercedes-Benz brand soft top which appears original (see picture)
- new top latch seals installed
- Adjusted hardtop rear lock release cable (which is often responsible for hard tops getting stuck on these cars)
- Air conditioning vacuum tested for 72 hours (never losing any vacuum at all) and recharged and blowing as cold as 42 degrees F.
- replaced plastic blower cover with a more durable metal blower cover
- new distributor cap and rotor installed
- new spark plug wires installed & routed (under the rare distributor cap cover, see picture)
- new spark plugs installed
- new ignition points installed and timing tuned
- new radiator / coolant hoses installed
- new battery tray
- new aux air valve hose and gasket installed
- new shifter bushing installed
- new 100 degree C switch (aux fan switch) installed
- new throttle linkage bushings installed
- new coolant just prior to 70,000 miles
- oil change and filter just prior to 70,000 miles.
- thorough full body rust inspection and treatment of minor surface rust found in the rectangular area on the passenger side of the trunk. 
- flex discs were inspected to be good, showing no signs of wear
- front sub-frame / axle-carrier inspected and includes the critical gusset reinforcements (see picture)
- alignment done and steering checked March 2011 (after suspension work) and has steered perfectly since.
- new front brake pads are included (but have not been needed or installed yet) 

The Bridgestone Potenza tires, while not new, have plenty of tread and have no dry rot or cracking.  The tires have never needed any significant air.  They have no flat spots and ride smooth with no vibration.  (I have several more sporty wheels for this car if the buyer is interested in purchasing them.). The car also comes with four paint-free hubcaps since the black hubcaps on the car could use repainting.  

The car was apparently in an accident at some point, but the repairs appear professional and are not recognizable without background information.   I was told by the previous owner that it was before he purchased it in ~1998.  The radiator support appears to have been replaced, having no VIN number on it. The car drives smooth and straight requiring no hands on the steering wheel to go straight, and has not needed any realignment in the 2.5 years since the alignment was done (after the front suspension was all redone with new bushings and shocks).

I recommend coming to see the car in person but believe that any long distance purchaser would be very happy with the car. 


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