1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SL

Description

Who would have expected the hobby's biggest bang for the buck to be a Mercedes-Benz? Cars like this 1973 450SL roadster offer timeless styling, a big helping of first-class comfort, and bulletproof reliability, all for the price of a 3-year-old Hyundai. What's not to love?

The Tunis Tan paint on this car is a wonderful alternative to the more common black and red roadsters running around, and as a life-long Florida car, it probably fit in quite nicely in a tropical setting. The R107 SL's shape should be quite familiar by now, but for folks outside the hobby, they still represent money, and lots of it! Fortunately, this one lives up to the hype, with a repaint of the factory color that offers a soft shine and signs of loving maintenance over the years. There are a few signs of age, but at this price, they're easy to overlook and given that our hobby cars don't have to slog through bad weather during the daily commute, it'll probably look this good forever if you take care of it. This is also a desirable small bumper SL, as 1973 was the last year before the Feds insisted on those big, clumsy rubber cow-catchers that the later cars were forced to wear. As a result, it looks trim and athletic, and with just a few splashes of chrome, it is impeccably dressed.

Mercedes-Benz's unique upholstery called MB-Tex delivers the look of upscale leather with the durability of granite. The textured seating surfaces look right at home in the top-of-the-line SL and thanks to their legendary durability, still look great. There are signs of use, of course, but it's easy to settle into the bucket seats for a long-distance trip, because, after all, that's what this car was built to do. No-nonsense gauges are big, clear, and easy to read at a glance, and the rest of the controls are laid out on the center console. The traditional gaited shifter makes choosing the right gear easy, but given the SL's laid-back personality, it's probably better to let the 3-speed automatic gearbox shift for itself. A newer AM/FM/CD stereo updates the original Becker Mexico unit and the A/C has been upgraded with R134a refrigerant. The original carpets remain in very good condition, even on the rear parcel shelf, and this car includes both a folding soft top and original removable hardtop. The trunk is well-shaped and deep enough for your overnight bags, so pack up and hit the road!

The 4.5 liter SOHC V8 with Bosch fuel injection is legendary for its durability and smoothness, not to mention a friendly, torquey attitude. It isn't sports car powerful, but this is the kind of car where you'll glance at the speedometer and discover that you're cruising about 20 MPH faster than you thought you were. It's just effortless in everything it does. The engine bay is also extremely clean and shows signs of correct maintenance, critical for these cars to remain healthy. A quick glance underneath and you can see that it's been a life-long Florida car with everything in good order and none of the issues that plague its northern siblings. And yes, it's kind of nice to see those color-matched hubcaps for a more traditional look, all wrapped in 205/70/14 BFGoodrich radials.

Still handsome and a lot of fun to drive, we promise not to tell your neighbors how affordable this SL really is. Call today!