280SL Reliability Questions

[Vitold]

Hi there.

I'm thinking about buying a car and I came across a 1984 280SL for sale for around 10 grand (it's that or my dad's Subaru forester). Visually it seems to be in perfect condition, it has less than 60k miles on it too. The guy selling it says it hasn't had any major issues but I'm skeptical, but it's only had one owner and seems like it's had a family love it for years. How reliable are these cars?

I want to daily drive it and I'll be living in an area that gets a good amount of snow for 2 months of the year. What are the common issues with this car, and seeing that it's an old merc, is it easy to work in? Are repairs expensive for little things like timing belts and ignition, etc? thanks guys!

[Jordan]

Vitold, I would suggest you get a PPI on the car so you know ahead of time what issues there may be (mechanical, rust etc), if any.  You don't say if the car has been sitting for any length of time and if you are handy with a wrench.  Have you had a good look at the car, checked all electrical and taken it for a hard drive (acceleration, braking, shifting, reverse etc)?

I'm not familiar with the 107 but I'm sure others that are will offer comment.

[Jack the Knife]

This is almost surely an extremely strange bot or scam or whatever.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mercedes_benz/comments/jnl7sa/280sl_reliability_questions/

Five years ago

[mdsalemi]

This is almost surely an extremely strange bot or scam or whatever.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mercedes_benz/comments/jnl7sa/280sl_reliability_questions/

Five years ago

Wow…great sleuthing!
But, for what purpose was this posted by “Vitold”? Surely not for the answer.