You all demand I use a wireless microphone in every video I make, and when I have in the past, it proves to be about as reliable as my old Mercedes. I just spent $700 on a new setup and still have issues with it coming out one side. I am aware of this. Sorry...
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I really actually like it. I can see that the hood is on the long side, but that's one of the aspects of the car that I like. Honestly to me, this is what I think of when I think about 1980s Mercedes.
Damn am I glad that you've kept that car over all the time despite your issues! I would never own such a car probably, so I'm grateful to see them on the road driven by amazing people like you!
I have 3 German cars, one is a 1982 Mercedes 300TD Turbo Diesel wagon. My mom bought it new, it's been in the family ever since. As my mechanic tells me the interior will fall apart long before the engine will. If you want the trick besides good maintenance. Get a Mercedes battery, they will outlast just about any other. My other cars are Porsche's, A 1969 912(my mom bought it new). An a 04 Carrera, I bought it because I liked driving the 912, but I really wanted air conditioning. Living in Phoenix, Az is a must. But my mom did say she drove that 912 for 18 years without it. I can say a lot about driving your old cars, my 912 insists on being driven. If I don't she complains very loudly, by backfiring almost continuously. So just like having a dog, Porsche gets her walkies. :)
Tyler I understand where your love for this car comes from. I have my own aging car a 1999 Chevrolet Lumina That I will never let go of regardless of how old it gets, considering its age its absolutely a pleasure to drive still and feels as tight as it did the day it rolled of the factory floor, though most of the love comes from the fact that it was my first car. I too for years have been treating its arthritis changing various ignition systems, patching rust and other things, but New England is not a forgiving environment for 20 year old vehicles. in fact now I'm so scared of losing her to an accident or bad weather that she sits idle in the garage while i daily my Chrysler. Though our two vehicles it seems are perfect examples of what makes owning a car so great to car people its a never ending labor of love to keep these vehicles road worthy so that they can drive and park into a special place in our hearts.
This car is beautiful. Don't ever get rid of it, way too amazing. It's old so it will have problems. But, if treated the right way and maintained the right way you shouldn't have anymore issues. 😁
Holy cow man. I feel your pain. I own an '82 380SL and you are right about everything. The big difference though is that my car is probably never going to be worth squat, but that 500SL with the eurobumpers and AMG wheels is car somebody would actually pay good money for. That is a sweet ride.
Hoovie! Doug is a moron about styling, you have one of my favorite Mercedes! I own my other favorite Mercedes (1997 w210 E300 non-turbo diesel with 370,000 miles) I know all about old age and high mileage issues! Keep it alive! Thanks for the great videos!
weeeeeelllll............... "styling" and "w210" don't mix very well, do they? i kinda like it from the back, and it's quite a nice car in general, but from the front... if i could unsee it, i wouldn't mind.
zloychechen5150 I'm just the opposite, I love the front end, the back was a little dated even when new... But hey.. it was car of the year too :) I'm not the only one
I ordered 66 I remember my first fondly. it was a 1972 chevy biscayne with a 3 on the tree manual transmission. I loved that car and still have it to this day.
Hoovie, I have the same scenario. I have a 560SL from my grandma that I have had since I was 16. I put H & R lowering springs on it and it looks sooo much better. That’s how it should have looked from Mercedes. It’s a completely different car and it does have a tiny bit of the gullwing heritage look to it. I recommend it.
Almost a year and a half ago, I bought an '05 SL500. OMG!!! What a beautiful car! Yeah, stuff breaks, happens with EVERY car. BUT!!! I went in knowing it'll be expensive if or when she breaks. I've put about 6000 miles on her and am STILL in love with her. She's in storage right now; when she comes out I have to replace the motor mounts. But she's beautiful, sexy, sleek, and..........the top goes down! Gonna keep her for a long time, though maybe not 15 years! Good luck with your girl!!!!!
Hoovie, that is a beautiful ride. I got the keys to my Dad's 2000 R129 Sl500 Designo at 16, and let me tell you I LOVED IT. I felt badass driving that puppy to high school. He ended up making the executive decision to sell it when the top broke (damn hydraulics), and at 23, I strive to get it back. I check up on it's CARFAX from time to time, just to see if it's doing okay. Fantastic video and great channel
Had an '85 190e. Loved how it looked, loved how it drove. But I swear I spent more time on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck and working on it to fix flunkey problems than I actually did driving it. It did exactly what yours did, breaking like a cascade failure. So you're not alone there!
To me this SL is like the Middle child, always feeling left out because its sister (the W113 Pagoda) is a beautiful work of art and the brother (the R129) is just a masculine handsome machine. This SL is like meh... sorry..
The W113 is maybe from the last generation of real Mercedes. Everything looks hand crafted and high end. From photos on Google I see that there is a below dash AC available, maybe aftermarket. Not a big unit but a row of under dash vents. Anyway, that would make them practical in modern terms. Hoovie got the next generation at an early age, and it's the first generation where safety became a thing. But the previous one is the one that would be worth any repair.
My thoughts: 1 - Yes the car is beautiful. Whoever says otherwise, should get an eye test 2 - Sounds like you need a good independent expert who knows how to treat these bulletproof beauties 3 - Said good independent expert will also know what to look out for to avoid future issues/problems before they happen. 4 - Great video, as always
I agree with you to a certain degree. My 1985 380 SL cast the same spell on me about 10 years ago. I bought her from the original owner’s estate. She’s my daily driver so she doesn’t sit around and not get used. She doesn’t break very often but when she does it’s a whopper! I did the math and everything I have spent on her since I bought her comes out to be about the same as a monthly car payment. You can’t beat that.
It is beautiful. one of the few mercedes that were beautiful when they came out, stayed beautiful for most of their life and are still beautiful today. giving it a place among the most beautiful mercedes ever. glad i could make your day ;)
Tyler I know he's your boss but disregard every syllable that comes out of the mouth of Doug Demuro. He is everything that's wrong with automotive journalism. In fact I would say if the internet didn't exist he would be working in an office somewhere filing or typing. He knows absolutely nothing about automobiles. It's like he's never owned anything older than 2 weeks old. Which is on full display every time he does a "Doug" review of an older car. He actually said he'd never heard of the high beam switch being on the floor. What a moron. How he's anybody's boss amazes me. Keep doing what you do, you're a real car guy. Doug demuro is a guy with a degree that thought cars would be easy to write about. And as I said before, he is everything that is wrong with Automotive journalism today.
Very true! I own a 1974 motorcycle and it’s a good thing I love it because it always needs something. Someone once told me to plan on spending as much time working on it as I do riding it... and that has come true.
I have a 1993 S-Class I bought five years ago, and I did a tune-up and oil changes since, and a new radiator even though I didn't need one because (A)they are cheap - about $125, and (B) I thought it was leaking but it was a loose hose clamp. Aside from those repairs which would be classified as routine maintenance, the car has been perfect these past five years, not even needing brakes. Runs smooth as a Rolls. Amazingly reliable, very safe, very smooth, very classy. This is my 14th Mercedes Benz and I am looking to buy another soon. All the Mercedes cars I have owned have been extremely reliable.
I severly disagree on Doug not liking this merc. the v12. Coupe ones with similar headlights look sooo 90's....they somehow remind me of days long before I was born
I love looking at the R107. In fact there is not a color it came in that does not make it look great. Plus they are easy enough to work on yourself and having something to fix keeps me out of trouble!
Pull over, turn around and head the other way. Using Doug as a guage for ANYTHING, is simply keeping the bar way too low. Love your work buddy. Love the 500SL too. PRETTY!
I'm not even a Mercedes enthusiast and this is still one of my favorite cars in terms of looks. Love the straight horizontal line aesthetic. Top 10 dream car.
Let's see if I can remember everything that's broken on my 83' 300SD... Heat occasionally blows hot air and occasionally freezing cold air. Blower sometimes makes a grinding noise so loud you can't hear the person next to you. Key gets stuck. Leaks fuel. Occasionally gets air in fuel system inexplicably and dies on the side of the road. Leaks from somewhere making the floor wet when it rains. Trunk leaks. Cabin light can't decide if it works or not. Odometer hasn't worked in years. Fuel gauge doesn't work. Tachometer usually doesn't work. Temp gauge jumps around everywhere. Brake lights occasionally quit working. None on the windows work. Seats don't move. Back vent blows only ice cold air. Tape player doesn't work. Antenna is broken off. Love the damn thing to death and drive it every day. One of these days I'll have enough money to fix it and make it the car it deserves to be.
I love your car, it is beautiful and lucky to have you as it's owner. I have the 75 450 SLC, I do drive it regularly and do all my own work on it. I was lucky when I got it in 2004 used, the previous owner had a new not rebuilt engine installed and took great care of it. So I do keep up with all the maintenance as we all should with the German built Mercedes, they are beautiful and worth working on them.
I daily drove a '74 Merc as my first car. I loved the thing! it blew a seal & pumped all the oil out of itself while crossing a bridge. Can't wait to get another.
You nailed it to the T. I have a R107 450SL and a W126 560SEL and they are always broken for some odd thing or another. Mine have never left me stranded though, just annoyed and poor. Love / hate relationship 100%. You need to love these cars to own them, while everyone around you thinks your batshit crazy.
Had a new 1984 with AMG conversion (oh yeah, before Mercedes bought them). Drove it for 10 years. Repairs... one alternator ($100 at my local mechanic) and the rear window in the soft top was at the end of its life when I sold the car. Summers in Dallas are the main reason for this. All these years later and I still regret having sold it. Wonderful ride and decent daily driver if you have a garage so the hard top can permanently stay there in storage.
Y'know, it's a weird feeling when I recognize you from a forum that I was on over 5 years ago... because of this car. Good ol' peachparts. This one's a keeper. Or so I hope.
I had many customers with these cars. And owned one myself. They are great cars and one of my favorites was my 280slc. Mind you I have owned a Ferrari Testarossa, lotus Esprit SE and have owned every S body since the 1970's model. Except for the 2014. Most likely the head gasket blew because someone ran it hot. The fuel distributors gum up when they sit continuously. A lot of sitting is bad for any car. Replacing the AC compressors is very pricy on theses cars. Even though it was a rebadged ac delco part. Every time I see one I smile inside Thanks for posting FM
I have so many childhood memories of working a few 450SL's and just remember my step dad screaming most of the time due to constant electrical/mechanical issues. I do agree with you that they are beautiful cars but unless you are totally in love with it, definitely not worth owning one unless it had been 100% restored.
As someone who owned a 1987 560SEC and knows plenty of others with the same or similar Benz rides I can say you really need to go through at some point and replace EVERYTHING you can. Taking the dash apart? Replace the entire AC and heating system. Just do it all. And make sure you use the car once a week and have a 30 minute+ drive without stopping and turning off the engine. Turn on the AC a few times in the winter and the heat in the summer. Use everything. Or it will falter and fail sooner rather than later.
I agree totally with the video. I owned a 1983 380SL for over 10 years and had the exact same experience. Beautiful car, but there was always something braking on it. I had to put all new rubber seals on it, new soft top, fuel pump, fuel injector rebuilt, top end rebuild, timing chain upgrade... then rebuild, etc, etc, etc.... I sold it last year for a handsome $21k, but I think I spent that much over the years just maintaining it.... ugh. Still a beautiful car and I'd love to own a "perfect" one without any issues, but alas I don't think they exist :( ...btw your front skirt air dam isn't factory for that car. It should have side strikes like the side panels... Props to the Euro spec bumpers though!
