1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL. Nice unrestored example. Drives great!

1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL. This is a very nice "survivor" R107. I did not buy the car brand new (I was 5 years old at the time) but to the best of my observation it retains the majority of its original parts. The original paint shines nice but has plenty of character. Its faded in several places and has little rocks chips and nicks in the paint, but overall it presents very nicely and personally I wouldn't change a thing about it. There is no rust anywhere on the car beyond the minor surface rust that should be expected in a 40-year old unrestored car.

One day last summer while my wife and I were having lunch at a restaurant, a 4-foot tall 80-year old woman driving a 4x4 crew-cab Dodge Ram pickup ran into the driver's door while she was navigating that locomotive through the parking lot. I had the repairs done at a body shop that specializes in classic and custom cars. The only actual part that was damaged and replaced was the driver's door, and we used a brand new genuine Mercedes-Benz door ($1,700) not a junkyard or aftermarket. The paint and body work they performed is amazing, anyone would be hard-pressed to tell that it's not still in its original state... the total repair bill was almost $6,000! The chrome trim than runs along the rocker panel on the driver's side needs the mounting clips replaced, which I have and will include.

The seats were just reupholstered so they look fantastic but are obviously are not original, but otherwise the interior appears to be untouched and also presents very well. The dash has some cracks like they all do, but everything else is nice and all the accessories work with one notable exception: The heater only operates on cool (not A/C cool, just cool outside air. The A/C does not work). The fan will switch from high speed to low speed, the controls will switch from floor to defrost, but it will only ever blow cool air. These HVAC systems are notorious for being faulty, it is a hilariously complex system that is ridiculously expensive to fix, but I never drive it when it's cold outside so to me it wasn't worth the time or cost. The original soft top is present and functions, but the rear window is yellowed from age and there are a couple of small cuts in the fabric that have been patched. Its usable and presentable but it's not brand new, so for the purposes of this listing I will advertise the top fabric as "needs to be replaced".

Mechanically, this is the sort of car you can jump in and drive anywhere. It runs and drives great, you do not need a tow truck or trailer. I drive this car on the hottest of days in rush hour traffic and it never even thinks about overheating. In the past 1,500 miles, all of the following items have been replaced using OEM or OEM equivalent (Bosch, etc) parts: Spark plugs, ignition wires, distributor cap, distributor rotor, fuel injectors, thermostat, air filter, v-belts, brake pads, brake rotors, brake calipers, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that's all the major components. I also had a cooling system flush and brake system flush performed, and it rides on 4 brand new tires. This car starts right away, runs strong and smooth, shifts well, and stops on a dime. There is an exhaust leak that just very recently developed from one of the manifolds, you can hear the telltale "tick tick tick" under the hood when driving, but I haven't looked into having it diagnosed by a professional.

You can restore a car 100 times but it's only original once. This car is a very nice original car, it's not brand new and it's not a museum piece so please keep that in mind when you're looking at it. Showroom-fresh examples of this car sell for 3x what I'm asking here, so if that's what you're expecting then those are the ones you need to look at, but I have full confidence that anyone who looks at this car will immediately fall in love with it just as I did. I've been as honest as I can with my description, and I will gladly answer any questions. I have nothing to hide. I'm also not interested in trading for anything except US currency. Title is clear and in hand.

Just so everyone is crystal clear, this is NOT a garage queen or a Best In Show or anything like that! It is a 40+ year old car that was driven, that has spent some time outside in the rain and elements, and wears its years like a badge of honor. It is a neat old car that'll put a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel, but isn't going to put any trophies on your mantel.