1986 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Euro 300SL Convertible

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

00000000000000000

Gasoline

Extremely rare 1986 Mercedes Benz European 300SL! VIN number is WDB1070411A035263 This is your opportunity to buy one on the rarest 1980's Mercedes Benz avaialable in the USA today. Between May of '85 and July of '89 Mercedes only manufactured 13,742 300SL's. Less than eighty of these magnificant cars were ever privately imported into the USA and this one is one of the finest remaining examples available. In my opinion the 300SL is a far more attractive car than the equivalent 1986 560SL. In Europe they still carried the excellent chrome bumpers (USA went safety concious with thick black rubber bumpers) the rear trunk lid is thankfully free of the ugly third brake light and you will not have to deal with first generation ABS or airbags, as the European version carried neither! I bought this example from the largest SL enthusiast company in the USA with 57,000-miles on the clock. I have had the pleasure of owning my 300SL for almost five years now. When I bought the 300SL there was just my wife and I at home. Our family has grown and I bought an ML550 this month. Rather than my 300SL see limited use in the future, I'd rather pass 'Bluey' onto someone who has space for an additional car (the 300SL is now our third) and will appreciate the same. In 2006 I set out on a program not of restoration, but of life preservation. Any car that is more than twenty years old should have undergone a program to replace many of the components that are subject to wear or age . If the owner has not started this work - then please know that you will. The next owner of this SL will therefore have peace of mind in seeing more than $13,000 of receipts detailing the work performed at main and independant Mercedes dealerships since I bought this car in 2006. Right now this Mercedes 300SL is in excellent mechanical and overall condition. I take this car for a run several times per week (avoid ones which are hardly ever driven) and it starts without pause, runs without problems and drives better than many of the new cars on the road today (the new shock absorbers make a world of difference). After all, this is not a 24 year old car - it is a 24 year old Mercedes! When not in use the car always remains in the garage. Never seen a smoker inside! Although this is a private import, the majority of parts are plentiful. Body parts are almost all identical to the 560SL, mechanical parts are almost all identical to the 300 series saloons of the same year. Please bear with my lengthy description and detail of the work performed. If it seems tooooo long - ask what you are missing if another seller does not list everthing I've included! Mechanical condition Whenever this car has needed work it was performed by one of the two Mercedes Dealerships in Houston or my favorite independent Mercedes workshop. At present we are up to date with all mechanical work and, barring the unexpected, I do not anticipate any further service work until the 90,000-mile service. The car starts first time, idles around 600-650-rpm, has very cold A/C (although know this is a 24 year old design that cannot compete with most new cars today), provides a fantastic smooth drive, brakes straight and without any fade or shudder. You can, as I have, trust this to be a dependable car. Mechanical work completed by me includes, Converted AC system from R12 to R134 Replaced AC compressor, drier, auxiliary fan, pressure switches Replaced main transmission and front cover seals Replaced fuel accumulator New cylinder head cooling switch Mercedes Benz main dealer 60,000-mile service Replaced all six of the sub-frame mount bushings New Belt tensioner New belt shock absorber New radiator fluid overflow tank Four new brake rotors and pads Four new shock absorbers Cruise control still working 9 out of 10 times. On 10th, switch off car, switch on again and cruise control works. Under the hood This is one place that really gives the age of a car away, so I've spent a lot of time and money ensuring all perishable items were replaced. Look at the photos provided and compare them to the engine bays of other SL's. It should look clean, the plastic components should be new - if not, you know they will need replacing soon. Items replaced include, Replaced engine hood pad Removed battery, cleaned and repainted battery tray and surrounding area Replaced cracked plastic distribution cover Replaced all plastic bottles and hoses Exterior No car is perfect and this SL includes several small scratches (drivers door has small scratch), stone chips and chips on the rear deck cover from the previous owner handling the hard top. The majority of the exterior paint is original although I have re-painted scratches and stone chips as appropriate. In addition the car received minor damage around the right rear quarter in 2007 when it was side swiped at low speed by another vehicle. The small amount of body work (no welding, no cut-out, just panel beating, smoothing and paint) were performed to a high degree of competency and the results are excellent. The car is completeley free from door dings and all panels are original and in very good condition. We recently inspected the car and can find no apparent signs of rust (hardly suprising in the dry Texas climate!) Recent work includes, The hardtop is in excellent condition and is provided on a stand. The soft top is original and in good condition, save for two small pinholes that were too small to pick up on the photos. There are a couple of creases in the rear plastic window that do not affect visibility. I will also provide an excellent new $375 windblocker bought from "Love The Drive dot com" Removed and refinished all four wheels We also hand painted the wheel nuts to match the wheels - if you rotate the tires you'll want to repaint them again. Re-colored the plastic bumper trim Replaced front grill (all old SL grills fade from black to a light gray). Replaced the headlight and fog light plastic bezels (the plastic tends to yellow after 20+ years). Replaced the Mercedes hood ornament Replaced drivers and passenger door seals above windows on main hard top (the drivers needs adjusting/replacing as it is still stiff) Replaced windshield (after 20+ years any windshield needs replacing!) Five new tires (tread still good - these have 20,000-miles on them since new) Interior The interior of the car when I bought it was in extremely good condition and as such it remains completely original with exception of the items listed below. There are typical cracks in the vinyl dashboard under the windshield (see photo below), although I'd rather see them than cover the dash with a dashcap. The wood trim is on good condition with a few light scratches.The Blaupunkt stereo is in good working condition and although I have never tried the tape player, it does offer both AM and FM! Work performed on the interior includes, A new drivers seat left hand side bolster New stain to leather seat surfaces Re-stitched drivers seat Replaced the electric window switches Replaced light bulbs behind the a/c control panel - note: The high beam light bulb in the dash just went out - base your bid on having to replace one light bulb! Clock removed, repaired and serviced Re-stitched the missing trim from the carpet set Replaced the tool kit and cleaned the tool kit compartment Cleaned the spare wheel compartment For the work above I have more than $13,000 in receipts. I also have every receipt from the previous owner back to early 1986. I will also provide the original books and manuals (in German) that came with the car. Bid with confidence as I plan to keep my 100% feedback rating for a long time! Note: You are welcome to send pay for an inspection or view the car in Houston before the auction ends (I live near Lakewood Church). If you send an inspector and the car is not as described above, I will refund up to $200 of your inspection fee. Payment - $500 deposit is by PayPal only! Remainder of the fee is payable within seven days by wire transfer, verified bankers check, or approved finance company check (CapitaOne check or similar). Due to the time sensitive nature of these auctions, deposit is needed within 48-hours after end of auction, otherwise I will automatically offer to the next highest bidder. Shipping and overseas bidders - I will gladly help with any paperwork you require for shipment of this car overseas. Please note that all costs associated with export of the car, or indeed transport of the car within the USA, are buyers responsibility. I am willing to deliver the car to the Port Of Houston for sea transport. A note on Insurance!! If you are planning to buy this as your second car I would highly recommend Hagerty Collectors Car Insurance. I pay just under $300 per year for 3,000-miles with assurance value replacement. That means if the car is stolen, or written off, you will receive the full value you agree with Hagerty (in your case you would insure the car for the purchase price). Restrictions include the fact that you need a different daily driver (this cannot be used for commuting), you can not park outside overnight, etc. Be aware - if you plan to buy this as your only vehicle you cannot obtain assured value or collectors car insurance. That means Geico, Allstates, etc will only pay out the current value of a private import 1986SL, regardless of condition i.e. if a total loss or stolen you will not receive the full value of the car and you will be out of pocket by thousands! Please consider this if you plan to buy as your only car!Please email me if you have any questions before you bid. I reserve the right to cancel any bidders with negative feedback or without a PayPal account.On Nov-21-10 at 21:30:47 PST, seller added the following information: Good news! The last two photos were taken earlier today and show a small glimpse of the underside of my car. I was asked by several watchers to describe the condition underneath the car and decided photos spoke louder than words. From our detailed inspection underneath the car I can state - 1. No rust - not a little bit or rust, a small amount or rust, a spot or two - we cannot visually detect any rust on the underside of this car. If you send me your email address I will gladly send you 30+ photos of the underside that will help confirm this statement. For overseas bidders - try and find a European 300SL without rust! 2. We did notice the transmission pan gasket was weeping - in the 23rd of my 24 photos you will see a bright new shiny black transmission pan, plus we replaced the transmission pan gasket and filter. 3. We also noticed a very small weep on the oil level indicator probe cover (the probe that alerts you if your oil level is low). My Mercedes mechanic has ordered a new cover and seal and this will be replaced on Monday. 4. Other than the above, the 30+ photos I can send you will show no oil leaks, no fluids leaks, no rust, no corrosion, no nothing of concern! On Nov-24-10 at 12:42:33 PST, seller added the following information: Good news! During a thorough detailing of my 300SL this week we noticed slight corrosion around the positive terminal of the battery (we were wiping down the engine bay and that included cleaning the battery terminal covers). My mechanic tested the battery and found its ability to hold a charge had slightly degraded. We therefore bought and installed a brand new battery for you.