1975 Mercedes-Benz 400-Series

SL Convertible

4.5L 4520CC V8 GAS SOHC Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

Clear

GAS

1975 Mercedes 450 SL Convertible, Automatic. Removable hard top and soft top convertible. 86K miles. I purchased the vehicle at a classic car auction 2 years ago. It had 85,000 miles at time of purchase. I have no history information on previous owners. It has a clear title. I just renewed the license plate tabs, so they are good for another year. I also purchased a repair manual for this car, and will include it with the sale. We love the car. While we have not driven it much, we like the attention it gets. We are only selling it because we no longer have room for it. We have enjoyed it enough, we plan to purchase the same model again in the future. Paint In general the car looks sharp. I believe the car was originally yellow, and I don’t believe it was a recent paint job based on general wear. The paint has many small flaws that do not show up well in photos (small bubbles, small rock chips, etc.), but there is no paint cracking, peeling, flaking or visible rust. The most significant issues are the scratches where the hard top connects, and you can see the yellow paint through those scratches. In addition, there is some bubbling under the paint right above the right rear wheel well (tried to capture in photos) but it seems to be solid. My suspicion is that there was some rust there that was chemically neutralized prior to painting. You can tell from their lack of appearance in the photos, these flaws are only visible on close inspection of the car, and not noticeable from a few feet away. I good buffing may make some improvement to these issues as well. In general the car looks very sharp, and we get lots of comments when we take it for a summer drive. Exterior Original chrome wheels are in good condition with a little corrosion on a couple of the wheels. They look great on the car. Tires have great tread, but should be replaced as they have some weather cracks. We only have one key that operates the ignition and trunk, but it does not seem to operate the doors. A couple of splits in the rubber coating on the rear bumper. One small upward dent in hood. I think there is also a small and minor depression on the left front fender (not noticeable). All lights work as they should. Interior Interior is in excellent condition and looks great. No tears in seats, carpet is in good condition (there are a two small worn spots nest to rear speakers), center counsel is in excellent condition. The dash pad has a hard plastic molded cover that fits over the original dash. It fits well, to the point I didn't even realize it was there until after I purchased the car. The door panels are in excellent condition except for some paint that has worn off the lock release, and some small tears at the bottom. The Speedometer and Tachometer have been rebuilt, by a dash specialist recently. The Tach is still not working. It has been bench tested to be fine, so it must be in the connection from the engine. I have not had time to run this down yet. Clock does not work. Has original Cassette Stereo and power antenna. Has a new parking break knob. Turn signal lever does not always stay in place when turning, and sometimes you have to hold it. The A/C and Fan buttons are broken in the center, but still functional. I believe the A/C works, but we have not tested it since we purchased the car. Heat works well. Have never used cruise control. Power windows operate fine. Mechanical Car runs and drives well. Starts easily. It can sometimes run a little rough at a stop light, but does not stall. I suspect it needs to have the fuel injectors cleaned. I replaced the left front Tie Rod and front brake pads. Left front caliper should be replaced at some point as I noticed a tear in the boot, but the car breaks well. Leaks some transmission fluid and small amount of oil. Local import shop indicated that it needed a new transmission seal (I have the part which I will include, and he estimated the labor at about $600). He also advised replacing the rear main seal at the same time for minimal cost, and would likely correct the small oil drip. Roof I suspect the hard top is not the original. It is black, but the head liner is cream colored, and it has a red vinyl trim around the bottom of the interior. The paint on the hard top is not in the greatest condition. It is rough in a couple of spots, but I think this could be buffed out. It also has some scratches and nicks. The soft top has the normal discoloration band through the center of it from being stowed away. Someone has replaced the weather stripping around the door windows. These may need to be adjusted as the way they are positioned prevents the windows from closing tightly with the top, so you can get some wind noise and water leakage. None of these issues were important to us because we seldom drove the car with the top on! I have more pictures available upon request. See video's and hear it run at http://youtu.be/lp-XjMTF5yc and http://youtu.be/fBJP6ZJsfts Thanks!