May get my hands on a 1977 Mercedes Benz at 16

LilPaintballer

LilPaintballer

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I went to my grandpa's house today when i got there i metioned i started driving and he said he has an old 1977 Mercedes Benz thats his but he gave it to a friend to restore and spoke to him earlier in the week. He said he could give it to me, I hope it starts last time i saw it i was like 8 and it had all mold in the back seat. But i love DIY projects, I plan to post pics when i first get it, I hope i do, and as i restore it, i realize it may cost alot and i dont even have a job current, will get one in the summer hopefully, I am only 15. About how much does restoration run a person? or it depends on the car and how much needs to be restored right?

Anyone have any personal experiences with restoring cars they'd like to share?
 
"or it depends on the car and how much needs to be restored right? "

you answered your own question but it can get expensive if you have to pay someone else to do the work. for some cars its hard to find parts too. since youre starting to drive be careful cuz you don't want to spend all that money and then crash the thing due to inexperience.
 
Awesome that you might get a Mercedes. I have a SLK 230 Kompressor so I know how cool Mercedes-Benz cars are :)
 
I had two friends in high school who tried to restore old cars. One had a 79' Corvette and the other a '67 Mustang.

Both cars were beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Some of the classiest makes and models ever.

And they both had massive issues that cost my friends thousands of dollars each respectively. One of them even took out a loan to try and get it all covered.

They both ultimately sold them to attempt to save at least a portion of what they'd spent.

That's just anecdotal evidence on my part, and I'm not saying it's the case with you. If you start now and the engine and so forth are still viable, then it could be a great project. The moral of the story here is good luck, but understand it's going to cost a good bit almost no matter how good a condition stuff is in, you'll get pissed and angry and so on, and all your cash will go toward it.

'Course in the end you've got an awesome car you restored, you've learned a lot of invaluable information about the car, and it's a nice attribute to be able to say you know a thing or two about mechanics. If you know all that going in - that the rewards are great but that you'll most likely spend every buck you make for the next few years - then go for it.

Good luck either way.
 
Those kind of cars you buy and just fix it up a little at a time over the course of probably a decade (unless, like Strell's post, you are actually taking out loans to get it done quicker). Don't expect to drive around in it and get lots of pussy, especially if there's mold in the back seat. ;)

My dad had a 67 Camaro RS he bought for like $2000 when he was a kid. Sold it and regretted it ever since. He always tells me he would have gave it to me when I turned 16, just to be an ass. To this day me and my older sister fight over who gets the now nonexistent car.
 
expect to sink an assload of money into it.. not just to restore it, but especially to maintain it

if that car is your absolute passion, you want to spend money on that instead of videogames or whatever, then go for it.. otherwise get something more practical.
 
yeah good rule of thumb is the fancier the car the more it costs for parts plus add a few pennies for age and how scarce the parts are.. But the big thing you'll save on is Labor unless you hurt yourself, screwing up your livelihood.
 
Well, he gave to his friend to restore, so maybe he got something done for the period of time, basically i just want to it get me from point a to b reliably looks are a bonus,as long as its not falling apart or rusted, either way i'am happy so long as i get it.

Cant really find any good pictures of it, Its 1977 Mercedes Benz SLC (Not sure if it is 450 350 or 380)

1977mercedes450slc092906.jpg



This is what i remember it as, silver with blue interior, apparently it was state of the art at the time costing around 40,000,with sun roof and air conditioning.
 
[quote name='thelonepig']77'? Longest corvette I've ever heard of.[/QUOTE]

Hey. It's 79' long, okay? Sheesh...


And yeah, it's going to be way expensive to get it running. And then it's going to be way expensive to keep it running while you fix it up. But at least you'll save on insurance for such an old piece o' crap. Have fun. If you go through with it, you'll enjoy it. Old cars are fun.
 
Hope you have a good job to pay for the maintenance. Just don't even think of getting cocky with it. Those things are on par with when Pontiac owned Jaguar in terms of cost
 
Reality's Fringe;5686894 said:
I have a 67 Charger lined up when I get to my first duty station. Oh man, that thing will make my penis SO BIG.
Click to expand...

I used to have a 66. Red on red with a 440. Sweet car.
 
Parts will be expensive considering its older and its a benz.
Labor will be expensive for the same reason. It will also probably have bad gas mileage.

You're gonna need plenty of money to get it fixed up plus gas money.

I personally think these cars look pretty goofy with the big ass black bumper on the front and back, but maybe its just me.

Please don't be one of the people I see who drives around acting like they're some high class badass because they drive a ragged out old ass car. I see people in these old BMW's and benz's that have to be 30+ years old, look like they're falling apart, and haven't been washed since the 70's who act like they're ballin.
 
Also, keep in mind: Yes, it's old and classy, but there's a generally a lot of good reasons /why/ they don't make cars like that any more.

My old brother had a fixer upper classic mustang for pootang. He spent more time babying the thing than in the back seat. Even after he got it set up to his liking... constant tune ups.

Older cars, unlike the cars of today, literally had to be tuned like musical instruments. A lot of cables to be tightened or loosened. Carb flaps to be tinkered with. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Hey! Look at it this way. Spending all your time on this classic car may significantly reduce your chances of getting any number of sexually transmitted diseases! That's a win!
 
[quote name='LilPaintballer']i forgot you could upgrade radio's in cars, oh boy i have alot to learn, any sites to learn all about cars and what not, i love hands on activities.[/quote]

a beat up 77 benz is NOT for you.... the only hands on activity you like probably has to do with your hand and your junk

You are 16...get a used civic that you can beat to shit and depend on for the time being....german cars (especially older ones) are NOT dependable (just talking statictics here, folks) and quite frankly a 16 year old would look a lot out of place in a car like that....if you DO get it I hope you have a lot of extra spending money from your good job and a backup car...
 
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