So what does a Mercedes-Benz 107 SL really cost to run? Which SL has the best fuel in real terms? What should you budget for servicing and maintenance? And the big question is what's happening to 107 SL values at the moment?
FUEL CONSUMPTION...
The first question to ask yourself is how many miles per annum you intend on doing? Most of our customers use the cars for Sundays, high days and holidays and probably average between 3000 - 5000 miles per annum. If you calculate the actual fuel cost £ difference between the highest and lowest mpg achievable the cost is fairly insignificant in the wider scheme of things. You can probably achieve a lot with a smooth driving style which we all know but don't always practice.
Of course V8's use more fuel than the 6 cylinder cars (280 SL and 300 SL) but on a "Sunday run" averaging 50 - 60 mph we find V8's to return similar MPG to the sixes. If you like to press on or do a lot of town driving the V8's are thirstier. The maximum you could expect would be 29 mpg from a 300 SL and a V8 driven hard or around town will be in the mid to high teens per gallon.
SL SERVICING & MAINTENANCE...
You will see on our 107 SL service pages The SL Shop charge £198.50 for a 6 cylinder service and £228.50 for a V8 service so there is very little difference there. As a general rule if you budget on spending an additional £500 every 2nd or 3rd year on any 107 SL you won't be far wrong. These cars respond well to the "little and often maintenance" approach.
INSURANCE...
There are examples of the type of insurance quotes you might expect within the web site here but as a general rule most of our customers seem to pay between £180 and £220 per annum. Club membership plugs you into additional discount as underwriters like careful owners who belong to an owners club.
VALUES...
SL 107's have such a wide appeal, everyone seems to have a soft spot for them and remembers them as an aspirational car when new and their popularity seems to grow by the month. But lets not pretend they are achieving anything like the increase in values we have seen with Pagoda W113's for example. Buy the right car and you will probably experience almost no depreciation and over the long term.... if only we had a crystal ball!
What we can conclude is this practical, solid and charming motor car provides incredible value for money in todays classic car market. Good cars are becoming rarer, rough cars are being broken or completely neglected so we'd bet that in years to come we'll look back and say... "remember when you could pick up a 107 SL for the same cost as a supermini"...
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