25th Apr 2005, 18:30

What is a reasonable price for 1978 450 slc in good condition with 120K miles? I am looking at one and started my research by visiting this page.

30th Apr 2005, 11:09

The 450 SLC was originally the highest price Benz in it's day. It was actually considered a better car than the convertible, but did not sell as well. Generally you can pick up an SLC for a couple thousand less than the convertible counterpart. I actually have a 1978 350 SLC gray market for sale right now. I am asking 8,500 for mine. The 350 SLC is the same as the 450 SLC, but was not originally sold in the United States. Mine only has 82k and a rare velour interior. Write another comment if you live near Philadelphia and might be interested.

Mike near Philly PA.

27th May 2005, 10:51

I just purchased a 1979 450 slc, for $2900. Temperatures are okay so far, it's a great car. Original 4 speed manual transmission. I was told it is a AMG package, and it has the spoilers and side skirts to prove it, but I am still skeptical if there even was AMG back in those days. Does anybody have any information?

3rd Jul 2005, 06:43

Hi there merc 450 SL/SLC fans.

I am from South Africa and my dad just bought a 79 450SLC with 80000kms on odo...

He has been after one of these for years now and has always been his dream to own one...

We have replaced the front discs with bearings & brake pads, done a service and very happy with the car...

Was a bit of a mission to get to the spark plugs, but we managed...

Is there a forum I can post questions to fellow 450 drivers?

I was wondering what fuel consumption you guys get?

The car tends to get very hot inside, don't know if there is a faulty heat valve allowing heat inside...

The V8 sounds lovely, 165KW of power is brilliant...

Many thanks.

15th Jul 2005, 08:21

Sure AMG was around in the 70's. Just the fenders and the stickers don't mean that it was actually tuned by AMG though.

29th Jul 2005, 01:27

I live in Australia and purchased a 1977 450SLC back in 1992. It has a full AMG body kit - front spoiler, rear 'sausage' spoiler on bootlid, side skirts and all the chrome has been colour-coded the same as the body - bright red metallic. It also has the original 5 spoke AMG mag wheels which have the centres painted to match the body colour. She may be an oldie, but she still draws comments and looks when I take her out on the weekends.

28th Dec 2005, 12:31

I recently purchased a 1975 450SLC, California car with just over 60,000 on the meter. Perfect, except for the speedo. The odometer seemed to be functioning correctly for quite a while. The speedo would typically just select a setting and stay there. Regardless of speed, or even when stopped. Then, sometimes it would decide to work again. Especially if it was real cold. Then it would hum real loud for about ten miles until it warmed up, and then the humming would stop, but it would keep working. Except that the odometer stopped working.

I know to disconnect the speedo cable from the trans first, and to remove the wire from the oil press gauge (among others...) before I can completely remove the cluster, which seems to have been removed before, perhaps by a blind person, judging by the way things were done...

Anyway, can anyone help me???

Jmshea0527@juno.com.

19th Feb 2006, 00:44

Greetings from Sunny Namibia with my 1977 450 SL.

I just bought a 1977 450 SL with only 69 500 km on the clock. Just had it serviced by a professional merc mechanic, but the fuel consumption is between 23 - 30 liters / 100km's. Any suggestions as I am told I should get between 15 - 19 liters / 100 km's. Otherwise all is in impeccable condition. Fitted a Grundig MP3 radio / CD that fits perfectly with round dials that match the ventilation knobs.

Gorden Walters.

10th Aug 2006, 07:44

I just bought a 1979 450 Roadster at an auction and I am not a Mercedes specialist so I have a few questions.

1. Why would my 450 have rectangular headlites verses dual headlites like the owners manual indicates?

2. This is a california car and must be set for high altitude operation. I live in Manitoba Canada and I find the car runs very rich when starting it hot.

3. It seems quite gut less for a large V8.

Your comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

11th Jan 2007, 16:20

I recently purchased a 1978 Roadster that I had previously owned. The problem I have is the idle is much too high. The engine idles at around 2K RPM. I have looked for the obvious vacuum leak, but cannot find one. Any ideas?

30th May 2007, 20:44

I am looking at purchasing a 1979 450SL which has been sitting for 4-5 years. What can I expect to do prior to initial start up?

ericmuhlbaier@bellsouth.net.

12th Nov 2007, 21:07

I have bought a 1979 450sl with 58,000 km. Original owner sold me the car. I am going to put it away for the winter (Calgary, Alberta). What special things do I need to do. As well, anybody have ideas re hanging the hard top from the ceiling in my garage??

1st Feb 2008, 14:01

I own a 1979 mercedes 450 slc that is having a problem with the interior dashboard lights. the headlights go on, but I cannot light up my dashboard. does anybody have any suggestions.

9th Jul 2008, 16:40

I have just purchased a 1979 450Sl Roadster with 106K miles previously used as a daily driver. I am experiencing some issues that I need to consult:

Oil pressure: when the engine is warm and sitting at a stop light the oil pressure goes all the way down to zero, however, there is no noise from the engine and it seems to run fine. When I shift into neutral and accelerate, the oil pressure gage moves up and down at the same rate as the tachometer. When the car is operating at highway speeds the oil pressure, indicates maximum pressure,. At start-up when the engine is cold, the oil pressure indicates maximum pressure as well. Someone told me they thought that the oil gage in the dashboard needed replacing. I was also told that the oil tube going to the oil gage might be clogged and may need replacing or unclogging. Any ideas on what this oil pressure issue could be, and how to resolve it?

Rough Idle: The engine runs rough at idle speed; it seems to run fine at highway speeds.