Mercedes: 1985 Mercedes 380 sl convert, kelly blue book, fuse problems

Question
I am looking at purchasing the above vehicle.  It only has 38,834 miles and two owner.  I have many pictures.  I leave in Minnesota and the car has be in Florida it's entire life.  The person seems real honest but, my question is. What insight can you give me regarding places of rust to look at and what can I expect to spend in repairs?  I am not a mechanic at all and was wonder what you could help me with or I may be heading for. The price has been negotiated at $15,200.

Answer
Hello Gary,
The price seem quite out of line for any vehicle of this age. Kelly Blue Book does not rate beyond 1990. I just ran a few numbers to find that $8,000.00 is a private party purchase price for a 1990 vehicle like this  in excellent condition.

A 25 year old vehicle is going to require maintenance regardless of the mileage. Convertibles are particularly prone to moisture problems and corrosion, because of their very design.
Couple that fact with the warm moist 'salt' air conditions of Florida, and I would be very suspect about rust and corrosion.
I have a 1985 sel and live in NE Georgia. I have had numerous problems with corrosion at grounding points and fuse problems. I had to replace the ignition switch because of this issue. I purchased a set of manuals on line and joined www.benzworld.org for help with repair problems.

I do my own mechanical work and have been able to own the vehicle at about the same rate of a US domestic car. Even though the parts are very expensive for these year model cars when you can find them, I have purchased used and off Ebay to mitigate the expenses. Perish the thought of having to have a dealer dot the work.

Truthfully, I would not own another Mercedes for this very reason and have my 420SEL up for sale for $2,500. I would be please to get that for the car. I paid $8,000 five years ago, and it was in excellent condition.

Given that you have no mechanical background, you could be opening your self for very expensive ownership expenses.
This is probably not what you wanted to hear, but it is what it is.
Good Luck
Robert