1972 Mercedes-Benz 450SL

• gold paint looks glossy and even, no paint bill showing on the outside
• brown soft top looks clean and tight with a clear rear window, no top money showing
• cream seats look excellent, the leather looks almost new, no need to reupholster
• odometer shows 131,273 miles, priced as a driver, not a low-miler
• the antenna mast is broken off at its base, small money to replace
• a front tire carries a 2000 date code, budget a full set of tires before real driving
• engine bay is complete but the air cleaner lid is rusty and the bay is dirty, budget a detail and checks
• paperwork photos in the gallery show welded patch repairs in both rockers and the floor, rust work hidden under the finished car
• one paperwork photo shows the right rocker jack point rusted through, ask hard questions about the rest of the shell
• the books photographed are 350SL manuals while the car is titled a 450SL, early US cars were sold as 350SL, but confirm the paperwork matches the car
• no current underside photos in the sampled set, can't judge today's floors, only the old repair prints

Money: at $5,544 the shiny paint hides documented rocker and floor rust repairs, so bid only after a lift inspection confirms the patches were done right.