1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

• Red paint is glossy and straight with bright chrome and red-matched hubcaps, so the outside presents well at first glance.
• Look closer and the inner front wheel arch is caked in brown grime and corrosion behind the wheel, and the rocker bottom edge shows rust-colored staining in the side shot, so budget for rust inspection and repair.
• Black soft top fits but has a small visible hole worn through the fabric on top, so a new top belongs in the budget.
• The matching red hardtop is present and its paint and chrome look clean, which saves hunting one down later.
• Black door card looks scuffed and tired up close, while the rear compartment carpet looks fresh, so the cabin is mixed and will need trim money.
• Engine bay is original with its mechanical injection, but it is grimy with surface rust on the inner panels and linkage, so it reads as a driver bay, not a detailed one.
• The photographed jack and lug wrench are heavily surface-rusted, a small thing that matches the corrosion seen elsewhere.
• Photographed 2017 and 2019 invoices for VIN 11304412013435 show big past spend, including an engine long-block exchange, an injection pump rebuild and a fuel system overhaul, which supports the mechanical side of the price if the paperwork is complete.
• Can't judge the seats up close — they are only seen from outside the car in the sampled photos.
• Can't judge the underside — no undercarriage photo appears in the sampled photos, and that is exactly where this car needs checking.

Money: at $54,500 the invoices photographed with the car show serious mechanical money already spent, but the arch corrosion, rocker staining and holed soft top mean the discount versus a clean Pagoda will get eaten by body and top work.