As an enthusiast, I'm always on the lookout for anything interesting that comes my way. I spotted this 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL in front of our truck showroom during the previous afternoon. The fact that it sat there overnight made me wonder if it was being traded in.

Sure enough, it was ! I immediately had to check it out.

This car looked pretty well used, to put it nicely. Faded paint and a few body imperfections, (like the damaged grill), were instantly noticeable.

The odometer showed 197k miles well-used miles.

The paint was iffy at best.

But the most challenging part of this car was what wasn't so obvious. During my brief inspection, I noticed a decent amount of rust.

Even so, I asked one of the managers about the car. He basically told me that, "it is what it is," and that I could have it for $750 !

My wife, in what was probably a very good decision, immediately vetoed the idea.