By how much is this overpriced?

[jerseyman]

http://www.airportcarcentre.co.uk/cars/mercedes-benz/1968-mercedes-280-sl-pagoda/

Having seen it driving around it is a lovely car but certainly not pristine.

the mileage is appealing, but those are Jersey miles so the 45K mileage is likely to be 15k starts and stops.

The reg is useless outside Jersey but is probably worth 5-8k in Jersey.

I would guess £30k, ie £50k would be fair

Or if it is fairly priced then the £40k ones must be pretty rubbish (and takes me out of the market completely)

[Garry]

I have been looking around for a car for quite some time and i think that the seller is dreaming.  It is way over priced, maybe a nice original example but there are lots of very good examples around the 35k - 50k pounds mark. 

Maybe there is something in the water in Jersey.

[Sableco]

Hello Jersey
I also have been looking at prices for a while now and I agree with Garry, this surely sounds way over priced.
I think you should keep on looking.
Best of luck

Basem

[stickandrudderman]

I suspect he wants to keep the car for himself but has advertised it at a ridiculous price just on the off chance that someone will pay it. It's quite a common practice and occasionally works! The low mileage and full history are rare but I think £50000 is nearer the mark assuming that she's as good underneath as she looks on top.

[Neil Thompson]

I spoke to the dealer with this car quite a while ago and he seemed knowledgeable and sensible with his description of the car and would reduce the price of the car without the reg plate to export into England. The problem is that I am sure VAT would have to be paid upon entry into the UK so unless there is a way around this it makes it a dear proposition to take out of Jersey

[jerseyman]

Hi Griffin,

Yes VAT at the current rate would have to be paid if it was imported to the UK.

When you spoke to the owner did he justify the "amongst the best in the world" statement, when I saw it - admittedly parked rather than prepared for sale - it was a nice tidy car - except for a moulding missing - with 40 years of patina, far far from concours and not even close to being a pride of ownership contender.

i do understand that at the very high end market, there is a move towards untouched patinated cars being worth more than those restored to concours. Perhaps understandable, but for £80k I would like glossy paint and photos of restoration showing no rust. (Well, hypothetically anyway - can't get close to £80k  ).

[Neil Thompson]

The car was described as had a few light cosmetic enhancements if I remember correctly but original panels and no welding. I did lose interest quickly with the mention of 20% VAT to be added. There was no urgency to sell, at that time. Did look a nice car though.

Neil

[pj]

Does the letter J on the reg plate mean something special that I don't know? Or would K 280 be just as "cherished"?

[JamesL]

J = Jersey (G - Guernsey)

It's an unusual configuration but as they are part of the UK, Channel Island plates can be used/kept on the car all over the UK. So instead of ending up with ABC 123F or XYZ 987G or somehing in that configuration, you can keep the J280. The suffix, F (or G) would be from 1968 (depending on the month the car was registered)

Every little helps, I guess!

[tel76]

Tosh,
I think you are wrong in your assumption that you can keep the  J  plate and use the car in the UK.
If you are resident in the Channel Islands you can use the car in the UK, but if a UK resident (England,Scotland,Wales and N.I) imports it he will have to register it in the UK and pay the dreded VAT.

[Ulf]

To me, the car looks nice, but way over-priced. But regarding the VAT, can't it be "exported" to a EU country with a very low VAT and then on to the UK? As far as I know, once VAT has been paid in one EU country, there is no further VAT to be paid anywhere in the EU. Here in Denmark, people lease Danish registered cars from a company based in Germany, thus benefitting from the 6% difference in VAT...

[tel76]

Hello Ulf,
Yes, you are correct,but is it worth the hassle for 6%.
Not long ago there was/is a company in Denmark that if you were buying an aircraft, would purchase it for you at a low rate of vat and would then transfer the title to you (here in the UK) but the bxxxxxds in brussels (small b) put a stop to that,the same company has another scheme but i have no info: on that.

[jerseyman]

It's an unusual configuration but as they are part of the UK, Channel Island plates can be used/kept on the car all over the UK. So instead of ending up with ABC 123F or XYZ 987G or somehing in that configuration, you can keep the J280. The suffix, F (or G) would be from 1968 (depending on the month the car was registered)

Every little helps, I guess!

<<J = Jersey (G - Guernsey)>>

J  = Jersey is correct, but Guernsey just use numbers  - and can use Black and White number plates on modern cars - which makes me a bit jealous.

<<It's an unusual configuration but as they are part of the UK>>

Arrgh. Absolutely and completely not part of the UK  .

<<you can keep the J280>>

If the car is exported from Jersey, the J280 plate would have to be relinquished back to the Vehicle Standards Department - or more sensibly sold on in Jersey before it was exported.

[dseretakis]

Is the seller on crack?

[JamesL]

At least if he's on drugs he's decided not to take the bonnet off and grille out to repaint the battery box