How did you buy your SL?

[Cees Klumper]

I was reading about this topic on the 190 SL Group's website and it made for very interesting reading to say the least ... so ... how did you come to buy your Pagoda?

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[n/a]

My wife's grandfather had had a '65 230 SL sitting in his garage for as long as I've known her.  I guess he bought it from a cousin who brought it over from Europe.  Anyway, her grandfather moved, and gave the 230 SL to her father, who had it in his driveway for the last couple of years.  I'd never seen it run, nor had any of the rest of the family.

About a month ago we purchased our '04 230 SLK and took it to my father-in-law's house to show it off.  As we were leaving, he asked me if I'd be interested in having another Mercedes.  Of course I replied "yes", and he gave me the 230 SL.

I'd always admired it, but didn't really know that I wanted it.  Since I got it towed home, I've loved spending time getting it running and driving around.  Lots more work to do on it, but I having a great time working on such a great car.

Dan H

1965 230 SL Euro 4 speed (me)
2004 230 SLK Kompressor (my wife)

[Cees Klumper]

In my case it was very simple. One summer vacation four years ago, I showed my wife a picture in a collector car magazine of a Pagoda. I told her I had been wanting to own one for the past twenty years, but never got around to it. She just said "why don't you get one now?". One week later I bought the best one I could find at this one dealer. I just went to one place that always has about 5 of them, and I got the best one. I've read about people who look and look for the longest time, but I always make these kinds of major (well, for me this was a fairly major outlay) decisions very quickly.

I had loads of trouble with it for the first year, then I found the Yahoo! website and 'the rest is history' as they say. I hope I will be able to enjoy it for at least the next 30 years (I'm 43 years old).

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Richard Madison]

I like long stories, so here goes:

In 1965, I bought a new 1966 Ford Mustang. Sold it three years later when I moved to Manhattan NYC where garage rent is more than gold.

For over almost 30 years I did not own a car. Manhattanites don't need cars, can rent a car if necessary. But I always felt a twinge when an old Mustang went by. The lady Anita (whom I later married) had been a passenger in my original Mustang so she was also quite fond of vintage Ponies.

One day in 1995, we saw a car with a For Sale sign almost identical to my orginal Mustang. Anita and I decided to ask about it. Garages were still very pricey so we told our son, "Don't expect an inheritance, just an old Mustang." He was not happy!

We bought the Silver Blue '66 Mustang and loved it. In 1999, we sold the Silver Blue and bought a 1966 GT Mustang with Pony interior and every other option in rare Silver Smoke.

At car shows, Anita and I would walk around and point out cars we thought attractive: MG's, Jag's, Alfa's, and Pagodas (when these rare beauties were seen.)

By 2001 I was getting bored even though I owned one of the best Mustangs possible. I had been to every car show within 100 miles and knew every other Mustang and owner. Anita agreed that it would be OK to trade for a Pagoda. She probably thought that I could never exchange a '66 Mustang for a 113 Pagoda since the Mercedes roadsters cost two or three times more than a Mustang.

I looked at 113's and 107's. The 107 was bit to modern and comfortable for me. I wanted a car with a little edge, a fun to drive car. I decided to look for a 1971 113 with manual shift if possible. A few months later an ad in the NY Times mentioned a 1971 280SL for $12,500. The seller had lost money in dot com shares and was desperate to sell.

I looked at the car: manual shift, Tobacco Brown, 70,000 miles with AC, radio, manuals, tool kit, etc and very original. The original owner told me all about the history of the car.

The Pagoda had a bit of rust so I had the seller drive the car to a fix-it shop that had done work on my Mustangs. Armed with the (modest) repair estimate, I drove the price down to where someone who later saw the car in it's now rust free, very clean condition heard the price and said, "You stole it without a gun."

The Pagoda has been my passion since then. I soon found the Yahoo forum and later worked to create this website.

My son almost agrees that an old Pagoda is better than money. I still look fondly at the old Mustangs but my love now is "Ole Brownie".

Richard M


'71 280 SL, Tobacco Brown, Cognac interior, Tan top, Jump Seat, 80K orig miles, NYC.

[peterm]

1999 or was it 2000? Greenwich Concours there was a perfect 280sl in dark red. Easily a Barret Jackson 60k car by today's standards.  A little switch in my brain was set off and a lackluster quest began.  Every issue of the Star was reviewed with particular attention to 113's in the classifieds.  I watched prices slowly but progressively rise.  

Last year the bug began to grow .... "Hmm can't afford a 113 now" and I started to look at 107's.  Was very close to a purchase but the car was snapped up before I could fly to Illinois to see it.  Well then I started to hit Hemmings and realized my true love was the 113.  Saw 8-10 cars before I came upon the 71 280 I have today.

Note It was only until I found this site that I really learned what to look at at and how to read these cars.  Many thanks.

[n/a]

Judy and I are car people, plain and simple.  Jood has attended a variety of skip barber racing schools, and I have restored and monkeyed with many different vintage european cars.  When we met, Jood was driving a BMW z3, I had a saab, plus a triumph tr-6 and the often mentioned 2 stroke saab sonett.  We would often discuss what vintage cars should be in our stable, maybe someday a ferarri dino (246gts), an early 911, jag e-type or healey 3000...but the one that kept coming up was the 113.  We had seen a few locallyu, admired them every chance we got.  
For my birthday in '02 we agreed to find a 113.  We settled, we found one for sale locally, the price was right, it had no ac. manual trans, it was an early car (#1600) all this appealed to us, so we bought it.  As we got to know the car, I had a lot of projects to make it run better, and once we were somewhat confident in its mecahnical state, we started looking for estimates for body work....well, that blew the budget.

We agreed last spring that if we could sell the '64 and find one that met our much higher criteria, we would do the upgrade.

Thru this and dorian's website, we found a completely rust free, west coast car, in our top color combination (silver/red leather) with new, big ticket paint and interior, and a great history, having been owned all its life by the family and president of the MBCA.  We promised to buy it, flew across the country to spend a day driving it, and then arranged to have it shipped home.

And we started trying to sell the '64.  Eventually the sale happened and we could enjoy the '66 for everything it is.  Still we have a project list, as I was just completing rebuilding the engine in the sonett, we realized that the '66 really needs an engine compartment makeover, but most importantly, it's all there.

We can't thank our internet friends enough for educating us, and getting us in touch with this car, and helping to sell the '64....now, we are thinking maybe next year we can add the 911 to teh stable.

-Lewis and Judy Eig
www.eigs.net


'66 230 sl 113042-10-016238
67 saab sonett II #43 of 258
00 saab 9-3 viggen conv
02 saab 9-5 aero

[n/a]

My red '68 280 SL is a member of the family with a very storied past. My father bought it from it's first owner in 1970. He's a motor head and we had all sorts of interesting cars ... an early 60's Lincoln with the suicide doors, a Ponton, a 250C, but the SL was the one that inspired my car love. We called it the Red Car and it was the car we took to fun places. We kids would pile in the back to go to the pool. My father and I would drive it skiing or on sailing trips.

When my parents divorced, the Red Car became a pawn in a very ugly property dispute. Ultimately, it remained with my father.

One day in D.C., it was hit by a motorcycle running red lights at over 90 MPH. The rider was killed and it almost ripped the entire front end off the SL. It took over 3 years to put it back together, but now it's rust free. To save a few bucks, most of the suspension came out of a sedan which has left it a little soggy in the front end. I have replace the springs with the correct SL springs as it sat like it was missing its engine.

I don't know if it was being freeked out by the accident or a growing lust for more exotic vehicles, but the SL was relagated to the garage. My father moved to Texas and purchased several 928s and a 512TR. The Red Car sat forlorn in the garage back in MD. I was told, when I could take care of it, I could have it.

I bought a house with a little one car detached garage. Told my wife it was time to claim my birthright and a buddy and I drove to MD to collect the SL. It had been sitting for 10 years in the garage, uncovered with the top down. The hardtop had been lost years earlier in a missundersanding with the guy who restored the interior. Guess if you leave something in thier shop for 7 years, they sell it. Oops.

I brought the Red Car home and began to undo the neglect. Rust in the fuel tank, rotted exhaust, mouse nest in the fresh air vent (not very fresh anymore to say the least), new starter, rebuild P/S pump, the list goes on and on. I'm working on descaling the radiator now as it runs hot.

With 2 small kids and an old house, I don't have the time I'd like to work on the car, but enjoy what I can. Cosmetically, it looks great. A few dings here and there, but still turns heads. My son has renamed the Red Car to Daddy's Fun Car.

It may not be the best example of a 113. Won't win any shows nor collect $60k at auction, but there are more memories and stories in that car than just about vehicle I could think of.

Someday it will be pristine again. Now, my son and I just tool around in the Fun Car with the top down and the wind in our hair ... even if it does smell a little mousie!

Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed

[France]

Phew! It's been a while... from Beijing to Paris, Sarasota to Brussels... anyone seen Lost in Translation?

I wrote up an essay on my e-Bay 280SL for the mag, but they've not seen fit to print it.  If anyone's interested, I will post it here, but it is long.



Trice
1968 280SL US, signal/bl leather, auto

[rwmastel]

quote:an essay on my e-Bay 280SL for the mag, but they've not seen fit to print it.

Trice,
Your material will be used in the upcoming issue.

Thanks,

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[k]

I got hooked on the 113 in Spring of '91 when I saw a ratty looking '68 250 SL, driving thru NY citys Central Park. It was dark olive Green with a tan interior and tan top. The paint was faded; the grill was missing, both headlight doors were broken; taillight was busted; top ripped, and all over it looked bad.
The driver stopped, and I asked him if he wanted to sell. He thought I was crazy; but, I persisted and handed him a businees card. He said: $4500.

He said he would call me. He did and I said I would take it. Problem was I had $100 in the bank and made $30k a year!. I searched high and low and came up $0. Finally, I applied for 2 credit cards; cashed out $4000; and half of my next paycheck and bought it.

Well, the little Roadster came back to life. I went 100% used parts from the folks listed in Star Magazine (Potomac, Tri-Star, ATVM etc.). Did the following over the next 12 yrs.

-Grill/Star was in trunk
-Compounded paint; came back like new
-Saddle soap the entire interior...amazing result.
-Shampooed rug;
-New Head light doors ($75, $125)
-tailight $215
-Bumpers $500 (sold old ones for $225, and guards from new one for $100)
-Sheepskins $175
-Pirrelli P44s - $250
-German Top $425; installation $375
-Assorted $150: chrome pieces, reflectors, matts, etc.
-Suspension work front: $1500
-New Bilsteins: $500
-Transmission filter kit : $35
-New ignition wires, cap, rotors: $250
-Die hard: $65
-Kangol belts: $100
-5000 mile service '96 $1000
-Engine top rebuild in '94 $300
-New Fuel pump '04 $1250
-Tune-up '99 $500
-Fuel Injection rebuild '04 $1500
-Tune up '04 $500
-New tires $240
-New gas cap

Lost count of the money; but, still gets a lot of looks!

http://www.mbca-ct.com/roadstersofthe60sandearlier/view.nhtml?profile=roadstersofthe60sandearlier&UID=10003

[Gerhard]

Last summer the wife and I went to a classic car show somewhere in holland. My idea was to show my dreamcar to the wife but none of the dealers had a Pagoda on show. One of the dealers gave me an address.
Since it was only a small car show we went to take a look at the dealer. He had 2 or 3 Pagoda on show, I knew already I wanted a european model. There was only this one euro model. The car looked OK to me but I dragged in a specialist to examine the car. He told me it needed some work but was a good car and a lot better than others we examined. Buying the car from the moment I examined it only took about 6 days. The moment I saw this car back in 1981 in St. Tropez, France and getting one that took 22 yrs, 2 wives, uncountable jobs and about 15 cars (not all MB's) in between. I promised myself it won't take that long to add a SL55AMG to the collection.



Gerhard Radstake
1965 230SL

[beckpm]

In 1971 I was a young captain in the Air Force at McConnell AFB in Kansas.  I heard that the 113 was being replaced by a newer body style, my wife and I really liked the old body style so we gathered all the money we could find and made a down payment on the $9600 car from a dealer in nearby Oklahoma city.  We were in our twenty's and now I have just turned 60 - we still have the car.  It followed us on assignments to Germany and Italy and back to Washington DC.  I have long ago turned in my AF uniform, but our Pagoda still has it's original white paint and original seats!  We have put every one of the 118,000 miles on the car ourselves!

Peter

[Naj ✝︎]

Thats Great Peter.
Can you post some pictures of your 'original' car.
I'm sure there will be questions about details you could help with.
naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[bayleif]

My wife and I began looking for our Pagoda when we turned 50 and our last child left home to replace the 230 SL that we had when we were 22 and didn't have any children. I compiled a list of possible candidates close by (we live in Maryland). We made a weekend road trip to the NY / Connecticut area were I had a list of about 5 to look at.
I'm not an expert. Even I could quickly categorize the cars into three groups.
1) Cars that needed some TLC. They were generally priced 10 - 15K (in 2001)
2) Cars that had been "restored" for a quick resale. Basically, these were generally cars in catagory 1 with a $350 paint job. They were priced 15 - 20K.
3) A car (I only found one) that was in great condition, original, and well taken care of. The owner wanted 22K for it.
Unfortunately, I was only the second car I saw on the trip so I didn't make an immediate offer.
After a couple of weeks, and one more road trip, I realized that this was the car I wanted. Unfortunately, the owner traveled extensively and we were unable to get together to close the deal. All the while, I kept an eye out and after almost a year found a car on ebay.
In pictures, the car looked great. There was no reserve, but the opening bid price was set at 24K and no one had bid on it. I emailed the owner and told him that I was not willing to bid on a car that I had not seen. But, if the car was indeed as good as he said it was I would give him his asking price. My wife and I watched anxiously as the clock ticked and the auction closed without a bid. A couple of weeks later, we were bringing our new SL home from Florida.
She is not perfect, and it took me almost a year to get it running well. The problems were not serious, just minor things that a mechanic inexperienced on these cars isn't going to find.
As for that car in NY. The owner emailed me about a week after I closed on my car. He was finally going to be back home. I wonder what ever happened to that car. It was a 1968 or 69 280. White with blue MBTex (although the owner thought it was leather) a new blue soft top and white hard top. 4 speed with A/C. Anyone in the group end up with it?


Chuck Bartlett
1969 Signal Red 4 Speed

[hauser]

Everyone knows the expression "Love is blind" That's how it was with my first pagoda. A 1967 250sl ZF5 spd. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I loved the car! But not the price for perfecting it. Goodbye 250sl.Although the passion was never gone. I knew that when the time was right I would be better prepared. I read up as much as possible on these wonderful cars. I'd spend hours reading anything and everthing especially from the owners. Members trying to remedy problems and sharing their personal experieces. Roy Specer's www.oursl.com had very valuable information as well. I now had a much better understanding of what to look for and what to stay away from. I was ready! I found many cars that looked great! But what was under what you see? As one German mechanic put it "most of them are **** boxes". Looking for the the "right" can be very time consuming so I then called upon Alex Dearborn. www.dearbornauto.com He has a tremendous wealth of information. A very honest and reputable gentleman. I felt very comfortable dealing with him knowing he could assist me in my quest. It has now been 18 wonderful mos. with my 1969 280sl 5spd. Thankyou Alex Dearborn, Paul Kaminski & Gernold Nesius.

1969 280sl 5 spd        1999 ML320          Gainesville,Fl.

[n/a]

I had always been dreaming of antique cars, having a few older friends back in France that had reasonable collections...But I was still a student at that time...Missed a great opportunity 2 months before I moved to New York, an auction in Paris at the lowest of the market, a Maserati Mexico in medium clean original conditions for 2000$.... But I was leaving 6 weeks later...
Moved to New York, was a little tough financially the first2 years and then things improved....so I could foresee affording to buy ONE car...I had to make a choice... An MGA?? fun but not in the NY winter...a 190 SL?? lacks power... a 911??maybe but doesn;t exist in convertible in the early series...Ferrari 308 GT4??not a car for the city... Aston martin DBS???buying it is one thing, maintaining it...hem!!..etc....
so I came to the conclusion the Pagoda was the best choice for me. Anyway, I had always loved its line.
How many cars do you know that look AS good top down as with the hard top??? are that are good daily drivers?? and for which parts are instantly all available??
It took me close to 16 months of research and search to locate one that was in original condition, clean, and preferrably silver...
Have been one happy owner since then...But I confess I am looking for a second car now.....


Fabrice
Silver 1971 280 SL
New York City

[Longtooth]

Short story version

Lived in Germany '59 thru mid '64... teen years thru high school. Saw debut 230SL at Frankfurt International Auto Show ... loved it.  Wanted one ever since.

Moved to US, went to University, married, graduated, started work, 2 kids, house meant money for MB's wasn't priority (wife dictates where the money goes... or else... if you're married and male you know what I mean).

My parents lived in Europe and sometime in early 70's my father bought a '67 250SL manual.. Euro... he already had a '60 190SL.  He moved back to US in '80 with the cars.  My interest in the 250SL and his experience with them in Europe gave me some insight into the differences in model years.... and I'm a manual tranny type... and most US model 280SL's sold in US were automatics.... so a 280SL manual wasn't likely to be available... hence I yearned for a 250SL manual.... like my dads.
 
Moved back to Germany with wife and kids for 3 years ('81 to mid '84) and looked for a Euro 280SL manual... but they were rust-buckets or so badly 'restored' as to be worse than a rust-bucket... and those that weren't were out of my price range (out of my wife's agreement range that is).

While still living in the hotel after move back to US and 'refurbishing' our house before moving back in, I was sitting on the preverbial pot in our empty house and the only thing to read in the house was a 2 week old free weekly 'blat' published in our burg (20K inhabitants south of San Jose).. mostly farm community growing slowly into a commuter town.... and while boredly glancing at the 'blat' I noticed "MB" somewhere on the page... my eyes seem to pick out that specific combination of letters whenever they appear somewhere in the midst of sea of written words.

Local owner, '67 250SL... both tops, manual!!!! $12K obo.  Owner was a lady teacher... she bought from 1st owner in '69... car orig. sold at dealer in San Jose... exterior wear and tear, mechanics sound but used, all original equipment, and most importantly every single maintenance record from the same shop for the entire history of the car.  Took the car in to the shop confirmed these records with their own... and they knew and had taken car of the car's mechanics since she owned it... previously maintained by the SJ dealer that sold it.  No accidents but some dents in front and rear bumpers and nose of front grill.  Surface corrosion (miniscule microscopic rust spots) on most chrome inside and out, but no rust on body anywhere (San Jose CA car it's entire life).  The teacher had loved the car so kept it in mech. sound condition but couldn't afford to keep body in perfect condition...  door dents, trunk lid hand marks (indented by heavy hands closing the Aluminum lid without using the lid handle).

Bought it for $9.5K, put 5 new Michelins on it right away and replaced hoses, belts, brake pads, fluids, tuned up... ~$1K worth parts and labor --- seemed steep at the time but looking back it wasn't.

Drove it for 2 years putting 5K miles on it but it was using more oil than I liked and one cylinder was fouling all the time.... needed rings in one cylinder... which means all cylinders... which means short block rebuild at least.  Parked it one day and forgot to drive it again for 16 years.... I think I started it 2 times in the 1st couple of years it sat, then unhooked battery wires and let it sit.  

Interest in getting it right again was there, but time and money wasn't... kids, house, kids thru University... same old spiel.

About '90 I got the urge and had it painted (inside and out, except engine compartment)... stripped exterior, interior instruments and trim out, all movable metal removed from interior (glove box, dash panels, etc).  Taken down to metal and brought back out again.... blemishes leaded (no bondo!!! anywhere)... and confirmed that there'd been no other bodywork done by prior owners.. .i.e accident free.  

Paint and body was done by my dad... he'd retired and gone back to school to learn auto-body and paint... after 2 years and work in a couple of shops he did my '65 pick-up, then his 250SL, and asked me if he could do mine.... for cost of materials.  I said what the hell... if it didn't work out I'd have it repainted later anyway.  He'd done 3 other 230-280SL's besides his own by then so knew all the issues involved.  What's to lose.

I was impressed though... this was a class professional paint job (done by him at a local auto paint shop... so no dust).  Lacquer no less so there's no orange-peel or ripple... mirror finish smooth (after buffing out ---- which I did), and clear-coated.  Who'ed have thunk that a 65 year old retiree (Masters in Education) could begin new semi-career in auto-body & paint and actually do it like a pro.  It's not your $40K paint job, but it's better than most I've seen on the SL's I've seen repainted.  It won't win best in show, but that's for later... if ever.  After the paint job I let it sit in the garage again.... nothing in it, parts in boxes and drawers or sitting somewhere in the car.

One thing about dads... as a son you spend most of your life trying to live up to your dad's standards and surpassing him.  Somewhere along the line the roles reverse... and dad's looking to prove he's still better than you --- or something like that.  Anyway, that's why I think dad did such a good job on my 250SL paint job.... he couldn't let me find fault (not that I would have even if warrented, but he didn't want to take that chance is my guess).    
 
Two years ago I decided to put the rest of it right.... kids out of school on their own finally... I mean really on their own... like married or more/less married as the case may be, so they weren't likely to become a new drain... (knock on wood).


Long Block Rebuid by Metric in LA
Injector rebuild
New Cooling System, AC compressor & exchanger,
New gas tank, New exhaust and muffler,
New master cylinder and brake booster,
Several suspension details taken care of, etc.

New Leather all around, pads, soft-top, carpets and all other interior materials replace with original grains, weaves, colors.  Engine compartment painted (while engine out) and detailed... show condition plating, fittings... cleaned but didn't polish valve cover since the engine has enough trouble staying cool... highly polished finish on the valve cover surface area just reduces cooling capacity that much more... also, to me it looks "flashy"... not business like. Most Chrome replated (Cu/Ni/Cr) or replaced.... some remains to be done (at windscreen pillars, for example... the straight piece under trunk lid at rear, a couple of pieces along top of windscreen.... maybe another $750 worth of chrome odds and ends I'll have done when I replace the windshield ---- still orig windshield so it's pitted).

Everything works as original and like original.  I even got the stalk flasher to work (wasn't wired up at the fuse box by factory... something that apparently occurred on a lot of US model imports at the time.... why I can't say).

I have to do something about the front fog lights (those on the interior of the lamp housing)... the reflective chromium plating peeled off and it's a plastic reflector so I'll have to find somebody that does deposition on such parts.... and figure out why the fog lights aren't working... I think they're not wired up either since there's continuity within the housing components, but I haven't done the whole diagnostic yet). Oh, and a small corrosion stripe on the visor mirror I haven't fixed yet.

I also didn't replace the rear motor mounts so engine transmits vibrations thru the frame... don't like this when I hit 95+ mph (~5K rpm +)... it also means the engine isn't as well balanced as I thought it should be on a full rebuild by Metric.. damn.... I'd have paid another $1K for a full balanced engine if I'd known. I had my 327 built buy a local engine builder but it was balanced on the way up... so it runs at 6k rpm like a kitten all day long.

I've had 2 appraisals... one when most cosmetics were done with new engine and detailing completed, but much of the non-heavy chrome and boot cover leather and chrome wasn't done yet... about 20 months ago... for $30K (by an expert in SL's and market for them in CA), and another last month by a "classic" car appraisal firm... for $38K.  True value is probably somewhere in-between.  125K miles (25,xxx on odometer)... I got it at 115K (15K on odometer).  Engine was rebuilt at 119K.

My wife drives the creature comfort MB ... '94 500SL.... it has power to spare, but the 250SL is fun to drive... the 250SL's appreciating, the 500SL's depreciating. Net is the 250SL's cheaper to drive even with adding money to bring it all the way back.  I spend (add) restoration money on it as it appreciates so I don't have more into it at any one time than I can get for it.

I also have a '65 Chevy LongBed panel, C20 (Heavy Duty) 3/4 ton pick-up I bought in '76 with badly banged up body and bed-rails panel sides --- farm vehicle... full of sheep sh...t.  Body's been stripped, straightened, painted inside and out, custom built 327, fully balanced, roller rockers, high compression heads (basically what was in the then Corvette), headers, cross-over, dual pipes, 4 barrel Holly, Edelbrock Intake manifold, 4 spd manual (with granny), and original high ratio rear-end, heavy duty clutch.  This isn't a show truck type.... I use it to haul things --- bricks, sand, rock, what-ever fits in the bed and weighs less than a ton, but it hauls ass... presses you against the seat on acceleration.... cruises at 4.5k rpm at 80 mph.... and still has umph left.  I spent $5K on it almost 14 years ago to do the above since it cost over 2x that for a used truck of equivalent capability at that time... and the equivalent wouldn't have a new engine.  I maintain it well... and it starts 1st time, every time, freezing or boiling.  Most reliable piece of transportation I've ever owned.... and it costs almost nothing to maintain.  10 mpg or maybe 12 if I lay off the accelerator, so that's a drawback... and it's noisy... and unless there's ~500 lbs in the bed it jumps up what feels like 5 feet at the rear going over speed-bumps... I cross my fingers that the bed stays bolted to the frame.

I like fine well tuned vehicles .... and would love to get ahold of an early 280SL manual for the right price.  I have 2 offspring... and they both want the 250SL when I'm finished with it... they both won't purposefully drive automatics... so I have to come up with another one to restore... manual.  Neither one are ready for such a car yet... building families, spending time and money on houses furnishings, and keeping up with the Jone's.... but I'll reach 75 in another 15- 20 years... and 'bout that time I figure I'll be ready to part with my SL (or SL's) and they'll be ready to appreciate them in the manner these cars deserve.... and will cost to maintain by that time.  

Also if I have 2 I can split the annual milage between them and halve the miles I put on each 'til I'm 75 or so.  Problem is that I don't have a 3 car garage ... maybe I'll build another garage though.... minor details can be handled later.... first I need the car.

Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
95 SL500

[Mike Hughes]

I posted something akin to a response to this thread  back on March 18th in the New Member Introductions section, but I thought I'd share a follow up with the group:

Yesterday the daughter of the original owner of My 230SL visited me at the dealership.  She had seen the Washington Times article and had meant to save it, but her daughter tossed it out by mistake.  I had a spare copy in my desk that I gave to her.  I asked her what she remembered about the car and she told me how obsessive and meticulous he was about all his cars.  Strangely enough, the only reason why he bought the SL was because it had automatic and power steering!  He traded in a light beige fuel injected 220S Ponton sedan because his wife, who was a very petite lady, couldn't (or wouldn't!) drive it.  She could handle the manual transmission, but the unassisted steering was just too heavy for her.

But getting back to obsessive:  Any time he had to park it in a public lot he deployed a whole set of boat bumpers on strings that he carried around in the trunk to help protect it from door dings!  Must have been quite a sight!

She also told me that he was in his 60's when he bought the SL, was 85 when I met him in 1989 and only passed away 5 years ago at the ripe old age of 95.

- Mike Hughes  -ô¿ô-
  1966 230SL Auto P/S
  Havanna Brown (408)
  Light Beige (181)
  Cream M-B Tex (121)