$25,000 Pagoda Fund -wife says it's okay

[hauser]

You have $25,000.00 to spend on your Pagoda for improvements.  What would you do to it?

1969 280sl 5 spd        1999 ML320          Gainesville,Fl.

[Cees Klumper]

I would buy another one, definitely!

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Benz Dr.]

Good. Come and buy the 1971 280SL auto with air I have here. Both tops, new brakes 65,000 miles.

Daniel G Caron

[Douglas]

Yes, I would buy another one for sure, but if it were me, I'd look for one that's very different from the current one I own. If I had a 280 SL with a stick, I think I'd look for a nice early 230 SL with a stick. Something along those lines. I think it would be fascinating to see how the two differed.

Dan, can you post pix of your SL for sale? I'm sure I'm not the only person who'd be interested in seeing them.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[Malc]

Ohhh
Start the Historic Rallying Pagoda Project!
Malc :twisted:

[Bob G ✝︎]

Tom Hanson, Tom this is bob geco my wife must be in a coma she said I can spend $25.000 on my SL, quick let me rent the biggest ryder truck I can fine and I will meet you at the Classic parts depo ASAP. Put your cell phone on speed dail to Germany this will not take long.

Bob Geco

[Kenneth Gear]

Short of buying another one...

I'd rebuild the engine and replace the cooling system and while you're at it have the engine bay detailed.  New tires, brakes,stainless exhaust...

That should leave enough money to upgrade the interior or the paint job to address any faults.

When that's done... get down on your knees adn thank your lucky stars for a wife that agrees to let you spend an additional $25K on the car, nextget in that perfect car and drive like the wind!

[Douglas]

Hauser's SL already has all that stuff done. It's pretty much done.

I can't let the guy off too easy though -- he's got to paint those hubcaps!



Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[hauser]

Doug, you are absolutely right!  Those hubcaps do need to be painted.  In addition I am contemplating on getting the engine detailed.  My soft top cover has the usual nicks and chips from the soft top frame.  A new Sl Tech canvas would be nice.  The problem here is once you address one area you have to move on to the next.   It's sort of a domino effect.  Once you start it's hard to stop!

1969 280sl 5 spd        1999 ML320          Gainesville,Fl.

[n/a]

Sell yours.  Very few 113 are worth spending 25K on.  Find one that has already been restored to very good condition and buy it.  Let someone else take the fall restoration costs.  However, if the car has special significance to you then we are talking about a very different issue.

Be happy, let your heart guide you.  Old cars have little or nothing to do with investments.

Garth

[hauser]

Garth, I hate to tell you this but $25K doesn't go a very long way when it comes to these cars.  A top notch paint job can easily run over $15K.  A custom leather interior could cost just as much.

I had the opportunity to speak with Tom Sargeant ealier today and discovered that Mechatronic has orthopedic seats for our cars.  The outside looks stock but the differece is in the enhanced stock frame. For me a this would be a great investment!

Twenty-five grand aint nothing to sneeze at but the reality is that when it comes to these cars it is merely a drop in the bucket.  I think I have an above average car that's worthy enough for this type of expense.

1969 280sl 5 spd        1999 ML320          Gainesville,Fl.

[n/a]

Don't we all know that 25K doesn't go very far.  I've been at this sports car and collector car hobby for 45 years now and by now I know what a money sink it is.  But I go on doing it because I love it.  

Garth

[Cees Klumper]

Actually I figured out the annual cost of ownership a while back. Including repaints, engine overhaul, shocks, batteries, the works, and I came to something like $2,500 a year - this is if you do most of the maintenance and minor repairs yourself. I've owned my car for 5 years now and it was not in very good shape when I got it. Since I got everything straightened out, my annual expenses have been lower than the $2,500 figure. I probably spent around $15,000 during those 5 years but that included an engine rebuild, repaint and some other more expensive things. The main thing is to shop around and not 'go for the gold' in the items mentioned by Hauser (for example, my repaint cost me $2,000 and the quality is >90% of what a $10,000 paint job would have cost me). If you do go all out, then indeed the sky is the limit ...

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Kenneth Gear]

I just checked out Hauser's car in the photo's section and am lusting after it.  That's a great color and looks like it's in near perfect shape.  I'd take a few grand and hire a professional photographer to take photos of it so you can hang them all over your house and at work and a few wallet size too, that way you can stare at it whenever you are.

I like idea of an engine bay detail as well and have been thinking about the same since I saw a nicely detailed engine a while back.  

Has anyone had that done?  Can anyone ballpark the cost?  Recommend a shop?  I assume Gernold is a likely provider for that service.