Changing interior.

[sfox]

I am the new owner of a 1967 230 SL painted medium blue with medium blue interior. The car was repainted a few years ago in the original 350 color and still looks great. My problem is the interior. It definitely needs to be replaced. I would like to change the color to parchment. I'm am not going to show the car, I bought it primarily to fix it up myself and have a fun car for the summer weekends.

My question is will I hurt the overall value if I change the color of the interior?

 Not so blue???

[ted280sl]

It seems like a simple question and the simple answer is that the most valuable 113s on the market are as original as possible. If you want to change your interior from blue to parchment, it will cost you some money and it will probably decrease the value of your car. If you do not care about your re-sale value and you like it, do it.
Enjoy your pagoda,
Ted280SL 1969 280SL

[thelews]

the most valuable 113s on the market are as original as possible

...all other things being equal.  Originality does command a premium...a lesser quality, true "original" car may well sell for more than a nicely restored car.  SFOX already has a repaint and who knows what else, so changing his interior is another knock to "originality."  Or, are we talking original to the data card?  Or, are we talking "correct?"  It's been said, the less quality the car is the more important "correct" and "original" to the data card become.

So, my opinion, your brand spanking new, well installed, non-original to the data card, but correct color Parchment for a Pagoda of that year interior will increase the value of the car.  Depending on the overall condition of your car, would someone pay more if it were medium blue per the data card?  Maybe.

[sfox]

Thanks for the comments so far. The repaint on my 230 was done with the correct color, per the data card. One other thing I leanerd, prior to buying the car, was that the engine was replaced in 82 with an updated "crate motor" correct for the 230. That being said, the car is not original, but so far correct. I don't want to affect the resale value, but I want to enjoy it as much as I can, while I own the car, which could be for a very long time.

[jharkin]

i'm gonna let my executor worry about resale value 

[thelews]

The repaint on my 230 was done with the correct color, per the data card.

That was my point above...your paint is a correct color and original to the data card for your car, but not original.  Original would be never repainted. 

[Joe]

It is your car. You didn't buy it to resell, did you? When you look at it, you are dissatisfied. Wouldn't you rather feel contentment every time you see it, every time you sit in it, every time you turn a corner a bit too fast with the top down and the wind and sun caressing your skin and hair, every time you come out of a coffee shop or cafe and see a couple standing by it with their arms around each other, smiles on their faces and praise on their lips?
Joe

[sfox]

Good point. I agree. Interiors can always be changed back to the original color.
Thanks for all of your comments. This site is a great tool!

[hkollan]

350 blue with parchment is a nice combination. And if you are "upgrading" from MB Tex blue  to parchment leather it might even increase the resale value in my opinion. Assuming a good professional install and correct/quality leather is being used.

[Joe]

John Olson addresses the idea of interior or exterior color change at this site:
http://slmarket.com/news/have-a-mercedes-question-for-sl-market/
His advice is item 8.
Joe

[abe280SL]

Unless you are turning the car around and selling it and unless its going to be a show car....I say paint and do the interior the way you like it as long as it looks better than before.  My little red car looks very nice and I am pretty sure that its color would sell itself irrespective of the original.....unless its some collector looking for that perfect car. 
IMHO,
abe

[mdsalemi]

Joe, Abe, and John Olsen have it pretty much correct.

Keep in mind that some interior pieces are only available in black today; the ability to source the myriad of different color choices that were present decades ago is gone.  Yes you might find some stuff on ebay or what have you, but are you then replacing one 40 year old part for another 40 year old part?

Another thng to keep in mind in color changing is to do consider a "complete job".  If you only do the seat covers, but the dash is original, or the padded bolster on the soft top tonneau, (ditto for a repaint), frankly it looks like an incomplete job.  If you ever go to sell it (forgetting anything about price), these incomplete jobs present a lack of attention to detail, and beg the question "What ELSE wasn't done right"?

[auret]

This issue seems to arise quite often. From reading the threads it seems that most people who buy 230, 250 0r 280sl's are much like me. They like the car for it's looks and perhaps nostalgia. They are not experts or aficionados. They buy the car for what it looks like and have often not looked into the data card and original color combinations. Will changing these combinations effect the resale value? I guess that depends whether you sell it to a know legable expert or someone like me!
However, I should add that since acquiring a 280sl I have become more knowledgeable and the importance of originality seems to be creeping in.

The moral of the story. If it is original sell it to an expert. If it is not sell it to the uninitiated! I suspect that this is what happens most of the time.

[thelews]

Yes you might find some stuff on ebay or what have you, but are you then replacing one 40 year old part for another 40 year old part?

Some forty year old parts have held up well.

[mdsalemi]

Point taken.  Those "nice" 40 year old parts such as the ones you have, are not often found on eBay.  They are on whole cars, appropriately maintained.  Particularly "wear" items, such as seat covers.  There's only so much you can do to preserve something you sit in or on all the time--it has little to do with care and a lot to do with "time" and "mileage".

Much like a tire, I'm afraid.

[thelews]

Point taken.  Those "nice" 40 year old parts such as the ones you have, are not often found on eBay.  They are on whole cars, appropriately maintained.  Particularly "wear" items, such as seat covers.  There's only so much you can do to preserve something you sit in or on all the time--it has little to do with care and a lot to do with "time" and "mileage".

Much like a tire, I'm afraid.

I'm really trying to be tongue in cheek more than argumentative with my above statement.  However, this car has seen a lot of "seat" time having 150K miles on it.  It was meticulously cared for, and that makes all the difference.

[mdsalemi]

...let's continue with the tongue in cheek then...

will you be parting it out anytime soon?

(PS: I didn't think so.)

[thelews]

...let's continue with the tongue in cheek then...

will you be parting it out anytime soon?

IF I do, it'll only be all or none.