Stumbled across this Pagoda...Any advice?

[mario]

Hello, first of all, I guess this should have been posted in the introductory forum as I am new here.  However, I wanted to get your expert opinions on a possible purchase I will be making today on a U.S. 1969 280SL 4 speed.  I wasn't in the market, nor searching for a Pagoda, however, this car caught my eye when I first saw it in the same warehouse I store my other classic cars in.  The current  (previous)owner passed away no too long ago and the car has been sitting for about a year.  It has been regularly started however, and has been kept on the battery tender.  I inquired about the car a few months ago and was told the widow of the previous owner was not inclined to sell it as of yet.  Well, low and behold, I went over to the warehouse on Friday to retrieve one of my cars and the previous owner's son-in-law mentioned to me that she would be willing to sell it now.  I made an appt to go back and see the car yesterday.  I conducted all the precursory inspections (well, the ones a novice to these cars would look for).  The car started right away and ran very smoothly.  I learned that the deceased owner purchased the car in 2004. 

A few very positive things stand out on the car:
-Previous owner had meticulous documentation and receipts to the tune of about $40,000 by a Mercedes specialist
-New soft top
-Recently refurbished and rebuilt engine
-Very clean engine
-Recently refurbished interior
-All suspension looks new
-Numbers matching
-Original tool kit, jack, etc.
-Original gas cap (stored with documentation.  Car has black plastic one on now)
-All electrical components, lights, wipers, etc work.
-Original Becker Europa
-Not many signs of rust.  A little surface rust on edge of wheel wells.  Interior of trunk/shock towers was rust free. 

Car was originally Tobacco Brown from factory judging by the Certificate included with the documentation (and the color on firewall, and documentation plate in engine compartment).  Car is need of paint.  The current paint shows wear.  However, this is really the only thing I could find wrong with the car.  The son-in-law mentioned the previous owner had been on a mission to restore the car and prepped the entire car including engine, interior, suspension, new top.  The only thing he had left to do was to have it painted before he passed away.  In the documentation was included a quote to have the car stripped, engine pulled and painted back to original tobacco brown.

I'm going to try and include a link below with a few pictures.  I hope the link works, or you may just have to copy and paste in your browser.  I would really like to hear some opinions from you guys on this car to see if anything really negative stands out.  I can't see much negative quite frankly (except paint), but I don't have a trained eye on these. 

My other 2 classics are a 911 and a '72 BMW 2002tii.  Many times I have daydreamed about stumbling across an early 911 in this condition in some random warehouse.  I just never really considered a Pagoda in those dreams.  I've always thought they were beautiful cars and this one has me really excited.  Any help would be appreciated!  Oh, and I have a tentative agreement to purchase the car that ends today. 

Thanks,
Mario

http://public.fotki.com/LouisvilleTiger/1969-mercedes-280sl/

[Garry]

If the price is right buy it.   It looks a very tidy car.

Garry

[mario]

Including a few pics for viewing.  The Fotki site is screwy.

[mario]

More pics....

[GGR]

It looks to be quite a nice car with a lot of work done already. All depends on the price. A nice paint can run from $6000 up to more than $20.000, depending on what's needed in terms of body work, how much of the dismantling you're doing by yourself etc. Add what you expect to pay for a nice paint to what you will be paying for the car and then compare to what these cars go for on the market in nice condition.

Manual trans is a plus in the eyes of many.

[mario]

Thank you so much for the replies.  As an update, I have purchased the car.  I'm excited to be a newbie Pagoda owner and look forward to learning and contributing to this forum.  My plan for the car is to enjoy it for a while and then send it away to get stripped, painted and brought back to the original Tobacco Brown.  That's what the previous owner had set out to do before he passed, and I intend to fulfill his mission.  I've budgeted $15K for that job.  Right now I'm thoroughly enjoying going through all of the documentation almost as much as the car itself!

[GGR]

Congratulations!

and welcome to the group! You will find a lot of help and info here.

[batman]

Congratulations Mario.

I also just bought a 280 from 1968 a few weeks ago. I dont think mine is in quite as good as condition as yours as although I have reasonable miles mine has not had any significant repairs (e.g. new interior) but there are some similarities in that mine was also with a long time owner (32 years) and, I have been told, much loved.

I also plan to have mine repainted, probably next year, as well as a new interior.

Like you I first plan to drive and enjoy it for some time and get to know what it really needs.

I am keen to hear how your painting project goes - the various options you explore, how far you go (in terms of stripping the car), the process and the costs.

Speaking to owners and reading the forum it seems that undertaking a repaint opens up many opportunities to look at other aspects of your car principally because the car is being either partially or totally disassembled.

I also owned a 1976 BMW 2002 that I bought in 1982 with only 35,000 miles. I loved that car so much (partly because it was my first car!) but also because is was such fun to drive. I regret selling her in 2004 (but I was living in Europe, the storage costs where high and I didn't know when I would be returning to Australia). I hunted done the person I sold her to and found out that a few years later it was very badly rear ended (whilst parked) one night and sold as scrap (the perils of parking in the street).

cheers

[Bonnyboy]

Congrats....

A 4sp American car is kinda rare I think.  Cool.

My only advice is drive it for a while and figure out what it needs and what you want to do with it. You may change your mind about a colour change and full restoration and drive it instead.

 I have a friend with one that needed some minor body work and he was going to restore it right off after purchase.  Then he decided to drive it for a season and then restore - when the season was up he did some small touch ups and has kept driving it.   He told me that he enjoys his slightly rough pagoda car so much more than his concours car that he is afraid to take out on the "streets".   He figures that when he starts to apologize for the bodywork he will fix it up - until then he is driving it as much as he can. 

Not a 911 or 2002 but fun all the same.

[hkollan]

Hi,

Congratulations on buying what looks to be a pretty nice car.  Your intentions to continue were the PO left and completing the car
and returning it back the original color in its entirety makes sense, and seems realistic budgetwise.
 Especially if you can do some work yourself, and the fact that the engine comprtment and dash possibly  could be left the way it is.
While your having the car painted, you could look for an original toolkit.

Hans

[RobSirg]

Sounds like a great purchase Mario.

Tobacco Brown is an awesome colour - can't wait till she is back in her birth colours.

Don't forget to send photos

Cheers