Any advice out there for purchasing?

[n/a]

Hey folks:

I am new to the forum and stumbled across it as I was surfing the Internet look at all the Pagodas for sale. For years, this car has been my dream car and I am now at the point where I want to actually do something about it. Unfortunately, I know very little so I am turning to all of you for advice. For one, I am looking for a car that can be used for daily use and I was wondering if this is even practical. Second, does anyone have an opinion as to the best way to purchase. Are there reputable dealers out there? I see all the posts on ebay, but I must confess that makes me nervous. And last, are there any obvious scams that I should look out for.

I have learned a bit already from reading your forum, so I look forward seeing if there is some more sage advice out there. Thanks.

Regards,

Brian

[jsaylor]

Study,study,study!  there are a great # of forum topics about what to look for.  Read um.  Make sure you have any cars looked at by a pro.

Good luck!

Jim Saylor
Kauai, Hawaii
'65 230SL

[Bob G ✝︎]

Brian.
One of the bennifits of joining Pagoda W113 group is the knoledge you will get by sharing the forum and reading Pagoda Word magazine.In issue four just released is an article on what to look for when shopping for a Pagoda. You cannot go wrong our experts are also working on a manual that may be put on CD  for our members all the information contained from valuable post over the last 5 years.If you speak Pagoda join and and receive Pagoda World issue 4 . I think many of the answers to your questions will be answered in this article.
Sincerely
Bob Geco
Board member LA section
Pagoda World (Keeping The Star shinning)

[mdsalemi]

Separate the dream from the reality.

First, beg, borrow (don't steal)or buy every book on the 113 you can find.  Laurence Meredith's book is a good start; but for the nitty gritty, Frank Barretts book is very good and tells you the trouble areas.  Barrett's book is available from Toad Hall (publisher of The Star, the MBCA magazine).  If you have a couple of hundred dollars to spare, go to Amazon.com and just buy.  I did and I didn't regret it.

Then read them and see if this is what you want to get into.  Despite the fact that hundreds of us congregate here regularly does not mean this is the car for everyone.

Actually, speaking of The Star there are a lot of direct sales (owner to owner) listed in the classifieds.  eBay has not had a good reputation for cars from this club, though people buy and sell parts on eBay all the time.  Dealers have not been in great favor either, due to frequent misrepresentation.  There are a few well known dealers out there--see them in The Star--but when you go to a dealer, the original owner doesn't get the best price and the new buyer overpays, generally, with these classics.

Years ago my dream car was a Triumph Stag.  When I bought a few books on it, I learned that the car was most certainly not for me  So, the research paid off.

Good Luck!


Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[Ed Cave]

Don't count on ebay to find the right car, although I'm sure it is possible. Check out Hemming's online as well as some of the others who focus more on this type car like:

www.oursl.com
www.motoringinvestments.com
www.hatchandsons.com
www.dearbornauto.com

and several others.

Good luck!

Ed Cave
Atlanta, GA

1964 356C
1971 280SL

[TA250SL]

One more online source worth exploring is www.traderonline.com

Tom

[Kenneth Gear]

My two cents....

I too had a dream of owning a pagoda.  Originally my budget was about half of what I ended up spending and I'm glad I waited.  I researched, read, and drove a number of cars over a two year (off and on) search.

My advice is the same as the others.  Research and drive several cars so you know what the difference is between a $15K car, a $25K car and a $35K car. In a picture, or even from 10 feet away they may all look alike so be sure you know what to look for.

Avoid rust at all cost -- it's very expensive to get rid of no matter what the seller tells you about it needing "minor rust repair."

Find a vintage mercedes mechanic in your area.  This is not easy to do but they are often good sources of tips for quality cars that may be coming on the market soon.

Be patient.  Some say I took this to an extreme but I'm glad I did.  

My car is not a daily driver but a weekend car.  I think your pagoda can be a weekend driver if you manage your expectations.  My car runs a bit hot in hot weather and stop-and-go traffic.  It doesn't get great gas mileage compared to modern cars, the radio/speakers aren't modern, I would never park it in a supermarket parking lot or drive it through a snowstorm, etc.  

All of thee things are irrelevant or even endearing as a weekend driver but would likely frustrate me as a daily commuter car.  

Having said all of this...I love my car and often find myself sneaking into the garage at night, lifting off the cover and smiling at her.  Please don' tell my wife.

[Kenneth Gear]

My two cents....

I too had a dream of owning a pagoda.  Originally my budget was about half of what I ended up spending and I'm glad I waited.  I researched, read, and drove a number of cars over a two year (off and on) search.

My advice is the same as the others.  Research and drive several cars so you know what the difference is between a $15K car, a $25K car and a $35K car. In a picture, or even from 10 feet away they may all look alike so be sure you know what to look for.

Avoid rust at all cost -- it's very expensive to get rid of no matter what the seller tells you about it needing "minor rust repair."

Find a vintage mercedes mechanic in your area.  This is not easy to do but they are often good sources of tips for quality cars that may be coming on the market soon.

Be patient.  Some say I took this to an extreme but I'm glad I did.  

My car is not a daily driver but a weekend car.  I think your pagoda can be a weekend driver if you manage your expectations.  My car runs a bit hot in hot weather and stop-and-go traffic.  It doesn't get great gas mileage compared to modern cars, the radio/speakers aren't modern, I would never park it in a supermarket parking lot or drive it through a snowstorm, etc.  

All of thee things are irrelevant or even endearing as a weekend driver but would likely frustrate me as a daily commuter car.  

Having said all of this...I love my car and often find myself sneaking into the garage at night, lifting off the cover and smiling at her.  Please don' tell my wife.

[ChrisInNashville]

Brian,
I've had a similar dream for the last 30 years with Pagoda being a dream car since I was a kid.   Three months ago I bought a '69 and I love it!

Here are my lessons learned so far:
a) Pre Purchase inspections are worth their weight in gold; I found mine on e-bay but cut the deal face to face after the inspection.
b) Correspond with prior owners - I have all service documents back to original sticker;   it's like buying from a family member where you know its history
c)Little things are potentially EXPENSIVE fixes
d)Before buying, make sure you have a mechanic with a passion for excellence.   Mine is Hans Benden in Evansville Indiana.   I asked five MB owners and everyone said Hans was the man.
e)My daughter is now willing to admit that maybe her old man is cool (priceless!!!!!)and wants me to drive her to school when the weather is warm.
f)Get the hardtop winch before you get the car to save your back!
g)Get used to the insurance agents referring to your car as an "antique" and don't take it personally when you realize you're older than your "antique".

Good Luck and remember:
   "The Best Way to Make a LITTLE Money in Pagoda's is to Start With a LOT of Money!"    So have fun.

[rwmastel]

Brian,

Lots of good advice.  It boils down to learning everything you can.  I see in your profile that you're in Washington D.C., so you will find lots of Pagodas for sale in CT, NY, NJ, PA, ME, DE, and VA.

 - Drive at as many Pagodas as possible before buying one.  In a location like yours, I can see driving at least 10 examples, if not many more.  Drive cars of every price range, even if they seem too beat up or too perfect for you.  It gives perspective.

 - You might be able to find some friendly forum members here who would show you their car and all the good and bad things about it.  That would be a great education.

 - Once you've been in all those cars, spoken with current owners, read this forum, and think you finally found a good car, then you need to get it inspected.  Get specific recommendations from people on this forum on who to take that good car to.  You might want to take it to two places to see if they come up with the same analysis!

Knowledge is power:  drive a bunch of cars, talk with owners, and read through this forum until your eyes go blurry.  When you're driving a Pagoda next spring with the top down, you'll be glad you spent the time researching.

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

[JamesL]

You would do well to take my advice (er, not)

Fall in love with the first one you see/drive and spend 2 hours over a bottle of wine discussing how we can not afford to buy it with the wife

And then buy it anyway :mrgreen:

(in essence, I overpaid, got a good car and was lucky. - moral of the story, reputable seller (dealer, in my case).

Indeed, not only fall in love with the first one, fall in love with one you didn't buy and spend the next year wondering how much fun you'd have had working on (read "paying for") the restoration of it... boy was it cute, a Tobacco brown.....

[JamesL]

Oops, double post[:p]

[Douglas]

I'd like to offer another opinion on looking at cars for sale. I don't think you should look at every car you can.

I don't think it's fair to look at cars that are way out of your price range. Yes, you'd learn something, but I think it's unfair to the seller. He is investing a certain amount of time with potential buyers with the understanding that you're a potential buyer, not someone who is only looking for an education.

(Mind you, I'm talking about looking at a $50K car if your budget is $20K. If the car is only slightly above your price range, then you should definitely look at it. )

The best way to learn is definitely by seeing things with your own eyes, so that's where people like us come in. Most enthusiasts will gladly show you their car and give you a far more objective evaluation of what to look for than most any seller.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[Cees Klumper]

My personal experience: I bought the first one I (ever) drove, paid too much, straightened it out and hope I never have to sell it!

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Douglas]

Brian,

I always go back to this link of a restorer's site:

http://www.silverstarrestorations.com/w113.htm

It's very detailed and full of lots of good info & pix.



Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[hauser]

Has anyone here had any experience with Silver Star Restorations?

1969 280sl 5 spd        1999 ML320          Gainesville,Fl.

[Kenneth Gear]

I didn't realize you are in DC, So am I.  There are a number of owners in the area which you could use as resources.  I'd be happy to let you look at my car if you're interested, I am a relative novice but would be happy to pass along what I have learned.

[n/a]

Thanks for this advice. Y'all definitely have given me a good bit to chew on, and I appreciate all of your input.

I think the main thing that I have taken away from this is research, research, research.

Brian

[rob walker]

Do any of the members know of any specialist in the Atlanta area that could view and report on a car prior to me flying there?
Thanks Rob

Rob Walker

[dwilli3038]

I would suggest calling Mark Richey at Commerce Car Care in Commerce GA While he does not own a 113  (has a 190 SL and a 300SL roadster) he is very knowlegable. Phone #  is 706-335-6949. His wife is immediate past pres of Peachtree section of MBCA.

Daryl
'64 230 SL
Serial # 508