Author Topic: WTB 250SL Manual  (Read 1741 times)

wprater

  • Junior Level
  • USA, CA, Santa Monica
  • Posts: 2
WTB 250SL Manual
« on: April 25, 2024, 15:27:18 »
Hi -- I've wanted a W113 for almost a decade and am finally ready to pull the trigger.  I recently missed out on an auction for a car that I liked and wanted to reach out here to see what may be stored away and ready for sale.

I'm looking for a very high-quality driver with a great presentation.  I am OK fixing some things myself or redoing the interior if needed.

Here is what I am looking for:

- manual gearbox (4 or 5 speed)
- solid body and rust-free
- no body modifications
- preferred old paint (or original) vs fresh paint as this car will be driven
- US based for ease of personal inspection (preferred on West Coast)

As far as colors go: blues or greens

Must not have:
- structural damage or accident repairs
- any rust and ideally no rust repairs

Please DM me with what you have!  I am in the Seattle or LA areas.

wprater

  • Junior Level
  • USA, CA, Santa Monica
  • Posts: 2
Re: WTB 250SL Manual
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2024, 19:56:09 »
Still looking! 

Cees Klumper

  • Full Member
  • Platinum
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  • USA, CA, Fallbrook
  • Posts: 5708
    • http://SL113.org
Re: WTB 250SL Manual
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2024, 05:25:08 »
Lots popping up on Bring a Trailer all the time, even on local Craigslist. Seems not many here are thinking of selling theirs. Manual is rarer to find also.
Cees Klumper
1969 Mercedes 280 SL automatic
1968 Ford Mustang 302 V8
1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Coupe 1600
1962 FIAT 1500S OSCA convertible
1972 Lancia Fulvia Coupe 1.3
1983 Porsche 944 2.5
1990 Ford Bronco II

mdsalemi

  • Pagoda SL Board
  • Platinum
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  • USA, NC, Davidson
  • Posts: 7036
Re: WTB 250SL Manual
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2024, 11:27:10 »
Will, your first post on this was just about three months ago. With a set of requirements including color, location and specifications, perhaps knowingly you’ve significantly narrowed the choice set from those available for sale at any one time. Unless the stars were shining upon you at the moment you started looking, 90 days is not a long time. Some have waited years for their ideal Pagoda.

Familiarize yourself with all the places that have offered them for sale (dealers, auction houses, etc.) and sign up for daily updates. Save the searches on eBay, etc. You could be in it for the long haul.

Spend the $30 and become a full member here so you don’t miss anything we send out. Find the members in your area and offer to meet them, or arrange a get together so you can see multiple examples of the cars. Go to car shows too—usually at least one Pagoda at many of them.

Good luck 🍀!!
Michael Salemi
Davidson, North Carolina (Charlotte Area) USA
1969 280SL (USA-Spec)
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
2023 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid "Area 51"
2023 Ford Escape Hybrid
2024 Ford Mustang Mach Ex PEV

john.mancini

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  • USA, FL, Nokomis
  • Posts: 650
Re: WTB 250SL Manual
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2024, 21:37:30 »
Great advice from Michael. Become a full member. This is an incredibly helpful forum. Having owned many, many W113’s, I will say that you are absolutely right about finding a Pagoda that has been both accident and rust free. They are very tough to find in that condition. That being said, if you find one in that condition, put color choice and model on the back burner. A stick shift 230SL, in my experience, is as good as a 250SL or 280SL. Just my opinion. Also, body integrity is much more important to me than “matching numbers” engines. I’d rather have matching number body panels. Again, that’s just my opinion. Others may disagree. I bought a 230SL a few years back. Somewhat rare 519 Red with Caviar interior. It needed an engine rebuild. The body was perfect. Western car. Never rusted. Never hit. I had Pierre Hedary look at it before we had Metric Motors rebuild the engine. Pierre told me that finding old MB’s with untouched bodies was getting harder, if not nearly impossible. He said this was a special SL. After the engine rebuild, Pierre put the engine back into the car for me. The fact that it was still completely all original sheet metal, chrome, all exterior lights, glass, makes this a special SL, to me. Be very careful with auction sites. There have been some nightmare SL’s that sold on the major auction sites. Finally, many members of this forum have done incredible restorations on SL’s that did have rust and accident history. They are far more knowledgeable than me regarding restoring these great cars. Today, restorations can be totally cost prohibitive. Be patient. Be careful. Good luck with your search.
John
65 230SL 519 Red 4-sp
98 911 cab
56 Ford F100
08 Porsche RS60 Spyder
23 Z4M40i