Sell 230SL with new engine installed or not??

[n/a]

I have a 1967 230SL which is in pretty good condition  (redone transmission, new carpet, upholstery, soft top, paint job) but with a not so good engine in it.  My husband  had the original engine taken out to have it rebuilt by a professional shop, and had another engine put in so that we could drive it.  

The original engine has now been totally rebuilt. But I have to sell the car now.  My question is: should I sell the car as is, together with the rebuilt engine as a second engine but outside the car? (The engine that is in the car now shimmies at high speeds.)

Or should I have the rebuilt engine installed?  (Would I make enough more  money off of the sale to pay for the installation?) And then do what with the poorer engine?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Betty in No. Calif.

[Cees Klumper]

Hmmm. It may depend on the kind of buyer you get, but I would probably have the rebuilt engine installed and tuned properly, and sell the extra engine (what type is it? Original W113 SL engine or a sedan engine? What displacement?) either with it or separately. But the main thing I think is to present the car in it's "Sunday best", eliminating also any uncertainties as to the quality of the total package. Installation and tuning should not take more than a day, day and a half I suppose, so whatever that amounts to in terms of cost. I would expect you will recover that in being able to negotiate a higher price.

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Chad]

betty you will make more money by presenting the car at it's best as cees said.  with the good rebuilt engine out of the car the buyer will have to think abolut and calculate the costs of installation and will likely think it more than it actually would be. also, the buyer has a receipt for the work done and can call and talk to the person who did the rebuild, however, he or she will not know the quality of that rebuild unless it's in the car and running great.  a sweet drive with the new engine will be your big selling point. the great engine being outside the car is still a big uncertainty for the buyer.

-CD-
1967 230SL, 113.042 10

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Thanks so much for your help!