1967 250SL 5 SPEED

[sammyr]

Does any one know what a 67250 sl 5 speed is worth? It has less than 100k orig miles, no rust. was mouse gray now horizon blue. the dash has original paint. black interior...what do you think the price ranges should be for thi car?

[Mark280SL]

It will depend entirely on overall condition, originality, and documentation.

If you post several photos and provide all the details about the car you may be able to get some ballpark opinions here. Without that it will be random guessing.

Obviously unadulterated one or two owner cars in pristine condition with lots of documentation will fetch the best prices, less then those circumstances could be anybody's guess all the way down to a bargain basement rock bottom selling price for a car in poor shape but again it's about condition, originality, and documentation, you can also check sources like the SL market letter.

[thinktin]

I understand that a 5-speed will add about 5k to the price of a similar 4 speed or automatic car. I also understand that they are somewhat fragile, parts are not as easy to find and tend to leak oil.. but have a highly desirable 5th gear!

[Benz Dr.]

Not fragil at all and they don't leak any more than any other trans I've seen. I can go the whole season without any major fluid loss. They all seep a bit of oil - nothing new there....

[Garry]

Maybe $5k if non original equipment but if anyone thinks they only add $5k to their car and has one fitted, I am happy to pay $5k for a good one, and I will provide an excellent 4 speed for the replacement and pay all shipping.  
I think it may add a bit more than that if its on an original car(that is on the data card). I think an original 4 speed adds about $5k on top of an auto and an original 5 speed, that much again if not more.

[Andres G]

Sammy,

I've been looking over 2 months for my next SL and I've come accross a few which fit the descriptions of the car you're looking at. I'm far from being an expert, so all I can tell you is what I've observed so far.

For most of the cars with 5 speed transmisions, their owners were asking anywhere between $25K and $40K for either unrestored or older partial restorations. Almost none of these had complete paperwork and probably all of them required some paint or bodywork due to fading or rust in a few spots. These cars seem to be well maintained in most cases, requiring some mechanical work but nothing mayor.

Although I've read a lot in this forum and some other sources about the desirability of a 5 speed transmision, I still find it hard to believe that it's presence in a car would justify overpaying for it... what I mean to say is that if a car is in sub-par condition and has a 5 speed, no one should consider it a better option than a well preseved car fitted with an auto or a 4 speed manual.

In the end, these cars are valued for their overall shape and state of conservation or the quality/accuracy of the restoration job done to them, beyond the combination of engine/transmision/options.

My 2 cents.

Good luck with your search!
Andres G

[Benz Dr.]

The 5 speed car is always valued more than any car in the same condition. The trans makes it worth more - no one can say otherwise.
In the early cars more were standard than auto or at least not many more. By the time the last 280SL's were made they were only about 10 - 15% of production sent here. They may be more in Europe.
So maybe someone would pay more for a 4 speed car than an auto but I doubt you'd see 5K more for similar cars. I'd sooner have power steering as an option if I had one choice only other than what trans I could have.

I drove a non power steering car the other day and I forgot just how heavy they feel. Out on the open road there's no difference but parking.....I couldn't do it.

[Garry]

Certainly in Australia and I believe in Europe and UK the auto was looked down on as a poor choice for a sports car and far less were sold.  I dont think much has changed since then either. I think there are quite a few 5 speeds cars around that were not delivered new with that combination.
 
 I agree with Angres to some degree and the 5 speed whilst desirable, only will have considerably more value if the car originally came with the 5 speed otherwise it really will only be a non standard fit and whilst of some additional value, the best thing you can do is find the best condition car for the dollars you have, what ever the gear box.

[cth350]

A car is only worth what somebody is willing to pay. If you're the seller and think it's worth XX dollars, then by all means try and sell it for that.  If nobody buys it, then either you're wrong or you haven't turned over the right rocks.

If you're the buyer, then remember that the most expensive mercedes is the one that you can buy for a song.  Nothing like buying a 230SL for a few grand and then investing 250 hours of labor getting fresh steel and paint followed by g-d knows how many hours dealing with everything else.

Find a car, make an offer based on what you can afford and what seems like a reasonable number to both you and anybody else that shares your expenses and if the seller says "no", then perhaps you've offered too little. Then again, perhaps the seller should read this post.

One thing is sure. There are more cars out there than you can imagine, presuming you turn over the right rocks.  As a buyer, I would strongly suggest investing in a year's subscription to the SL Market letter compiled by John Olson.

Seeing the advertisements for the half million dollar gullwings makes the price of a 250SL seem rather reasonable.  Seeing 30 cars for sale gives you a better idea of what's up.

-CTH

PS. Cool, this is my W113'th post!

[bjudd]

quote:Originally posted by Benz Dr.

I drove a non power steering car the other day and I forgot just how heavy they feel. Out on the open road there's no difference but parking.....I couldn't do it.

Dan is right.  Parking  and driving windy roads with my car which doesn't have power steering is a workout!  Would I trade the original 5 speed for power steering???  Don't think so.