What would you pay for these parts?

[ctaylor738]

Somebody "in the business" had two 230SLs on Craigslist.  Both sold fairly quickly but he had some leftover parts.  On the basis of the attached picture, I made an offer.  He took huge offense and accused me of wasting his time.

So what would you offer, no questions asked, no money-back guarantee, just throw 'em in a box and ship 'em, for the parts?

[graphic66]

I bid $75.00 and I will pay USPS Priority. Really not too much useable that doesn't need rechroming. And rechroming can now cost more than new in some cases. If you have the keys to those door handles I will give $20.00 more.  I'm sure you can get more, but that is my offer.

[Dash808]

I think you would have to give it to me. 

[Kayvan]

Mostly junk

the headlight bezels are useless

door handles useless w/out keys


worthless broken mirror

pitted tops handles

worthless alum trim.

the other dash stuff looks pitted too

At most junkyards they let you in for $25  for pick and pull

Some of these ebay quacks are jokers

[Andres G]

I would suggest that if you offered more than $100 you were wasting your time... 

[hkollan]

Re-chroming is expensive but some of these parts are NLA, so if there anything you really need here it might be worth more to you than some have suggested here. The chrome fresh air vent alone is worth(or usually goes for on eBay) 100$ or more even if pitted.
When it comes to pagodas in Pick and Pull places, I haven't seen one suitable for picking in years.

[mdsalemi]

Hans has it more "correct" than anyone else here, I'm afraid.

First, the low resolution image makes it near-impossible to judge the true condition of said items.  One thing I can see, however, is that the items have not been cleaned and polished.  Remember diamonds don't look like anything until they are cleaned and polished too.  Unless you have a concours-condition car with all the chrome re-plated, a clean and polish job will be sufficient on many trim/chrome items on most daily drivers if you need one of the parts shown.

If you have a complete car and all these pieces, then of course it's easy to put forth negative comments on this stuff.  But if you do need a headlight bezel, or a door handle, this package might be just what you need.  I had worthless door handles; bought new [when they were reasonable in price in 1999) and the restorer or his locksmith did a key swap.  Very recently we had someone here looking for a fresh air vent.  Since these are indeed hard to come by, maybe this would be a good deal for him.

Around here you can't find a junkyard, much less any that would have a 40 year old car in it.

So the value of these parts is more dependent on what you need from them.  The challenge for any seller is "bundling".  We had a posting a while ago about someone in NY with literally a trailer full of miscellaneous 113 parts.  Nobody to my knowledge took the bait simply because nobody needed a trailer worth of parts!  Many made private inquiries about one or two specific parts, but the seller's intent was not to part it all out--but to let someone else do it.

This is the case here, albeit on a smaller level.

[ctaylor738]

Well, here's a higher-res shot, and the stuff doesn't look any better.

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/ctaylor738/1966%20230SL/IMG_1577large.jpg

I offered $50 plus shipping and handling. The seller claimed the stuff was worth at least $500.

Thanks for your opinions on this!  If anyone is interested in this collection, email or PM me and I'll send you his contact info.

[mdsalemi]

Aha, as usual the truth lies somewhere in between!

$50 is an offer price for someone who does not need the items in question, just looking for a deal maybe?
$500 is a price, perhaps, for ALL the items, spread out ONLY to people who need them.

So, meet somewhere in the middle, and only if you need something in the item package?

Looks like some door pulls in the background, some dash chrome too.  He's better to part it out than package it!

[scoot]

I offered $50 plus shipping and handling. The seller claimed the stuff was worth at least $500.

Is the seller KCI Germany?   

[scoot]

Re-chroming is expensive but some of these parts are NLA, so if there anything you really need here it might be worth more to you than some have suggested here. The chrome fresh air vent alone is worth(or usually goes for on eBay) 100$ or more even if pitted.
When it comes to pagodas in Pick and Pull places, I haven't seen one suitable for picking in years.

My stupid connection timed out and died, after I typed a good response.  Oh well, this one will be shorter.
I think I'm a resident expert on pick-a-part type self-service junkyards in California, and I suspect that California self-service junkyards are probably the best self-service junkyards in the world.   Having said that, here are my observations...   (all regarding SELF SERVICE junkyards, not MB dismantelers)

1.  Finding a 113 in a junkyard doesn't happen.
2.  The oldest 2 door mercedes to be found in a junkyard is a 114 coupe
3.  A typical "good" junkyard will have a couple of 114/115 cars and maybe a 108 sedan
4.  If it's a really good day, you find a Fintail
5.  If it's an exceptional day, you find a Ponton

In the last year I have come across maybe 3 Pontons, all quite picked over, 3 fintails mostly complete, and lots of 114, 115, 108 cars. 
123 cars and later are plentiful.  107 cars are there too.

FYI
Scott

[cascadia]

If you needed a hardtop handle for the passenger side this guy is about to become your new best friend.  NLA from Mercedes.  Driver's side is $364.  I also see the release handle for the soft top cover, probably another hard to find item.   A couple hundred bucks could be a fair offer if you were in need of these parts.