Snap-on firewall padding ???

[Deschodt]

I'm going to see another 113 tomorrow... Getting tired of the search and starting to compromise on color and transmission, in this case BOTH. We'll see, it's a 250 this time so I'm hoping its extra 200cc make it peppier than the 230 automatic I drove last time (I subsequently swore I would get a 4 speed instead because it was too slow, but it could have been that car, I'm not looking for a sports car)

I've done my homework on options, codes, all is well... but I'd never seen a snap-on firewall before... The car was restored a few years back so I imagine that was an aftermarket thing ? or am I wrong ?



hey at least that engine bay is CLEAN !

[mdsalemi]

Deshodt,

Not to add anything to this fray...but I will.  Who restored it?  Looks like they went a bit wild with silver paint on the inside engine bay...not correct and perhaps a bit messy in the future when it flakes...you do not always have to get the details right but all that [what looks like silver paint] is a bit alarming.

The firewall pad is typically glued on, maybe whoever did this used some common snap in plastic body fasteners?  In any case it is nicely finished, most are simply cut at the edges!

[stickandrudderman]

That's exactly the kind of thing that "specialist" dealers do to a car to make it look more appealing to a novice buyer. The liberal application of silver, black, gold, red or yellow paint seems to convince people that the engine and indeed the car are in good condition. I find it incredibly frustrating that these dealers get more for these cars than I can when my cars are always much more honest that this example. I will not however, lower my standards just so i can sell the car for a higher price, although i have been tempted to start a completely seperate car sales business that doesn't have my name attached to it and I suspect that from a purely economic point of view, this business would be more profitable for less work..........

Moving on:
A good, well sorted 230 SL can be one of the best of all the models if you are a pure driver. Do not judge them having only driven one or two. As these cars are so old and so few of them are in fact in anything like good order, you'll have to drive a lot of them before you get to realise how good thay can be.

[graphic66]

Generally refered to as a "gilded turd"

[Deschodt]

Generally refered to as a "gilded turd"

Good one....  Well, this is neither my favorite tranny nor color, so I'm going to see it a) as an education, and b) you never know, if there is no rust, it may be worth buying, turdified engine or not... I'm not knocking 230s in general, honestly I'll buy the first nice non rusty 113 I can find regardless of engine size, but that 230 auto I drove was a dog so it did cast a shadow on the smaller motor combined with an automatic.
 
I'll report soon !  

[Deschodt]

Update:

Well, good guess guys. The car was a turd. Where to begin? Odd rake angle to the chassis, bad hood gaps, awful paint upclose (swirls, scratches, egging of the paint, touch ups with the wrong color), interior had signs of water damage, hard top had a 1/2" gap between it and the body, trim was nasty, some was borderline falling off, tail light cracked, I mean, as a 15-17K car, sure... 29.5K, hell no !

Lessons here:
- I now fully understand the difference between a $20-something car and a $30-something car ;-)
- I shouldn't settle for an auto if I want a stick.
- If someone here is bidding on a green 250 SL in Lakeland FL, retract your bid now, trust me on this !  

And the search goes on....