He said it was a 250SL based on year and serial numbers. I got the feeling they were excited but did not want to say so.
How much difference does 230 vs 250 make in money?
As far as I understand, there is no discernible difference, especially in the present condition of the car.
However, I think you may be severely under-valuing a 230 SL. I own two myself, and they are in different stages
of [very long-term] restoration. I've rarely if ever questioned my choice of restoring a 230 SL instead of a 280 SL.
If anything, this type of discussion only renews my desire to keep more 230 SLs on the road.
does it make the thing worth more as a car than as parts?
By my estimate, the value of the car parts in this condition is at most 20% higher than the value of the sum total.
BUT that comes with a huge caveat: the value is only higher if you're able to find a buyer willing to pay for
the
peak value of each part. For some parts, this will be easier to achieve (e.g. bumpers, grille, chrome trim, etc).
For most of the parts, you'll be fighting a war of attrition. If you happen to find the right buyer for each low-demand
part at the right time, then you're set. But that is a big IF. My guess is you will spend the next year or more trying to yield
the peak value of all the parts, and most parts will not yield near their value. When all is said and done, you'll eventually
sell those difficult-to-sell parts at big discounts just to get rid of them. You'll likely end up breaking close to even with
what you might have gotten for the whole car up-front. [ You're actually better-off selling the whole car now and then
immediately re-investing the proceeds into the stock market! ]
The mantra that a car is worth more in parts only yields results for those who have an unlimited amount of time and
patience toward this endeavor (such as salvage yards, parts houses, etc).
Garry makes some really excellent points:
...life is not always about money and sometimes its more important to achieve some personal satisfaction or know that
you have done what is the correct thing even though you could get more "money".
...sell it as a whole to someone that will get it all together and one day come over and show you what a wonderful car
it turns out to be.
...we are all here to help each other restore and revive these wonderful examples of '60s vehicles.
Yes, if you part it out, there is a possibility that you'll make a very marginal amount of money more than keeping the car
complete. But there will be one less example of this car on the road today. And that will be the real legacy of such an action.
