Expensive 280SL 5 speed for sale Australia

[Yem]

This is the most expensive publicly advertised 280SL I have see to date locally (Australia wide)   

Is it a forum member who owns this car?

Has anyone seen it yet?

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-2799260/

[Garry]

The answer is yes he is a member here and I will leave it for him to identify himself if he wants to but I know the car well, it is my old car that I owned for a long time before I sold it to the current owner about two years ago.

As for the most expensive, maybe at the moment but there has been one in Sydney that sold for $200k and one in Melbourne that sold for $175k, neither were a genuine 5 speed.

Garry

[Yem]

Now I do recall I think I know the $175k one.....was it a darkish green by any chance in a Port Melbourne dealership?  There was also a Sand Beige Gold 280SL that sold in a South Yarra dealership for around $160k and it was only a 2+2 California Coupe which had been fully restored, I am sure you would remember that.  I did see that in person btw and it looked the part but there were still items that seemed to be not representing a preservation of the original key features of the vehicle.
Yem

[Garry]

There have been a few in the mid $100s.  I think the prices are crazy but some want to own a “good" one and really good ones don’t come up that often on the open market.  The worst part is that they pay these prices and often don’t even know what they are looking at with incorrect or inappropriate parts but are quoted as being fully restored and correct. 

Interestingly enough in Australia there does not appear to be any premium on the good original cars at this point like USA and the other thing is that it doesn’t matter whether it is a 230/250 or 280 when you are in the upper priced exceptional cars.

Garry

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

I love my Blue Tornado more and more. When I see threads like this.

Making a mental note to give mine a nice classic car polish job on rainy days Someone sure gave the one on sale in this thread a great polish job.

[ricrose]

Although $150k is a LOT for a pagoda - it may well be similar to having one restored if you add up all the costs.
If you are able to find a 'sound' project car for say $40k and work from there, with a full rotisserie,  I think you will end up just south of the $150k, presuming you have the work done in a good shop. I currently have a car for sale (not a pagoda) that IF it sells for the asking I will loose about $7k, and I did a lot of the work myself!

Maybe we will all look back in 5 years and see it as an absolute bargain! Just saying. Maybe time to review your insurance values.

[Garry]

Richard,

After I sold the car mentioned below, I went and did re-assess my insurance on my remaining 230SL and in discussion with Shannons Insurance company had to increase it by more than 40%. Since then I have now done the interior and new soft top so probably need to do the sums again. I was sitting in a supermarket car park the other day in the Pagoda and hoping that no one would put a dint in my door.  The cost of getting a top end respray on a car is now in excess of $10k.  I spend a lot of money to try to keep as much of the original as I could. However doing so makes it near impossible to match up just one door with the rest of the older paint. Don’t ask how I know!!!!

I don’t think you can get a reasonable Pagoda restorer with a starting price much under $50+k in Australia now but I do agree that is would be easy to clock up another $100k for a good restoration.

The car now for sale originally cost me $30k but that was 15 years ago and I did a lot of work on it and spent lots of dollars on replacement parts. The current owner has done lots to the car as well.

I gather vintage cars like the Buick are not holding their prices too well at the moment?

Garry

[ricrose]

Need a 1926 Chrysler Imperial Roadster? Great car, but just not increasing in value, and I don't think will for a very long time. Just too hard to use, and it has hydraulic brakes etc...

Since I have had the Pagoda I have used the Chrysler only a couple of times a year - the Pagoda is so much easier to be in traffic with. With the gorgeous weather we have been having I have used the Pagoda every day.  So I think it is time to move it on if I can.