advise on pricing 230SL project/parts car.

[al_lieffring]

It is time to clear out my garage, and my long neglected Pagoda is what is taking up most of that space.

I hate haggling with strangers that end up making insulting low offers. So I'm not sure how to go about placing it on the market.

Do Online auctions like Bring A Trailer work?
E-Bay? is that even still an option now?
What kind of price should I realistically expect?
What do buyers want to see in photos?
Do mysterious foreign buyers really shell out barrels of cash, load the car into a shipping container to be rebuilt in eastern europe?
Do these rat-to-resto cars ever really sell in the mid 6 figures?
Of course whatever I do I will copy the listing to our "Items for Sale" forum here.

Thanx
Alan

[teahead]

Project cars are difficult to sell regardless.

Does it run?

Do you have all the parts?

How much rust?

Auto?  Stick shift?

If you can pull it out of the garage, clean it up as much as you can, jack it up and take a ton of pictures underneath, remove the rocker covers for pictures, and video(s), that would help enormously.  Especially if you can place all the parts on the driveway instead of shoved in a box.

Yes, ebay very much is a good venue.  Sold cars as far as Switzerland (my old Jag XJ12C) from Seattle.

But you can start here.  There' hemmings, there's classic car trader, there's this outfit:

https://mercedesheritage.com/classifieds

No idea what it's worth w/o having aforementioned pictures.

Put them on here for free:

https://imgbb.com

Videos on Youtube.

Good luck!  Restorations are a royal PITA and can take years if you're not a checkbook writer restorer.

[MikeSimon]

If you want to sell it on-line, BaT is a better option than ebay. BaT has a slew of "fat-wallet" bidders with absolutely no clue what they are bidding on. You must take 100+ pictures and give a good description of your car. You do not have to worry about shipping, the buyer "has to bring a trailer". BaT is a seller's market. ebay has too many scammers, dead-beat bidders and fakes and you will have to at least make arrangements for shipping.

[teahead]

Mmm...have you seen BAT auctions lately?

A lot of Pagodas don't seem to meet reserve there.

Plus you STILL have to deal w/shipping, which is no big deal.  Truck arrives at your door, you hand over the keys to them to drive on the truck.

Plus don't think non-running project cars do all that great on BAT.

You got a challlenge nonetheless.  Hope you get top dollar.  Again, no idea what that would be w/o more pics and info.

Also, again...try to sell on here first.  YOu never know who may be lurking looking to buy a cool project.

[Jordan]

Alan, I too would suggest BaT.  You could go no reserve and sell it as a project.  Then you are sure to sell it and it will be gone.  Depends on how much you want it gone.  Or sell it with a reserve that you think is reasonable. You can look at other cars that have sold as projects to get an idea.  As Rob mentions I would give it a good wash and polish, interior as well if you can.  And lots of pictures and be up front about anything glaring.  If you have all the parts, including the proper engine and transmission (both working?), then so much the better.  If you go with BaT make sure you stay tuned to answer questions that come up.

[al_lieffring]

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=5639.msg48393#msg48393

this thread is a lot of reading, but it outlines a lot of the work I did to get it back on the road about 10 years ago.

engine and trans (4 sp stick) rebuilt and ran strong but has been parked and was last tagged in 2011.

clutch chatters on launch when hot.

I bought the car in 1976. possibly the second owner.

car was rust free when I bought it, but daily driving in the midwest winters quickly claimed the floors and rear dog-legs to rust.

have some replacement metal panels. rear 1/4s, left rocker and dog leg patch pannels.

98% complete, im sure a few bits have been misplaced. lots of spares.

pertronic ignition, rebuilt front trunions, brakes - hydraulics rebuilt, replaced fuel tank w/ larger 280sl tank.

runs strong but fuel injection rack pintle valve on cylinder 4 bleeds back. makes it start rough when hot. clears out in about 3 seconds once lines clear of air.

i put on a navy blue soft top and repaired all the frame pivots.

Kuhlmeister a/c is removed and boxed up, have some bits from a Fridgeking air too.

kinder seat,

body numbers match, engine is built from some of the original parts around a factory replacement short block. 

Page 86 of Michael Salemi's PAGODA STYLE book

Thanx. for all of your input

Alan

[KevinC]

BaT may or may not accept it but you can send them photos and a description....its worth a try. One big difference selling through BaT is the comments that come in are submitted by members who may or may not be experts. To me, its the best place to sell a vehicle if you are completely honest about what it is. The more "original" or "correct" a car is, the better it does.

I agree that many pagodas on BaT have not been meeting reserve of late, but keep in mind, if there are questions that cannot be answered ie: previous rust body/repair or any questionable history, the car won't do well.

[MikeSimon]

I will watch the outcome of this with interest.! Once I have my 71 280SL running, I will put it up for sale. It is far from concourse quality.