Looking for Advice

[Jlau]

Hello! My name is John and I live in North Carolina, USA.

I am a retired police officer.  After I retired, I worked the last six years managing a classic car collection for a gentleman in Durham, NC.  Most of his cars were from the 50s and early 60s.  Unfortunately, he passed away last year, and the collection was liquidated. Just for fun, you can view the collection by Googling “Mecum Kissimmee, 2021.”  Look on the left-side of the page for the Mark Jacobson Dream Machines Estate Collection. We mostly restored the cars’ interiors, under the hood and in some cases did some paint work. We did not do any frame-off restorations, although prior owners did that on some of the cars.

Now to the point of this post. A friend of mine has asked me to help him sell a 1967 Mercedes 250SL that he inherited from his father-in-law.  He needs the money to help pay for his mother-in-law’s health care. I have attached a few photos.  It looks very original. Although I have not seen it in person, I would label this car a “survivor,”.  The only thing that does not look original is the radio. I am willing to invest my money in this car to increase the value and sell it at auction. The question is how much to invest, and what will my investment dollars realistically bring me in return?   

Anyway, I know very little about these cars (except what I have discovered on- line), and would greatly appreciate any and all feedback you can give me regarding the car’s originality, current value and possible value after my investment.  I am not considering a frame-off restoration, but I would like to make the interior look new or close to it, and do under the hood as well. Or, should I just do a deep cleaning and detail, sell it as a “survivor,” and let someone else do the work? 

I consider you folks the experts, and again, I would value any thoughts that you might have.

Thanks,
John

[JamesL]

We’re gonna need more pictures…

If it’s a survivor, I’d be inclined to treat it as such and give it a really good detail inside and out and see what you have

If you try sell the car with a shiny interior but the engine is a mess/running poorly or bodywork is rusty, you may struggle to get your “restoration investment” back. Or if you go further, once you peel back the layers of the onion, if you find rust, then what?

They are original once.  Give it a really good detail, make sure everything works (full service, clean brake and fuel lines/tanks, new tires) find a period Becker or even a Retrosound unit that looks vaguely like it belongs and sell it that way.

[mdsalemi]

Hello John,

You are in the Raleigh area of NC. Where is the car? Only one photo was attached which, unfortunately tells nothing of the car.

Is it your investment or your friends investment? Are you doing it to keep or sell? These are important questions.

There are a few people, fortunately, in the triangle area of NC with very good knowledge of these cars. Buying a few hours of their labor and inspection may be worth the investment.

I'm in the Charlotte area, but do not have local sources with a lift to fully inspect this car.

[mnahon]

John,

One thing you don't mention is the running condition of the car. Was it recently being driven, or has it been sitting around for a long time? If so, how long? That can make a big difference on what the next steps could/should be.

[Jlau]

Sorry guys, I put multiple photos in.  Not sure why they are not here.  I'll try again.  The car has been sitting for a couple of years in a garage. It was running great up until then. I will spend my money to get it ready for sale.  Black Book's value is $49,000 in FAIR condition, $78,500 in GOOD condition. I figure 10K invested should place it somewhere in between.

[thelews]

This is an "early" 250 SL, a rare bird, but not given a premium valuation by the market.  It has the nicer cosmetics of the 230 SL and the mechanical upgrades of the 280 SL.  It was an earlier car in a transition year (like mine).  Your chassis number will confirm.  The carpet has been replaced.  Hopefully the dash was not cut for the radio.  The firewall pad is original and indicates the car was used and not pampered, indicated by the condition of the engine bay too.  That doesn't mean abused, just not pampered.  The air conditioning makes it more saleable in hot climates.

If you click the link in my signature, you will see pics of my early 250 SL to give you some reference.

[zak]

John, your car is magnificent! First time I looked at your photos. Great details and pictures.
Be careful driving that beauty.

jz

[thelews]

John, your car is magnificent! First time I looked at your photos. Great details and pictures.
Be careful driving that beauty.

jz

I've had it since 2007.  It looks no different today than the pictures.  I've driven it 7500 miles, not enough.  It has 157K miles on it.  PO was knowledgeable, capable and fastidious.  I got lucky.

Couple of recent pics with new 205/70-14 General Altimax RT43 tires and floor mats the PO bought in the 70s that I had new backing put on by cocomats.com

[Alex D]

Hi Jlau,

I live in Cary, several people in the Triangle very knowledgable about Pagodas and can help.  I also know someone in Raleigh that might be interested buying.

PM if you are interested.

[Jlau]

Wow!  What a beautiful car!  Looks like a frame-off restoration.  Absolutely gorgeous!  You are correct; my car is an early year model, number 00292 off of the assembly line.

[lreppond]

I think the advice you’ve been given thus far makes sense.  Take advantage of the wisdom of those members in your immediate area.  Everyone of them is extremely knowledgeable!

Here’s what I would do to maximize the sale.  First off, get the car running.  Sitting is cancer to these cars. Unless it’s running you can’t expect to sell it for anything  close to it’s market value.  Then detail the entire car: engine bay, undercarriage, interior, paint, bright work.  I might replace the firewall pad only because it looks so ratty.  These things would give you the greatest bang for your buck. 

Once running and detailed, I’d considered an online auction service because it reaches a much wider range of buyers.  That’ll require plenty of pictures, a couple of videos (cold start, walk around, test drive) and an honest (full disclosure) description of the car.