Author Topic: $35K+ for a Coupe? (Read 15441 times)

Douglas · « **on:** January 23, 2007, 19:19:50 »

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-SL-Class-CA-Roadster-1970-Mercedes-Benz-280SL-California-Roadster_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6338QQihZ020QQitemZ300071943814QQrdZ1

(That's some serious money for a California Coupe.)

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

TheEngineer · « **Reply #1 on:** January 23, 2007, 21:15:40 »

Oh - come on: You got 53K for your silver one. Of course, that included fitted luggage, searchlight, 4 on the floor and a hot euro engine.

'69 280SL,Signal Red,Automatic,retired engineer, West-Seattle,WA

nick350 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2007, 03:52:14 »

I don't understand you guys, it looks like a blinder to me. These cars are double the price in the UK. Looking at the garage web page it looks in OK ( 7/10 ) condition and this would cost £36000 here in the UK. Thats $70000 ! Mine was £40 grand ( nearly $80000 )...and you have rust free cars too. I look at your cars in the gallery and on Hemmings and I'm always jealous. It's mid winter here and each time I go out ( everyday ) I can hear the rust worms seeing their next meal coming down the road.
Lucky you.

250sl as well

Nick350
r107 SL red

Douglas · « **Reply #3 on:** January 25, 2007, 10:19:00 »

Hi Nick,

My point was that it's a Coupe (no soft top) and not a Roadster, so I was surprised to see bidding that high.

Generally, Coupes trade at a pretty steep discount compared to their Roadster peers.

Good Roadters are expensive.... and it appears Coupes are getting that way too.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

Cees Klumper · « **Reply #4 on:** January 25, 2007, 11:27:34 »

It is probably not obvious to the uninformed enthusiast that this car does not have a soft top. I think the seller is not very forthright in the description: "You are viewing an exceptional and rare 280SL. During this series of production Mercedes Benz produced a small limited production of these models and labeled them, California Roadsters, making it the rarest of the 230, 250, and 280SL series."
I sure hope the highest bidder is aware of what he (or she) is actually buying ...

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

Nate · « **Reply #5 on:** January 25, 2007, 11:57:32 »

Seriously. This car sold on eBay about 3 months ago for ~$30K...

nick350 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 25, 2007, 16:20:54 »

Sorry Doug

I see now that it's unusual. Is this what's known as a Californian?

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

Hi Nick,

My point was that it's a Coupe (no soft top) and not a Roadster, so I was surprised to see bidding that high.

Generally, Coupes trade at a pretty steep discount compared to their Roadster peers.

Good Roadters are expensive.... and it appears Coupes are getting that way too.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

Nick350
r107 SL red

Raymond · « **Reply #7 on:** January 25, 2007, 21:26:11 »

Nick, The "California" part is a nickname given because it's one of the few places in the U.S. where you could leave home without a top and reasonably expect to come home dry.

Cees, Although I take your point. Technically he is correct in that it is the rarest of the series. Fewer coupes were made than roadsters or roadster/coupes. Although he could have left the 230 off the list. I've never heard of a 230 coupe. I am pretty sure MB introduced the bench rear seat with the 250 in 1967.

Doug, According to the SL letter and other sources, the lack of a soft top takes about $4,000 off of the price.

As I own one, I have paid particular attention to these bits of trivia.

Finally, any Pagoda (named for the hard top, not the rag top) in that condition, if the 66,000 miles is truly correct, should be worth $40,000. That's, what, 21,300 Pounds?

Ray
'68 280SL 4-spd Coupe

n/a · « **Reply #8 on:** January 29, 2007, 18:07:23 »

So what is the best way to sell a US car in the UK? Advertise on EBAY UK. It seems to me if you got a car in the US, worth $20K here and it'd be worth double or triple that in the UK...any ideas out there? Shipping and customs would seem to be a hurdle...

Douglas · « **Reply #9 on:** January 29, 2007, 18:14:51 »

I think this auction (and the resulting $40K+ final bid) were called into question because the car "sold" on ebay a couple of months ago.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 07, 2007, 10:02:29 »

hi, ive just joined the website,-ive got a coupe which i imported from usa [to scotland] question is ,ive been told its impossible to convert to soft top --is this so and why?

Douglas · « **Reply #11 on:** March 07, 2007, 10:15:52 »

Daniel,

Welcome. You can definitely install a softop in a Coupe, but it's expensive. Run a search on this site and you'll find a lot of material here in the forums, including vendors.

(How about sharing some pix of the coupe with the group?)

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

glennard · « **Reply #12 on:** March 07, 2007, 10:53:10 »

For the record- So we all are on the same page. Please define the various body style models i.e. coupe, roadster, ragtop, Pagoda, drophead convertible, California, softtop, and any other. The 230 was the only 'coupe'-one with a permanently attached Pagoda top? 3 or 4 possibles?

Douglas · « **Reply #13 on:** March 07, 2007, 11:49:52 »

There are 3 body styles: roadster (soft top only), coupe (removable hardtop only with no soft top well), and coupe/roadster (soft top and removable hardtop).

The coupe was sometimes referred to as the "California Coupe" because it was a fair-weather car not conducive to topless driving in climates prone to rain.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

hands_aus · « **Reply #14 on:** March 07, 2007, 13:56:25 »

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

There are 3 body styles: roadster (soft top only), coupe (removable hardtop only with no soft top well), and coupe/roadster (soft top and removable hardtop).

The coupe was sometimes referred to as the "California Coupe" because it was a fair-weather car not conducive to topless driving in climates prone to rain.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

The coupe/roadster could also be ordered without the soft top frame.
Fortunately, with the soft top 'well' in place, a soft top can be installed.

Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

Douglas · « **Reply #15 on:** March 07, 2007, 14:34:23 »

Good point, Bob. In fact, my first 280 SL was ordered that way and the first owner subsequently purchased a soft top and placed it in the well shortly after taking delivery.

I should also point out that I believe the Coupe was only available on 250 and 280 SLs. Never seen a 230 SL Coupe.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 07, 2007, 14:57:42 »

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

Daniel,

Welcome. You can definitely install a softop in a Coupe, but it's expensive. Run a search on this site and you'll find a lot of material here in the forums, including vendors.

(How about sharing some pix of the coupe with the group?)

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 07, 2007, 15:15:24 »

douglas,thanks for that,i will post pics as soon as i can[figure out how!] you may have seen it as it it came from fresh fields N.Y.! you have stirred my desire to do this conversion as i love the car with top off but cant go too far without it. i would tackle it myself --any chance of a quick rundown of what is involved? surely cost would be offset by value added to car. daniel burns,glasgow,scotland.

Douglas · « **Reply #18 on:** March 07, 2007, 16:22:47 »

Daniel,

I think there's more than one way to do the conversion, from simply mounting a soft top frame in the backseat to actually welding in new panels in the rear from a donor Roadster. I've seen the simpler of the two conversions and it's actually not bad looking. Check it out here:

http://www.pagode.info/56.htm

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

rwmastel · « **Reply #19 on:** March 07, 2007, 22:53:23 »

quote:
Originally posted by daniel.burns13

i will post pics as soon as i can[figure out how!]

Daniel,

This should help.

To attach pictures:
http://index.php?topic=12

To post picture "live" or "in line" with your message:
http://www.sl113.org/forums/faq.asp#GetForum

You may have trouble posting because your user name has a "." in it.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both tops
1994 E420

AGT · « **Reply #20 on:** March 09, 2007, 05:51:34 »

Daniel

Delighted to see another member in Scotland.

I certainly agree that Glasgow is not the ideal climate for the coupe version of the car and I hope that the conversion route works for you. If not, Tosh has procured some very fetching brollies which would be a much cheaper solution.

Even with the folding roof there is always the time you leave it open and...splat! We have a large tree in our driveway which is inhabited by an incontinent pigeon. How I hate that bird. I am still trying to research the optimum domestic bird of prey - something mean enough to sort out a pigeon but not so big that it will carry off small children playing in neighbouring gardens.

Welcome to the Group.

Regards
Andrew

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 10, 2007, 04:51:27 »

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

Daniel,

I think there's more than one way to do the conversion, from simply mounting a soft top frame in the backseat to actually welding in new panels in the rear from a donor Roadster. I've seen the simpler of the two conversions and it's actually not bad looking. Check it out here:

http://www.pagode.info/56.htm

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 10, 2007, 04:54:29 »

quote:
Originally posted by AGT

Daniel

Delighted to see another member in Scotland.

I certainly agree that Glasgow is not the ideal climate for the coupe version of the car and I hope that the conversion route works for you. If not, Tosh has procured some very fetching brollies which would be a much cheaper solution.

Even with the folding roof there is always the time you leave it open and...splat! We have a large tree in our driveway which is inhabited by an incontinent pigeon. How I hate that bird. I am still trying to research the optimum domestic bird of prey - something mean enough to sort out a pigeon but not so big that it will carry off small children playing in neighbouring gardens.

Welcome to the Group.

Regards
Andrew

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #23 on:** March 10, 2007, 05:12:05 »

thanks for info re softop conversion--this will be my next project,the route one[leaving seat as is ] seems the easiest and cheapest way to achieve a result and go a stage farther at later date. the article andy pointed out was excellent but a german/engish translation would be great! i had quick look on u.s.a. e.bay where there are two softop frames ,one 1800 dollars and another at 3500! not much difference. i will be going to show in essen soon and hopefully speak to some experts about this. thanks for all replies,--the sun has come out and as i live in scotland must make most of it,must dash,daniel.

daniel.burns13 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 06, 2007, 03:27:42 »

re softtop cnversion for coupe, i have frame now and realise i have to cut part of door post but does anyone have accurate info- also if seat belt mount is cut off what alternatives are there?

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Author Topic: $35K+ for a Coupe? (Read 15441 times)

Douglas

nick350

Douglas

nick350

n/a

Douglas

daniel.burns13

Douglas

glennard

Douglas

Douglas

daniel.burns13

daniel.burns13

Douglas

daniel.burns13

daniel.burns13

daniel.burns13

daniel.burns13