Check this Out! What do you think?

[Tom McMenamin]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2489589730&category=6338

[Pete Geither]

Here you have someone who bought a car, never drove it or got any enjoyment out of it other than to look at it. I think it is sad really. I don't know what it sold for new, but imagine it was more than the asking price, so on top of it all they lost money too,,,,,, makes you wonder.

[cbdo]

Every single rubber or plastic hose, bushing, and seal on that vehicle is now 17 years old, and we don't know about the fluids. It's interesting to contemplate the work list you'd face to start driving it regularly. Obviously, its prime value is in a continued career as an art object on regrettably limited display, not as a vehicle to use and enjoy; the latter are normally a lot cheaper and in (for that purpose) better repair.

[nellotare]

If my math is somewhat correct, the poor vehicle has been driven 8/10s of a mile a day. That would worry the heck out of me. I'll pass on bidding if that's OK with y'all.

[Boudreaux]

I would pass on this car as well. I know some cars are meant to be collectors items but this is an SL! The owner and the car were denied the experience of being driven as a roadster.

I would imagine that if it were to be driven hard, now, every rubber hose, electrical component, etc., would burst.

I believe there was a thread discussing the choice of purchasing a 20 year old garage queen with 2000 miles or a 20 year old daily driver; the majority of respondants picked the daily driver.

The car is beautiful and immaculate but a crying shame.

[Strife]

My 86 560 had never been driven in winter at all, and never in rain in 15 years. Every piece of rubber has obviously deteriorated and the replacements have been expensive even doing it myself. This next weekend-subframe (1 collapsed) and motor mounts!

[G-Benz]

It's is no longer for sale...but the buy it now price was $43,600... $43,600!!????

[Bruce Hat]

Nice car, but why would anyone pay that much for a older fairly common SL. Buy a nice SL560 for $20,000.00. Then take the balance of $23,000.00 and buy a nice used E Series, that's much better value. Unless you an excentric collector, then value is not the object.

[Strife]

As an investment, this would be a total loser. If you would have put that kind of money (about 55K in 1986) in the stock market then, in, say, a mutual fund, I don't know how you could avoid being a millionaire now.

[norbtx]

I don't know about you guys but that's a great cometically perfect car. Which show cars should be. And there is a whole group of people who show cars and don't drive them. Why poopoo on that group?

[Boudreaux]

Originally Posted by Strife

My 86 560 had never been driven in winter at all, and never in rain in 15 years. Every piece of rubber has obviously deteriorated and the replacements have been expensive even doing it myself. This next weekend-subframe (1 collapsed) and motor mounts!

Hey Strife,

I tried to PM you but you don't accept them. However, I noticed your avatar is one of the moonmice from the Quizno ads. You can check it out here:

http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/

Absolutely hilarious stuff these Brits come up with.

[ctaylor738]

Some sour grapes out there?

Assuming that the description is true, that is an outstanding vehicle. There will always be a strong market for cars like this. There are collectors who want the best cars and don't quibble much about price, especially for a popular model in good colors.

If the car was properly stored, I don't think that the body seals would be much of a problem. And if the oil and other fluids were changed a few times, the mechnanicals are fine. Maybe brake hoses, possibly valve seals, certainily tires, but otherwise it is a new car.

And some of us like to drive 'em, and some like to collect 'em. Who's to say what's better? The beauty of this car is that the new owner can go either way and not get hurt.

[G-Benz]

Originally Posted by norbtx

I don't know about you guys but that's a great cometically perfect car. Which show cars should be. And there is a whole group of people who show cars and don't drive them. Why poopoo on that group?

No sour grapes here... Just posts from folks who know about this stuff.
I have a show VW that I spent over $12K restoring a decade ago that now needs about that much work to get it back to driveable condition!

Unless the car was in a hermetically-sealed environment, the laws of entropy will always prevail in this situation!

This is a machine with a plethora of electrical connections with terminals that are subject to chemical corrosion due to exposure to air, metal, rubber and plastic components that are bathing in corrosive fluids...and the list goes on.

There ARE storage procedures that can properly maintain a car's internals as well as the pristine exterior exemplifies. But if that merely involved "garage-kept" and rarely driven, then it is by no means anymore roadworthy than what the rest of us have that is normally "garage-kept"...nor is it worth commanding the price that the owner thinks it's worth!

[ctaylor738]

The 560SL that started this discussion makes my 280SL with 12.9K look slightly tatty by comparison.

I used to believe the conventional wisdom about low-mileage cars. But the 280SL had a normal "garage kept" life in California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. According to the PO, it got an annual service but nothing special.

This car does not seem to have suffered any mechanical or electrical degradation. The car is very tight and drives as new which speaks to the suspension, and the body seals look as new. The only real problem it has is that the hood pad is beginning to drop off in small pieces. And the screw/bolt that held the washer resevoir was badly oxidized.

My .02

[G-Benz]

I am curious though...as beautiful as the car appears to be...why no engine or underbody pics?

Surely a low-mileage example such as this one would boast an incredible engine compartment and an undercarriage that would rival the painted surfaces of most vehicles!