Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: jpinet on February 10, 2017, 16:01:26
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Hello all,
after years of pleasure, I've decided to put my 1965 230sl for sale. The car is completely rebuilt (see my ad on the for sale forum). I'm based in Quebec, Canada and this is not the hottest market for these cars, as opposed to the US or other countries in the world. Have any of you advertised and sold a W113 in an auction or through specialized media? Which seems to be the best? I'm looking to see where would be the best place to advertise the car. Any advice surely appreciated. Thanks! JP
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For auctions, Barrett Jackson is an option, they are having a sale Apr 6-8 in West Palm Beach, FL, and another one closer to you in June (24-27) in Connecticut. You can search their past sales to get an idea what the cars are currently going for here http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home (http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home)
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Europe. US has plenty of W113s and average US buyer may be hesitant to import into US, due to customs, especially for mid-to-high priced vehicles.
Hemmings, mobile.de, maybe through MB network?
Have you considered keeping it? You have such a good looking car.
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Have you considered consigning it to a classic car dealer? I'm sure there are some good ones in Canada.
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Have you considered consigning it to a classic car dealer? I'm sure there are some good ones in Canada.
There are good ones, but I know they take a hefty commission.
Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll look into it.
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For auctions, Barrett Jackson is an option, they are having a sale Apr 6-8 in West Palm Beach, FL, and another one closer to you in June (24-27) in Connecticut. You can search their past sales to get an idea what the cars are currently going for here http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home (http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home)
Thanks for the info! I'll look into this.
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There are good ones, but I know they take a hefty commission.
Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll look into it.
Europe. US has plenty of W113s and average US buyer may be hesitant to import into US, due to customs, especially for mid-to-high priced vehicles.
Hemmings, mobile.de, maybe through MB network?
Have you considered keeping it? You have such a good looking car.
Thanks for the info. I love my car, but I have business projects that need funding.
For auctions, Barrett Jackson is an option, they are having a sale Apr 6-8 in West Palm Beach, FL, and another one closer to you in June (24-27) in Connecticut. You can search their past sales to get an idea what the cars are currently going for here http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home (http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home)
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For auctions, Barrett Jackson is an option, they are having a sale Apr 6-8 in West Palm Beach, FL, and another one closer to you in June (24-27) in Connecticut. You can search their past sales to get an idea what the cars are currently going for here http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home (http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Archive/Home)
Good idea! I'll look into this.
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Have you considered bringatrailer.com ? A number of 113s have been sold there in the last year or two, with seemingly good results. Might be worth looking into.
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What I don't understand is the values assigned by NADA. When I look up my car it says: $170,000 for a 1969 280SL with hardtop and A/C. But I see cars like that selling for less than half that. What gives?
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What I don't understand is the values assigned by NADA. When I look up my car it says: $170,000 for a 1969 280SL with hardtop and A/C. But I see cars like that selling for less than half that. What gives?
Take a look at Hagerty's valuation tool https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1969-Mercedes~Benz-280SL (https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1969-Mercedes~Benz-280SL). If your car has the right options and is in Concours Condition it could be worth that much, but more then likely around US$86,000
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It depends entirely on the value of the car. The best and most valuable cars have sold at Gooding or RM Sotheby's - sometimes Bonhams. Their commissions are 10% Buyer's Premium (what you see listed as the price in Sports Car Market, for example) + a smaller fee for the seller (always negotiable). The upper end of the market these days is in the range $250k US. Ironically that is for 280SL Automatics - either Concours restored or VERY low mileage original. Barrett Jackson is a total crapshoot - no reserve and could be a disaster. For strong, upper range cars - $75k - $100k - I would consider Bring a Trailer - 5% commission paid by the buyer, reserve accepted. You can check the SEARCH link on their website and the prices of all the recent sales will come up. You can also click and find the description. If your car is rare - 5 speed, few owners, known history - I would go with a dealer with great exposure. Typically the fee is 5 - 8% of sale price. Ideally you'll find a sophisticated market that appreciates the simplicity of the earlier cars and a manual transmission - therefore a private broker or dealer.
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It depends entirely on the value of the car. The best and most valuable cars have sold at Gooding or RM Sotheby's - sometimes Bonhams. Their commissions are 10% Buyer's Premium (what you see listed as the price in Sports Car Market, for example) + a smaller fee for the seller (always negotiable). The upper end of the market these days is in the range $250k US. Ironically that is for 280SL Automatics - either Concours restored or VERY low mileage original. Barrett Jackson is a total crapshoot - no reserve and could be a disaster. For strong, upper range cars - $75k - $100k - I would consider Bring a Trailer - 5% commission paid by the buyer, reserve accepted. You can check the SEARCH link on their website and the prices of all the recent sales will come up. You can also click and find the description. If your car is rare - 5 speed, few owners, known history - I would go with a dealer with great exposure. Typically the fee is 5 - 8% of sale price. Ideally you'll find a sophisticated market that appreciates the simplicity of the earlier cars and a manual transmission - therefore a private broker or dealer.
Thanks for that thorough reply to my query! I'm seriously considering BAT. I like what they do and I think they"re serious. My car is a strong #2, known history, 4 speed manual, completely redone top to bottom, inside and out, but it's a driver car and it has a few nicks here and there. I have an ad in the for sale forum here.
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I wouldn't take my dog to a BJ auction. Almost every car goes through at no reserve so imagine what it would cost you to take it to auction and then get skinned alive if there are no real buyers there. I've been told that up to a 3rd of all the cars going through that auction are bought back by the owners. I think there are cheaper ways to get a good appraisal.
I would look into RM or some other high end auction house. I have a guy looking for a nice 113 , I could ask him if you like.
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+1 to what Dan said about Barrett-Jackson. I think they're the main reason Barnum and Bailey went out of business...
I would try BAT providing they let you set a reasonable reserve, They have a rep of demanding low reserves to increase sales percentage.