1966 Mercedes-Benz 230SL - 4 speed
1966 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
For your consideration, my 1966 Mercedes Benz 230SL. As a brief history, I purchased this car earlierthis spring as an addition to myslowly growing collection. My thought was to simply enjoy the car,like the last owner of about twelve years anddo some additional restoration work on it as time allowed. The plan has changed and I'mconsideringa similarvehiclethat canbebetter accommodatemy family. In any event,the previous owner had quite a bit of effort put into the car mechanically and cosmetically over the years and enjoyed the car on fair weather days, storing it exclusively indoors at all times. The car had some body work performed and was repainted by a professional some years ago.It is quite straight, respectable and looks greatto the casualadmirer and passer by. It receives a tremendous amount of attention whenever it's taken out in public. The re-spray, in the car's original silver paint coloris very slick and well executed.As would be expected after ten plus years, it is showing signs of use.Blemishes such as small bubbles in the bodywork,superficial chips, scratches and cracks in the paint are certainly present here and there.While the cardoes still look great, it also doesn't make me too anxious to leave it, strategically parked and unattended in the super market parking lot for fifteen minutes or so.I still of course, store this car indoors at all times. It is registered and inspected in New York currently. I have had limited time to really enjoy the two seat cars this summer with a busy work and family schedule, so I think I'm going to thin the herd and change direction a bit, as earlier noted. PLEASE DON'T CONTACT ME ABOUT OTHER CARS YOU MAY SEE IN THE BACKGROUND OF SOME OF THE PICTURES. As of now, nothing else is for sale. I offered another caronline earlier in the summer and I was bombarded by inquiries about other cars!
Outside of the body and paint, the previous owner had replaceda large amount of the car's expensive, exteriorchrome parts. The bright work, while not concours fresh, looks nice and sharp.A very small ding in the grill surround, butnothing thatstrikes you asbeat up or worn out.The black stayfast soft top was also replaced beforeI bought the carand it looks fantastic. The leather seats were reupholstered and new carpetswere fitted as well at some point duringthe previous ownership. The tires are near new and perfect. I know he had the brakes done and some othermechanical work performed over the years, butI wasn't given much in the way of receipts. I can vouch that the car is very tight and very well mannered on the road, regardless of speed. It runs, drives and stopsreliably. The engine does emit some oil smoke atstart up, but thatdisappears immediately thereafter. I presume the valve guides are worn and could stand replacement, but the engine is very strong and reliable. It is almost fifty years old, after all. It uses very little oil.The oil pressure is fantastic and the car has never overheated while I've owned it. I truly wouldn't hesitate to drive this car just about anywhere, as it sits.All of theinstrument are functional to my knowledge, including the clock ! Do note, the picture of the dash is with the car running. For some reason the wipers are not currently operable. I have yet to investigate what is the cause. Reason being, like most of my vintage vehicles, the car simply doesn't go out if there is a threat of inclement weather.Playing with the wiper circuit hasn't reallycrossed my mind until now. The nylon bushing at the base of the shifter gave up on me acouple weeks ago and I haven't driven he car since. Shifts fine into reverse and all forward gears, but it needs to be tended to as driving is a little inconvenient.I havejust ordered the correct parts from "Bud's Benz"andexpect it to arrive any day. It will be repaired by me before the car sells, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
The car will be sold with the original factory hard top as illustrated in the pictures. It has been stored indoors andI believe only on and off the car to transport it around in the last several years. It's clean and straight and like the car, stored indoors. The chrome is decent, but original. Minor pitting, butreasonable. I haven't seen any dents ornoteworthy issues with it. The headliner is in good shape, fully intact, glass nice etc...
Like most of these classic Pagoda's, particularly those from the rust belt, this one needs some corrosion attention underneath. The structure of the car appears very sound. The doors open and closestraight and the car sits/rides properly. The sheet metal in the floors is intact, but an amateur attempt from manyyears ago. The floors in the passenger compartment should come out and be properly replaced.To my surprise, the correct replacements from Bud's are not terribly expensive. The boot floor is really decent, including the strut pockets and so on. Some minor work required about the wheel wells inside the trunk and at other locations here and there, but seemingly minor and very much worth the effort.
Please look carefully, make your own determinations and bid accordingly. With all due respect to the countless,responsible eBayers, kindly do not bid more than you have readily available and are willing to spend on this vehicle. If you have to getpermission or anything like that, please do before hand. I'm offering this appreciating, currently enjoyable classic very reasonably, based on realistic market value and the current state of the economy.Ifyou have any questions or would like to set up an in-person inspection, I will be happy to accommodate you to the best of my ability.
Thank you for taking a look!
Rick
On Sep-14-16 at 08:51:41 PDT, seller added the following information:
Asdescribedin my post... this morning I replaced the nylon shift bushings that arrived from "Bud's Benz" the other day. The car shifts perfectlynow. I drove it a mile or so and all thegears (including reverse) are allworking effortlessly, asthey should.The main top and bottom bushings on the shifter were pretty beat, but I also replaced the four smaller bushings while Ihad it opened up. The originals looked fine, but the shift bushings come as aset.
- Condition: Used
- Make: Mercedes-Benz
- Model: SL-Class
- Year: 1966
- Mileage: 98,000
- VIN: xxxxxxxxxxx
- Color: Silver
- Engine size: 6 cylinder
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Manual
- Drive type: RWD
- Interior color: Black
- Vehicle Title: Clear Want to buy? Contact seller!