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Two registered owner 81, 000mi survivor 1971 280SL Pagoda roadster that has been very well maintained and serviced through-out its ownership. I am the third owner. Many collectors will tell you this year is the most desirable, as it’s the final year of production for this iconic W113 car. All numbers match. The second owner had the car since 1975 (40 years). The vehicle was bought in the Albany NY area at a respected area Mercedes dealership, and stayed here its entire life. However, NO salt and winters for this beauty. Garaged and dust covered every winter. In fact, I was also told by the second owner that he only drove it on nice days so it has seen minimal “weather” in its life. It was never his everyday driver. He verifies mileage is accurate. All maintenance was done on a regular basis which accounts for its very good original condition. All glass is in excellent condition. Chrome is in excellent original condition and shines right up. The paint is in overall good shape (drivers 2) with some small chips here and there… minimal. As you can see from the pictures the paint shines beautifully. The car has had one repaint in correct color (code)…”years ago” (1980s) according to the long term owner. Other than that the car is original. The tires were new in 2013 and have minimal miles so that is one less thing you have to worry about. The trunk is clean and has what appears to be the original spare and spare cover! Factory manual and tools are included… see pictures! All the gauges appear to work. Original Becker radio works!! It is missing the antenna. Car has the coveted original factory air (which blows cold, and compressor comes on) and the rarer / desirable 4 speed transmission. The soft top is original and in very nice shape… plastic window is clear and intact. Goes up and down without issue and fits properly in the storage compartment. Undercarriage is very clean and solid… rocker covers were removed and no evidence of rust was found. Stainless steel exhaust is in very good shape… but the tail pipe extenders are missing. The plastic bezel piece around the passenger side headlight is cracked in half… one piece is on the car .The interior is original and in overall good shape. Seats look good with no age cracking of black leather, but there is a small tear by seat adjustment lever driver’s side, and a small tear in back of driver’s seat. There is an approx. 1.25 inch round hole in passenger seat. The seat levers function properly. The majority of the rug is very good. There is some wear of the original rubber matting on the drivers side. The rest of it is complete without rips or tears. Dash is complete and its paint and chrome are very nice. The wood trim is all there but could use a light sanding and refinish. The heater and air controllers (knobs ) are missing but you can still run the air if you wish. Wipers work. Horn works. Steering wheel is in PERFECT shape. The dash has 2 small hairline cracks (not all that noticeable) in the leather but otherwise looks very presentable. Since the car was garaged its entire life there is no sun fading typically associated with convertibles. The pagoda top is in very good condition… fits perfectly with no gaps…. weather stripping is very nice. It is numbers matching with the car, and its paint is excellent. It has the optional chrome stripping along the top. The headliner is intact with no rips, tears or sags, but does have some stains to be removed (see pictures). The top comes off with ease with the aforementioned Mercedes tool. I have given what I believe to be a fair and honest assessment of this car. It is not perfect but it is still in great shape and has received many compliments at the shop!! We all know what these cars are selling for when in drivers #1 condition so here is a chance to buy one at a reasonable reserve. You can enjoy it now, turn many heads (and you will) and a few years down the road fully restore if you desire. You know what they say though… they are only original once!! The car has never needed a restoration because it has been so well taken care of! The car is rock solid.…
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