That is great news, I hope it holds true. I have a whole bunch of
116's sitting around that I am thinking about sending to the
crusher as nobody wants 116 parts. Right now it seems like the
123 and early 126 cars are the cheap beater cars (in that phase
right now). It would be great to get them to collector status.
On 12/21/2010 9:22 AM, Jaime Kopchinski wrote:
Hi David,
Max is right... the best thing to do it keep in contact with the
classic center and Tom Hansen. They're quite dedicated to keeping the
enthusiasts well supplied with what they need. There have been parts
that go out of stock, then go back in production when demand is
suitable. (For example, I think this happened with OM617 300D manual
trans flywheels!)
Some parts simply can't be produced anymore due to availability of
materials, processes that become illegal due to environmental
standards, etc. Interior parts are usually the first to go for this
reason (for example, leather interiors).
W114/5 /8 cars have a great following world wide... I'd expect lots of
parts to remain available, even if they need to be sourced in Germany
from some of the specialists there in some cases.
Its important for us, as a community, to promote the value and
collectiblity of these cars. Values of W110s, 111s, and 108s are
already shooting up since people are treating them more as rare
collectibles, rather than cheap drivers.. /8 cars have been under
valued for years. W116s are next (believe me, start buying them!).
In a few more years (maybe 10+), everyone will be collecting W123s,
and even W126s. Just watch.
Which brings up the question asked earlier on the list: How much is a
W108 4.5 worth? I didn't say much, but I was shocked to hear $1000.
A decent W108 around here is very hard to find, and anything without
significant rust is worth $2000+ easy in my opinion. If you can drive
it home, its worth $3500+. If there is no major issues, $5000-8000+.
A W111 230S just sold locally on eBay for $4600... with a bad, not
original, engine. A few years ago, this was a $1000 car. Have a
look:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150517197572
Times are a changin' for old Mercedes, and its only going to get
better as the values go up and more people start taking them
seriously.
(And I know lots of people on this list won't believe me!).
Jaime
On Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 2:29 AM, David Bruckmann
<bruckma...@transcontinental.ca> wrote:
The MB policy of actually supporting their classic community is brilliant, and
I am willing to put my money (within reason) on it. As I posted before, I'm
becoming impatient with aftermarket parts of questionable provenance and will
pay a premium for OE quality.
A couple of times now I've gone to order something for my W115 and have been told by the
dealer that the part is NLA and "we even checked with the Classic Centre". Two
parts that come to mind are the rear seat pads and the speaker grill assembly (the one
that always shrivels up) on later W114/5 dashboards.
Demand for some items like seat pads must be increasing after being close to
nil for many years. When I did the interior in my W115 I got what World
Uplholstery said was their last set of rear pads, one of which was a NOS
genuine part, the other had served as their fitting model when they were
testing the covers. A friend is getting set to do his W115, and World confirmed
that the pads are NLA. Same story from GAHH and Mercedes directly.
A while ago I happened upon a note from Tom Hansen at the Classic Centre that
the trim pieces for the R107 were once again available after being NLA for a
while.
So my question: if the part is "NLA", but Mercedes-Benz is restarting
production on certain items according to demand, how does one ensure that this demand is
actually registered with the company. Is there a way of getting onto a list or something
so that these parts become available? Or do I just send a note to Tom?
D.
PS: to the joy of W116 owners, it appears that those formerly NLA rear seat
pads are once again available in the aftermarket (and a bargain!). Not sure how
they'll hold up over time, but better than crumbling vestiges of the original...
_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com
To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
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_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com
To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
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Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK
95 E300, 94 S500, 92 500SEL, 92 300SD, 92 300E 4Matic,
91 350SDL, 91 300D, 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL x2, 85 380SE 5.0 Euro,
85 190D, 84 190D, 84 300D euro manny, 76 240D, 76 300D,
http://www.okiebenz.com
_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com
To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
