1967
Mercedes Benz
200 Heckflosse
(Fintail) Sedan
VIN: 11001010153652
By the fall of 1966 Joe Miller knew it was time
for an upgrade. He’d owned his still-pristine
1961 Mercedes Ponton sedan for more than a decade, but now a newer four-door
was starting to make more sense. Driving
through town everyday on the way to and from work, this gorgeous 1967 Fintail
200 had caught his eye. For several
weeks it sat highlighted there on the point at the Tacoma Mercedes Benz dealership
and he knew it would not be for sale much longer. As a practical, “old school” man, Mr. Miller
felt that any replacement for his beloved Ponton must possess a single, most
important criteria: a factory four-on-the-floor transmission. Even in ‘67 that was an unusual setup for a Benz
sedan as most folks opted for the luxury of an automatic over the sportiness of
a manual stick shift. On December 12th
the deal was consummated and Mr. Miller had his new car!
Several weeks ago his “Heckflosse” came to us for
resale to a lucky new owner. What you
see here in my un-retouched photos is a remarkably nice, original Euro-cruiser. If you have questions or would like to
inspect the Mercedes before the auction ends, please call me to set a meeting
time for a visit to our Auburn warehouse.
My name is Mark Thompson and
my direct number is (206)914-1173.
CONDITION:
Little has been changed since Mr. Miller bought
the car forty-six years ago. The
odometer reads 33,759 (I have no way to know what the actual miles are as it is
a five-digit counter). My un-retouched photos
really do tell this boulevard cruiser’s story.
The exterior is in remarkably nice, original condition. Though it has had a respray, the clear white
paint holds quite a shine. A quick glance and you’ll see all the glass is good
with no cracks or chips. Pull out the
manual choke, turn the key and the bullet-proof four cylinder starts
immediately, even when cold. The
four-speed transmission shifts great and the clutch is strong. I’ve made no attempt to update the remarkably
decent stock engine compartment and trunk.
Rust? Please, this Mercedes hates
body rust and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything here to worry about (look
at my shots of the underside and bottom of the door). Yes, the Puget Sound region is famous for
rain, but our winter roads are rarely ever salted. At most we’ll only have one or two days of
light snow each year and then everyone panics and just stays home. Climb over, under and throughout this car - you’ll
come up smiling as factory undercoating has kept it quite solid. I doubt it ever saw many winter roads anyway.
Please look again at the interior photos. You’ll find soft and supple original German upholstery
on all the seats (there’s one tiny tear on the driver’s back rest as pictured). I’m quite impressed with the condition of the
dash gauges, too. They seem as clear and
bright as the day this rig left the factory more than four and one-half decades
ago! The radio and the temperature
control system function as they should.
I even found one of Mr. Miller’s eight track tapes still in the player
(I’ll pass it along to you). As
pictured, the glove box contains all the original factory manuals, dealer network
info and many records from over the years still securely stored in their
original plastic sleeve. The headliner
is clean, intact and very decent. All the carpets are brand new. The interior trim is very presentable with a
great vintage patina.
PLEASE
BID WITH CONFIDENCE and know that you are purchasing a very nice
car from a respected Ebay seller. I want
you to be happy with your purchase (and with me) and that’s the main goal! Please don’t be upset if I miss a minor flaw
or you’re required to spend a small amount on some unforeseen problem! No vintage used vehicle is ever perfect.
Note: We will NEVER,
EVER “shill” or falsely "bump-up" an auction (a violation of
eBay rules and also Federal Law). Because
of the amount of money involved in buying a vehicle, we require that new Ebay
members with a feedback history of five or fewer transactions or ANY negative feedback
call or email before placing a bid. If I don’t have this
initial contact, your bid may be cancelled. The phone number to talk directly to me, as
outlined above, is 206/914-1173. Please feel free to call any time during the
auction. My name is MARK THOMPSON.
TERMS OF SALE:
You’re encouraged to check the photos over closely
and call me with any questions BEFORE you place a bid! Come by and drive the Mercedes at our Auburn,
WA location during business hours if you’re in the area. DEALERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO BID AS
WELL! Additionally, we
reserve the right to end the auction early if the car is no longer for sale or
an acceptable offer has been agreed upon.
A nonrefundable $500 deposit is due within 24 hours of the auction’s end
if you’re the winning bidder. The
remaining balance is due by cash or certified funds within seven days unless
prior arrangements have been made with us.
Remember, you are bidding to buy and I fully expect the winning bidder
to fulfill their Ebay contract! You are
not bidding to hold, inspect or then come test-drive the Benz later! You’re more than welcome to do this before
the auction ends.
If you decide to have the car shipped home,
there are numerous vehicle transport companies to choose from. We
ship vehicles regularly and I'd suggest that you get a transport bid from Dependable
Auto Shippers (DAS) as they are the largest hauler here in North America and have
had very competitive rates the past few months.
You may also want to get several bids from transporters at the www.U-ship.com website. The zip code for pick-up is 98002 (Auburn,
WA). The shipping of the Benz and company chosen are the responsibility of the BUYER. I’m always happy to
store your purchase free of charge at my location for up to two weeks after the
auction ends assuming full payment has been made. After this period storage will be charged at
$15 per day.
A Few Additional
Terms and Requirements:
The Buyer is responsible for meeting the licensing
requirements in their state of residence. If you live here in Washington we'll need to collect the 9.8% sales tax and registration fees. Because the car is advertised and for sale locally, we reserve the right to notify bidders and end the auction early if it's no longer available for sale online. The
Mercedes is being sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. All information
described above is based on the observed condition when the listing was
placed. I've done my very best to describe the vehicle as honestly as
possible.