Red Mist Leads to Blue Monday

No need to get a second inspection, as the dealer had suggested; the first inspector was a pro and had already found 60-plus defects

by John Draneas

The unhappy buyer of a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing recently contacted “Legal Files” with an unfortunate story. A couple years ago, he was having a tough time finding an acceptable Gullwing. He consulted a knowledgeable local dealer, who told him about a Gullwing in another city and introduced him to the owner. The owner described the Gullwing as a high-condition driver that had been repainted by a noted auto restoration shop about two years previously. The asking price was $350,000, which was market correct at the time.

Our buyer traveled to the other city to inspect the car personally and hired a respected Mercedes expert. The expert generated a detailed list of over 60 deficiencies with the Gullwing. Our buyer asked the owner a number of questions, specifically if the Gullwing had ever been crashed, and the owner told him no. Our buyer stated that he would...