Second time, no reserve: a 190SL sells for $84,000

This 190SL was refurbished over eight years, from 2015 to 2023. It was refinished in White Gray in 2015, with rust repair on the left front fender and door jambs, and the cabin was reupholstered in red leather in 2018. The 1.9-liter four got Weber sidedraft carburetors in 2019, along with a resurfaced head, valves, seals and head gasket. The brakes were overhauled, the fuel tank repaired, the starter and motor mounts replaced. In September 2025 it got Bilstein shocks, new Vredestein tires and clutch linkage work.

It came with its removable hardtop, a black convertible top, 13-inch steel wheels with body-color hubcaps, spare parts, the removed Solex carburetors and air cleaners, and a stack of service records.

Why we went no reserve

The car had been offered on Bring a Trailer in December 2025. A second run at the same audience needs a reason for bidders to take it seriously, and the strongest reason there is: this time it was going to sell. No reserve reset the conversation from “what does the seller want” to “what is this car worth,” and midsummer is a far better time to sell an open two-seater than December.

The 89-photo listing was straightforward about what a buyer would find: fading on the convertible top fabric, missing rear glass in the hardtop, a weak reverse gate, and chips touched up in 2020. For a driver-quality 190SL those are known, fixable items, and saying so up front keeps the comments about the car rather than about the seller.

The auction

The auction drew 7,841 views, 891 watchers and 25 comments. Forty-one bids came in, and the car sold on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:27 in the morning for $84,000.

What the number means

190SLs on Bring a Trailer this summer fell into two groups. Concours-level and long-term-owned cars brought $140,000 to $207,000. Most driver-quality cars like ours sold between $62,000 and $89,500: $77,000 on July 5, $85,600 on July 8, $62,000 on July 13, $75,000 and $89,500 in late June. Plenty of reserve cars in both groups didn’t sell, with high bids from $51,000 to $135,500.

Our car landed near the top of the driver band. The difference between $62,000 and $84,000 on a 190SL is almost always documentation: a buyer who can see eight years of dated work doesn’t have to price in the unknown.

If you own one

The cars that bring top money on Bring a Trailer share three things: honest condition, complete paperwork, and a listing that answers questions before they’re asked. If you have a 190SL, a Pagoda, or any classic Mercedes you’ve been thinking about selling, we’ll tell you where it fits in the market and what we think it will bring. We’re a Bring a Trailer Local Partner and we handle everything from photography to the last comment.