Whether you’re looking to buy a barn find to restore, already have one you are working on, or just plan on buying something in the future, you can’t ever go wrong having a few workshop manuals lying around. I have a couple manuals I keep around for cars I haven’t owned or worked on in years and I like to occasionally flip through them just to remember the good times spent in the shop! It’s always fun to remember the time I installed new suspension on an Audi or replaced a Fiat’s leaky pinion seal. I can instantly find where I last left off by the greasy fingerprints and torn pages, oh the memories caught in those shop manuals. Well reader Forrest S has a small collection of workshop manuals and rather than let them go to waste, he wants to find new homes for them. The only problem is, he isn’t sure what a Mercedes 300 SL service manual is worth or what a good price for a complete volume of 1959 Mercedes Workshop manuals. He even has a set of BMW 528i 530i repair manuals he would like to get rid of. For someone restoring one of these cars, these manuals could turn out to be wonderful sources of information!
I’m not sure how many 300SL owners are in the market for the workshop manuals, but if you have an interest in these cars, it could be cool to have these just to look at and study. Now the Volume of Mercedes workshop manuals on the other hand has broad appeal to anyone restoring a ’59 190C through 300SE car, as it covers just about every detail and aspect of those cars in detail you won’t find in a modern Haynes or Chilton manual. As for what these manuals are worth, I don’t have the slightest of clues, but that’s why we are turning to you guys for help! So what do you think would be a reasonable asking price for Forrest to ask for this collection? And if you’d like to buy the collection, click here to send him an email!
Don’t know about the others but the 300SL manual should fetch $400 if it’s in good shape. Maybe more.
Hahaha….
Assuming , I guess.
There are 300SLs and there are 300SLs.
The book looks newer or a reprint. If it was from the fifties AND in good shape it would be worth more.
If it’s from the nineties (cover design, and does not show year model) it would be $30 to $100 depending on condition and number of pages (completeness, full version) and we are talking about the W107 or R129 models…..
I have no idea what these are worth, but over on Bat there’s an auction going on for an ’87 928S. Included in the sale is a set of shop manuals. Some commenters are suggesting that the manuals alone are worth $800. If that’s true then these could be quite valuable.
Books are not books. You cannot compare the original St. James bible to a Chinese reprint found in a motel room and that is what’s happening here.
The 928 books are a rare commodity as no other (third party) publishers were given the authorization needed by Porsche therefore the premium.
NOW, throw in some Mercedes repair manuals that were largely distributed by the Mercedes parts department and you got another whole ball of wax….
Hmmm. I’ve got an original 356 Porsche workshop manual I should consider selling.
What model 356 repair manual do you have? I would be interested, I need one to better maintain the car I have. Thanks
Found the Volume 3 workshop manual on Ebay with an asking price around $100. Found several general OEM ’59 MB service manuals for $15 – $80 (prices they actually sold at).
A few years back those would have been worth a small fortune, but today all the info is on-line for free.
So they only have value as a collectors piece to put in the trunk for shows.
Low hundreds would be quite a good price.
Well put.
Finally somebody with the proper perspective.
Thank You
Great manuals, however all these are available from MB Classic and include any and all updates or supplements. I am interested in them for my library because they are “patinad” but I already have new ones both in PDF and paper format in anticipation of my “Gullwing” discovery…
i too like old service manual for vehicles i have owned, do own, and want to own. something nice about the feel of holding a paper manual or book that the online stuff does not provide. but the online information may be more up to date and less costly. you can see if anyone on this site is interested or put these on ebay and see what happens.
have one I’m think…..I’m a manual/brochure horder fer shur…..