Man buys most expensive car in his life Mercedes SLR McLaren with no research and wonders if he's just made a $300,000 error
- Kansas-based car enthusiast splurged on his dream car
- He knew the Mercedes SLR McLaren had sustained fire damage
- The rest of the $300K car’s history was shrouded in mystery
Published on Jan 15, 2025 at 7:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 15, 2025 at 10:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
We should all treat ourselves from time to time but this Kansas-based car enthusiast’s splurge of a lifetime on a Mercedes SLR McLaren may have proven an expensive mistake.
The reason? He did no research before putting his mouth was.
The cost? $300,000 – the most he’d ever spent on a car in his expansive and enviable fleet.
But, weould this prove to be a costly mistake?
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Mercedes SLR McLaren
Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage bought a 2008 Mercedes SLR McLaren for over $300,000.
It was the most expensive car the US-based car collector had ever owned.
It was disclosed that the car had been subject to prior fire damage but that it was repaired to OEM standards.
He even had footage of firefighters tackling the blaze – which can be devastating to cars.
However, the rest of the supercar’s history was shrouded in mystery.
Call it a smoke screen.
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The car’s mysterious history
Upon looking deeper into the car’s backstory post-purchase, Hoover discovered that it sold for $400,000.
However, what followed was a fire in the trunk that caused significant smoke and wiring damage with repair costs totaling $50,000.
This was thankfully fixed by Mercedes to OEM standards.
However, here’s where the story ‘doesn’t seem quite right’.
It’s thought that perhaps these repairs were done after its salvage auction by Hagerty.
Why? You might ask.
“This stunning car sold for only $158,000 in January 6th of 2020 which is ridiculously cheap,” he explained.
Especially considering that it had a clean title.
The fact that it was ‘showing as running and drive verified’ suggests that it had already been fixed.
However, it showed an estimated repair cost of $45,679.95 – right on what the repair costs were.
Hoover guessed that they likely took it to Mercedes for an estimate and listed that figure while. selling as-is.
That’s a pretty tidy profit for a $200,000 investment.
“Prices were certainly lower back then,” he says.
Was it worth it?
Despite its history and the car model being ‘notoriously difficult to resell’, Hoover is still thrilled to own his dream car – in fact he even traded in some of his other vehicles to acquire it.
“Do I feel stupid for spending this much money on a car with that kind of story? Well, maybe… no, no, certainly not, because I really, really wanted one of these,” he admits.
Plus, the mystery may have actually helped his cause.
“The fact that it had a story certainly made it cheaper and put it in striking distance for me,” he says.
This wasn’t his only outlay, at the same auction the host acquired a rare 2002 Mercedes SL 500 Silver Arrow Edition for $20,00, which has minor issues with its soft top.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
