Ortiz auctioning red luxury convertible on eBay

BOSTON -- Big Papi is looking for someone to make a Big Purchase.

David Ortiz is auctioning off a red 2005 Mercedes Benz on eBay, joining fellow Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez in trying to make a sale on the Internet site. Ortiz's, though, seems more legitimate than Ramirez's listing of a gas grill during spring training.

The convertible listing describes the SL-Class SL65 AMG as "David Ortiz's Toy" that has 604 horsepower and goes from zero to 60 mph in "just over four seconds."

It says he bought it for more than $205,000 as a present to himself after Boston won the 2004 World Series, then added $35,000 in accessories. The listing said the 12-cylinder car was built by hand.

With a little more than two days left in the seven-day listing, the only bid was for $169,000. The auction ends at 6:49 p.m. EDT Thursday.

"This car has been pampered for its short life, taking Big Papi back and forth to Fenway Park," the listing said.

Ortiz will deliver the car to the buyer at Fenway, along with the keys and the title, according to the listing.

On March 20, bidding on a grill offered by Ramirez rose from the minimum allowed of $3,000 to $99,999,999. The listing was removed the next day because he could not be verified as the grill's owner and the listing violated company policy, said Nichola Sharpe, an eBay spokeswoman.

She said bids would have been legally binding even if they were made frivolously.

A photo accompanying that listing showed Ramirez next to the grill, but he later said it belonged to a neighbor.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)