Should have posted here:- SL500/320
Discussion
I think values are on the up but that is true of everything at the moment. I mean, if you had a rusty, broken plough, its value would be going up right now and 4 Star Classic will be asking £15k for a similar example. More seriously, they do seem to be maturing into a young classic rather than an old car and they do seem to be attracting praise in the classic car media.
The ride is super, very comfortable, but the handling is still pretty pleasing in that Mercedes way. It has long travel springs with quite strong damping; and of course it has the five link rear axle.
Condition is everything. They don't like not being used. What to look out for? Neglect, really. Owners seem to find it easy to ignore little niggles as they develop, But a car with ten little niggles can seem over-whelming. They don't suffer much from rust. The suspension will benefit from an overhaul (shocks and links and bushes) at 100k. Condition and originality are everything.
I really, really like the standard stereo in my car. It has six speakers, woofers, mids, tweeters and separate amplification. It is not over-bassed, in the way a lot of modern stereos are and the position of the tweeters in the dash gives nice detail.
Good examples are often high lighted in this forum. The Japanese imports are worth looking at. The condition usually seems better.
The Mercedes-Benz Club is worth £40 a year. You get a monthly magazine, a good forum, access to the Mercedes-Benz electronic parts catalogue (EPC) and workshop information system (WIS); you also get a subscription to the Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine which comes out three times a year and is very good (most recent issue features the 129, interestingly enough). The 129 is a popular car in the Club and there is good technical support in the forum.
I have had mine for 13 years and 225,000miles and I never tire of it. It has never let me down. I find it plenty fast enough. And we use it with our young children. The quality is astonishingly high; it is a very modern car (my car has four airbags, ABS, ESP, multi-link suspension, the pop-up roll-over bar, the strong body shell) but without any attendant complexity (no CAN BUS network, for instance).
The ride is super, very comfortable, but the handling is still pretty pleasing in that Mercedes way. It has long travel springs with quite strong damping; and of course it has the five link rear axle.
Condition is everything. They don't like not being used. What to look out for? Neglect, really. Owners seem to find it easy to ignore little niggles as they develop, But a car with ten little niggles can seem over-whelming. They don't suffer much from rust. The suspension will benefit from an overhaul (shocks and links and bushes) at 100k. Condition and originality are everything.
I really, really like the standard stereo in my car. It has six speakers, woofers, mids, tweeters and separate amplification. It is not over-bassed, in the way a lot of modern stereos are and the position of the tweeters in the dash gives nice detail.
Good examples are often high lighted in this forum. The Japanese imports are worth looking at. The condition usually seems better.
The Mercedes-Benz Club is worth £40 a year. You get a monthly magazine, a good forum, access to the Mercedes-Benz electronic parts catalogue (EPC) and workshop information system (WIS); you also get a subscription to the Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine which comes out three times a year and is very good (most recent issue features the 129, interestingly enough). The 129 is a popular car in the Club and there is good technical support in the forum.
I have had mine for 13 years and 225,000miles and I never tire of it. It has never let me down. I find it plenty fast enough. And we use it with our young children. The quality is astonishingly high; it is a very modern car (my car has four airbags, ABS, ESP, multi-link suspension, the pop-up roll-over bar, the strong body shell) but without any attendant complexity (no CAN BUS network, for instance).
r129sl said:
I think values are on the up but that is true of everything at the moment. I mean, if you had a rusty, broken plough, its value would be going up right now and 4 Star Classic will be asking £15k for a similar example. More seriously, they do seem to be maturing into a young classic rather than an old car and they do seem to be attracting praise in the classic car media.
The ride is super, very comfortable, but the handling is still pretty pleasing in that Mercedes way. It has long travel springs with quite strong damping; and of course it has the five link rear axle.
Condition is everything. They don't like not being used. What to look out for? Neglect, really. Owners seem to find it easy to ignore little niggles as they develop, But a car with ten little niggles can seem over-whelming. They don't suffer much from rust. The suspension will benefit from an overhaul (shocks and links and bushes) at 100k. Condition and originality are everything.
I really, really like the standard stereo in my car. It has six speakers, woofers, mids, tweeters and separate amplification. It is not over-bassed, in the way a lot of modern stereos are and the position of the tweeters in the dash gives nice detail.
Good examples are often high lighted in this forum. The Japanese imports are worth looking at. The condition usually seems better.
The Mercedes-Benz Club is worth £40 a year. You get a monthly magazine, a good forum, access to the Mercedes-Benz electronic parts catalogue (EPC) and workshop information system (WIS); you also get a subscription to the Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine which comes out three times a year and is very good (most recent issue features the 129, interestingly enough). The 129 is a popular car in the Club and there is good technical support in the forum.
I have had mine for 13 years and 225,000miles and I never tire of it. It has never let me down. I find it plenty fast enough. And we use it with our young children. The quality is astonishingly high; it is a very modern car (my car has four airbags, ABS, ESP, multi-link suspension, the pop-up roll-over bar, the strong body shell) but without any attendant complexity (no CAN BUS network, for instance).
Many thanks for this - definitely food for thought. Tested the concept with Missus Cidered77 and she is very interested, so we're off to see a local example on Saturday. The ride is super, very comfortable, but the handling is still pretty pleasing in that Mercedes way. It has long travel springs with quite strong damping; and of course it has the five link rear axle.
Condition is everything. They don't like not being used. What to look out for? Neglect, really. Owners seem to find it easy to ignore little niggles as they develop, But a car with ten little niggles can seem over-whelming. They don't suffer much from rust. The suspension will benefit from an overhaul (shocks and links and bushes) at 100k. Condition and originality are everything.
I really, really like the standard stereo in my car. It has six speakers, woofers, mids, tweeters and separate amplification. It is not over-bassed, in the way a lot of modern stereos are and the position of the tweeters in the dash gives nice detail.
Good examples are often high lighted in this forum. The Japanese imports are worth looking at. The condition usually seems better.
The Mercedes-Benz Club is worth £40 a year. You get a monthly magazine, a good forum, access to the Mercedes-Benz electronic parts catalogue (EPC) and workshop information system (WIS); you also get a subscription to the Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine which comes out three times a year and is very good (most recent issue features the 129, interestingly enough). The 129 is a popular car in the Club and there is good technical support in the forum.
I have had mine for 13 years and 225,000miles and I never tire of it. It has never let me down. I find it plenty fast enough. And we use it with our young children. The quality is astonishingly high; it is a very modern car (my car has four airbags, ABS, ESP, multi-link suspension, the pop-up roll-over bar, the strong body shell) but without any attendant complexity (no CAN BUS network, for instance).
Comfortable, reliable, wafty transport the whole family can fit in and enjoy, plus the wife can drive is what I'm after.. and I can swallow low MPG and high servicing costs if i know I am not losing much come resale.
Thanks again - exactly what I wanted to read.
cidered77 said:
Daughter is 6, so we have a bit of time yet, and I'm sure we can work out a childseat somehow.
Any idea of the cost of a suspension refresh you describe? Am a fan of doing that for older cars, but I suspect it's a little more expensive on an SL than Clio 182....
Rear will cost you +-£300 in parts, front +- £400, then labour and tracking. I am looking to get it on mine, before the end of the year.Any idea of the cost of a suspension refresh you describe? Am a fan of doing that for older cars, but I suspect it's a little more expensive on an SL than Clio 182....
Here is the rear suspension update kit, have not found a similar front kit.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371312463667?_trksid=p20...
Thanks all - I usually stay quite loyal to my cars, keeping them 3-5 years, but my track record of time between "hmm, I've had an idea" to "car on the driveway" is often scarily short! 
I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
cidered77 said:
Thanks all - I usually stay quite loyal to my cars, keeping them 3-5 years, but my track record of time between "hmm, I've had an idea" to "car on the driveway" is often scarily short!
I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
There are a few on the R129 facebook group, there have been a few offered up in the last while.I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
cidered77 said:
QuantumTokoloshi said:
There are a few on the R129 facebook group, there have been a few offered up in the last while.
Thanks, just joined. 54k SL500 just on, but a bit out of current price range at 10k...Rear suspension kit, £150 for Lemförder, who make them for Merc: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REAR-SUSPENSION-CONTROL-...
A set of sub-frame bushes should be £75 ish.
Front will only need anti-roll bar bushes, shocks and shock top mounts. Not worth doing the arms unless there's an actual problem. Steering damper is always a good buy, too, £25.
The nice thing about the 129 is that a lot of the running gear is from more mainstream models and has accordingly mainstream prices.
A set of sub-frame bushes should be £75 ish.
Front will only need anti-roll bar bushes, shocks and shock top mounts. Not worth doing the arms unless there's an actual problem. Steering damper is always a good buy, too, £25.
The nice thing about the 129 is that a lot of the running gear is from more mainstream models and has accordingly mainstream prices.
cidered77 said:
Thanks all - I usually stay quite loyal to my cars, keeping them 3-5 years, but my track record of time between "hmm, I've had an idea" to "car on the driveway" is often scarily short!
I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
Oddly enough I'm considering selling my 500SL and replacing it with a Trophy. Maybe we should talk if you haven't found one? Sent you a message.I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
Motorrad said:
cidered77 said:
Thanks all - I usually stay quite loyal to my cars, keeping them 3-5 years, but my track record of time between "hmm, I've had an idea" to "car on the driveway" is often scarily short!
I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
Oddly enough I'm considering selling my 500SL and replacing it with a Trophy. Maybe we should talk if you haven't found one? Sent you a message.I think net net could make the move for about £2k, more if I forego hassle of selling the Trophy privately and p/x-ing. Would prefer to buy privately from an enthusiasts forum so I can dig into the history a bit - are there any good sites beyond pistonheads you know of?
And what a top man as well. When Pistonheads gets it right
ras62 said:
The Pano roof went back on yesterday, it always amazes me just how quiet and refined the car is with the top installed, the light let into the cabin makes it a lovely place to be. I weighed the top last year at 39kg iirc. Heated rear window is still pretty useless though!
Just put the lid back on my car too; it's a lovely environment to be in. 
Downtown Abbey said:
Get the 500, after a while of owning the 320 you'll end up wanting to upgrade to a 500 anyway, so might as well do it now.
Horses for courses, I've had a 320 for 3 yrs, it's fine. I'm not a fast driver, doing about 6k p.a. mainly long journeys, I see it as GT rather than a sports car. The I6 is easy to live with and maintain with plenty of space for the home mechanic. My top will be going on at the end of the month.
QuantumTokoloshi said:
Too soon gents, with the hardtop. I am trying to convince myself I can get another month, before I need to put it on, in the vain hope of a few more days of warm sunny weather, maybe , perhaps, If I resist putting it on, I will be rewarded with an Indian summer.
Sad but true.
Yes, but by me putting the top back on, I've guaranteed good weather! Sad but true.
Has anyone seen the video on Youtube of the chap fitting his 129 hard top by himself? It's a funny video - he ends up looking like a huge turtle.
The comments on the "don't buy a six cylinder as you'll be hankering after a V8" are glib and pointless. The two are very different cars, and both offer advantages. It's a debate which was won on all sides on here some time ago.
He wouldn't be trying that with a pano roof believe me!Gassing Station | Mercedes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff