sl r129 anyone taken the risk on a 3/4k car

[Old Merc]

Just out of interest how much did my SL320 cost new in 1997? (with hard top).

[mickyveloce]

Zonergem said:

Micky - can't see how to DM you - did I see somewhere that you know a good indy Mercedes specialist in North Yorkshire? Boroughbridge maybe? Any good for R107s or R129s?

Hello,

I've used Hydes of Boroughbridge (01423 326688) for ten years with 100% satisfaction. Mal Hyde worked on 129's when they were new, and I think he's restored a 107 a couple of years ago.

Are you very local to this area?

[Zonergem]

In-laws in Ryedale now but my wife grew up in Boltby and around. Thinking about moving back in stages, first step might be renting for a year or two to see how things go.

[truck71]

Zonergem said:

Think it is getting very hard to find straight cars (especially the 500) for anything less than collector money now. Those examples which have been cosseted and kept for weekends in the garage (i.e. mileage >50k) and which meet the "ideal" specification - M119 32V engine, 722.6 transmission, standard (non ADS) suspension and as few interior and exterior mods as possible are around 20k-25k.

Below that there is now a shortage of cars which aren't either imports, modded to hell or potential ADS money pits. A well-maintained SL can run and run, but you obviously need plenty of evidence that maintenance has been kept up to date.

Is the 500 really worth twice the price of the 320?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-Mercedes-Benz-SL500...

vs

http://www.usedmercedesbenz-sales.co.uk/used-merce...

Both from well-established Merc specialists down South - Silchester being more associated with W113s but Prestige Car Services/Turnbull&Oliver being the R129 garage of choice amongst Southern enthusiasts.

Blimey, that 500 is identical to mine albeit with half the miles (but not as good spec). I paid a third of that.

[mccrackenj]

Parisien said:

Yes, I'd bought this off young McCracken, enjoyed my miles in it so far, done a few fixes and improved bits but not solved all of them yet!

Any other recent SL owners want to add to the thread?


P

"young" McCracken? Is that as in "young" Mr Grace? That's brightened up my day. Hope your enjoying it. If I was in a position to get some proper use out of it I'd have kept it. But - my usual complaint - too many cars & not enough miles. I'm 'enjoying' getting a newly purchased E320 saloon sorted these days, don't talk to me about wiring looms . . . gggrrrr.

[Zonergem]

Thoughts on this please anyone? Seems so hard to find a pre-facelift 500 and people do rate the 5 speed gearbox and 32v M119 combo as the best.

http://www.stonebridgecarcentrepreston.co.uk/used-...

Seat bolster, steering wheel both worn, alloys need a refurb. Seems like tint film has been applied to the hardtop windows (difficult to remove?) But all of these are cosmetic fixes and not too tough to sort in time.

Period stereo head unit required, stat. R129 plate suggests fairly enthusiastic previous owner (MB owners club sticker in windscreen).

Worth the slog up from London to view or hold back?

Edited by Zonergem on Wednesday 28th September 14:38

[jke11y]

Certainly looks shiny. Plate might be the original issue, I remember back then dealers often gave a list of plates to choose from. Pretty sure centre vents should match the rest of the trim. Looks worth seeing, but then its easy to waste time as you cant really tell until inspecting. Maybe someone local can have a look?

[ras62]

Looks to be worth a call to see where and when service work has been done, possibly get some pictures or video sent over whatapp of hood operation and a walk around the car and even under it, ask what is not working etc. Black is a very unusual colour for a 129, I cant recall the last time I saw one advertised tbh.

[Zonergem]

jke11y said:

Pretty sure centre vents should match the rest of the trim.

You would think but it turns out not.

See photo 11

http://www.ripleycarriage.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale...

[jke11y]

Zonergem said:

You would think but it turns out not.

See photo 11

http://www.ripleycarriage.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale...

I'm sure r129sl will be along soon to clarify but my car definitely has vents that match the Helios interior. Also I think that there's something that goes wrong with them so maybe they've been swapped out over time and the right colour wasn't available? Weird.

[Zonergem]

My apologies, you're right



http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C787783

However, I'm not sure that alone is worth the extra £30000.

Even the 2nd most expensive SL500 out there has a (slight) mis-match.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C770818

Maybe this is one of those things, like the exact dates/model ranges for the orange/semi-orange/clear turn signals that exist to confuse the un-initated.

Here's a facelift with the full orange blinkers (and black centre vents).

http://www.greatpaxtonmotorcompany.co.uk/used/merc...

________________________________________________

The trouble with this black car is that it isn't exactly what I want but it looks pretty good on other criteria. My heart is set on a pre-facelift 500 - ideally just like this one

http://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/mercedes-benz-...

which slipped through at auction last year for less than 7k despite a copper-bottomed provenance (although again, what year did the analogue odometer give way to the digital clocks? Thought it was pre-94). Sort the wiring loom if not already done and away I go.

Edited by Zonergem on Wednesday 28th September 20:08

[ras62]

Maybe the run out cars had coloured vents. I think the latter gearbox enhances the latter cars no end, far more responsive and the 5th gear gives better mpg. The pano roof is also a major plus on later cars if you can find a car so optioned.

[Zonergem]

Yeah, the 722.6 gearbox is probably the reason I'm looking at this car.

I can always paint it Almandine Red with all the spare money I'll have when I've started to run a R129 as a fun car

[r129sl]

Pre-06/1998 cars generally have black centre vents (and some other black bits like the light switch surround) unless Exclusiv leather was specified or, in the very early days, red or green upholstery.

The black car looks OK. What's with the tints on the hardtop? That's a sure sign of misguided ownership.

This one in Carlisle looks OK. Utterly brilliant colours, bornite over brazil, low miles; not perfect, I noticed the wood around the seat switch is loose. And it has been for sale forever.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Edited by r129sl on Thursday 29th September 00:40

[harrykul]

Bornite is such a nice colour, but I think the brown interior would hold it back. The replacement speedo face would irritate me too. Still worth a look though.

[Skyedriver]

Wood trim around the seat switch on the door.
I looked at a number of Japanese import cars on Saturday and they all had "looseish" wood trim.

[r129sl]

harrykul said:

Bornite is such a nice colour, but I think the brown interior would hold it back.

Bornite over Brazil. Fabulous. The market wouldn't know good taste if it saw it on the telly.

[Hereward]

Zonergem said:

...potential ADS money pits...

Don't be frightened of ADS. Although the forums are littered with tales of stress and woe there is now enough knowledge and experience out there to identify and resolve any issues.

Hydraulic systems are a simple concept. If you are scared of ADS then you should be equally scared of the roof mechanism. The fact is that neither present serious challenges IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

SS Motors in West London are ADS specialists and a multitude of hydraulic specialists will also be available up and down the country if you do your research and don't fancy getting your hands dirty yourself. Obviously if one is moronic enough to take the car to a Merc dealer to fix any such issues you are in line for wallet destruction beacuse these clowns will simply swap parts without any intrinsic understanding of the mechanisms.

It pains me to read of owners who rip out their ADS and replace with standard suspension. Rather like those magnificent circus lions who have cruelly had their teeth/claws ripped out. These cars are meant to be maintained by enthusiasts for heaven's sake. The pleasure of these cars is doing your research and learning about the systems. I am staggered by the ride quality of my ADS car and I will take great pleasure learning about its upkeep.

[Zonergem]

Another fairly clean import in Cumbria

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

but like the Bornite one it has the wrong clocks. Could be perfectly innocent but it's the kind of thing that puts one off an import.

[jke11y]

Zonergem said:

Another fairly clean import in Cumbria

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

but like the Bornite one it has the wrong clocks. Could be perfectly innocent but it's the kind of thing that puts one off an import.

It wouldn't put me off entirely. Although they probably just take the cheapest route to solve the problem. My G500 was a Japanese import car and it was in absolutely incredible condition.