sl r129 anyone taken the risk on a 3/4k car
Discussion
Another very early 'launch' car. Leggy but looks clean. And I did drive 335 miles yesterday looking at SLs, you see how the miles clock up.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Edited by Zonergem on Sunday 23 October 10:29
Zonergem said:
Another very early 'launch' car. Leggy but looks clean. And I did drive 335 miles yesterday looking at SLs, you see how the miles clock up.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
That looks great. Original two-tone paint, gingercators, correct wheels and grille etc. A couple of hundred pounds on a Blaupunkt or Becker would finish it. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Edited by Zonergem on Sunday 23 October 10:29
The mileage is the very last thing to think about - this one is low for the age.
Wind deflector was optional on early cars. If you look at the photograph of the inside of the Almandine car's boot, you will see that it is not equipped with the three black elasticated straps that hold the wind deflector cover in place. My money would say it never had one. Apart from the gash headunit, it looks like a nice car.
Edited by r129sl on Sunday 23 October 22:11
I've only driven three, one of which was SORN so it was just a back-and-forth on the driveway for the sake of argument and one was a trundle in modest traffic around the streets of Wandsworth. The third, in the garage queen, was a much test of a "recently overhauled" big money low-mileage car, and the drive was enjoyable, if a lot more effortful than pointing a Audi A6 Avant C7.2 at the motorway for 330 miles. Low speed manoeuvring took a fair amount of shoulder.
I don't know that I can add much to the stock of common knowledge about the R129 with that degree of experience. Rather, I am taking what I've read and what I've drawn from videos (Turnbull & Oliver, Mercedessource) and finding how that plays out in the field. Between that, PH and the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend 500SL owner who is very kindly advising via email I'm doing pretty well at assessing cars, at least until we get properly into the engine bay.
Every car has had various failings and I won't attempt to go through them. There's one I'd like to buy but we're a bit apart on price, there are other cars still to look at and if someone else bites at the asking price then that's their lookout.
I see there's a top drawer car up at auction soon - M113-engined and post-merger but low miles, great colours, decent provenance and pretty much full specification. Never seen a full row of switches before.
http://www.silverstoneauctions.com/2000-mercedes-b...
I don't know that I can add much to the stock of common knowledge about the R129 with that degree of experience. Rather, I am taking what I've read and what I've drawn from videos (Turnbull & Oliver, Mercedessource) and finding how that plays out in the field. Between that, PH and the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend 500SL owner who is very kindly advising via email I'm doing pretty well at assessing cars, at least until we get properly into the engine bay.
Every car has had various failings and I won't attempt to go through them. There's one I'd like to buy but we're a bit apart on price, there are other cars still to look at and if someone else bites at the asking price then that's their lookout.
I see there's a top drawer car up at auction soon - M113-engined and post-merger but low miles, great colours, decent provenance and pretty much full specification. Never seen a full row of switches before.
http://www.silverstoneauctions.com/2000-mercedes-b...
Edited by Zonergem on Sunday 23 October 22:09
The Silverstone car is smashing. Contrary to its description, it is not Tourmaline Green (which was not offered in 2000): it is either 814 Mineral Green (the brochure colour together with Magma Red) or 017 Designo Varicolor 1 Green Blue. I think the former.
It will be interesting to see what it goes for.
It will be interesting to see what it goes for.
Edward Hall have apparently sold this similar car - underwent a thorough inspection at their place late last week - but not sure at what price. You'll note however that the asking price is chunky, and that there are a couple of similar cars advertised in the 25-30k range, as well one substantially higher.
http://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1996-mercedes-be...
If I was the purchaser and I saw the Silverstone car then I might be stopping the cheque. A 1996 with post 06/98 rear light clusters? Tsk...
Silverstone car 23400 inc commission for me. Market not undersupplied with collector quality cars if you look around.
http://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1996-mercedes-be...
If I was the purchaser and I saw the Silverstone car then I might be stopping the cheque. A 1996 with post 06/98 rear light clusters? Tsk...
Silverstone car 23400 inc commission for me. Market not undersupplied with collector quality cars if you look around.
Edited by Zonergem on Sunday 23 October 22:29
^^^ Hmm, maybe it could be 257 Zircon? Or maybe it is the designo colour.
Edit: the Silverstone car is 257 Zircon Green Metallic: the chassis number is listed in the ad and that is what is shown on the data card. Pretty rare colour. The other thing the data card shows is that it was shipped on 3 December 1998: so it is not a 2000 car as listed. Forgive the obsessive and anally retentive investigation.
Edit: the Silverstone car is 257 Zircon Green Metallic: the chassis number is listed in the ad and that is what is shown on the data card. Pretty rare colour. The other thing the data card shows is that it was shipped on 3 December 1998: so it is not a 2000 car as listed. Forgive the obsessive and anally retentive investigation.
Edited by r129sl on Monday 24th October 00:02
Zonergem said:
Edward Hall have apparently sold this similar car - underwent a thorough inspection at their place late last week - but not sure at what price. You'll note however that the asking price is chunky, and that there are a couple of similar cars advertised in the 25-30k range, as well one substantially higher.
http://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1996-mercedes-be...
If I was the purchaser and I saw the Silverstone car then I might be stopping the cheque. A 1996 with post 06/98 rear light clusters? Tsk...
Silverstone car 23400 inc commission for me. Market not undersupplied with collector quality cars if you look around.
Why those rear lights are installed is a mystery. Lazy not having pictures with the hard top imo. Nice car though with those miles but is the next owner a captive to keeping the miles low?http://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1996-mercedes-be...
If I was the purchaser and I saw the Silverstone car then I might be stopping the cheque. A 1996 with post 06/98 rear light clusters? Tsk...
Silverstone car 23400 inc commission for me. Market not undersupplied with collector quality cars if you look around.
Edited by Zonergem on Sunday 23 October 22:29
Zonergem said:
Edward Hall have apparently sold this similar car - underwent a thorough inspection at their place late last week - but not sure at what price. You'll note however that the asking price is chunky, and that there are a couple of similar cars advertised in the 25-30k range, as well one substantially higher.
http://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1996-mercedes-be...
If I was the purchaser and I saw the Silverstone car then I might be stopping the cheque. A 1996 with post 06/98 rear light clusters? Tsk...
Silverstone car 23400 inc commission for me. Market not undersupplied with collector quality cars if you look around.
As r129 puts it, taste is a matter of taste so for me the 1992 500SL that Edward Hall currently has for sale trumps the post face-lift models every-timehttp://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1996-mercedes-be...
If I was the purchaser and I saw the Silverstone car then I might be stopping the cheque. A 1996 with post 06/98 rear light clusters? Tsk...
Silverstone car 23400 inc commission for me. Market not undersupplied with collector quality cars if you look around.
Edited by Zonergem on Sunday 23 October 22:29
http://www.edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1992-mercede...
When you put the photos of the two side by side the lines of the original design especially with the fifteen-hole alloys is so pure and uncluttered. It is classic Sacco. It all got a bit overly fussy thereafter although of course you got the technical upgrades.
SSL said:
When you put the photos of the two side by side the lines of the original design especially with the fifteen-hole alloys is so pure and uncluttered. It is classic Sacco. It all got a bit overly fussy thereafter although of course you got the technical upgrades.
For years people have tried to make their early cars look like more recent models. Would God judge me harshly if I took the chassis and oily bits from http://www.usedmercedesbenz-sales.co.uk/used-merce...
and clothed them in the bodywork and interior of the Almandine 1990 car above, to creatd the car they should have made?
Zonergem said:
For years people have tried to make their early cars look like more recent models. Would God judge me harshly if I took the chassis and oily bits from
http://www.usedmercedesbenz-sales.co.uk/used-merce...
and clothed them in the bodywork and interior of the Almandine 1990 car above, to creatd the car they should have made?
Zonergem,http://www.usedmercedesbenz-sales.co.uk/used-merce...
and clothed them in the bodywork and interior of the Almandine 1990 car above, to creatd the car they should have made?
I may be well wide of the mark here but I believe the only significant difference, apart from cosmetics, in oily bits between the two cars is that the 1990 car will have a few more bhp and the 1996 car will have one more forward gear. This is now where I get into dangerous territory. Given that the later gear-box was mated to the M119 engine why is it not possible to transplant one into an early 500SL.
Having said that why would you? The criticism of the four speed box is over-done. I don't believe that beyond the five speed automatic and brake-assist that much changed on the first facelift and certainly not to the chassis or suspension set up but if it did those with more knowledge will set the position right.
God most certainly will not judge you harshly he might on the other hand ask "why bother?"
Edited by SSL on Monday 24th October 18:55
722.3 gearbox is hydraulically activated, the 722.6 is electro-mechanical. [/beard] I wonder what the implications are for wiring and ECUs.
It's not actually going to happen. But I am viewing the Almandine car tomorrow morning, and visiting the Signal Red two-tone 1990 car with the AMG wheels and later indicators which has gone to rehab and happens to be nearby.
I'll be in a car by the end of the week I reckon. Typical PH, you come on to get some R107 advice and before you know it you're considering whether to plunge on two or three cars at the same time. But it seems you're no-one around here until you've owned three W124s...
http://www.lichfieldstreetmotorcompany.co.uk/merce...
It's not actually going to happen. But I am viewing the Almandine car tomorrow morning, and visiting the Signal Red two-tone 1990 car with the AMG wheels and later indicators which has gone to rehab and happens to be nearby.
I'll be in a car by the end of the week I reckon. Typical PH, you come on to get some R107 advice and before you know it you're considering whether to plunge on two or three cars at the same time. But it seems you're no-one around here until you've owned three W124s...
http://www.lichfieldstreetmotorcompany.co.uk/merce...
ras62 said:
I keep learning about these cars. I thought the facelift cars all came with the later lcd climate control system (my 97 does) yet both the red and silver cars on those links have the early system fitted.
The roof button swapping sides is another one. I thought, following the lead of authoritative threadists, that it was on the right of the gear selector until MY1993, maybe when the model designation for 500s moves from 066 to 067. But the 1992 Edward Hall 500SL in black has the roof button on the left.Reality checkpoint.
This is 2016. The youngest of these cars left Bremen in 2001. The eldest in 1989. It doesn't matter one jot what day of what week of what month of what year any particular car left the line. Today, 15, 20, 25 years later, what counts is how any given car has been looked after since then and, in particular, how it has been looked after over the last five years. A DaimlerChrysler m113-engined 2000 SL500 that has been really treasured is always going to be better than a 1996 m119 SL500 that has languished unloved in the rain.
And, you know, the m113 is a pretty amazing engine. It is much lighter than the m119 and much more fuel efficient. Peak power may be down (by 4%) but it generates significantly more power and more torque across the rev range than the m119. It doesn't need a timing chain at 150k. It doesn't eat rails. It doesn't foul up its camshaft oiler tubes. Likewise the 722.6 transmission: apart from the leaking diagnostic plug connector pilot bushing (all of which should have been fixed by now), it is unburstable. This is the transmission that handles 1000NM in the 65 AMG cars; this is the box they use in the SLR; it's not going to break in a 129. Then you have the brakes. The latest cars have brakes which were phenomenal in period and which are still pretty impressive.
But back to basics: buy on condition alone, not on whether it was built by Helmut on his birthday in 1993 or whatever.
Edit: it is not straight forward to fit facelift bumpers to a pre-facelift car so I suppose the same is true the other way round!
This is 2016. The youngest of these cars left Bremen in 2001. The eldest in 1989. It doesn't matter one jot what day of what week of what month of what year any particular car left the line. Today, 15, 20, 25 years later, what counts is how any given car has been looked after since then and, in particular, how it has been looked after over the last five years. A DaimlerChrysler m113-engined 2000 SL500 that has been really treasured is always going to be better than a 1996 m119 SL500 that has languished unloved in the rain.
And, you know, the m113 is a pretty amazing engine. It is much lighter than the m119 and much more fuel efficient. Peak power may be down (by 4%) but it generates significantly more power and more torque across the rev range than the m119. It doesn't need a timing chain at 150k. It doesn't eat rails. It doesn't foul up its camshaft oiler tubes. Likewise the 722.6 transmission: apart from the leaking diagnostic plug connector pilot bushing (all of which should have been fixed by now), it is unburstable. This is the transmission that handles 1000NM in the 65 AMG cars; this is the box they use in the SLR; it's not going to break in a 129. Then you have the brakes. The latest cars have brakes which were phenomenal in period and which are still pretty impressive.
But back to basics: buy on condition alone, not on whether it was built by Helmut on his birthday in 1993 or whatever.
Edit: it is not straight forward to fit facelift bumpers to a pre-facelift car so I suppose the same is true the other way round!
Edited by r129sl on Monday 24th October 19:49
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