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

[chris333]

Sounds like a bit of a dog to be honest. I think you made the right decision. Once you've seen a few, you will know when you find a good one. Its worth being patient. Just had a great drive back from Glastonbury in mine.

[Rollcage]

I think you either need to lower your expectations or raise your budget. You seem to want an 8k car, yet be willing to pay only 4k. It's not likely to happen IMO.

Car sounds OK on the face of it, bearing in mind the money being asked for it.

[truck71]

There are loads out there so you can be picky, however at that price it ain't going to be perfect.

[Mercky]

It's on eBay now for £5295.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-SL-500-CON...

This one looks a better bet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-MERCEDES-500SL-32-A...

Edited by Mercky on Monday 2nd December 19:08

Edited by Mercky on Tuesday 3rd December 19:38

[16simon]

Mercky said:

This one looks a better bet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-MERCEDES-500SL-32-A...

I am a bit tempted by this one.... although as a 1993 it could have the wiring loom problems. I might try an offer of £2500 on it which would leave some budget for tidying it up.

Anyone notice anything else about it that might be an issue? There does seem to be a large chunk missing from the driver's side bolster, and the partial service history needs further investigation.

[DocArbathnot]

16simon said:

Mercky said:

This one looks a better bet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-MERCEDES-500SL-32-A...

I am a bit tempted by this one.... although as a 1993 it could have the wiring loom problems. I might try an offer of £2500 on it which would leave some budget for tidying it up.

Anyone notice anything else about it that might be an issue? There does seem to be a large chunk missing from the driver's side bolster, and the partial service history needs further investigation.

It's one of the cheapest SLs in the country, assuming the dealer isn't an idiot and knows how to value a car don't expext too much.

[0a]

DocArbathnot said:

16simon said:

Mercky said:

This one looks a better bet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-MERCEDES-500SL-32-A...

I am a bit tempted by this one.... although as a 1993 it could have the wiring loom problems. I might try an offer of £2500 on it which would leave some budget for tidying it up.

Anyone notice anything else about it that might be an issue? There does seem to be a large chunk missing from the driver's side bolster, and the partial service history needs further investigation.

It's one of the cheapest SLs in the country, assuming the dealer isn't an idiot and knows how to value a car don't expext too much.

That does seem to be very cheap, but then it's an old v8 soft top which is a bit tatty being sold weeks before Christmas - surely the worst time of year to sell such a car. If I were nearby I'd take a look at it

[BlueMR2]

0a said:

DocArbathnot said:

16simon said:

Mercky said:

This one looks a better bet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-MERCEDES-500SL-32-A...

I am a bit tempted by this one.... although as a 1993 it could have the wiring loom problems. I might try an offer of £2500 on it which would leave some budget for tidying it up.

Anyone notice anything else about it that might be an issue? There does seem to be a large chunk missing from the driver's side bolster, and the partial service history needs further investigation.

It's one of the cheapest SLs in the country, assuming the dealer isn't an idiot and knows how to value a car don't expext too much.

That does seem to be very cheap, but then it's an old v8 soft top which is a bit tatty being sold weeks before Christmas - surely the worst time of year to sell such a car. If I were nearby I'd take a look at it

He didn't buy an SL because it needed a clean, a bit of stitching to a seat
a small dent removing an had one key.

I'm not sure buying a car that may need a £500+ wiring loom and if so probably the much more expensive to have replaced throttle body.

If seat stitching was concerning, then a frayed hood with a split window and the other requiring stitching with a small hole in the drivers seat is probably not the one for him.

[Rollcage]

That SL looks about as good as you could expect from a dealer selling one for that sort of money - IE a bit ropey. Bumpers need painting, seat needs a repair and the hood probably needs replacing.

[solid61]

Looks one hell of a lot of machine for the money to me,nice miles,nice colour and all for the price of a rusty triumph stag restoration project,the prices of these 129s are silly cheap at the moment,makes me wonder what these people want for 3k?.

[Mercky]

Mercky said:

It's on eBay now for £5295.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-SL-500-CON...

This one looks a better bet http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-MERCEDES-500SL-32-A...

Edited by Mercky on Monday 2nd December 19:08

Edited by Mercky on Tuesday 3rd December 19:38

Same car at same dealers now £3995.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-SL-500-CON...

[chuenmanc]

Well I sold my R230 SL600 on Friday, but a 1998 R129 SL500 came up for sale locally over the weekend. Loads of rust and lacking in service history, but interior was in very good condition, had a new soft top from a main dealer last year, panoramic hard top with stand, and the V8. Weighed up the good against the bad, and took the gamble. Picking it up tonight.

[truck71]

Good man, look forward to your thoughts between the two.

[chuenmanc]

Well only driven 100 miles or so, but so far:

Acceleration from a standing start or low speed is plenty good enough
Acceleration when overtaking from say 50 or 60mph is nowhere near as good as the V12
Interior, whilst older than my R230, is a very nice place to be
Quite a lot squeakier than my old one when going over bad surfaces - probably to be expected for a 16 year old car
Panoramic roof is lovely, but heavy and unwieldy - wife won't be able to lift it with me
Noticing the lack of lumbar in the seat - not ideal for my bad back

It's in Mercedes Gatwick at the moment, getting an uber-service and full inspection.

[nav p]

Cheunmanc....how did your car get on at Mercedes?

[chuenmanc]

Just picked it up yesterday. It went very well. Full B service + spark plugs, air filter and fuel filter. Replaced wing mirror glass, steering damper, washer pump and a vacuum hose. Also fixed a problem with car pulling to the left (brakes). I didn't get the full inspection details (coming in the post) but the mechanic said, apart from the rust, which was all cosmetic, it was a good, sound car. Sigh of relief! A couple of jobs for me to do - replace aerial mast and one wiper motor. Then I'll have a think about refurbishing the wheels and replacing tyres. Finally the bodywork. Main issue now is that my wife can't help lift the hard top - it's just too heavy, and we have no garage for fitting a hoist.

Edited by chuenmanc on Saturday 21st June 09:05

[jke11y]

chuenmanc said:

Just picked it up yesterday. It went very well. Full B service + spark plugs, air filter and fuel filter. Replaced wing mirror glass, steering damper, washer pump and a vacuum hose. Also fixed a problem with car pulling to the left (brakes). I didn't get the full inspection details (coming in the post) but the mechanic said, apart from the rust, which was all cosmetic, it was a good, sound car. Sigh of relief! A couple of jobs for me to do - replace aerial mast and one wiper motor. Then I'll have a think about refurbishing the wheels and replacing tyres. Finally the bodywork. Main issue now is that my wife can't help lift the hard top - it's just too heavy, and we have no garage for fitting a hoist.

Edited by chuenmanc on Saturday 21st June 09:05

I have the same problem with the roof. My (pregnant) wife managed to help last week as I reversed alongside a highish kerb - the hard part isn't so much the weight, its the height which you have to hold it from. Once it was off the car I could just move it about OK on my own vertically.

I changed the aerial mast a couple of months ago, really easy job that only requires a spanner - got mine from http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-Mercedes-SL280-S...

[HumbleJim]

chuenmanc said:

Quite a lot squeakier than my old one when going over bad surfaces - probably to be expected for a 16 year old car
.

For the squeaks try some of this stuff from your local VW dealer (part number G-052-172-M2) It's a krytox based rubber spray lube VW use it for the EOS. Spray it round joints in the plastics (passenger air bag etc). It kind of works it's way in a couple of days and no more squeaks. It's expensive but works. Merc do some Gummi Pflege which I use for the hood and door seals.

Now if only I could track down the last couple of rattles from the hood frame..................

[truck71]

chuenmanc said:

Just picked it up yesterday. It went very well. Full B service + spark plugs, air filter and fuel filter. Replaced wing mirror glass, steering damper, washer pump and a vacuum hose. Also fixed a problem with car pulling to the left (brakes). I didn't get the full inspection details (coming in the post) but the mechanic said, apart from the rust, which was all cosmetic, it was a good, sound car. Sigh of relief! A couple of jobs for me to do - replace aerial mast and one wiper motor. Then I'll have a think about refurbishing the wheels and replacing tyres. Finally the bodywork. Main issue now is that my wife can't help lift the hard top - it's just too heavy, and we have no garage for fitting a hoist.

Edited by chuenmanc on Saturday 21st June 09:05

Doesn't sound so bad, always feels satisfying to get a car back following a bit of a freshen up. How did you get on with Merc Gatwick?

[chuenmanc]

Thanks all. I'll look into that spray. I bought exactly that same aerial - will be attempting to fit tonight. I had two sticks of Gummi Pflege that I bought for the previous SL, but gave both to the buyer, not realising I would immediately buy another SL. Doh.

MB Gatwick were very good, dealt with Laura mostly. Their mechanic, James I think, showed me around the car while it was on the ramp. Their new workshop is enormous, 10 or 12 ramps, and most were in use while I was there. Their hourly rate is £144, but £90 for sufficiently old cars (which mine was). They said it was always worth asking for that rate, in case they forget. Also 15% discount on parts.

I've just come back from Kwik Fit, who regassed the aircon. Blowing nice and cold now. Previously the central two vents didn't work, which Googled as a broken hose in the engine bay, and indeed was the case. So the car is picking up bit by bit!

I'm loving the pano roof, but in this weather, it'd be nice to make use of the soft-top, especially as it's barely been used since being fitted (and is therefore probably the best bit of the car!). I have a plan now to get a friend at work to help it onto the stand, and we can then wheel it into the office. We did try to get it into the boot of my Subaru Legacy yesterday - but it was of course far too big!

Edited by chuenmanc on Saturday 21st June 18:39