R129 Mercedes-Benz SL - Why the gap in values?
Discussion
SSL said:
r129sl said:
.... And it doesn't have nearly every option, either. Why do people keep putting that in their adverts?
Maybe its because unless you are an MB geek and know how extensive the options list is you look at the list of standard and optional items on your car and think "wow, its got everything". Just on the sale price I think that a buyer's attitude will be dependent on the use he/she has in mind for the car. By and large I suspect that everyone here owns their car to drive it. My view is that this car will be bought by someone who sees it as a longer term investment which might get occasional use. I appreciate that this is an anathema to most here and unless the car gets sympathetic regular exercise not in its long term best interests.
If my intention was to buy one of these cars to put tens of thousands of miles on it I would be looking to buy something at a third of the price. If it was an investment choice, assuming everything else stacks up, I think a low £20k is not unreasonable.
Either way unless a Piston-Header buys it we shall never know.
Vendors are lazy, and so very few people advertise a car well.
Those of us lucky enough to have a car like this should surely know a little about it. Owners of the average Euro-box might not be expected to know the options list , but anything like the SL should be marketed with a little more knowledge. Always communicate to your target audience.
For those of you unaware of the facility, the next time you pop into your Mercedes dealer have your VIN ready and they will print out a full spec list for your car when it was new. It's always been free for me, and allows you to answer questions us beardy types may have.
Mine's on that site somewhere, (the Mineral Green one pictured in this thread) I'd forgotten actually, and was reminded when someone started emailing me a month or so ago, and as usual didn't make arrangements to see it, but after asking a few questions confirmed his interest like he was doing me a favour, and said he'd only be looking at 12-13k as it was what seemed to be the going rate.
There is no going rate for an original car with 28,000 miles, so I never replied. These cars can be talked down as much as people wish, but many sell for decent prices. I suppose some buyers are happy to keep missing out. I certainly wouldn't be paying 30k for a pre facelift car. Dealers list all the standard spec to make the car appear loaded to the uneducated. I see plenty for sale without memory seats or Xenon etc.
Nice to see some people are proud of their 129's, these good ones belong to owners that regard them as long termers. I've had mine ten years, and the next ten will probably pass soon enough with time wasters galore and lazy dreamers haha.
Must take ages vacuuming to create neat little lines.
There is no going rate for an original car with 28,000 miles, so I never replied. These cars can be talked down as much as people wish, but many sell for decent prices. I suppose some buyers are happy to keep missing out. I certainly wouldn't be paying 30k for a pre facelift car. Dealers list all the standard spec to make the car appear loaded to the uneducated. I see plenty for sale without memory seats or Xenon etc.
Nice to see some people are proud of their 129's, these good ones belong to owners that regard them as long termers. I've had mine ten years, and the next ten will probably pass soon enough with time wasters galore and lazy dreamers haha.
Must take ages vacuuming to create neat little lines.
CarsOrBikes said:
Must take ages vacuuming to create neat little lines.
Use a damp cloth after vacuuming: very easy.I wasn't talking them down. At the moment I feel the market generally is completely over-hyped and full of chancers peddling any old tat as if it were solid gold. Buyer beware and all that.
SL 73. Ad says £174,000 - I wonder what it actually sold for:
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C746585
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C746585
Silverstone Auction just sold a 55 thousand km SL70 for £51k. https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/mercedes-benz-...
layercake said:
i want a r129, if anyone on here is selling theirs let me know 
I am. Well I'm prepared to put it that way. If someone can afford it, and doesn't present like a trader, it could be quite straightforward.I've ordered four CSC3 tyres and will be having Pristine Wheels refurbish the wheels. It has 28,000 miles. (Tyres are original and splitting in tread).
I've been putting it off, the car is never used. I'm the second owner. I'm in the motor trade, but it's my own car and has been 12 years or so.
I used to work for MB and have various things printed off. This car never had a single warranty claim, I thought that was nice.
If you think buyers set values not sellers, which generally means the buyer is a chancer or you're in an auction, please ignore the opportunity.
Otherwise, try to foresee the offer I'm likely to agree to and you could own one of the nicest cars in the U.K.
I have the folding stand, a custom stand, and a boxed brand new (N.L.A.) manual winch. The vehicle is 100% original, and the green mohair hood has seen the light of day for no more than 8 months of the car's life. Much of the mileage has been from 800 mile round trips.
2 sets of keys, one unused, red alarm key, functioning remote card key. My thoughts are to go to a show or two, maybe sell there now it's 20 years old.
Yes, I do now and again,
Tyres arrived yesterday, just got to move a few vehicles around so I can send the wheels away.
Lack of use doesn't detract from its unique quality. I might remove the suspension arms for powder coating and could renew the rear springs rather than clean them up. I have some rear discs if I want to fit some, the underneath gets covered in WD40 and sticky grease so I may give it a wipe. The exhaust look spoils it but I'm not renewing a perfectly sound exhaust because of surface rust, and under the bonnet gets furniture polished from time to time.
Inside aside from extremely light signs of use, presents pretty much as new. It's got a couple of tiny cigar ash burn spots but really, so barely noticeable.
I think in the great scheme of things, having seen all sorts and worked on plenty of cars or bikes, as far as condition goes, this is indeed, stunning.
The danger with me, and risks for potentially interested parties, is the things I mention above, are so simple and cheap to do, it would be tempting to just go and do other bits in pursuit of the show and shine quality, some may go to concourse, but the price will get really silly certainly if I do it. Right now it needs nothing, well the left mirror stopped folding, I guess stuck. Driving it? So quiet, get settled in, and keep going haha. Amazing thing imo.
There you are, no doubt I'll post it up again haha.
Tyres arrived yesterday, just got to move a few vehicles around so I can send the wheels away.
Lack of use doesn't detract from its unique quality. I might remove the suspension arms for powder coating and could renew the rear springs rather than clean them up. I have some rear discs if I want to fit some, the underneath gets covered in WD40 and sticky grease so I may give it a wipe. The exhaust look spoils it but I'm not renewing a perfectly sound exhaust because of surface rust, and under the bonnet gets furniture polished from time to time.
Inside aside from extremely light signs of use, presents pretty much as new. It's got a couple of tiny cigar ash burn spots but really, so barely noticeable.
I think in the great scheme of things, having seen all sorts and worked on plenty of cars or bikes, as far as condition goes, this is indeed, stunning.
The danger with me, and risks for potentially interested parties, is the things I mention above, are so simple and cheap to do, it would be tempting to just go and do other bits in pursuit of the show and shine quality, some may go to concourse, but the price will get really silly certainly if I do it. Right now it needs nothing, well the left mirror stopped folding, I guess stuck. Driving it? So quiet, get settled in, and keep going haha. Amazing thing imo.
There you are, no doubt I'll post it up again haha.
SSL said:
sinbaddio said:
The prices of R129's are crazy. I first bought a 95 SL320 for £1.8k, with a view to restoring it. Bit off a lot more than I could chew so sold it on to someone who knew what he was doing. Then a month later I got a two owner, 95k miles '93 500SL with fsh for £3.5k, which now seems like a bit of a bargain. I think the general consensus on here is correct, R107 values are going sky high, therefore pushing demand for the R129. It's irrelevant for me as it's going nowhere, still it's nice to have a car appreciate for once!
Just love Bornite colour scheme. Very nice.
SSL said:
sinbaddio said:
The prices of R129's are crazy. I first bought a 95 SL320 for £1.8k, with a view to restoring it. Bit off a lot more than I could chew so sold it on to someone who knew what he was doing. Then a month later I got a two owner, 95k miles '93 500SL with fsh for £3.5k, which now seems like a bit of a bargain. I think the general consensus on here is correct, R107 values are going sky high, therefore pushing demand for the R129. It's irrelevant for me as it's going nowhere, still it's nice to have a car appreciate for once!
Just love Bornite colour scheme. Very nice.Gassing Station | Mercedes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff