R170 SLK / R129 SL owner in West Yorkshire.
Discussion
Right chaps, I'm a long time lurker here but thought I'd finally sign up and get involved. I've owned a mk1 Mx5 for just over a year and have been finding it increasingly difficult to get in and out, and cramped inside. This hadn't bothered me too much as I had planned different seats, smaller steering wheel etc... but last week, I found out my spine has quite a decent curve in it and will only start to get worse 
Now I'm only 26 so don't want to give up and get a big high up off roader.
Anyway my long winded question is, I'm a huge fan of Mercedes. I've a W123 that I adore and will hopefully never get rid of, so my idea is a slightly softer 2 seater convertible.... either a R170 320 SLK or a R129 300? I've test driven a few SLK's and love the noise, comfort and drive but both dealers knew nothing about the car?
I've read as much as I can find on here and American owners clubs about both cars but what I'm after is someone reasonably local who has either car who can show me what I should be looking out for. Any problems they've had and general advice
I'm in Huddersfield so anywhere West Yorkshire would be good.
Thanks in advance
Daryl
Now I'm only 26 so don't want to give up and get a big high up off roader. Anyway my long winded question is, I'm a huge fan of Mercedes. I've a W123 that I adore and will hopefully never get rid of, so my idea is a slightly softer 2 seater convertible.... either a R170 320 SLK or a R129 300? I've test driven a few SLK's and love the noise, comfort and drive but both dealers knew nothing about the car?
I've read as much as I can find on here and American owners clubs about both cars but what I'm after is someone reasonably local who has either car who can show me what I should be looking out for. Any problems they've had and general advice
I'm in Huddersfield so anywhere West Yorkshire would be good.
Thanks in advance
Daryl
Woody that would be brilliant! I blew £7 out of the budget yesterday as I got desperate and bought a 1.18 scale SLK from eBay to give me something to look at 
...plus this one won't give me any problems
As you read in your thread I'm not having much luck with viewing possible cars -
The 320 SLK I looked at, low mileage, all the options and nice dark grey colour, got half way round it's test drive and the gearbox went into limp home, I pulled over, turned it off and tried again.... All seemed fine but 30 seconds later it kept happening! Bloody lovely noise though before it decided to break down!! Very creamy!!
The R129 I tried, the 280. I spoke to the owner over the phone, travelled to see the car, looked it over for a good 15 minutes all seemed well until I started the engine.... A massive blow in the exhaust and a huge fuel leak underneath the car! It was also admitted at that stage that the soft top underneath the hardtop had holes in it.... Great!
The problem I'm having with the R129 is that as I'm 26 (but look younger) when I go to dealerships to view the cars, they don't take me seriously and seem to think I'm winding them up, even though I've just pulled up in a W123 Mercedes?!
I just need someone local to me who knows about R129's, has owned one, does own one
...plus this one won't give me any problems As you read in your thread I'm not having much luck with viewing possible cars -
The 320 SLK I looked at, low mileage, all the options and nice dark grey colour, got half way round it's test drive and the gearbox went into limp home, I pulled over, turned it off and tried again.... All seemed fine but 30 seconds later it kept happening! Bloody lovely noise though before it decided to break down!! Very creamy!!
The R129 I tried, the 280. I spoke to the owner over the phone, travelled to see the car, looked it over for a good 15 minutes all seemed well until I started the engine.... A massive blow in the exhaust and a huge fuel leak underneath the car! It was also admitted at that stage that the soft top underneath the hardtop had holes in it.... Great!
The problem I'm having with the R129 is that as I'm 26 (but look younger) when I go to dealerships to view the cars, they don't take me seriously and seem to think I'm winding them up, even though I've just pulled up in a W123 Mercedes?!
I just need someone local to me who knows about R129's, has owned one, does own one
Paz565 said:
The problem I'm having with the R129 is that as I'm 26 (but look younger) when I go to dealerships to view the cars, they don't take me seriously and seem to think I'm winding them up, even though I've just pulled up in a W123 Mercedes?!
In the nicest possible way a W123 wouldn't make a Mercedes Salesman think a blank cheque has just walked in the door.May I suggest you call a dealer in advance, get the salesman talking so he can qualify you and then make an appointment. He or she may think "He's young" but should also think "but he's a punter who I've qualified so has the money".
No sorry, it's not Mercedes dealers that I'm looking at the R129s. They are too old for that, they are now all at 'honest John's, honest wheels' etc.... I didnt mean the W123 to mean look at me and all my cash but more, I'm into older Mercs not Civic type R, 172, 330 etc...
The R129 is in a mid ground of used cars, it's too old and expensive for the average slick rick used car salesmen to know anything about and too young to be at a specialist dealership, with clued up staff.
Thanks for your advice though, I do tend to ring them in advance to warn them, also because I'm finding they tend to keep the SL's at the back of the lot, blocked in by other cars
The R129 is in a mid ground of used cars, it's too old and expensive for the average slick rick used car salesmen to know anything about and too young to be at a specialist dealership, with clued up staff.
Thanks for your advice though, I do tend to ring them in advance to warn them, also because I'm finding they tend to keep the SL's at the back of the lot, blocked in by other cars
k all. We've 2 members on here with DB9's - neither of them are 25 yet and have managed to get deals.R129 issues discussed on the link below, see posts by r129sl...you can't want for more.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Ras that's brilliant thank you, I've just thread that whole thread with a massive smile on my face, hearing what owners who love them say and the actual problems rather than Internet hear say they experienced has assured me, the R129 isn't a completely unrealistic daily driver and for that ... I'm sold!!
I was 26 when I bought mine.
In an ideal world you'd find a private sale, but they just don't seem to exist anymore.
The attitude you describe at the dealers you have visited is down to them, not you: I'm afraid it's still the case that too many independent car dealers are fat, lazy bums who scratch a pathetic living shifting a bit of metal before the pub or the bookie opens. (I know, I know, there are plenty of great used car dealers who post here.)
In an ideal world you'd find a private sale, but they just don't seem to exist anymore.
The attitude you describe at the dealers you have visited is down to them, not you: I'm afraid it's still the case that too many independent car dealers are fat, lazy bums who scratch a pathetic living shifting a bit of metal before the pub or the bookie opens. (I know, I know, there are plenty of great used car dealers who post here.)
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