R129 Purchase advice/questions/blerb
Discussion
Hi there,
After lurking for about 10 years I decided I should finally register on here.
I am 32 and for the past 14 years my sole cars have been MK1 Mx-5's. I drive very few miles a year (<3000) as I walk to work and I've probably not driven at all for around 5 of them with the car just languishing in the garage whilst I've been over seas or working in London. Cars are rather a hobby as I enjoy taking them apart and recently completed a rebuild and swap of the Mx-5 engine for improved power with better pistons/cams, porting, etc to turn it into a track car.
I think I am now at the age where I need a bit more comfort in my life, I'm doing a few more miles due to holiday cottage being in the south and I've moved upt' North and all my friends are in the South still and I want something wafty to contrast the stripped out, bucket seated mx-5.
I have my eye on a R129 Mercedes SL, ideally a 500 as I want the power and sound track of the V8 but I'd happily take a 300 if it was a nice colour and condition. I have around 6-7k to spend.
I am wondering how reliable they are, from what I read the V8 engines seem rather unburstable, are there any bank breaking repairs that can flag up that I should look for? are the smaller engines any less reliable?
I note from the MOT histories of the cars I'm checking that ball joints and bushes seem to be a common reason for failure so I will check for play when looking at the cars, what other things should I check?
I note the front wings tend to rust, what other areas suffer from rust?
Are parts fairly easy to obtain or do I need to learn German to order certain parts.
I enjoy working on cars and as such would possibly get my hands dirty in this instance, I have a decent sized workshop with most tools and quite fancy upgrading to a 2 post lift at some point. Will this devalue the car or should I stick with a specialist?
Any help is appreciated.
Kind regards,
After lurking for about 10 years I decided I should finally register on here.
I am 32 and for the past 14 years my sole cars have been MK1 Mx-5's. I drive very few miles a year (<3000) as I walk to work and I've probably not driven at all for around 5 of them with the car just languishing in the garage whilst I've been over seas or working in London. Cars are rather a hobby as I enjoy taking them apart and recently completed a rebuild and swap of the Mx-5 engine for improved power with better pistons/cams, porting, etc to turn it into a track car.
I think I am now at the age where I need a bit more comfort in my life, I'm doing a few more miles due to holiday cottage being in the south and I've moved upt' North and all my friends are in the South still and I want something wafty to contrast the stripped out, bucket seated mx-5.
I have my eye on a R129 Mercedes SL, ideally a 500 as I want the power and sound track of the V8 but I'd happily take a 300 if it was a nice colour and condition. I have around 6-7k to spend.
I am wondering how reliable they are, from what I read the V8 engines seem rather unburstable, are there any bank breaking repairs that can flag up that I should look for? are the smaller engines any less reliable?
I note from the MOT histories of the cars I'm checking that ball joints and bushes seem to be a common reason for failure so I will check for play when looking at the cars, what other things should I check?
I note the front wings tend to rust, what other areas suffer from rust?
Are parts fairly easy to obtain or do I need to learn German to order certain parts.
I enjoy working on cars and as such would possibly get my hands dirty in this instance, I have a decent sized workshop with most tools and quite fancy upgrading to a 2 post lift at some point. Will this devalue the car or should I stick with a specialist?
Any help is appreciated.
Kind regards,
Older V8's have a rather basic fuel injection system that seems to get owners foxed.
92-96 (approx) suffered engine harness problems, about £500 to sort.
Heavy cars so hard on suspension bushes and brakes, unless recently done, budget for this.
Many don't do enough miles, so when you press them into regular service all sorts of niggles (mostly electrical) pop up.
Pretty bomb proof, look for all the usual old car stuff & good history, make sure everything works, avoid anything that looks like it's been bodged (particularly electrics)
If you're handy with some spanners and a multimeter it would make the ownership proposition easier. I have a 320 I6, not much cheaper to run than a V8 but easier for the home mechanic, and quick enough for me. I do around 6-7k per annum and use it a GT.
Some right old dogs out there, so take your time to find a nice one that drives well.
Join this forum http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r129-sl-class/ some very knowledgeable people on there.
92-96 (approx) suffered engine harness problems, about £500 to sort.
Heavy cars so hard on suspension bushes and brakes, unless recently done, budget for this.
Many don't do enough miles, so when you press them into regular service all sorts of niggles (mostly electrical) pop up.
Pretty bomb proof, look for all the usual old car stuff & good history, make sure everything works, avoid anything that looks like it's been bodged (particularly electrics)
If you're handy with some spanners and a multimeter it would make the ownership proposition easier. I have a 320 I6, not much cheaper to run than a V8 but easier for the home mechanic, and quick enough for me. I do around 6-7k per annum and use it a GT.
Some right old dogs out there, so take your time to find a nice one that drives well.
Join this forum http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r129-sl-class/ some very knowledgeable people on there.
Edited by PositronicRay on Tuesday 9th August 14:11
PositronicRay said:
In terms of front wing rust it starts where the wheel arch liner/bumper/wing meet. Try and have a good fettle around here looking for poor repair or crusty metal.
I have a tiny bit of this emerging on the right just where you say on my 28,000 miler, shame, but it really is tiny, so soaked it for now. CarsOrBikes said:
PositronicRay said:
In terms of front wing rust it starts where the wheel arch liner/bumper/wing meet. Try and have a good fettle around here looking for poor repair or crusty metal.
I have a tiny bit of this emerging on the right just where you say on my 28,000 miler, shame, but it really is tiny, so soaked it for now. The front wing thing happens to all 129's eventually - later ones probably more so than the early cars. The cost of removing the wing, repairing it properly (it's always worse on the inside of the wing than external indicators of rust suggest) is close to buying a replacement wing from Mercedes.
I've replaced mine this year, and pictures of the old ones (26 years old) below
The new wings were around £450 for the pair.
I've replaced mine this year, and pictures of the old ones (26 years old) below
The new wings were around £450 for the pair.
PositronicRay said:
£450 for the pair is a good price. Where did you get them from?
Hello Ray, I got a trade discount, but 10% off on the table with Mercedes Benz club discount. Mine were from Mercedes in Stockton on Tees, who I can't praise highly enough over the years I've been dealing with them.
mickyveloce said:
PositronicRay said:
£450 for the pair is a good price. Where did you get them from?
Hello Ray, I got a trade discount, but 10% off on the table with Mercedes Benz club discount. Mine were from Mercedes in Stockton on Tees, who I can't praise highly enough over the years I've been dealing with them.
I've had my 99 500 R129 for 4.5 years now and covered about 30k in it. It has never actually 'broken down' so in that respect it is flawless. That said its just having a 'big year' repair, replace and prevent visit to a specialist at about 2 grand. Assuming I get a couple of light service only years it should work out at about £6k for 7 years to have it professionally maintained incl genuine parts and consumables. As mentioned I think we're working our way round most of the suspension system over time but that figure also includes at least one set of proper tyres and brakes all round.
Its a special car, you won't regret it, likewise get a 500. Top down, country lanes, muscle car burble never gets old
Lots of advice on here from people who know more than me, but my specialist tells me these cars are so good they can always be brought back, albeit at a price I guess
Its a special car, you won't regret it, likewise get a 500. Top down, country lanes, muscle car burble never gets old
Lots of advice on here from people who know more than me, but my specialist tells me these cars are so good they can always be brought back, albeit at a price I guess
Edited by prussianblue450 on Thursday 18th August 15:39
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