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

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Lowtimer said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Skyedriver said:

Been thinking about this one but would need to know what was actually wrong with it and I'm too far away to view.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-500-SL-/1224402...

A fellow PHer has offered his comments on it.

That looks pretty good. Re-gingerfication obviously needed, but great colours. Even the wheels look good on it and it looks to have had some sensible work done.

I reckon that's well worth a punt at 4-5k, taking a chance that the running issue is pretty readily fixable.

Honest advice: this is not the end of the market to be buying an SL from unless you are a highly skilled individual with excellent workshop facilities and able to do a lot fo work yourself. Cheap ones with problems are much more expensive than good ones without.

Horses for courses. Unless you're planning to disobey Speckled Jim's law of shedding barges, you'll be fine as long as you don't try and turn a Column A car into a Column B car.

You can perfectly feasibly run an SL on a budget, and especially so if it's at a decent start quality.

For what it's worth Skyedriver, I'd go for it but I acknowledge that's easily said when spending someone else's money. In fairness, I have done the same with my own money and it went rather well.

[Lowtimer]

This one's engine doesn't work, and no-one knows why, and it has no MOT, and some sort of low-level problem with the hood / hardtop retention system. By deduction the vendor has either tried and failed to repair it or doesn't consider it worth fixing. I can't see how it fits into the category of "you'll be fine".

Edited by Lowtimer on Wednesday 12th April 21:20

[Zonergem]

dickyf said:

its says POA. any ideas?

jke11y said:

I would have to put a Pano roof on it, but this is all sorts of win

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C857574

I saw this car in the metal last autumn at SS Motors in Chertsey. I believe it belongs to the MD of Silver Arrows. It won't be cheap but 35k would be my price.

The top price paid for a genuine UK-market SL60 was in the region of 55k for a red pre-facelift example with 13k miles, last summer.

A facelift car, silver on a P plate, 90k miles, was hawked around variously last autumn at 32k and then 39k, before going through auction a couple of weeks back for 24k.

I missed out on buying one in September 2012, leaving a commission bid of 15800, and I haven't stopped regretting it since.

@f1ten actually owns one so I hope he'll have more of an idea.

____________________________

This is quite a fair price for a straight-looking facelift SL500, if you can test drive it and get some kind of warranty/consumer protection from the dealer.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C858109

[Skyedriver]

Lowtimer said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Skyedriver said:

Been thinking about this one but would need to know what was actually wrong with it and I'm too far away to view.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-500-SL-/1224402...

A fellow PHer has offered his comments on it.

That looks pretty good. Re-gingerfication obviously needed, but great colours. Even the wheels look good on it and it looks to have had some sensible work done.

I reckon that's well worth a punt at 4-5k, taking a chance that the running issue is pretty readily fixable.

Honest advice: this is not the end of the market to be buying an SL from unless you are a highly skilled individual with excellent workshop facilities and able to do a lot fo work yourself. Cheap ones with problems are much more expensive than good ones without.

You are not the first to say that, is he fellow PHer

[Skyedriver]

Too far away to view and test
Not my preferred colour(s)
There could be loads of things not noticible in photos (orange peel or mismatched paint) plates welded underneath or jumpers around the diff seals.
There was just something that caught my eye, not sure if it was the clean interior, the apparently lower mileage, the MoT reports over the last few years, (nothing major).
Usually with low milage cars there's loads go wrong when you start to use them.

"Do you feel lucky punk"

[f1ten]

Sl60. I agree and given how hard hey are to get hold of - its a sellers market ! Unlike the 500 where you can simply keep shopping around.
You will have to pay what he wants or have to wait for 12 months and take one that comes up in what ever colour and mileage as and when... I've seen that one at a show and I like it!

Zonergem said:

I saw this car in the metal last autumn at SS Motors in Chertsey. I believe it belongs to the MD of Silver Arrows. It won't be cheap but 35k would be my price.

The top price paid for a genuine UK-market SL60 was in the region of 55k for a red pre-facelift example with 13k miles, last summer.

A facelift car, silver on a P plate, 90k miles, was hawked around variously last autumn at 32k and then 39k, before going through auction a couple of weeks back for 24k.

I missed out on buying one in September 2012, leaving a commission bid of 15800, and I haven't stopped regretting it since.

@f1ten actually owns one so I hope he'll have more of an idea.

____________________________

This is quite a fair price for a straight-looking facelift SL500, if you can test drive it and get some kind of warranty/consumer protection from the dealer.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C858109

[PositronicRay]

Skyedriver said:

Usually with low milage cars there's loads go wrong when you start to use them.

"Do you feel lucky punk"

4 yrs ago I bought a car that'd done 20k over the previous 10yrs. Since then I've been playing "catch up". I'm doing around 7k p.a.

New wheels & Tyres
New shocks
New LCA
New ARB bushes
New shock mounts
New flex discs
New discs and pads
New soft-top windows (twice)
Rust coming through (cut out and repaired)
New wiring loom(s)
New duo valve
New purge valve
New coolant pump
New idler pulley and tensioner
New aux belt
New lambda probe
New bonnet insulation
Time spent curing leaks, rattles, squeaks
Rewire ABS FNS
Full alignment (twice)
Dismantle and repair A/C fan
New fan clutch
New wiper blades
New trans filter and fluid
New brake fluid
New coolant (twice)
New diff oil
New engine oil/filter (x4)
New plugs
New air filter
New pollen filter
Check fuel filter
New wiper blade/bulbs/fuses
New coolant hoses
New indicator stalk
New headlamp connector
Fix seat backs
Fix headlamp wipers
New floor grommets

And a myriad of other maintenance/fettling/niggles, I've given up adding up the cost, good job I enjoy working on it!

Sometimes I wish I could be one of those "bought a £4k SL did an oil and filter change, ran it as a daily then sold it 18 months later @ a profit" kind of guys.

Still It's much improved and now a joy to drive, every job has a noticeable benefit (even the indicator stalk feels nicer) very satisfying and I know the car inside out.

[f1ten]

Moral of he story they all need me net spending on them but they are still better made that the r230

[Zonergem]

Dagnabbit, a hardtop shuttle popped up on eBay but I foolishly chose to bid (500, was going to 615) rather than Buy-It-Now at 850 (!) and it has subsequently sold before the auction could run.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292083619917?_trksid=p20...

Which begs the question - what would it cost to produce a few hundred copies and would they sell? It's basically an engine crane, a winch and a cradle rolled into one. Not rocket science.

[rubystone]

Zonergem said:

Dagnabbit, a hardtop shuttle popped up on eBay but I foolishly chose to bid (500, was going to 615) rather than Buy-It-Now at 850 (!) and it has subsequently sold before the auction could run.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292083619917?_trksid=p20...

Which begs the question - what would it cost to produce a few hundred copies and would they sell? It's basically an engine crane, a winch and a cradle rolled into one. Not rocket science.

I have one in a shed in Hampshire complete with the winch. Yours for £650 collected

[Zonergem]

PM sent

[dickyf]

£50k AP....

Zonergem said:

I saw this car in the metal last autumn at SS Motors in Chertsey. I believe it belongs to the MD of Silver Arrows. It won't be cheap but 35k would be my price.

The top price paid for a genuine UK-market SL60 was in the region of 55k for a red pre-facelift example with 13k miles, last summer.

A facelift car, silver on a P plate, 90k miles, was hawked around variously last autumn at 32k and then 39k, before going through auction a couple of weeks back for 24k.

I missed out on buying one in September 2012, leaving a commission bid of 15800, and I haven't stopped regretting it since.

@f1ten actually owns one so I hope he'll have more of an idea.

____________________________

This is quite a fair price for a straight-looking facelift SL500, if you can test drive it and get some kind of warranty/consumer protection from the dealer.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C858109

[rubystone]

Zonergem said:

PM sent

Received thanks. Just waiting for some photos to send those of you who PMd me

[Willwors]

Skyedriver said:

Been thinking about this one but would need to know what was actually wrong with it and I'm too far away to view.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-500-SL-/1224402...

A fellow PHer has offered his comments on it.

It sounds a lot like moisture in the distributor caps. They all suffer from it if the caps are old - seals fail, moisture gets in, cr*p running as a result. Fairly easy fix, though.

Not a huge fan of that car - it's lost a lot of it's originality. A more expensive car with a comprehensive history of being maintained properly throughout its life will save the prospective owner thousands of pounds, in all likelihood.

Good 280s and 300s tend to be a few £k cheaper, however, and are still wonderful things.

[vpr]

Willwors said:

Skyedriver said:

Been thinking about this one but would need to know what was actually wrong with it and I'm too far away to view.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-500-SL-/1224402...

A fellow PHer has offered his comments on it.

It sounds a lot like moisture in the distributor caps. They all suffer from it if the caps are old - seals fail, moisture gets in, cr*p running as a result. Fairly easy fix, though.

Not a huge fan of that car - it's lost a lot of it's originality. A more expensive car with a comprehensive history of being maintained properly throughout its life will save the prospective owner thousands of pounds, in all likelihood.

Good 280s and 300s tend to be a few £k cheaper, however, and are still wonderful things.

He's changed the dizzy caps so obviously more of an issue there

[chris333]

This very smart looking SL500 has popped up on eBay as an auction. Will be interesting to see what it goes for.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172633394564?ul_noapp=tr...

[Hereward]

A sensibly priced early 600:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C860145

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Hereward said:

A sensibly priced early 600:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C860145

That looks pretty good to me.

[Lowtimer]

Both look decent, though I am equally sure both are capable of absorbing £5K of general improvements without swllowing hard, just because all old 129s are unless they've had such within the last few years.

Of the two I would be arguing rationally for the 500 (especially as you can probably move on the wheels at a significant profit and make the car better by putting it on standard 16" wheels). But emotionally I would have to go for the 600, as I am unlikely to justify having two 500s, plus I just love the colours.

[dickyf]

I like the 500 but the electronic dampers would be my only reservation and the lack of pano roof.
Looks tidy non the less.