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

[Zonergem]

PositronicRay said:

What's one of those?

Or was it goalpost. I'll ask him tomorrow and get back to you. Most likely me being cloth eared.

[mickyveloce]

Zonergem said:

The blue SL320 presents nicely. It would be slap-bang in the middle of the degrading wiring loom insulation era though, but that can be dealt with by SiLeck or others for £1000 or so.

The silver 300SL-24 has been for sale since November 2016, generally at a lower price (7995 on eBay). No wiring harness issues here but an M104 engine of that age/mileage is going to need a head-gasket (ISTR my indie saying it's normally the gatepost gasket which only takes him 3 hrs) in the near future, if it's not been done. Posters here such as Mickyveloce who have the 300SL-24 love the engine but it takes revs to get the best out of it, so perhaps not the smoothest daily?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201728995896

In either case a thorough inspection (door bottoms etc), as many roof cycles as you can manage and a long test drive are important.

Good luck.

I looked at a few cars before buying my 300-24, but I was specifically after a very early pre-airbag car. I'm a fervent advocate of this engine, as it makes the car into more of a sports car in terms of noise and feel.
It is a traditional multi-valve-all-at-7000rpm kind of a unit, but fantastic with it, and really good on fuel too.
Head gaskets rarely let go, but often seep above the alternator bracket, and do so for years without issue.

Good luck to anyone seeking a 129. The numbers of great cars on the market seem to be less, quite probably because people are hanging onto them longer.

Just realised that I've owned mine for six years!

[PositronicRay]

Zonergem said:

PositronicRay said:

What's one of those?

Or was it goalpost. I'll ask him tomorrow and get back to you. Most likely me being cloth eared.

Goalpost, gatepost? curiouser and curiouser.

[PositronicRay]

mickyveloce said:

Zonergem said:

The blue SL320 presents nicely. It would be slap-bang in the middle of the degrading wiring loom insulation era though, but that can be dealt with by SiLeck or others for £1000 or so.

The silver 300SL-24 has been for sale since November 2016, generally at a lower price (7995 on eBay). No wiring harness issues here but an M104 engine of that age/mileage is going to need a head-gasket (ISTR my indie saying it's normally the gatepost gasket which only takes him 3 hrs) in the near future, if it's not been done. Posters here such as Mickyveloce who have the 300SL-24 love the engine but it takes revs to get the best out of it, so perhaps not the smoothest daily?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201728995896

In either case a thorough inspection (door bottoms etc), as many roof cycles as you can manage and a long test drive are important.

Good luck.

I looked at a few cars before buying my 300-24, but I was specifically after a very early pre-airbag car. I'm a fervent advocate of this engine, as it makes the car into more of a sports car in terms of noise and feel.
It is a traditional multi-valve-all-at-7000rpm kind of a unit, but fantastic with it, and really good on fuel too.
Head gaskets rarely let go, but often seep above the alternator bracket, and do so for years without issue.

Good luck to anyone seeking a 129. The numbers of great cars on the market seem to be less, quite probably because people are hanging onto them longer.

Just realised that I've owned mine for six years!

I tried a 24v 300 before I settled for a 5 speed 320. Not sure if it was just the car I looked at but I found the 4 speed a bit clunky.

[Lowtimer]

PositronicRay said:

I tried a 24v 300 before I settled for a 5 speed 320. Not sure if it was just the car I looked at but I found the 4 speed a bit clunky.

The 4 speeder is not clunky when it's in good order. When I got my early 500 it was a little bit thus, and every once in a while would put in an absolute munter of an upshift into top, but some renewal of the vacuum pipes and a good fluid/filter service restored it to great smoothness.

[mickyveloce]

PositronicRay said:

mickyveloce said:

Zonergem said:

The blue SL320 presents nicely. It would be slap-bang in the middle of the degrading wiring loom insulation era though, but that can be dealt with by SiLeck or others for £1000 or so.

The silver 300SL-24 has been for sale since November 2016, generally at a lower price (7995 on eBay). No wiring harness issues here but an M104 engine of that age/mileage is going to need a head-gasket (ISTR my indie saying it's normally the gatepost gasket which only takes him 3 hrs) in the near future, if it's not been done. Posters here such as Mickyveloce who have the 300SL-24 love the engine but it takes revs to get the best out of it, so perhaps not the smoothest daily?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201728995896

In either case a thorough inspection (door bottoms etc), as many roof cycles as you can manage and a long test drive are important.

Good luck.[/quote

I tried a 24v 300 before I settled for a 5 speed 320. Not sure if it was just the car I looked at but I found the 4 speed a bit clunky.

My 1990 300-24 has the 5-speed auto; I think it's the earliest 5 speed I've ever seen, and it suits the car really well.
My C36 has the four speed 'box, which again, suits the more raucous nature of that car, but feels great.
Both should be smooth, the 5-speed more so.

[PositronicRay]

mickyveloce said:

PositronicRay said:

mickyveloce said:

Zonergem said:

The blue SL320 presents nicely. It would be slap-bang in the middle of the degrading wiring loom insulation era though, but that can be dealt with by SiLeck or others for £1000 or so.

The silver 300SL-24 has been for sale since November 2016, generally at a lower price (7995 on eBay). No wiring harness issues here but an M104 engine of that age/mileage is going to need a head-gasket (ISTR my indie saying it's normally the gatepost gasket which only takes him 3 hrs) in the near future, if it's not been done. Posters here such as Mickyveloce who have the 300SL-24 love the engine but it takes revs to get the best out of it, so perhaps not the smoothest daily?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201728995896

In either case a thorough inspection (door bottoms etc), as many roof cycles as you can manage and a long test drive are important.

Good luck.[/quote

I tried a 24v 300 before I settled for a 5 speed 320. Not sure if it was just the car I looked at but I found the 4 speed a bit clunky.

My 1990 300-24 has the 5-speed auto; I think it's the earliest 5 speed I've ever seen, and it suits the car really well.
My C36 has the four speed 'box, which again, suits the more raucous nature of that car, but feels great.
Both should be smooth, the 5-speed more so.

I'm guessing it was available as an option on the 300 24v

[mickyveloce]

Yes, optional.

[CarsOrBikes]

Gone a long way this thread from 3/4k hasn't it

[mickyveloce]

CarsOrBikes said:

Gone a long way this thread from 3/4k hasn't it

Absolutely. Since 2012, the world of the 129 has changed. Cheap to buy cars are still there, but they look pretty terrible in the main.

My car was £5k in 2011. Not any more.

[TR4man]

mickyveloce said:

CarsOrBikes said:

Gone a long way this thread from 3/4k hasn't it

Absolutely. Since 2012, the world of the 129 has changed. Cheap to buy cars are still there, but they look pretty terrible in the main.

My car was £5k in 2011. Not any more.

Love those zebra stripes on the carpet!

[CarsOrBikes]

I think that's when the last tax disc is dated on mine haha

It lives where that Audi is, and is rather mossy at the moment, taking for MOT next Saturday hopefully

[CarsOrBikes]

In fact it's done 66 miles since then haha, just looked, and it was tested 2012 at 28,004, and in 2016 at 28,070

[TR4man]

CarsOrBikes said:

In fact it's done 66 miles since then haha, just looked, and it was tested 2012 at 28,004, and in 2016 at 28,070

That's a shame.

[mickyveloce]

TR4man said:

Love those zebra stripes on the carpet!

My 13 year old son did those with a vacuum cleaner nozzle and some interior shampoo...

Edited to add, my car has just ticked over 141000 miles. They need to be used!

[Zonergem]

mickyveloce said:

My 13 year old son did those with a vacuum cleaner nozzle and some interior shampoo...

Extra fiver in the pocket money that week?



Took mine out on a dream evening drive tonight - up Carlton Bank for a photo opportunity and then down the B1257 from Stokesley to Helmsley and back home.

https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-mydreamdri...

The roads were blissfully empty and so progress was never less than steady.

[mickyveloce]

Zonergem said:

Extra fiver in the pocket money that week?



Took mine out on a dream evening drive tonight - up Carlton Bank for a photo opportunity and then down the B1257 from Stokesley to Helmsley and back home.

https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-mydreamdri...

The roads were blissfully empty and so progress was never less than steady.

Fabulous. You can see my house from there!

I love to chop gate road. If you're free on 31st July, can you make the Ripon Racecourse event?

[vpr]

My nipper has just picked this up, it's a 500

It had been languishing in a used car lot, but 2 owners and 72k and loads of MB history and some detailed cleaning will make it a really nice car. Importantly all original panels etc

[CharlesdeGaulle]

vpr said:

My nipper has just picked this up, it's a 500

That looks great. Purposeful and mean, yet not over-blown. Was it a cheapie?

[Crook]

mickyveloce said:

Absolutely. Since 2012, the world of the 129 has changed. Cheap to buy cars are still there, but they look pretty terrible in the main.

My car was £5k in 2011. Not any more.

Any idea on how to remove that puddle light cover please? I have a bulb out and I don't want to start trying to prise it off before finding there is a clever technique!

Thanks.