Cheshire Classic Benz

[mhorro]

Hi,

I am new to the forum. I am debating whether to buy a SL 500 from Cheshire Classic Benz. Two questions,

1). Are they reputable?

2). The car is a SL 500 1991 and is priced at 12.5K with 50,000 miles on the clock. is this a decent price?

Many Thanks.

 

[Will]

Hi,

I am new to the forum. I am debating whether to buy a SL 500 from Cheshire Classic Benz. Two questions,

1). Are they reputable?

2). The car is a SL 500 1991 and is priced at 12.5K with 50,000 miles on the clock. is this a decent price?

Many Thanks.

It's a lot for an old one (correct model designation = 500SL ) but I'm guessing it's mint if it's being sold by a marque specialist for top money? I've never dealt with CCB but they seem to deal in some lovely looking cars and I haven't heard any bad press about them , which must count for something

Realistically, it's about twice - possibly three times the price or more of an average example early 500. Make sure it's worth it - perfect bodywork, as-new soft top, all paperwork, full service history, zero faults etc.

Personally, if I wanted an R129 I'd try and buy a much later mint one for the same money. £12.5k should get you one of the very last ones with the final facelift goodies etc. Or an SL60, maybe a 'mille miglia' special edition or possibly even a cheap silver arrow for slightly more cash.

Plenty of R129s to choose from so be picky and don't overpay for one IMHO.

Will

 

[mhorro]

Hi,

I really appreciate your feedback. Can you recommend any other dealers?

Thanks.

 

[stumpy1]

All the specialists like ccb, ironside etc charge top top dollar for their cars. I'd go down the private route for one of these. Plenty of pampered 2 nd or 3 rd cars out there.

 

[kth286]

The problem is that non technical owners will often NOT know what the condition of their car is.

You will be getting an assured proper condition car with these dealers, as they will have inspected the car and driven them, and know the typical faults to look for.

They also have a reputation to keep.

So, it is a very safe route for someone that does not have the experience of these cars and has no facility to get the car in the air.

There is plenty that can go wrong and plenty of expense and time wasting that can occur when things go faulty.

 

[Druk]

Cheshire Classic Benz is run by Pete Lewis. He's a member of the Owners Club: has been for a while before he set up CB, and goes to all the meets. I would be happy to say he has impeccable credentials. Probably the best of all the 'one marque' sellers. Mention me (Derek Rhind) to him if you go see the car.

 

[Roger Jones]

I've just been through this process. Search Autotrader and Pistonheads for starters. There are plenty of R129s around, with the 500 in a minority and the 600 in a tiny minority.

My impression of Cheshire Classic Benz is favourable, but that's a wallet-wincing price for an early car, even with moderate mileage (check CCB's own site for the downside of a low-mileage car). There are dozens of cars for sale in the £5000 to £12000 range, and a few at higher prices. You don't say where you are, but it seems to me that prices are often less realistic away from the South East; that may seem counter-intuitive, but I suspect it has to do with local availablity of cars and the intensity of local competition.

Buying from a dealer does make sense in many circumstances, but from my limited experience the supposed benefits are elusive. Wherever you buy, budget £200 or so for a pre-purchase inspection by someone who knows the model intimately. Walk away from anyone who resists a PPI. Look out for traders (no garage/showroom) wanting to be seen as dealers; this is not to say beware of them, but they offer little if anything beyond what you'd get from a private vendor. I can hardly say "beware": I bought my car from a trader, but I reckoned he was trustworthy and we established early on that he could offer little over a private vendor.

The most common fault I found among those I test-drove was faulty or failed A/C. Corrosion is rare, but it does exist. Watch out for extensive bonnet rash too, touched in or not. Above all, make sure the soft-top works properly. I don't like the special editions (interiors, mostly). Some are not so special: I inspected and drove one that had no memory function on the electric seats -- the worst option of all (as I know from my E320 Coupé). It also had 18" wheels (275/35 rear and 245/? front), so a bad ride and so much tramlining that I was glad to get back in my 1984 Capri 2.8i.

There's also stacks of stuff on the Web. Try these:

Brian Clifton . com: Mercedes-Benz: Cars: Car Detail

Mercedes SL500 R129 1990s History

And there's an active R129 forum at:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r129-sl-class/

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Will]

So it seems that CCB have an impeccable reputation - which is exactly what you'd expect

I'd like to see evidence of a couple of grands worth of prep, at least. Otherwise, what advantage really is there over paying £12,500 for a car that would probably fetch about half of that privately? That's a hell of a wedge of cash towards any inspection, fault rectification, servicing and refurbishment works required.

Not saying that it's an overpriced car, but if you're looking to pay £12.5k for a '91 500SL it should pass the most thorough and relentless inspection with no possible room for improvement. It should be one of the very best R129s in the country.

All IMHO of course

Will

 

[jaymanek]

I know Pete Lewis now as he bought a R107 420 SL from me just a week ago.

As has been said, very trustworthy and you can be absolutely sure you will get an immaculate car with a no quibble warranty. However you ARE paying double the going rate from a normal dealer or privately.
If you are keeping the car forever, its not so much an issue but if you plan to sell, remember you will only get as much as the next private seller. So effectively you will lose 50% as soon as you drive away.

He bought the R107 from me and ive never had anyone look over a car so deeply as he did. The R107 was close to perfect but he will be changing various items (hood, bumper chromes, bits of trim etc) to make it as new. Then he will put it up for double what he paid me no doubt.

If you want a perfect car then you will get it.. but i would spent that money on a later car that will hold its value better and be in good condition anyway.

 

[74merc]

I was speaking to a specialist MB restorer at the weekend about R129s. Apparently the expected lifespan of the hood components is 12 years and it costs £7,000 in parts to replace the entire hood and mechanism.

 

[jaymanek]

Yes but we know they last a lot longer than that... and at worst it will be the pump that fails..

 

[mhorro]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for their input, it was really usefull. I bought my 500SL this weekend. It is a 1997 model. I paid 8K for it.

 

[Roger Jones]

Well done. Tell us more. Show us some pics. I wonder if it was one of the ones I looked at.

 

[mhorro]

I pick the car up on Friday and will display pictures. The car was on the gararge forcourt at 9.5K

 

[Setanta]

Congratulations - you have a fair chunk of money in the war chest compared to what you were considering paying at CCB to cover a large amount of work if (touch wood) anything broke AND you had a much later car too.

 

[Kaka]

Good company, but expensive for what they are...

 

[mhorro]

Hi,

I pick the car up on Friday, is there any tips to check on the car on a daily basis i.e. oil etc to avoid a major repair. What I am asking what are the common faults?

Thanks./

 

[IanA2]

I was speaking to a specialist MB restorer at the weekend about R129s. Apparently the expected lifespan of the hood components is 12 years and it costs £7,000 in parts to replace the entire hood and mechanism.

My 500 129 was 1991 and the hood was perfect.