R129 buying advice

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Pcn1

Active Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
153
Location
Maidenhead, Berkshire
Car
SL320
Hi,
A long time ago I wanted to own a R129 and came here for advice, but that didnt happen (Bloody kids, take all your money !)
Anyway, Im activly now looking again.
Im intrested in these examples:

Mercedes SL 300 SL Only 66k Miles! Total History Appreciating Classic! | eBay

Going to view saturday. Just reduced from 10,995 (way over priced?) to 8,995

Mercedes SL300 SL 300 SL | eBay

Viewed last week, looks clean but no servcie history. Its had some paint. Dealer says it came from middle east a few years ago. MOT checker conforms milage for last few years in UK.

Mercedes-Benz SL Class 3.0 2dr

Just spoke with dealer, again no servcie history, but MB Stockport looked after it for some years so they may be able to confirm. I do like the thought of the 24 valve engine :cool:
This car is along way for me to go and see.

Any opinoins out there ? Does anyone here know these cars ? Should I really expect, or demeand a perfect service history for cars at this price point ? Buy on condition not milage being the old saying.

Im pretty handy with the spanners but would really want a MB guy to check a potential purchase over first. There is a local MB independant specilist near me who can check out cars for £250 a go.

And yes, for some reason I just like the early white examples ! ;)

Thanks
 
I'm looking but not over keen on them in white.

I want a dark blue, or maybe black but with a light coloured interior and must have back seats.
 
Hi,
A long time ago I wanted to own a R129 and came here for advice, but that didnt happen (Bloody kids, take all your money !)
Anyway, Im activly now looking again.
Im intrested in these examples:

Mercedes SL 300 SL Only 66k Miles! Total History Appreciating Classic! | eBay

Going to view saturday. Just reduced from 10,995 (way over priced?) to 8,995

Mercedes SL300 SL 300 SL | eBay

Viewed last week, looks clean but no servcie history. Its had some paint. Dealer says it came from middle east a few years ago. MOT checker conforms milage for last few years in UK.

Mercedes-Benz SL Class 3.0 2dr

Just spoke with dealer, again no servcie history, but MB Stockport looked after it for some years so they may be able to confirm. I do like the thought of the 24 valve engine :cool:
This car is along way for me to go and see.

Any opinoins out there ? Does anyone here know these cars ? Should I really expect, or demeand a perfect service history for cars at this price point ? Buy on condition not milage being the old saying.

Im pretty handy with the spanners but would really want a MB guy to check a potential purchase over first. There is a local MB independant specilist near me who can check out cars for £250 a go.

And yes, for some reason I just like the early white examples ! ;)

Thanks
Personally, I'd buy on condition and the recent (last 5 years') service history - you want to know that the most recent owner(s) were using the car and attended to routine servicing and preventative work properly. With invoices listing what's been done. I'd far prefer this to a car with a bookful of stamps until 5 years ago then a few smudge from a couple of 'independents' that no one has heard of with no idea of what the 'service' actually comprised.

What happened 20 years ago isn't really that relevant. I understand entirely those who want everything complete from Day 1 but until R129s become even more appreciated and rarer, I've never been that fussed (and I've owned 5 of them and have 3 at the moment). Others differ.

Most 20+ year old cars have had 'paint' - the issue will be how well it was done. No one turns their nose up at a concours restored classic that has had a nut and bolt rebuild and respray and nor should any buyer (in my view) re a car that has had some paintwork defects remedied as long as done very well.

Yes, get an inspection if you're not confident in your own ability to check.

Draw up a checklist of everything you can think of before you view, then work through it. It's easy to get seduced by the car in the metal and forget the obvious things, only to come across lots of little imperfections/defects once you've got the car home and have valeted it and are living with it. All bits/pieces are easily available still, but the costs of those little things can add up (£35 for an ashtray insert; £230+ for a new key from Mercedes; £xx for the proper toolkit; £xxx for replacement interior trim etc etc)

Join the Mercedes Benz official club - their online forum has a R129 sub forum with a buyer's guide and lots of other advice

Look at 500s too - real world ownership costs are no different and there's that lovely V8.

Hope that helps, a bit
 
In a perfect world I would have the 500 but good examples are well over my £10000 budget.

One of my homies has just picked up a lovely 280 in the correct colour with good history.

I would buy on condition and not be fussy with engine size.
 
Look at 500s too - real world ownership costs are no different and there's that lovely V8.

Indeed. At almost 2 tonnes the R129 is no lightweight; the smaller engines have to work a lot harder to haul one around.
 
It would be the 500 for me all day long. I'm on my 3rd R129 & 2nd SL500 & they are cracking all round cars.

Buy the best you can find & although history is important it isn't the total be all & end all. Buy on condition. You can tell a car that has been looked after & had money spent. Also one that hasn't. There are some bad ones out there.
 
Thanks for the advice so far. A SL500 is possible if the right car came along. In in no hurry, so will take my time.
In the real world, is there any difference between the 300 and the 300-24 ? Ive read the 24 valve gets going at hight rpm, but Id assume the 12 valve would make more torque at the lower rpm, where we do most of our driving ?
 
Just my opinion, but I feel the R129 is more a boulevard cruiser than a revvy 'point and squirt' machine. A lazy V8 would suit it much better than a 24 valve high revving engine.

Of the 12 and 24 valve sixes, I'd go for the 12 all other things being equal. The 300-24 is a nice engine but the 129 just isn't that type of car.

All in my opinion of course.
 
Thanks for the advice so far. A SL500 is possible if the right car came along. In in no hurry, so will take my time.
In the real world, is there any difference between the 300 and the 300-24 ? Ive read the 24 valve gets going at hight rpm, but Id assume the 12 valve would make more torque at the lower rpm, where we do most of our driving ?

I've had both 300 and 300-24 in W124 estates , just pootling about there isn't any noticeable difference , but the 24V gets into its stride at the top end where , perversely , it actually seems smoother than its single cam cousin .

I like my 300SL-24 , which if driven sensibly returns high 20's mpg and can break 30 mpg without trying too hard ; but at the same time can be driven in a sporting fashion where it is highly rewarding to exploit the five speed box and use all the revs you can find .
 
Just back from viewing the £8995 car with 66K miles.
This always happens, the low milage car is the worse cindition. Poor spray work, a door mirror held in place by bathroom mastic ( I kid you not ) and no air con fitted. The interior was nice though to bo fair.
Im becoming a big fan of the mot checker on the dvla web site. There was an advisory on this car about "underneath rust". No further details given, but slightly of putting.
The car with no history at Uxbridge was more original, presentable and "honest" on intial inspection, but a deeper check is required.
Try and see the 3rd car next weekend.

Thanks for all advice give so far.
 
Carl Burgess's driver took my scrap R129 SL500 away yesterday. Chatting to him about the car, he said: "It's good it's a 500. The smaller engines aren't worth anything, because nobody wants them." Draw your own conclusions.

Bad time of year to be buying a convertible, though. You'll get a much better example in the autumn for your £10k.

Re the back seats, they're really only for legless children - SMALL, legless children - unless restricted legroom in the front is not a problem.

Almost everyone (including the bozo with the 66k mile one you've seen) selling a bog-standard R129 thinks it's a 'classic', and worth a fortune. They're usually wrong on both counts; it isn't, and it isn't. ASKING prices of good ones are rising, but they often don't seem to sell.

As others have said, don't buy on mileage, buy on condition. Whichever you buy, it almost certainly WILL have niggling faults, because any R129 is now an old car. Enjoy it for what it is - a pleasant, nice-to-drive old banger that will need fettling from time to time.
 
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Agreed , I don't think the ones at £2.5-£3K are neccessarily any worse than ones people are asking 3 or 4 times as much for .

Mine was up for £3K before I did the deal to swap for two other cars - it may be rough round the edges , but I've now done well more than 50K miles without missing a beat , and it isn't too precious so I drive it every day minimum 70 miles and often a lot more .

My 300-24 goes just fine : I don't miss the fuel bills that came of five years 500 ownership .
 
Carl Burgess's driver took my scrap R129 SL500 away yesterday. Chatting to him about the car, he said: "It's good it's a 500. The smaller engines aren't worth anything, because nobody wants them." Draw your own conclusions.

Almost everyone (including the bozo with the 66k mile one you've seen) selling a bog-standard R129 thinks it's a 'classic', and worth a fortune. They're usually wrong on both counts; it isn't, and it isn't. ASKING prices of good ones are rising, but they often don't seem to sell.

As others have said, don't buy on mileage, buy on condition. Whichever you buy, it almost certainly WILL have niggling faults, because any R129 is now an old car. Enjoy it for what it is - a pleasant, nice-to-drive old banger that will need fettling from time to time.

I think you've hit on some of the reality's of owning a "modern classic".
Yes some overvalue them and think they are classics and will catch up with R107 values, but that wont happen for another 10 years or more when the numbers have thinned down and only the good ones are left.

On the positive side, and this is what attracts me, is they are not an everyday sight on the roads, yet there are still plenty of cars to choose from if your looking to buy so prices are not out of reach. They are very well screwed together in the best of the old school German engineering and I can still get creature comforts like A/C. The V8's allways command a little desire factor, but if the IL 6's work well thats fine for me. I want the car to drive and enjoy, not hide away and hope it goes up in value. If a 500 comes along that ticks the boxes them great, but otherwise Im not too fussed. Ive only heard the 280 is the one to avoid is possible.

I think they have a charm and presence on the road, but I guess thats just my opinion :cool:
 
I had a 129, a 500. I never really bonded with it. Too heavy to chuck around but the v8 made you want to drive it faster than the car felt it wanted to go ( if you get my drift ). I thought it felt very nose heavy.

I have often found myself (since selling it) wondering if a 320 is actually a better resolved car. After all the car is a boulevardier and a smooth 6 pot would provide enough motive power and might be a little lighter i guess.

I know a v8 is nice to be behind but it's not a sports car.

Actually the one thing i did yearn for in that car was a manual gearbox that might have made balancing on the throttle easier in corners. But then it would still not have been a sports car so i am back to wondering if the 320 might not be better again.

Sorry that was a bit ' stream of consciousness '.
 
Later cars are much better. The M112 v6 engine is so much more reliable.

We do currently have one for not a lot more money than you are looking at ;)

http://mercland.com/car.html?id=3713

Seriously, without plugging ours, you are much better going for a later car. There were lots of improvements over the R129 life.
 
I looked at a few before getting my 300-24 , but if truth be told I ended up with my current car because I got the chance of a cashless swap for two other cars more than any other factor .

Yes , the 500 is quicker and the 12V 300 is slower . I enjoy my 300-24!as a relaxed cruiser most of the time , and I thoroughly enjoy exploiting the 5 speed box to use all the revs when it gives of its best - to my mind it can be a sports car - if you go by the Laurence Pomeroy definition .

Certainly , with my W-126's , the sixes were more 'chuckable' than the eights ; just as it was comparing fours with sixes in W115/4 or W201 : too much weight up front was a negative .

My local Indy maintains that the R129 is 'the useable SL' : more reliable than the R230 and without the expensive problems of the 107 .

It certainly will become a classic , but it is a car you can use and enjoy now without feeling precious about it .
 
jaymanek said:
Later cars are much better. The M112 v6 engine is so much more reliable. We do currently have one for not a lot more money than you are looking at ;) http://mercland.com/car.html?id=3713 Seriously, without plugging ours, you are much better going for a later car. There were lots of improvements over the R129 life.
Nice.
 
If you want a better handling car then one with ADS is the way to go, but obviously make sure it all works OK. We've used the back seats a fair bit on our R129 - I'm 6'1" and can just about drive it with a kid seated behind me, although normally I would have the driver's seat fully back. The passenger side is no problem at all - there's loads of legroom in the front so having the seat forward is fine. So it's really a 3-seater :D
 
^ My take on the back seats are that my 11 year old daughter won't be able to sit behind me while I'm driving but she can sit behind my wife who is 5'1" in her stilettos.
 
If we have to take two people in the back for any distance my wife drives and I go in the passenger seat - that works fine for us.
 

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