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R129 & R230 SL500 experience

flowrider said:
Have you checked the boot seals and the drains, especially the drain in the air box? Water leaks are a bigger issue than ABC in my opinion.
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Day after I picked up the R230 took it to my specialist for a check over. He checked the seals and said they are ok. We had very bad rain here this week and no leaks. I gave it a proper 3 hour wash yesterday using jet wash and snow foam and again no leeks so very very pleased. I was very concerned about it as the dealer was keen to get rid of it, he didn’t even look at the Passat I traded in even though I spent 2 hours cleaning that. With the impending recession he obviously thought it would be better to sell a Passat than a 13 year old big engined sports car.
 
flowrider said:
Have you checked the boot seals and the drains, especially the drain in the air box? Water leaks are a bigger issue than ABC in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Day after I picked up the R230 took it to my specialist for a check over. He checked the seals and said they are ok. We had very bad rain here this week and no leaks. I gave it a proper 3 hour wash yesterday using jet wash and snow foam and again no leeks so very very pleased. I was very concerned about it as the dealer was keen to get rid of it, he didn’t even look at the Passat I traded in even though I spent 2 hours cleaning that. With the impending recession he obviously thought it would be better to sell a Passat than a 13 year old big engined sports car.
 
swithin said:
Day after I picked up the R230 took it to my specialist for a check over. He checked the seals and said they are ok. We had very bad rain here this week and no leaks. I gave it a proper 3 hour wash yesterday using jet wash and snow foam and again no leeks so very very pleased. I was very concerned about it as the dealer was keen to get rid of it, he didn’t even look at the Passat I traded in even though I spent 2 hours cleaning that. With the impending recession he obviously thought it would be better to sell a Passat than a 13 year old big engined sports car.
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Still check the drains though especially the air box as it very easily gets blocked and nearly no one notices until the electrics start playing up.
 
swithin said:
I have been very lucky in owning a few R129’s the latest of which, a 99 SL500 I have had for the last 10 years and love to bits. I’ve put a stainless steel exhaust on her and replaced the radio but kept the original oh and replaced the roof ecu after frying it jump starting her at the train station 😱

Unfortunately Mercedes is starting to look her age and now needs a new roof, rust treatment on the front wings, drivers seat refurbished and a general tart up of the paint.

With this in mind, I started looking at the for sale ads for a R230 SL500 post 2006. It’s taken me a while to jump into this model as despite its gorgeous looks, it has a reputation as being a money pit, my specialist loves seeing them arrive in March for their Summer work over. I’d seen a few of them on his ramps over the last few years and was astonished at the rust on this model. After reading and watching many reviews on them a post 2006 was sought.

Recently I managed to get one, a silver 2007 SL500 with just 36k on the clock and full service history for just £13k. The car is immaculate and although it’s price is handy for me it’s ridiculous for such a marque in such good condition.

Apart from the obvious differences of looks and power, the r230 is 5.5L the r129 5L, I’d like to share my thoughts on my experiences so far with them both.I’ll start off with initial thoughts and add to them.

Experience: The R129 is a wafting GT, the R230 is equally happy on the motorway and the twisty’s thanks to the ABC suspension. Not saying the 129 is a lard ass but my 8 year old has better luck holding in the vomit in the 230....so far. So driving experience, 230 wins for me. It also wins because it doesn’t need a stainless steel exhaust to hear that glorious v8. The R129 was suffocated with over zealous cats thanks to the over zealous beaurocrats of the time, the 230 has a much better voice with its stock exhaust. Where the 129 floors the 230, in my opinion, is it’s presence on the road. While the 230 is a beautiful car, the 129 seems to be better loved by anyone who remembers a time before speed humps that don’t match the speed limit, inappropriately placed speed cameras and clogged overtaking lanes, empty driving lanes. TBC
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If you take a look at this website , you will see the prices for a new original soft top ( I think very reasonable ) the prices include , at your option , either shipping to you , to have the top fitted yourself , or if you take the car to them in Germany , the price is inclusive of fitting .

280 - 600 SL 129

280 - 600 SL 129. Read more
cabrio.de cabrio.de


They also do carpets and seat retrims in original material .

That just leaves you paintwork to sort elsewhere .
 
flowrider said:
Still check the drains though especially the air box as it very easily gets blocked and nearly no one notices until the electrics start playing up.
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Where would I find that?
 
Pontoneer said:
If you take a look at this website , you will see the prices for a new original soft top ( I think very reasonable ) the prices include , at your option , either shipping to you , to have the top fitted yourself , or if you take the car to them in Germany , the price is inclusive of fitting .

280 - 600 SL 129

280 - 600 SL 129. Read more
cabrio.de cabrio.de


They also do carpets and seat retrims in original material .

That just leaves you paintwork to sort elsewhere .
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Many thanks for the link. Are you sure fitting is included as that sounds like a road trip to see friends
 
swithin said:
Where would I find that?
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Lift the bonnet and remove the cover from the air box, it's the one under the bonnet grille on the passenger side, and pour some water into the box. It should drain into the front nearside wheel well. Dont pour much as it will overflow into the passenger footwell under the carpet.
 
MikeInWimbledon said:
It amazes me that these cars are so difficult to sell at these prices. I've seen three facelift cars in the last nine months and all of them are still unsold, as are many others which I didn't go to see, some which have been on sale for a year.
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That's because they're overpriced. I suspect that in the economic downturn which is coming, reality may well force some sellers to reduce their prices. At present supply exceeds demand, and the longer that lasts, the more it becomes a buyers' market.
 
E55BOF said:
That's because they're overpriced. I suspect that in the economic downturn which is coming, reality may well force some sellers to reduce their prices. At present supply exceeds demand, and the longer that lasts, the more it becomes a buyers' market.
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Aye, but we've had that conversation before about other models.

Look at the URL's of Autotrader ads and you'll see plenty of facelift 5.5 litre SL's that have been up for more than a year. This is no mere Covid19 thing.

And with "even more cheap money" being flooded into the market by the Government, this could get worse, not better.



From November 2018 (sic)

From November 2018

From June 2019

From July 2019:

These are the ones that I know. Then there are facelift V6 SL350's on there that have been advertised for three years (since 2017)

5a31938d4e5d46cda4dd01980e5bdcc3.jpg

.
.
.
 
Last edited:
flowrider said:
Lift the bonnet and remove the cover from the air box, it's the one under the bonnet grille on the passenger side, and pour some water into the box. It should drain into the front nearside wheel well. Dont pour much as it will overflow into the passenger footwell under the carpet.
Click to expand...
Found it and water went straight through. The engine bay is immaculate all the pipes look brand new. For £13,500 this was an absolute bargain
 
MikeInWimbledon said:
Aye, but we've had that conversation before about other models.

Look at the URL's of Autotrader ads and you'll see plenty of facelift 5.5 litre SL's that have been up for more than a year. This is no mere Covid19 thing.

And with "even more cheap money" being flooded into the market by the Government, this could get worse, not better.



From November 2018 (sic)

From November 2018

From June 2019

From July 2019:

These are the ones that I know. Then there are facelift V6 SL350's on there that have been advertised for three years (since 2017)

5a31938d4e5d46cda4dd01980e5bdcc3.jpg

.
.
.
Click to expand...
I saw the same thing with the R129’s a decade ago. I had a 1996 SL320 with lower than average mileage and part ex’d it for my wife’s first mini for just £3,200, £1500 over what I was being offered for a private sale. My latest one was selling for more than I paid for it 10 years ago before COVID. These cars at this age are bought by those who loved them when they came out and who can now afford them as a lightly used toy. They’re independently wealthy with low costs of living. There will come a time when the R230 reaches a price point where more will buy and rack up the mileage with little attention to servicing and this will bring in the buyers who want a well looked after mint example and are willing to pay for that. It won’t happen in the next 12 months but history does have a habit of repeating itself and I can see what happened with the R129 happening with the R230. I own both and while my loyalty is with the R129 the R230 is so much better on the road and so much better looking than the newer models and that will attract the right buyer, the next and younger me for example.
 
swithin said:
I saw the same thing with the R129’s a decade ago. I had a 1996 SL320 with lower than average mileage and part ex’d it for my wife’s first mini for just £3,200, ...... There will come a time when the R230 reaches a price point where more will buy and rack up the mileage with little attention to servicing and this will bring in the buyers who want a well looked after mint example and are willing to pay for that. ......
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Understood. The one point that I would add to that is that the car selling for "a goodly chunk of cash" today, is not the same as the car that you sold a decade ago. People often assume that if they'd kept their old motor it would be worth a fortune now. They seldom are, because, 10 years down the line, your original car has probably been scrapped after doing too many miles. The one's being sold today are ultra low mileage cars that have had serious money spent on them in maintenance, repairs and renovation.

The E type is the classic, overpriced cliche. When I was a kid they were all in dreadful state. Look up any period photo from the 70's. Yet all are immaculate and better than new today. Similarly I remember selling an M635 for £8k with just 60k on the clock. Twenty five years later they now "appear to sell" for £30k - but they're in better cosmetic condition than mine of 25 years ago..

.
 
swithin said:
I own both and while my loyalty is with the R129 the R230 is so much better on the road
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Of course the same comment is made about the R129 vs the R107 :D

In the case of the R230 500, having ABC as standard would probably be a significant factor. Whereas on the R129 only the 600 got standard ADS.
 
BTB 500 said:
Of course the same comment is made about the R129 vs the R107 :D

In the case of the R230 500, having ABC as standard would probably be a significant factor. Whereas on the R129 only the 600 got standard ADS.
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Absolutely. With ABC, and like many components in cars like these, ignore servicing them and you pay the cost. Like I said earlier I have found a hydraulic specialist in Germany where you can send your suspension to be rebuilt for £460 instead of paying £1000. In my mind if that price is a concern you shouldn’t really be looking at getting this car in the first place.
 
I owned an R129 (1991 example, the first of the 24-valve models) from 2000 to 2007. Loved it but when (for the second time) the driver's seat adjustment electrics shorted and shoved the seat into the steering wheel (when I was driving at speed) it had to go. Now, every time I see one, my heart just about skips a beat. From 2007 until 2018 I owned a 2003 SL500 and - yes - it was a money pit and then some. Totally over-engineered and horrendous parts costs. Horrificly problematic suspension. In over 40 years of motoring, by far and away, the least reliable car I have ever owned. In fact, it comes to something when it's ahead of my first car- a Hillman Avenger - in the reliability league. The last straw here here was a sudden cooling pipe burst that wrecked the radiator and left me stranded for four hours (an unusually bad experience with the MB rescue service, particularly since the breakdown happened near a major city centre, not in the wilds). The repair bill: £1,000. I understand that there was facelift in 2006 which no doubt sorted some of the problems - so good luck and do keep us posted!
 
R230 service costs are coming down all the time but we still get stories from the bad old days when suspension issues nearly wrote off the car. ABC is now not much more to service or repair than standard suspension. As I have already said water leaks are a bigger issue these days.
 
Two things were missing from the R230 when I bought it. The wind deflector and the Bluetooth adapter. Just bought e Bluetooth adapter on eBay for a good price. Had bought an fm transmitter for peanuts but although not bad the placement of it in the car was a problem for me as it stuck out a bit too far for me. Gona skip the wind deflector this year as rarely use it on the R129. Hopefully my bargain suspension sleeves will arrive soon.
 
swithin said:
Gona skip the wind deflector this year as rarely use it on the R129.
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My R129 came without a wind deflector, and the trim panel to cover it when stored in the boot. This was an Approved Used car - I didn't know enough about SLs back then to query it! Managed to obtain both just to make the car 'complete' but I think I have used the wind deflector precisely once. It works well but looks ugly and stops you putting stuff on the back seat.
 
BTB 500 said:
My R129 came without a wind deflector, and the trim panel to cover it when stored in the boot. This was an Approved Used car - I didn't know enough about SLs back then to query it! Managed to obtain both just to make the car 'complete' but I think I have used the wind deflector precisely once. It works well but looks ugly and stops you putting stuff on the back seat.
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With the R129 it’s a pain trying to cram the kids under the wind deflector. It may stop the sound of wind but not moaning kids. 🤣🤣
 
Damn right! :) But if you drive fast enough you can't hear them :D
 
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