R129 & R230 SL500 experience

[Tan]

I do miss my R129 SL500, I even kept my S1 SDO plate from it, as I always hoped that I would buy another one day, but as time goes on that's looking less and less likely, with the push towards greener vehicles.

Think the later SL's lost out to the 911 in many ways, as they were 2 seaters rather than the 2+2 configuration of the R129.

 

[alabbasi]

Think the later SL's lost out to the 911 in many ways, as they were 2 seaters rather than the 2+2 configuration of the R129.

R129 is not a 2+2, I don't care if they put tiny cushions in the back.

 

[E55BOF]

To be fair, you could probably get a couple of ten-year-olds in the back of the 129, but only if they had no legs at all.

 

[BTB 500]

To be fair, you could probably get a couple of ten-year-olds in the back of the 129, but only if they had no legs at all.

I normally have the driver's seat all the way back so moving it forward to get someone in behind me isn't great (although we have done it a number of times). No problem on the passenger side though - there's a huge amount of legroom in the front, so having the seat forward is fine. Basically it's a 3-seater ... just like a McLaren F1

 

[Deadly Dave]

So which is the best 129 Sl500? Are the prefacelift ones better rust wise? Are the later better for the 119 engine?

 

[BTB 500]

So which is the best 129 Sl500? Are the prefacelift ones better rust wise? Are the later better for the 119 engine?

M119 is the original V8 - later cars ('99 model year on) have the M113. Slightly less bhp but better economy.

My suspicion is that the R129 was affected along with the rest of the Mercedes range when water based paints and (allegedly) cheaper steel were introduced at the end of the '90s. Anecdotally later R129s do seem to have more rust but a lot will depend on how they have been kept/used, and they're nothing like other Mercs of that era which were pretty disastrous till galvanised body panels were introduced mid 2000s.

 

[Deadly Dave]

M119 is the original V8 - later cars ('99 model year on) have the M113. Slightly less bhp but better economy.

My suspicion is that the R129 was affected along with the rest of the Mercedes range when water based paints and (allegedly) cheaper steel were introduced at the end of the '90s. Anecdotally later R129s do seem to have more rust but a lot will depend on how they have been kept/used, and they're nothing like other Mercs of that era which were pretty disastrous till galvanised body panels were introduced mid 2000s.

Thanks BTB. Would a "96 car have the cheaper steel, water based paint and lower power engine?

 

[alabbasi]

So which is the best 129 Sl500? Are the prefacelift ones better rust wise? Are the later better for the 119 engine?

Buy based on your styling preference and based on condition. The earliest CIS powered cars are the most powerful at 322hp but mated to a 4 speed box took the edge off compared to the later cars that came with the 722.6. The M113's lost some of the exotic characteristics of the M119 but got bigger brakes. All of them seem to use very fragile plastic around the rear view mirror.

I picked my 1998 because it had the last year of the M119, mated to a 722.6 transmission and the more modern HVAC system that's generally more reliable. I usually get 20-24mpg from mine. Those are US gallons so 23-29mpg if you re calculate for a 4.5 liter gallon. I travel around the US and I don't see many R129 that are rusty so I suspect that paint is not an issue for this car as it's unlikely that MB would have changed their production process so late in the cars production line to retool for a different paint system. Where there is salt, there will be rust. It does not matter which car.

 

[Deadly Dave]

Thanks Allabasi, there is a '96 one tempting me at the moment. MPG doesn't matter but I hate rust.

 

[alabbasi]

96 should be past the wiring harness issues, have the 722.6 gearbox and run r134. It will also support OBD2 which makes it easier to fix so I'd say that if it checks out an inspection, it will be a good one to have.

 

[BTB 500]

I don't see many R129 that are rusty so I suspect that paint is not an issue for this car as it's unlikely that MB would have changed their production process so late in the cars production line to retool for a different paint system.

I'm pretty sure MB switched all models to water-based paints before the R129 went out of production. We do see ones with rust here ... typically the front wings ... and my impression is that they are usually late cars ('99 onward). But other MBs of the late '90s / early '00s were much worse of course.

 

[BTB 500]

Thanks Allabasi, there is a '96 one tempting me at the moment. MPG doesn't matter but I hate rust.

Totally agree about rust! Post a link/pics and we can advise. A '96 car could be pre or post the facelift that came in around then.

 

[BTB 500]

I picked my 1998 because it had the last year of the M119, mated to a 722.6 transmission and the more modern HVAC system that's generally more reliable. I usually get 20-24mpg from mine. Those are US gallons so 23-29mpg if you re calculate for a 4.5 liter gallon.

I picked my '97 (same spec.) for similar reasons. I have had 29 mpg from a tank (long motorway run at moderate speed), but stop/start driving in traffic is a different matter! It only averages about 1,000 miles a year now though, so fuel consumption isn't really important to me.

 

[swithin]

R129 is not a 2+2, I don't care if they put tiny cushions in the back.

I’ve had four adults on ave size in mine. Better with my kids though. My 8 year old loves it as she doesn’t need a child seat or booster so feels more grown up.

 

[swithin]

I'm pretty sure MB switched all models to water-based paints before the R129 went out of production. We do see ones with rust here ... typically the front wings ... and my impression is that they are usually late cars ('99 onward). But other MBs of the late '90s / early '00s were much worse of course.

my 1996 SL320 wasn’t bad on the rust front but I did sell it 10 years ago so I might not have had it long enough to comment. My 1999 SL500 is starting to rust on the front wings, worst on the offside and at the very front and underside lips. I also had to treat slight rust around the aerial a couple of years ago.

 

[Supracat]

Pics!

Yes. Pics please

 

[swithin]

Yes. Pics please

ive put shots up, I’ll update with another tomorrow

 

[swithin]

I’ve had the R230 now for over a month and had a great drive in the R129 yesterday and some other differences are now apparent to me, one being build quality. The R129, despite being 21 years old with 71,000 miles on the clock was without a single creaky noise yesterday, something I hadn’t taken much notice of before. I only really noticed the silence inside the car because of the noises inside the R230. Rest your elbow on the door rest and the creaking is quite loud, no problem in the older family member. Driving with the roof off, always a huge pleasure, I heard further creaks in the R230, the annoying ones you can’t pinpoint while driving and are never replicated when your not. The R129 even over a fairly pot hole filled road kept silent. Apart from the annoying creaking in the door rest the other noises in the R230 are not intrusive, just a bit annoying, though once you really start having fun in the 13 year old, you quickly forgive the odd noise as the fun comes in bucketloads.

 

[E55BOF]

I’ve had four adults on ave size in mine. Better with my kids though. My 8 year old loves it as she doesn’t need a child seat or booster so feels more grown up.

Average-sized adults must be rather smaller in your family than in mine. An eight-year-old in the rear passenger seat with the front seat fairly well forward I can believe.

 

[swithin]

Average-sized adults must be rather smaller in your family than in mine. An eight-year-old in the rear passenger seat with the front seat fairly well forward I can believe.

It was a bit of a squeeze and was only for 10 miles. There was me 5ft8, my wife 5ft, then two of her petite colleagues. not ideal but not impossible for very short journeys. I had the seat almost all the way forward.