R230 SL - Does my logic stack up?

[Rosso1]

I think for those that drive the car in good weather only and only weekends i can see the point of not worrying about the roof.

 

[c63chris]

The pano roof is really nice when you have the roof up IMHO. Makes it light and airy inside though obviously not as good as with the roof down. As others said depends on how you want to use it though for motorway blasts on a long distance it makes the cabin a nice place to be

 

[mat8n]

It doesn't make the car any darker not having the panoramic roof, I now have the solid hard top and the comfort module fitted, where you can put the roof up/down at speeds of up to 30mph.
When putting the roof up while driving i have to double check it's up, as the car has so much glass it really is difficult to notice any difference.

That said I would always choose a panoramic roof if there was a choice, just because, but if the better car didn't have it, I would take the better car over the roof option.

 

[Bieldside]

Sl500

I have a very highly specd 500
£93000 new so all boxes ticked in 2006
It had done 38000 miles when I bought in last year for £18500
Really well looked after car and serviced properly
Great car
Yes it has cost me £3000 so far to replace bits + new tyres etc
Do I love it
Yes I do

 

[sssammm]

Ive had an sl with and without panoramic roof, and to be honest it doesn't make any difference at all.
In my opinion a complete waste in such a car.

Totally agree, its a buying and selling tool

 

[DickiPhitt]

I've had glass panoramic or sunroofs in all my cars for decades and will not entertain a car without a glass top. Whether or not it makes the interior lighter is open to debate - I personally think it has to (think of velux roof light wndows) - but I think the glass roof imparts a feeling of openness / being less hemmed in.

 

[DickiPhitt]

How are opinions divided on the subject of a red interior in a silver SL500?
Normally I wouldn't have considered it but then I recalled my wife had a red interior on her MR2 and it wasn't overly "shouty". The colour looked OK on my mate's SLK too.
I can't decide and wondered if there were certain trim combos that were no-no.

 

[Will]

Awesome colour combo so long as the leather is in good nick and the other trim (wood/alloy etc) suits it.

Much better than say grey or beige in a silver car, although perhaps not as safe/practical/classic as the usual silver with black combo

 

[DSB SL AMG]

Look left have ox blood red leather interior in the SL (R129) absolutely love itgets loads of attention on the MB owners club stand when I show her, in the R230 I am not sure if there are different shades of interior red? I don't like bright red as I think its too in yer face...

This is my 2nd red interior...had a jag S-type red leather, although it was brighter in colour...

How are opinions divided on the subject of a red interior in a silver SL500?
Normally I wouldn't have considered it but then I recalled my wife had a red interior on her MR2 and it wasn't overly "shouty". The colour looked OK on my mate's SLK too.
I can't decide and wondered if there were certain trim combos that were no-no.

 

[219]

This forum just keeps giving...

I'd exchanged emails already with the owner - doesn't have pano roof so its no-go anyway for me.

That Online MOT tool is a cracker as it gives fails and advisories too.. I do wonder whether that Jasper Blue one really did 32k miles in a single year (2012) or whether its a typo!

That is entirely possible : my 300SL-24 has just covered a whisker under 30K in the last year , 33K since buying it 15 months ago .

I know mine is a R129 , which isn't what you are looking at , but I looked at a few cars , and was still looking and just toying with the idea of a SL when I got the chance of getting mine in a cashless swap with another forum member ( for two other cars which both needed work done ) . Mine was always going to be a heavily used car , and I'd had a W126 500SEL for five years previously , the only aspect of which I didn't like being the fuel bills , so not so keen on another V8 , I drove a 500SL as well as a 300SL ( which was a tad slower ) and the 300-24 hit the sweet spot for me ( I'd had both 300 and 300-24 in W124 cars previously so already familiar with both engines ) so felt this was the car for me . I find the 300-24 quick enough for use on roads here , and forays up into the highlands , most of my mileage is roof down ; had the hard top on last winter , but the soft top doesn't leak - at all - so I'm not going to bother this winter , and the tin top can stay in my mums garage - I'll throw a cover over the car in the snow .

Apart from one problem a week into ownership , and a few issues sorted out after purchase , the car has been totally reliable , fun , fun , fun all the way , attracts lots of conversation everywhere I go , is nice that it's something of a rarity and I only occasionally see other R129's out on the road ( I use mine every day and do a minimum of my 70 mile round trip commute ) , best of all is the 30mpg fuel economy when I drive sensibly but only drops to mid 20's if I drive harder - and it is such fun to use the gearbox and exploit that screamer of an engine - the R129 can be a sports car even if it is a cruiser most of the time .

A neighbour has a R230 , I haven't driven one , nice looking car , but I do DIY maintenance and mine is a rolling restoration , so I don't want to go any newer .

Good luck with whatever you end up getting .

 

[219]

I've had glass panoramic or sunroofs in all my cars for decades and will not entertain a car without a glass top. Whether or not it makes the interior lighter is open to debate - I personally think it has to (think of velux roof light wndows) - but I think the glass roof imparts a feeling of openness / being less hemmed in.

Since , barring heavy rain , mine is driven roof down most of the time it would be irrelevant to me However I do get what you are saying .

With my saloons , coupes and estates , virtually every one over the last 40 years has had a sunroof , and been driven open most of the time ( I like fresh air ) .

 

[219]

How are opinions divided on the subject of a red interior in a silver SL500?
Normally I wouldn't have considered it but then I recalled my wife had a red interior on her MR2 and it wasn't overly "shouty". The colour looked OK on my mate's SLK too.
I can't decide and wondered if there were certain trim combos that were no-no.

White with red interior is a traditional Mercedes colour combo which goes all the way back to the 1920's and the W08 S , SS , SSK and SSKL models . Silver replaced white as a traditional Mercedes colour with the famous scraping off of the paint for the pre-war GP when the cars were just over the weight limit and the famous Silberpfeilen were born .

My first Mercedes , a white W115 220/8 , inherited from my dad who had bought it new in 1970 , was white with a dark red interior , and it was fine .

These days , I tend to favour primary colours on the outside and light interiors - but that's just me .