Should I avoid a car which has hardly been used?

[dan1502]

Part of the problem is that there are a few specific cars I am weighing up in my mind but I don't want to post up the full details as that will draw the attention of other buyers to them which could be to my disadvantage for obvious reasons. It's a shame I don't have a knowledgable friend.

 

[RMS]

what was your budget Dan,
ill keep an eye out as ive recently been doing similar searches

i wouldnt worry about paints as most good body shops can mix any colour

 

[dan1502]

pm sent

 

[Bluebell]

If it helps, I have a SL which was driven for some 17,000 miles in its first year and now has less than 36,000 i.e in 10 years it has covered less than 20,000 miles and I have done 4,000 of those in the last 18 months.

The old MOT's show that some years it did less than 300 miles. It has always been garaged and I have had no problems with it at all. Yes it at one point went 4 years without a service (again due to mileage), but I can find no sign of detriment from this and my indi (John Haynes) cannot fault the car.

So condition is all, irrespective of mileage and from my experience low mileage is a benefit not a deterrent. The plus side is my car is truly mint, completely unmarked (and I do mean not a stone chip, dent or slightest scratch) inside or out. The downside is it cost well in excess of £20k in 2011 - yes I know you will all say I paid too much, but it was the best I had seen so to me was worth it.

 

[dan1502]

Thanks, it seems it should be fine if kept in a good garage. I just missed out on another that probably would have been perfect for me but I found out about it two days too late...

 

[Bluebell]

I mentioned John Haynes in my post above, they currently have a near mint sub 50k mile Silver Arrow for sale if that's worth a look.

I should point out my only connection with them is as a (very satisfied) customer.

 

[dan1502]

Personally I am not that keen on the Silver Arrow and that one is priced particularly high. If I was spending that kind of money I think I would be looking at different cars altogether. I viewed their SL60 restoration with interest though. The SL60 I viewed the other day would be great after that treatment but I wouldn't be able to afford it.

 

[C43AMG]

The paint is available as i have a friend who has the Limited edition Vario Blue 500 and has just had the two sides of his Panoramic Roof done by the body shop i use.

I think maybe you have got to the stage where you " Can't see the Wood for the Trees "

 

[Bluebell]

Personally I am not that keen on the Silver Arrow and that one is priced particularly high. If I was spending that kind of money I think I would be looking at different cars altogether. I viewed their SL60 restoration with interest though. The SL60 I viewed the other day would be great after that treatment but I wouldn't be able to afford it.

Sadly, its the going rate, Haynes sold one with slightly lower mileage last year for £25k, one sold in Bristol (again last year) for £34k and as you know some dealers are asking £30k!

 

[RMS]

Sadly, its the going rate, Haynes sold one with slightly lower mileage last year for £25k, one sold in Bristol (again last year) for £34k and as you know some dealers are asking £30k!

Thats great news! Im going to get cracking with my purchase!!

 

[janner]

This could be a nice one although the photos and description are pants.
1996 MERCEDES SL 500 AUTO Convertible 60000 miles, 12 mths mot private plate | eBay

 

[dan1502]

The paint is available as i have a friend who has the Limited edition Vario Blue 500 and has just had the two sides of his Panoramic Roof done by the body shop i use.

I think maybe you have got to the stage where you " Can't see the Wood for the Trees "

Re the paint, I was just going by what someone selling one said in that they had a minor front end incident and apparently were told the paing couldn't be matched due to it being cellulose and a flip paint. They said the insurance ended up paying for the whole car to be painted in a similar flip paint.

It's handy to know it can be done though as I do like those cars and were one to come up I now know it's nothing to worry about.

Regarding not seeing the wood from the trees, it's probably true to a certain extent. I think the trouble is that a lot that look promising from the adverts and when talking to owners turn out not to be when inspected meaning that although there are quite a lot around, only a small proportion are decent.

As I mentioned, I missed out an an enthusiast owned, low mileage, always garaged, full history car within the last couple of days which has reminded me that they do come up. I'm just going to have to be more fussy about what I travel to see. The last journey to Brighton was a bit different (9 hour round trip) as it was to see an SL60 and they don't come up often.

The ebay one linked to is in Cornwall which is even further and is one of the cars which prompted me starting this thread i.e. it's hardly been used and left outside for a long time. Otherwise it would be fine.

 

[janner]

The last journey to Brighton was a bit different (9 hour round trip) as it was to see an SL60 and they don't come up often.

The ebay one linked to is in Cornwall ....

Have you got a link to the advert for the SL60?
Have you seen the Cornwall one in the flesh?

 

[dan1502]

The SL60 hasn't been advertised yet. I think he's going to put it on ebay soon. I should get back to him out of politeness soon but have been busy. I've not seen the Cornwall one. The garage that has serviced it is going to talk me around it and send some photos when its there in a few days but based on the ones I've seen lately that have lived near the coast and stood around a while I am not very optimistic.

I saw another today as it happens. It's very high spec, quite low mileage and just appeared on Autotrader. It's silver with blue leather, 1998, 70 odd thousand miles, Xenons, Heated Seats, Panoramic Roof, wood steering wheel, multiplay cd and has ADS suspension. I was told it had small bubbles of rust on one rear arch and the boot lid edge and was sent close ups. I asked him to check some other specific areas and was told that was it. It's on at £5,995 so I thought it might be worth buying and spending a bit. Suffice to say I've come away empty handed...

 

[Bluebell]

As I am sure you realise, there is nothing as expensive as a cheap R129! Good luck with the search, don't lose the faith, it took me months and months which is why in the end I probably paid too much for what at the time I hoped (and I now know) was the right car, even so it has still been cheaper than a basket case of hidden, expensive faults.

 

[Knotty]

Hi Dan,

I've just bought the car you are concerned about buying!

SL320 Special edition - that blue paint 2000X 12 years old with 16,000 miles on it from The SL Shop. Don't pick it up until next week so I'll let you know how it goes.

I went over the pros and cons numerous times. If I buy a car with 60,000 then do another 30,000 over 5 years how much would it be worth, and how much would this one be, and how much would it cost in repairs. In the end I bought this one as I figured either would be better than buying say a 325i convertible with 20,000 on it and taking that up to 50,000 miles.

Good luck with your search.

 

[dan1502]

I don't think you have, I'm after an SL500.

 

[Knotty]

Not THE obviously but the type.
Could be worth a phone call.
Classic Mercedes SL 107 for sale - Vehicle Showroom - Mercedes-Benz 500 SL R129

 

[dan1502]

I think I might have narrowly missed out on that car before they bought it due to not being able to get to it in time. I won't mention the price.

I you buy a car that is in great condition at 60,000 miles and do 30,000 in it, it should still be worth a decent figure, epecially when you consider such cars can be bought for £7,000 - £8,000 (sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more).

 

[mhcrichton]

Dan - I'm looking at a '92 R129 that did 113K up until 2006, has been sitting doing basically nothing since and has now done 114K. You don't happen to know this car by any chance?!