Should I avoid a car which has hardly been used?

[dan1502]

In my search for an R129 SL500 I have come accross a few cars which have hardly been used for a year or two (or more), some garaged and some not.

Inspecting underneath some has led me to immediately discount them due to all components being rusty and those stored under car covers seem to have suffered more.

One I am considering viewing has only done a few hundred miles in each of the last few years and as a result, servicing has not been done to schedule. It has just had some work done to pass its MOT. It has been outside the majority of the time, not under a cover. The paint was apparently poor as a result but is being polished up and the alloys refurbished.

My question is, aside from checking for the obvious rust etc, should I avoid such a car for other reasons? I am happy to get it fully serviced and the low mileage is attractive but are there likely to be internal mechanical issues with the engine etc?

Following on from this I come accross other such cars with similar stories but which have been stored indoors garages and looked after, one of which spend its early life this way but over the last few years has been driven a few thousand miles a year and serviced properly. Any comments on this scenario?

I'm trying to buy a car with reasonably low mileage to retain future value but that would be daft if in doing so there will be all sorts of other problems. I realise that 12 - 16 year old cars having done less than average miles per annum will still have quite high mileages but am aware that for some reason the 100,000 barrier really affects future resale.

 

[NW_Merc]

If you're thinking of a car in terms of buying and then not losing any money then this isnt going to happen I'm afraid.

Look at the overall condition of the car and then make your judgement about whether to buy it or not. Is it rusty? Has it been resprayed/repaired? Is the repair to a good standard? Bearing in mind that an enthusiasts car will be looked after, I'd go for one of these, mileage isnt really an issue if the car has been serviced and generally kept tidy.

 

[RMS]

Hi there,

Ive just bought a silver arrow with 93000 miles mainly for future classic purposes. I think condition is key. Reading an article in merc enthusiast suggested this is the best thing do to. ie better to buy a good higher mileage than a poor low mileage

on the mercedes benz club forum theres a nice sub group for the 129 which talks about what to look for

these cars were built to last so good use shouldnt be so much of a problem

 

[dan1502]

Sorry, just to clarify, I know what to look for in terms of inspecting these cars having properly viewed about 15 cars so far. I also know condition is key but mileage definitely impacts on future value and saleability, so long as condition is good. I also know I will lose money on any car.

The advice I need is specific to likely implications, other than rust, of lack of use. Also, one car in particular has been left outside witout being washed regularly so the paint has suffered. If it polishes up ok is that ok?

There are two particular cars I have in mind but I have and no doubt will come accross others. One has been left outside and driven very little. The other was garaged and hardly used for a long time but has been used and serviced over the last few years.

One of our current cars (a Ford Focus) was five years old but new when we bought it (50 miles on clock) and had been stored inside. We've had no problems with it other than a clutch slave cylinder going in the 6 years we've owned it since. I just don't know the issues in this respect.

RMS - was that one of the cars Aka$h was selling?

 

[w124nut]

Buy on condition, use and enjoy the car.

Take someone with you when you are viewing a potential purchase as they will not (I hope), be wearing rose-tinted glasses.

 

[janner]

Forget the one that's been sat outside. There are plenty of SL500s around and most will be lower than average mileage because they're not normally a daily hack type of car.

You should be able to find one that's been a second or third car and stored in a garage when not being used. That's the nature of SL500s. You shouldn't get any problems due to lack of use even if the service interval times have been stretched slightly.

 

[mika]

Im no expert but i fancy a ridiculously low mileage old merc
sub 30,000 with decent history this would be perfect for me . i accept condition is the key but even high mileage cars have had use, seats and trim arent brand new , etc etc
and age is a killer as i believe an old car smells like an old car
The mechanically minded are totally convinced condition , regular usage etc are the answers
but its a debatable point

can you really get a time warp car , ive not seen that many..

 

[RMS]

no its this one

2001 MERCEDES SL500 AUTO SILVER ARROW *LIMTED EDITION* AMG SL60 SL600 R129 | eBay

i guess then its more the condition of the hood, the glass the sills and drainage points

thats all cosmetic anyway and can be sorted

i took the advice off the sl shop as the article i talked about cited them and mentioned getting expert advice

i was looking for an 129 and came across a silver arrow from chelsea cars but this was 30 grand, my search then honed into silver arrows and i found this

they say its the first and last and some ltd editions that people seek

though mine is high mileage, i dont intend to sell for 20 yrs min over which the mileage will balance out as i intend rare weekend local use only

have a look at the sl shop/autobarn/avantegard cars/cheshire classic benz and you get an idea of what age/condition/mileage fetches what price

 

[dan1502]

My ideal is an in between car i.e. not time warp but still quite low mileage. Other than that I just want it to have been cared for. That said I will consider higher milage cars if the condition is right. I'm also prepared to give a car a bit of TLC so long as the end result will be good.

Sadly I've viewed several cars which would have been great but really have been neglected, the worst of which have been under car covers outside and the moisture's got everywhere.

From my experience the earlier cars age much better than the later cars, particularly with regards rust in the usual places and even more so the interiors. The later Nappa leather interiors just don't seem to last the same (unless it's just the cars I've seen).

I might be tempted by a true time warp car so long such cars aren't likely to have additional issues due to lack of use.

And whilst there are plenty of cars around, there are very few cared for examples.

 

[dan1502]

RMS - that was Aka$h's car. I viewed and drove it though he did have two at the time, one was undergoing preparation so I didn't see that one.

I've read loads of articles and seen some of the prices. In my opinion some of the prices being asked are way over the top. Not so much the SL shop but some of the others. I have narrowly missed out on about 3 cars which were good and sensibly priced (hence missing out on them) and have spoken with the sellers of two or three 'museum piece' type cars and know what they sold for so feel I have a very good feel for the market.

I just need to find the right one and one in particular I am considering is the one that has been left outside a while. I would have it inspected and the price is reasonable - this is the one that has led to my questions about aspects I don't feel I know a lot about.

 

[RMS]

does he have another name?

why dont you email the sl shop etc with the details of that car--thats what i did

 

[dan1502]

He's called Simal of Synergy Motors

The thread on the car I viewed is:

[FONT=&quot]http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/89808-just-bought-sl500-silver-arrow.html

[/FONT]

 

[grober]

My rules of thumb- take em or leave em.

Cars do better when run regularly they don't do well sat around for long periods.

Cars do better stored outside than in a warm damp garage.

However WRT the R129 I would make an exception. It's almost impossible to keep these cars entirely water proof even with a hard top on. Left sitting outside in the pouring rain and wind without periodic runs to warm everything up and dry things off is a recipe for damp accumulation imho. As a rule of thumb a daily driver R129 run on a budget kept outside would be fine. A no expense spared pampered second/third car for fair days and holidays sat in a nice ventilated garage or good car port fine, but a vehicle kept outside which hasn't moved for months smacks to me of a neglected car whose owner can't afford to run/service it properly .

 

[dan1502]

Regarding contacting the SL shop, as I wouldn't be using their services I don't feel it's appropriate. My local independent dealer has been helpful but there's only so much they can say without actually seeing the particular car and as they're all over the country that's not possible.

I didn't mention - I very nearly didn't return from a recent test drive unscathed (the seller was driving)!

 

[RMS]

I think that is the car---how come you didnt buy it--have i missed something?

i stumbled across this forum and saw the details of this car only to find out after viewing its the one im buying, seems like its been looked after

I disagree with you about contacting them if not using their service--at the end of the day they are well known in the UK and if not now, maybe in the future you will use them.

The friendly, helpful advice they gave over the email for free has meant I will now get the car serviced there and after picking the car up i will leave it with them for a full check up.

I think that's how good non corporate businesses should run. A little goodwill goes a long way.

To extend the point (though i knw its not the purpose of the thread)- I met the owner of Individual Specialist Cars - Only Porsche Approved Bodyshop Birmingham Individual Specialist Cars as he was starting up. I was selling 3 cars and needed some touch up body work doing. He was too expensive but i was impressed with his friendliness, knowledge and attention to detail. I didnt use him at that point but Since then all of our cars go to him and apart from great service and quality, we have built up a good rapport-- he get a lot of business from me and from my recommendations that all started with a free chat where i didnt use his services

if its going to help you make a decision, go for it, the SL shop checked the ad for me, advised a haggling price and i knew if i was happy id buy it and leave it with them

im sure you're sensible not to email them with every single find but just a small short list would be ok

ps when you do buy, get classic insurance, i emailed a few brokers that were recommened by mercedes benz club as u get discounts with the club and have got a quote for £280

 

[dan1502]

The thing is I don't know if it was the car on the thread you bought or the other one he had. One reason I didn't buy it was that having seen a silver arrow in the flesh, I wasn't that keen. I prefer them with less bling and my overall preference is the 96-98 cars. I didn't want to pay a premium for it being a silver arrow preferring to get a better non-silver arrow if paying that sort of money.

There's no point me going through what else put me through the car as you've bought it and I just don't think it's the right thing to do. There wasn't anything seriously wrong with it that I found though.

I take your point re company's being helpful but would prefer to bend the ear of the guy's who I'm likely to use once I find the right car. I might even take a crate of beer round soon as I have called them on a few occasions to clarify a few points whilst viewing and appreciate them having been helpful on such occasions.

Unfortunately I can't get classic insurance as I will be using the car regularly and some of that use will be business use. The premiums aren't too bad for normal insurance though, even when I got a quote in advance of viewing the SL60 I travelled down to Brighton to view at the weekend.

 

[RMS]

i chose the silver arrow because of the value premium that some other sellers gave it

more an investment,

id prob choose a red one otherwise

with this one i knew that id acheive the perfection with who i have locallly so will prob aim to make it show standard

 

[dan1502]

My personal favourite was the vario blue 1998 special edition which was on the market for around £18,000 with 23,000 miles. The only trouble with those cars though is that you can no longer get the paint so any damage can be difficult to put right.

I'm aware of a similar car which has had some damage in the past and as a result was resprayed completely with a similar green/blue flip paint.

There's a lot to take into account when considering these cars - the more you look/learn, the more you realise it.

The second car I viewed (and made a provisional offer on) was a Mille Miglia. It had a good service history, excellent interior and soft/hard tops, good paintwork but with a few dings and in need of a good polish and wheel refurb but the aircon didn't work, there was a weep from the crank seal (no big deal), the usual diff seal leak, and a few other minor bits and bobs but also the idle was up and down which could be simple or could be expensive depending what the cause was. I just felt it too much of a risk in the end, especially as the mileage was a little high but at the right price I might have taken it on. I wasn't really sure what the finished article (115,000 odd Mille Miglia SL500) might be worth either so it was hard to do the sums. A nice car though although the 5 speed box with that engine would be my preference.

 

[steve333]

Buy on condition, use and enjoy the car.

Take someone with you when you are viewing a potential purchase as they will not (I hope), be wearing rose-tinted glasses.

^ As above.

 

[dan1502]

Agreed. My wife has actually become pretty good at spotting stuff but she won't travel the distances I sometimes do. I now use a checklist as it's so easy to get distracted and miss the obvious. I also prefer to go away and 'sleep on it' before making a decision. I have actually got into negotiations where I would have committed to buy had the deal been agreed but having thought about it later was pleased the seller didn't accept my offer as on reflection the car wasn't one I'd have been happy with.

I certainly will use the car. I think we'll do around 6,000 miles a year in it and drive it all year round. As to enjoying it, I will if I buy the right one but probably won't if I get it wrong...