Should I walk away from this SL - and a warning

[oscarisapc]

I am looking for an R230 SL500 and have seen an 03 with 61k miles at a local garage. Priced at £10k it looks nice in the showroom although I have yet to drive it. The only problem is that it doesn’t have any history. Apart from an MB dealer at its first service after 13k miles , all the other service book stamps are from general garages none of whom are MB dealers or indies, and there are no invoices to show what work apart from general fluid changes has been done in the last 10 years. If I decide to purchase I will clearly need to get the car inspected by the independent MB garage that currently looks after my SLK, but are there any hidden pitfalls that might make it wiser to walk away at this stage? I worry that anyone owning an expensive car who didn’t get it serviced by a dealer when it was still relatively new could have skimped on essential maintenance, but that could just be my paranoia.
I have looked in the boot and there is no obvious sign of water ingress. The garage says the seal was replaced some years ago, but it would say that wouldn’t it? Can you tell by looking, whether the current boot seal is a post-05 version?
Thanks for any advice.
And a word of warning to anyone also looking for an SL500 in North Somerset. I have just looked at a very nice sounding grey one (MY04) from a sports car specialist (not MB) that was sopping wet inside – mildew on fabric surfaces and fungus growing out of the boot mat. “Well that’s new” said the salesman “We’ll deal with it immediately”. Caveat emptor.

 

[Sp!ke]

Nothing will empty your wallet faster than a cheap R230 imho.

I suggest lots of research before you take this path.

 

[neilrr]

I am looking for an R230 SL500 and have seen an 03 with 61k miles at a local garage.

How many previous owners?

 

[oscarisapc]

Owners

Four previous owners - last one for four years. They had it maintained at the selling garage who stamped the last service.
This is the car
MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class 2003 only GBP 9,995. Auto Scuderia LTD, 142 Long Ashton Road, Long Ashton, Bristol, Avon,

 

[grober]

I will say only one thing ---SBC brakes-

 

[DSM10000]

I will say only one thing ---SBC brakes-

Do they also have the ABC suspension set-up? I understand this can be problomatic and costly to fix.

Like any car, buy on condition. If you can get it checked over thoroughly by an MB specialist and negotiate accordingly then why not?

 

[grober]

I believe the 500 had ABC as standard ---was an option on the 6 cylinder entry level model?? Agree about the assessment by an MB specialist wouldn't contemplate buying a car with no service history without it.

 

[cb1965]

If the car has not been serviced at an MB dealer or a proper reputable independent I would walk away... plenty of others out there!

I promise you the cost of some of the things that can go wrong can be wallet breaking and you will beg for a time machine so you can go back and buy a better one first time round

Boot seals if they need replacing can be hugely expensive. Check for rust under the rear window.... not a cheap repair even if done by one of the knowledgeable independents. ABC failure can be anything from a few hundred quid to thousands! PSE pump can fail... more wonga! And so on!

The trouble is it is not enough to just change the oil and plugs and I doubt the garage that seviced it will have done more than that. For instance has the ABC fluid ever been changed? Doubt it!

 

[cb1965]

Something like this would be a batter bet:

2004 SL500 68K FSH

 

[DSB SL AMG]

R230 SL500 has ABC struts...at £1500 per corner to replace you need to get it up on the ramps to check for leaks...I think the pump is around £700/ 800.

Unfortunately the R230 is generally known as a 'money pit'.

 

[oscarisapc]

Thanks

It seems there is no such thing as a cheap R230. I am not in the market for a "nearly new" so I am grateful for the replies here. Do the same concerns apply to the R129? As a much older car, some problems are inevitable but it seems from the posts I have read that these are all relatively cheap mechanical issues rather than the ultra expensive specialized electronics and controls in a R230. Or have I got this wrong? You might wonder why I want an SL when I have a perfectly good and well sorted R171 280 but I want a softer, quieter ride and a bit more luxury in my old age. And, if I am honest, I have hankered after an SL for decades!

 

[cb1965]

It seems there is no such thing as a cheap R230. I am not in the market for a "nearly new" so I am grateful for the replies here. Do the same concerns apply to the R129? As a much older car, some problems are inevitable but it seems from the posts I have read that these are all relatively cheap mechanical issues rather than the ultra expensive specialized electronics and controls in a R230. Or have I got this wrong? You might wonder why I want an SL when I have a perfectly good and well sorted R171 280 but I want a softer, quieter ride and a bit more luxury in my old age. And, if I am honest, I have hankered after an SL for decades!

Can't answer about the R129 as I know little about them, but the R230 is a great car as long as it is maintained properly. Buy a good one, look after it and you should be fine, but they are not cheap to run.... trying to make them so is where the problems occur.

That said you need to drive one as I would not class them as particularly quiet or a soft ride. They are not bad in this respect, but not a Jaguar either. Try one first and see what you think.

 

[Sp!ke]

The R129 is a much easier car to maintain I think.

Overall it is more simply designed with much of its maintenance being manageable by a competent DIY owner with a basic set of hand tools.

An obvious example is a lower balljoint failure on a R129 is £5 and on a R230 it is more like £1500.

An R129 is much more like a grand tourer than a sports car however. It is a nice relaxed ride but as long as you get the V8 or V12 version it is also pretty quick when you want it to be.

 

[paulbenz500]

I think that if any one buys a high performance Mercedes you should have the £££ aside for the maintenance & running costs these cars require.it's no good buying one and hoping it don't go wrong because it will trust me.But I agree that getting a good one will reduce this risk less then one that's a KFC bargain bucket. There's so many out there for sale take your time because a bad one will bankrupt you lol

Sent from my GT-I9505 using MBClub UK

 

[BTB 500]

The R129 is also a car that pre-dates M-B's infamous cost-cutting period. The only significant things mine has needed in almost 10 years are the ADS accumulators replacing for around £900 all-in (these are effectively a 'consumable', like conventional shock absorbers), and the hood windows replacing for about £400.

 

[pipmk]

There are always at least two aspects to buying an older car,how much have you budgeted for the inevitable repairs and are you prepared for the time it will spend being fixed by the garage?

Lots of people don't mind, thats why the lower value classics sell so well, you just have to decide if you are one of them.
Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[oscarisapc]

Maintenance costs

I don't mind paying for my own maintenance in an older high performance car but I am not up for inheriting a significant maintenance backlog from a previous owner. I can see the costs of sorting out at least one of the R230s I viewed recently easily approaching the price at which the car is on sale. These were both SL500s so significantly more complex than their smaller siblings.

 

[JasPed]

Hi, I owned a beautiful 53 plate 500sl bought it in march 2010 with 42000 miles on it. 6 months on ABC pump failed and was replaced and suspension was fine. I kept the car for 3 years having it serviced and maintained to the highest level which a very expensive undertaking but I loved the car very much, nothing quite like it on the road.
Boot seals are famous on these models as it cost me two central looking pumps at £1300 a time not cheap, if the boot ends up like a swimming pool forget it as the boot has all the electronic modules that control most of the electronics that control the car! Used to dread winter times as the boot was always damp. The boot seal at the back window is also costly to replace and comes in at about £900 to sort. Proper servicing on these cars comes in at about £400 for service A and £750 for service B.
After putting on 55000 miles on this car which was great fun to have as it hit 100000 miles the car became more problematic.the ABC pump failed again which is a common fault on these. The pressure sensor on the passenger side also failed. New pump = £1500. New pressure sensor £1000. The car was also requiring a new rear block valve another £1200. Finally the electrics were not in the best of shape and was requiring attention and suspect the shock absorbers would need replacing to and at £1200 a corner decided to sell and move on. This car is an epic car to drive and own nothing quite has the grace or presence on the road but when they become over the 100000 mile mark believe me buy a younger model with a warranty as it will save you thousands! Most warranty companies will cover the likes of the ABC pump up to 75000 miles but after that they won't entertain any claim on ABC PUMPS. If you can afford a 500sl with a lower mileage and lees years then I would definitely go for it, if not avoid like the plaque as it will empty your bank account quicker than divorcing your wife!

 

[JasPed]

Ps if you are also looking for a 500sl r129 may I suggest you look at the SL Shop website as they are a reputable dealer of classic 500 SL models and may be able to advise you what to look for.

 

[neilrr]

Hi, I owned a beautiful 53 plate 500sl bought it in march 2010 with 42000 miles on it. 6 months on ABC pump failed and was replaced and suspension was fine. I kept the car for 3 years having it serviced and maintained to the highest level which a very expensive undertaking but I loved the car very much, nothing quite like it on the road.
Boot seals are famous on these models as it cost me two central looking pumps at £1300 a time not cheap, if the boot ends up like a swimming pool forget it as the boot has all the electronic modules that control most of the electronics that control the car! Used to dread winter times as the boot was always damp. The boot seal at the back window is also costly to replace and comes in at about £900 to sort. Proper servicing on these cars comes in at about £400 for service A and £750 for service B.
After putting on 55000 miles on this car which was great fun to have as it hit 100000 miles the car became more problematic.the ABC pump failed again which is a common fault on these. The pressure sensor on the passenger side also failed. New pump = £1500. New pressure sensor £1000. The car was also requiring a new rear block valve another £1200. Finally the electrics were not in the best of shape and was requiring attention and suspect the shock absorbers would need replacing to and at £1200 a corner decided to sell and move on. This car is an epic car to drive and own nothing quite has the grace or presence on the road but when they become over the 100000 mile mark believe me buy a younger model with a warranty as it will save you thousands! Most warranty companies will cover the likes of the ABC pump up to 75000 miles but after that they won't entertain any claim on ABC PUMPS. If you can afford a 500sl with a lower mileage and lees years then I would definitely go for it, if not avoid like the plaque as it will empty your bank account quicker than divorcing your wife!

That tale ^^^ would put me off ever owning one.