SL500 & SL60 Advice & Thoughts?

[rockits]

Morning All

I have a nice black R129 SL500 T/1999 2 Owner car with 70k miles on. I have done a few jobs that needed doing and need to do a couple more to get it where I would like it. However I have been hankering to get back into an SL60 against since I sold mine to Jay.

I have some earlier discussion with Gee (biturbo) as noticed his was up for sale. I didn't see it when it came onto the market October 2015 so only just noticed it this week. My quandary is do I offload the SL500 and go for the SL60, specifically Gee's? He has done a fair amount of work and it does look as though the work he has done has been to a good standard.

Questions are:
Value/Price?
Do the mods add or detract value or are neutral?
Swap the SL500 for the SL60?
Is this SL60 worth £5-£7k more than my SL500?
Hold fire and wait for a lower mile/stock or better more pricey example?

I have 6 cars at the mo and could do with selling one or two before bringing another in. However not an issue to bring in a 7th I guess then will sell one or two afterwards. Not ideal that way though for obvious reasons. Would be great if there was an SL60 owner looking to part and wanted an SL500 or an E55K Estate 7 Seater in return + cash!

I don't really want a silly priced top end SL60 and another garage queen. I bought the Maser 4200 18 months ago for that job! it will still be garaged but I would prefer to be a tiny bit less precious about it and drive/enjoy it rather than wrap it under cotton wool too much.

The Maser leads another issue in the sense that for me it represents much better value against an SL60. I bought the Maser as a 12k mile 1 owner car and it is almost as new. As a £75k car new and bought at £25k for a 2007 car it seems better value than the SL60 IMHO. The Maser will not depreciate now and are starting to rise of the back of silly Fezza prices. Will a decent but not top end SL60 rise over the years? I am not 100% sure.

Any help, advice are thoughts are very much welcomed and appreciated

 

[rockits]

I have had a good old chat with Gee (biturbo) about his SL60. We are a little away from where I see it and where he sees it. Not a million miles away but it sounds like we have both arrived at our figures are are happy to sit at those.

Neither are totally bothered about buying or selling either way in a sense so there is no distressed sale or no need for me to buy one. I have 6 cars at the moment so could do with one going before buying one in!

Anyone got any thoughts as to where they think the car should be price wise?

The ad is here:
Mercedes SL60 AMG convertable r129 silver with silver arrow interior. | eBay

Thanks
Dean

 

[BTB 500]

Really hard to value, even if it was a stock car. What's going on with that NSR wheel btw??

 

[rockits]

I know....that is my issue

 

[rockits]

I think the NSR is just an angle of the camera thing and just showing a dark whole making it look like the wheel is damaged. The wheel is fine in reality.

It seems that the soft top glass needs replacement. Maybe the hood will need to be replaced as is almost 20 years old. The split rims need breaking down and a proper refurb. There is some slight and light rust around the front wing indicators that needs dealing with.

I am still really struggling on the right price. We are not far away on our ideas of the price but still have not agreed on the same price.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[BTB 500]

It seems that the soft top glass needs replacement. Maybe the hood will need to be replaced as is almost 20 years old.

The plastic windows will be £300-£400 to replace assuming the hood is OK. Unless there's visible damage the hood should be fine - they last pretty well.

 

[rockits]

Thanks. Just a shame Gee is so far away as I think it would be better for both of us if I could see it.

I'm sure it is good and there or thereabouts but everything is subjective & people's ideas are sometimes very different.

Maybe just be a case that a deal could be done in theory based on the car being there or thereabouts as expected.

I need to start finding cars closer to home! Just sold my E55K Estate taking a Focus ST-3 in return from a nice chap in Doncaster. Only up the A1 a bit!!

 

[rockits]

Well I went to see and had a mental 90% commitment to buy the SL60. A one way ticket purchased which is enough commitment and showing plenty of intent. Shame I had to buy a return ticket back.

Gee is a great chap and we shared a good chat about lots of things. He has taken on a project and a half with the 11 bedroom Jacobean mansion! The car wasn't quite as I hoped and expected. It wasn't terrible at all just shows a little that the last 2 years of Gee's attention have moved from the car to the house. I can 100% understand that.

Just needs a little bit of love, care, attention, time and a bit of cash then it could be so much better. Just not sure if I have the time to do this at the moment. The mods for me didn't add as much value as they might for others. I think a more stock/OEM car would be better for me. Others may totally disagree. We are all different and like different things.

I am going to have a longer think but initially I am not sure this SL60 is for me. I am still on the lookout though

 

[dinoy]

oh why u sold yours buy one again i wonder what e36 convertible,

i was told there is not much difference in performance by mechanics in london to warrant double the price and more

but u had them both r better at making the statement

 

[rockits]

I sold mine as I had no garage at the time and it really needed keeping in a garage. I have moved now and have a nice garage so it can sit nicely alongside the Maser now

Just need to find a decent one at a decent price. I think the SL60 is worth the premium over an SL500. Before I bought the first SL60 I had an SL500 so I had exactly that decision. I bought the SL60 and sold the SL500. I now find I'm in the same position again but have a nicer SL500 this time which makes it a little harder this time.

 

[Dee-124CAB]

Is this SL60 worth £5-£7k more than my SL500?

With Gee's being priced at £22k, you think yours is worth £15-17K ??

 

[rockits]

I think both those prices are a little north. I would sell mine at £13k private or £15k retail/forecourt. I would say that after looking at Gee's that £22k is a little strong.

Everybody has their own thoughts and opinions though so this is only mine. My SL500 is a fair few miles less than Gee's, 2.5 years newer, only 2 owners and better condition so hard to price like for like as they are pretty different.

 

[Dee-124CAB]

Very difficult to compare the two cars for the reasons you mentioned above... but most importantly because one is a SL60 and the other is a SL500... one will always be more collectable.

I think what you have said is a fair price for yours based on it being as nice as you describe...

Good luck with sale..

 

[rockits]

Indeed very different. However I would rather keep my nice SL500 than have a poor example of an SL60. I am not referencing Gee's SL60 in this comment for the record

I don't think a bad example of an SL60 will be too collectible though as only decent to very good ones will do this. I don' think there will be too many nice late SL500's to be honest which is why I bought mine. Although there are many more they are after less well looked after than an SL60. I have seem quite a few bad SL500's. My first one was pretty poor.

 

[dinoy]

your sl60 cannot be bought back r u in touch n how much u sold it for btw

 

[rockits]

Jay bought my SL60 and has spent a tidy sum getting her in fine fettle. I don't think that SL60 will be seeing the marketplace again anytime soon

 

[biturbo]

Yes Rockit came to look at my sl but there was too much work that he was not prepared to take on. We had a good chat and shared many similar interests. Focusing on bad bits, The hood is old looking and the plastic cracking in places. There are various minor little bits and bobs that don't need much spending just abit of time. Still in better condition than 95 percent of the r129 I've seen even in the shows and get togethers. The wheels are good but there is bubbling on the screws on some of the split rims. I've had 3 offers already on it, should of took the first offer before I did a full service and road taxed as it was 19k which is around what I'll sell it for. After talking to dean for me the best solution is to sell the expensive parts on eBay and replace with cheaper original parts. I think this will be what I'm going to do if I don't sell the car soon. I'll sell my 1k eisemann exhaust and get the 100 original replacement. Sell chrome original Door pins for sale currently in eBay £180 lol, what was I thinking and amg orginal pedals amg original foot matts. All sell and replaced by getting the stock much cheaper ones. I've seen in a breakers yard a 60k r129 with grey interior and spoke to the guy he said I can have for 800 the lot. I bought my steering wheel leather and birds eye for £350 Intop with the silver arrow and stitched dash and stitched door cards I'll be better off anything I can more than 800. Everyone who has seen the car said it adds no value the work done better left orginal. Therefor I'm just going to strip it back. Seems silly to me but the difference will be in the *,*** so worth doing. Trouble is like most people time is prescious and maybe a new hood and wheels and a quick detail but would that extra expense get the sale? Me I've always thought mechanicals where the most important. I guess I've not bought and sold enough cars. It's far better to have immaculate wheels and paintwork than new brake discs pads, new tyres new suspension new service parts shall we say etc as its much more visible. i did this with the sl as I got white hair with the s600 I had because I think it was the opposite. Looked 100 percent but I had to pay 1k on new brake discs in first month and 2 new tyres at 600. Not to mention abc pump going due to lack of service on it.

 

[biturbo]

On a side note the estate agent who came to my house to view work done and value it said something of similar merit. He said doing the drains and reworking electrics is not going to be high value and you will not get your money back when you come to sell. However placing a fountain in the front will probably x10 the outlay when you come to sell. Lessons learnt in both regards by me.