SL60 AMG

[Custard21]

Hi All,

1st post but have been reading a lot on here for a while.

I have long been an admirer and fan of the R129 SL and been getting closer and closer to pulling the trigger. Ideally, 500, navy blue, cream interior, AMG wheels and pano from 96-98 is my perfect spec.

After a recent birthday, I have really ramped up the research and search and have stumbled across a few options... as it stands, there are 2 cars which I really like.

1 is an 500, in the correct year , navy and cream but is missing wheels and pano and relatively low mileage (65k) - is on auto trader if anyone wants to look at it.

2. is a 60 AMG (1997 (R) MERCEDES-BENZ AMG 6.0 SL60 Amg Convertible With Hardtop - Seraph Cars) .... a lot more money than I originally thought I wanted to spend but looks great (IMO) and as a rarer model (with AMG!) has now got me seriously thinking.

The car would be used only in summer months or sunny days, would be garaged and covered for rest of time and would not intend on selling.

I wanted to reach out on here to see if anyone had comments on either car (perhaps someone on here knows of the sellers and reputation?) or if anyone has an SL60 and uses as above- are they reliable? what should one expect to pay each year to keep it running nicely)? or any other helpful information.

Its at quite a punchy price but from what I can see they don't come up often and there were less than 50 produced - is this a good investment vehicle (i.e won't lose money rather than make 000's) ?

Thanks for your advice or comments - this forum has been really useful to date in getting this far!

 

[Doodle]

Neither are likely to lose money. A lot of it will come down to how badly you want an AMG version. In the cold light, it's 3-4 times the outlay for something that's not 3-4 times the car IMO, nor likely to appreciate by 3-4 times the amount - for that you need an SL73 or similar. But if you want a 129 AMG, nothing else will do. They certainly made more than 50 - ISTR a figure around 200 RHD SL60s?

129s are generally reliable and pretty easy to keep running. Parts supply is questionable on some parts and/or prices are becoming downright stupid however.

I've looked at a couple of cars that owners have bought from Seraph. Not heard any horror stories and the cars have looked to be of sound provenance but equally they're unlikely to pass on details of their buying woes when looking to sell on.

 

[BTB 500]

What Doodle said. With the SL60 you pay a huge premium for a bit of extra performance and exclusivity ... for most people a nice & well sorted 500 (assuming you can find one) makes much more sense. If you are buying for summer usage and have a garage for the car I wouldn't worry too much about a pano. roof - you'll likely be driving it with the top down (otherwise why buy a convertible?!), and fitting/removing the hardtop is a 2 person job which you won't want to do frequently (the pano. version is also significantly heavier). It must be 8+ years since I last had the hardtop on mine.

There are various AMG wheel options for the R129, but the staggered 18" 2-piece ones on that SL60 suit the car perfectly IMHO (they're what I have on my 500). They are worth a fair bit of money now and many will be 1-piece replicas, which look OK for a fraction of the price. Adverts frequently try to pass these off as genuine AMGs though so keep your eyes open.

 

[BRN9121]

The 6.0 V8 M119 car was the longest-running AMG model.
Initially, it was released in 1989 as the earliest AMG modified model known as the AMG 500SL 6.0.
It, later on, evolved into the SL60 which had its fuel distribution and wiring harness updated.

You can't go wrong with that model, it is available and relatively speaking affordable prices.

The other models are difficult and rare. Only 65 SL55's were made which had the latest M113 engine.
The other models were all V12's ( SL70, SL72 and SL73 )

 

[flowrider]

Look for an SL600, pretty much the same car and engine as the SL60 but not as expensive to purchase.

 

[Custard21]

Neither are likely to lose money. A lot of it will come down to how badly you want an AMG version. In the cold light, it's 3-4 times the outlay for something that's not 3-4 times the car IMO, nor likely to appreciate by 3-4 times the amount - for that you need an SL73 or similar. But if you want a 129 AMG, nothing else will do. They certainly made more than 50 - ISTR a figure around 200 RHD SL60s?

129s are generally reliable and pretty easy to keep running. Parts supply is questionable on some parts and/or prices are becoming downright stupid however.

I've looked at a couple of cars that owners have bought from Seraph. Not heard any horror stories and the cars have looked to be of sound provenance but equally they're unlikely to pass on details of their buying woes when looking to sell on.

Thanks for the response Doodle. I went to have a look and tested it last night - was in pretty good condition (small amount of bobbling on paint on one panel and a few cracks on plastic internally) , has a full MB service history with all receipts and has been with the same owner since 2001. It drove well (as much as I could tell in rush hour trafffic) . I understand what you are saying about the 3/4x comparison vs the SL500 and will test one asap to see for myself.

The only issue is that at the moment I can't see a like for like comparison out there... service history, colour combination, milage and age. There is a great SL500 here Used MERCEDES SL SL500, GREEN, 5.0, Convertible, Leatherhead, Surrey | The We Love Car Group which at 30k would mean that the AMG is 2x the cost. With this in mind, does it make the SL60 "good value" ? hmmm... food for thought.

 

[Doodle]

Look for an SL600, pretty much the same car and engine as the SL60 but not as expensive to purchase.

Eh? One's a V12, the other is a V8.

 

[Custard21]

What Doodle said. With the SL60 you pay a huge premium for a bit of extra performance and exclusivity ... for most people a nice & well sorted 500 (assuming you can find one) makes much more sense. If you are buying for summer usage and have a garage for the car I wouldn't worry too much about a pano. roof - you'll likely be driving it with the top down (otherwise why buy a convertible?!), and fitting/removing the hardtop is a 2 person job which you won't want to do frequently (the pano. version is also significantly heavier). It must be 8+ years since I last had the hardtop on mine.

There are various AMG wheel options for the R129, but the staggered 18" 2-piece ones on that SL60 suit the car perfectly IMHO (they're what I have on my 500). They are worth a fair bit of money now and many will be 1-piece replicas, which look OK for a fraction of the price. Adverts frequently try to pass these off as genuine AMGs though so keep your eyes open.

Thanks BTB . Finding the "well sorted" 500 doesn't seem to be an easy feat!

Agree ref the Pano roof but if I could get with it then would like to have .

Thanks for the comment ref the AMG wheels - will also bear this in mind.

 

[Doodle]

The only issue is that at the moment I can't see a like for like comparison out there... service history, colour combination, milage and age. There is a great SL500 here Used MERCEDES SL SL500, GREEN, 5.0, Convertible, Leatherhead, Surrey | The We Love Car Group which at 30k would mean that the AMG is 2x the cost. With this in mind, does it make the SL60 "good value" ? hmmm... food for thought.

You've missed the boat to be honest, the middle of summer is exactly the wrong time to be buying a convertible car. Wait a few months for the current market craziness to pass and winter to come, unless you want to pay through the nose.

That would have been a 20k car back in February/March, dealers are chancing their arm in the hope someone will bite. They haven't even prepped it properly before sale - the residue around the neck of the header tank suggests it's leaking, and it's been off the road for at least 18 months given the MoT expiry

 

[BTB 500]

That would have been a 20k car back in February/March

Ah but the AMG badge on the back increases the value significantly Agree about the prep, the colour is a bit 'Marmite', and what's going on with those rear light clusters ... they look like they've been wrapped?!

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

Looks to be a nice car but do agree that its a bit expensive, better to buy earlier or later in the year. No heated seats or folding mirrors either.

 

[flowrider]

Eh? One's a V12, the other is a V8.

Apologies, you are correct, I was confusing the 60 with the 72.

 

[Doodle]

Now if one were considering acquiring an SL72/73...that's a different matter entirely. I'm sorry, I appear to be drooling.

 

[Will]

I’ve driven past this place quite a few times recently. Funny enough I saw an SL60 with an appropriate (model related plate) a few weeks ago close by (Chiswick) - pretty sure it was the same colour. Looked nice on the road if it was the same car

Can’t remember the registration off hand - something like R6 OSL or something!

 

[maggot]

The Seraph car is R160 ACC. It's had a full respray because the owner felt like it and a 10k price bump since it was first advertised.

 

[Will]

That sounds likely to be the same car then. Had a ‘60’ in there for sure!

 

[BRN9121]

Ah but the AMG badge on the back increases the value significantly Agree about the prep, the colour is a bit 'Marmite', and what's going on with those rear light clusters ... they look like they've been wrapped?!

View attachment 115474

Well, for a start... that AMG badge is not period correct.

 

[Wagon]

I love my pano roof on my SL500 .
I recently did a 750 mile road trip to the Borders with my mates and I had the hard top on the SL for all of it , I love the pano roof..

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

So what was the outcome @Custard21 ?

 

[BTB 500]

So what was the outcome @Custard21 ?

He's not been here since his last post above: