Which engine is best for a SL?

[PeteNewHere]

I'm looking at buying an early 90's SL and I was set on a 5 litre V8 (as I've always wanted a V8), but there appear to be many more good examples of 300's around. I assume these are a 3 litre straight 6 engine, but what would I gain in ecomomy/lose in performance with this engine against the 500??

Is there a wiki article somewhere giving all the specifications of this vehicle with its different engine options??

Many thanks

 

[mct_cars]

Asking that question is like asking if you like apples or bananas. Depends who you ask!

If you're not bothered about the performance, go for the 300, if you are, 500 it is.

The 300 will be slightly better on fuel, but not by as much as you'd think.

Mercedes-Benz R129 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[IanA2]

Drive both. You will probably prefer the 500, don't drive the 6litre AMG version or you will prefer that

 

[mr. shr]

You've answered your own question with the 'always wanted a V8' statement.

I used to own a Merc V8.
The V6 engines I've owned/currently own don't come anywhere near it.

I've always said there's a nice improvement going from a straight 4 to V6.
Upgrading from V6 to V8 is like night and day.
In my opinion, of course.

 

[BTB 500]

As suggested, drive both. It's a 2-tonne car near enough, so a 3 litre has to work pretty hard.

 

[sssammm]

Try an SL60 if you can find one, and there is an SL73 for sale on P heads

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Go for the 500, it's barely less economical, much faster and is the whole point of an SL, effortless performance.

The 300 is still a great car, but the engine has to work much harder, its a good engine but beware that it will probably need a head gasket change at some point to cure oil leaks they all seem to have, and the 24v has issues of it's own, and it a very revvy engine.

My 1990 500SL was with me for 3 years and never missed a beat. If it misfires when cold or damp, then it is likely to be moisture in the distributor caps (there are 2)

 

[ivan1983]

It depends on your budget. For a given price point the quality of the straight sixes will be better than the V8s. Eg £5K should get you a nice six and £8k for a v8.

I have to say the V8 doesn't feel quick but it gathers pace pretty rapidly, I imagine the sixes struggle a bit lugging 2 tons around but i havent driven a six.

Also since you really want a V8 im not sure the SL is the best choice in stock form as it doesnt sound much like a V8 to me, its very refined and doesnt have a burble as such. i think my old 380 has a more satisfying V8 sound.

I think you need to drive both but it sounds like you're set on a V8, there is plenty of buying advice on here including some of my past threads

 

[C43AMG]

If you do what Bill ( BTB 500 ) has done and change the rear box to an AMG Box it will sound like a V8.

 

[C43AMG]

Hartzpartz has a nice low mileage R129 for sale on the Forum.

 

[Londonscottish]

Get the 500.

A mate of mine has a 320 (petrol) 211. It's very smooth but to make similar progress to my V8 he has to rev it much harder. Which is somewhat out of keeping with the character of the car.

Same goes for an SL IMHO.

 

[BTB 500]

Also since you really want a V8 im not sure the SL is the best choice in stock form as it doesnt sound much like a V8 to me, its very refined and doesnt have a burble as such.

True - the R129 exhaust was changed in the '99 facelift to make it sound a bit more 'sporty' (they dropped the centre muffler). Any exhaust shop will remove the centre box from a pre-99 car though ... I paid about £130 for this. Sp!ke modified a standard rear box to improve the sound (removal of some of the baffles, IIRC). Either mod. leaves the car looking completely stock (which I prefer), but of course should be declared for insurance.

The AMG rear box on mine actually made very little difference to the sound, but it looks very nice

 

[PeteNewHere]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the replies folks. Some really good advice in there. I've seen what looks like a very tidy 300SL on ebay that's local to me and although it's a great colour (dark blue), with the right AMG alloys etc., I just know I'll be kicking myself for not hanging out for a 500, so I'm going to give it a miss and bide my time.

Out of interest, what sort of performance and economy figures should I expect from driving a 500SL around?

 

[BTB 500]

Out of interest, what sort of performance and economy figures should I expect from driving a 500SL around?

Depends a bit on the year, and of course your driving style!

For my '97 the official figures are 0-62 in 6.5 secs, mpg 12.9/28.5/19.8 urban/extra-urban/average. On a long motorway run at moderate speeds I've had it nudging 30 mpg from a tank, but local stop/start driving is a lot worse.

 

[IanA2]

For the 60 the official 0-60 is somewhere around 5.5 I think. In reality it's quicker. Consumption pretty much as Bill says although to be honest I don't really know.

 

[BTB 500]

For the 60 the official 0-60 is somewhere around 5.5 I think.

Yup in my '97 brochure it's given as 5.8 (and 6.1 for the SL600), but I've heard of quicker times being reported on test.

 

[janner]

With a grippier surface I'm sure it would be quicker...

[YOUTUBE]zSDlS-0mvQQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Miss Ellie]

300 =

500 =

I bought my V8 when I heard her fire up the first time. Big grins ever since ...

 

[PeteNewHere]

300 =

500 =

I bought my V8 when I heard her fire up the first time. Big grins ever since ...

This is exactly why I want the V8. I bought an Alfa Romeo GTV V6 after hearing the engine and feeling the sheer torque it had - never stopped smiling with that car until the day I had to sell it.

Thanks to all once again for your support and advice.

I look forward to announcing my new car as soon as I can find the right model at the right price. Might take a while, but I'm prepared to hold out for the right one.