Which R129 Variant To Buy ?

[Vito]

If you are going for a 320 the V6 is an infinitely better engine.

I think the best engine is a V8 so 500 or 60... I am biased but I think all SL's from the 80's onwards were made for V8's...
Just so much more balanced.

I actually prefer the late M119 engine, I think its one of the best engines MB ever designed. Not a massive fan of the 113... not sure why maybe the 16 plugs or the leaking cam covers... I dont know, just not the same as a M119 for me.

Many thanks.

I purchased a new 350SL in 1972 with the V8 and when it was ticking over on the drive it made all the windows rattle in the old cottage I had , those were the days.

 

[Vito]

For what its worth I thought I would share my thoughts on this. I have had quite a few mercs over the years inc amg editions etc. I bought my first 129 sl last monday.. it is the 500 and after a little bit of sorting out today (still a few dashboard sensor lights occasionally appearing) I have to say that it is truly awesome. It is my weekend car so I am not bothered about poor fuel economy etc etc. I had been thinking about a 280 or 300 or tried to sell myself on the 320 and they are great cars - i viewed quite a few. A late edition 320sl with the pan roof in silver and amg kit woulkd suit lovely - but if you are on a budget and just want to enjoy the buzz of the sl then go for the v8.

Today after picking up the car from a service with the hood down through a tunnel (and the first time I found first gear to do a standing start) I can not recommend enough a v8 trust me on this, it is brutal and still has that classic merc tank like build quality. I guess it depends on what you want from the car but if you can live with 15 -20 mpg and the odd niggle here or there then go for the V8.... top tip - if it starts to get a bit moist on the road dont floor it.. it will slide all the way up the road (I found this out just as an experiment!)

Go for it and enjoy - they are all awesome and full of character in their own way...

Cheers for that.

 

[BruLan]

My 129 was a Straight six 3.2 performance was ok
My current Sunday Car is a CLK 500
Wish I had the experience of a SL500 - Best of everything !

 

[219]

I looked at a few 129's last year .

Since I am looking at the lower end of the market ( £4k ish ) there are a lot of dogs out there to be avoided .

The one nice car I looked at - one lady owner , FMBSH , clean bodywork & interior , drove well - had a problem with the electric hood which was potentially an expensive fix , so I left it . The car was a 300 with the , to me , well known and trusted M103 .

Since I would want the car for top down wafting along on nice summer days and not speeding , the 300 would be fine for me - it makes a pleasant noise , is easy to service and probably uses slightly less fuel than the bigger engined variants ( or a lot less if you use the performance of the bigger engines a lot ) . A 124 Cab is another notion , but not so many around .

With other model ranges I have also found that smaller , lighter engines can sometimes go towards better handling , due to less up front weight for the wheels to haul around when changing direction .

My SL driving experience has only been 3 short test drives , two with the owners sitting beside me , so not enough to fully evaluate the types .

 

[Vito]

I looked at a few 129's last year .

Since I am looking at the lower end of the market ( £4k ish ) there are a lot of dogs out there to be avoided .

The one nice car I looked at - one lady owner , FMBSH , clean bodywork & interior , drove well - had a problem with the electric hood which was potentially an expensive fix , so I left it . The car was a 300 with the , to me , well known and trusted M103 .

Since I would want the car for top down wafting along on nice summer days and not speeding , the 300 would be fine for me - it makes a pleasant noise , is easy to service and probably uses slightly less fuel than the bigger engined variants ( or a lot less if you use the performance of the bigger engines a lot ) . A 124 Cab is another notion , but not so many around .

With other model ranges I have also found that smaller , lighter engines can sometimes go towards better handling , due to less up front weight for the wheels to haul around when changing direction .

My SL driving experience has only been 3 short test drives , two with the owners sitting beside me , so not enough to fully evaluate the types .

I too have suffered from the ' immaculate ' and ' pristine ' descriptions on vehicles that are at best ' fair ' . I travelled sixty miles to view a 300 SL that in no way matched it's glowing report and made my displeasure known to the seller, who was most upset.

You do not expect a twenty year old vehicle to look as if it's been sat in the Mercedes Stuttgart Museum all it's life but an honest description would be nice.

I will continue my quest but as a gale is blowing and the rain is horizontal today I should really be looking for a 4x4 rather than a rag top.

 

[BTB 500]

I purchased a new 350SL in 1972 with the V8 and when it was ticking over on the drive it made all the windows rattle in the old cottage I had

R129 V8s are pretty refined (=quiet). Mine was virtually silent apart from a bit of mechanical and induction noise ... nothing much came out of the exhaust unless you were pushing hard (not really recommended on public roads). They modified the exhaust system when the M113 came in to make it sound a little 'sportier' - IIRC they dropped the centre muffler.

I first had the centre muffler removed from my M119 car, then had sports cats fitted in place of the standard ones. Each change had only a relatively small effect - it's better now, but still relatively quiet. The rear boxes are pretty effective - Sp!ke had the one on his 500 opened up and modified. I was reluctant to do this to my AMG 'accessory' box as they cost a small fortune (mine was a relative bargain from eBay.de - free delivery by my German in-laws ).

 

[Ten elena]

R129 V8s are pretty refined (=quiet). Mine was virtually silent apart from a bit of mechanical and induction noise ... nothing much came out of the exhaust unless you were pushing hard (not really recommended on public roads). They modified the exhaust system when the M113 came in to make it sound a little 'sportier' - IIRC they dropped the centre muffler.

I first had the centre muffler removed from my M119 car, then had sports cats fitted in place of the standard ones. Each change had only a relatively small effect - it's better now, but still relatively quiet. The rear boxes are pretty effective - Sp!ke had the one on his 500 opened up and modified. I was reluctant to do this to my AMG 'accessory' box as they cost a small fortune (mine was a relative bargain from eBay.de - free delivery by my German in-laws ).

I actually love how quiet the engine is. Apart from the vroom when pulling off at the traffic lights, all I hear is the tarmac/tyres and wind noise, and that's exactly how I like it. My perfect car is the one you can't hear

 

[BTB 500]

I actually love how quiet the engine is. Apart from the vroom when pulling off at the traffic lights, all I hear is the tarmac/tyres and wind noise, and that's exactly how I like it. My perfect car is the one you can't hear

We are all different I guess, I wanted my R129 to sound like a V8 rather than a household appliance

Mine is still virtually silent when cruising btw.

 

[IanA2]

We are all different I guess, I wanted my R129 to sound like a V8 rather than a household appliance

You should hear our hoover....

 

[Vito]

I am looking at a 1997 320SL 83K with full MB service history described as mint with just the odd couple of stone chips.

Is there anything I should be looking out for apart from the normal electric problems ?

Thanks.

 

[Sp!ke]

Check for originality. Those wheels for a start.

That car looks nice from the picture apart from the wheels.

The suspension looks a little high perhaps but the colour combo is my favourite.

 

[Vito]

Check for originality. Those wheels for a start.

That car looks nice from the picture apart from the wheels.

The suspension looks a little high perhaps but the colour combo is my favourite.

They are supposed to be genuine Mercedes AMG 18" polished wheels,would it be better to fit the standard wheels if I purchased the vehicle ?

I am not really familiar with such a ' modern ' Mercedes but will ask a lot of questions of the owner and inspect all the paperwork with the car tomorrow.

I agree it is a lovely colour combination

Thank you for you help.

 

[Ten elena]

If it has the third brake light installed, check for leaks. Not an expensive fix, but a common weak spot.

See if you can check the catalytic converter - now that's expensive to replace if it's broken.

Of course, the roof operation - test it a couple of times.

See if there are any records of the automatic transmission fluid being changed, this should be done around every 40K miles I think - if not, this may be one of the first things to do if you buy the car.

The car looks great in the photo - hope it's a good one!

 

[Vito]

Here is a picture of the interior.

It also has the original windshield with the car.

 

[Vito]

If it has the third brake light installed, check for leaks. Not an expensive fix, but a common weak spot.

See if you can check the catalytic converter - now that's expensive to replace if it's broken.

Of course, the roof operation - test it a couple of times.

See if there are any records of the automatic transmission fluid being changed, this should be done around every 40K miles I think - if not, this may be one of the first things to do if you buy the car.

The car looks great in the photo - hope it's a good one!

Many thanks , I will check all those items and give a really good road test.

The gentleman sounds very genuine , with luck so is the vehicle.