sl r129 anyone taken the risk on a 3/4k car
Discussion
Hi Everyone,
have posted on here before but can't for the life of me remember my user name or password! anyways.
my question is i'm starting to look sl's r129 and wanted to know if anyone has taken the plunge on a 3/4k car, if so was it something ou instantly regretted?!
i have that kind of money to spend and top of the is the sl, i've owned everything else around this price bracket that i'm interested in 928's 635csi etc.
have posted on here before but can't for the life of me remember my user name or password! anyways.
my question is i'm starting to look sl's r129 and wanted to know if anyone has taken the plunge on a 3/4k car, if so was it something ou instantly regretted?!
i have that kind of money to spend and top of the is the sl, i've owned everything else around this price bracket that i'm interested in 928's 635csi etc.
I paid £4250 for a 1998 (facelift) R129 320 SL in blue with black leather couple of years ago. Well equipped, paint was a little tatty in places but buffed up well, mechanically perfect. Sold it 18 months later for £3400 needing tyres, service, wheel refurb to a bloke in Germany. By that time I had put around 6,000 miles on it to bring the total up to 166,000!
At the time earler cars were in your range and the price for a facelift was around £6k with fewer miles of course.
So don't be put off my the mileage; that's the secret to getting the most bang for your buck. These cars are very well built indeed and can easily take the mileage.
At the time earler cars were in your range and the price for a facelift was around £6k with fewer miles of course.
So don't be put off my the mileage; that's the secret to getting the most bang for your buck. These cars are very well built indeed and can easily take the mileage.
I did, in April I bought a 1993 500SL for about £3500, 136,000 miles and nearly a years MOT and tax. I bought the most original car I could find, and tested everything before I bought it. It’s a high spec one, cruise control, 2 heated memory seats
I have serviced it and put 2 tyres on it and the normal distributor caps, rotor arms and front ARB bushes which seems normal for these cars, I do the work myself so the cost is parts only.
After 1600 miles I have no regrets – the acceleration is fantastic and it has averaged just over 20mpg.
I am aware of the potential costs of some of the faults and there are horror stories out there – I think the risk is worth it.
If you get one join the official Mercedes-Benz owners club, its about £40 but you get access to their parts system and service information system so you get schematics of every system on the car and instructions to do all maintenance, replacement and diagnostic activities the same as the dealers get.
Go for it!
I have serviced it and put 2 tyres on it and the normal distributor caps, rotor arms and front ARB bushes which seems normal for these cars, I do the work myself so the cost is parts only.
After 1600 miles I have no regrets – the acceleration is fantastic and it has averaged just over 20mpg.
I am aware of the potential costs of some of the faults and there are horror stories out there – I think the risk is worth it.
If you get one join the official Mercedes-Benz owners club, its about £40 but you get access to their parts system and service information system so you get schematics of every system on the car and instructions to do all maintenance, replacement and diagnostic activities the same as the dealers get.
Go for it!
sounds great, i think i'm gonna take the plunge when i find the right car. like you i know the risks, but i do basic work myself and have a great mechanic for anything i can't do!
if you could let me know if you see or hear of any cars up for sale that might be right for me that would be great!, mileage doesn't bother me as long as its been looked after properly.
if you could let me know if you see or hear of any cars up for sale that might be right for me that would be great!, mileage doesn't bother me as long as its been looked after properly.
I would think a £3500 R129 would be a much, much better bet than a 928 or a 636CSi at the same price. The R129 is not known for rusting, is beautifully built (I would think similar to the Porsche & BMW) and has very tough running gear
The R129 is in a bit of a price dip right now and good cars are starting to appreciate. There are plenty to choose from so I'd find a nice 500 in a good colour and enjoy it!
Nick Froome
The R129 is in a bit of a price dip right now and good cars are starting to appreciate. There are plenty to choose from so I'd find a nice 500 in a good colour and enjoy it!
Nick Froome
There was a similar thread recently and I was quick to deride the op for there even being such a thing as a £3-4K 129 - I was wrong! I looked on ebay etc and there were quite a few and I was bloody shocked - awesome amount of car for the money! However, they do rust in places (wheel arches principally) and when things go wrong, they are bloody expensive.
I bought mine a couple of years ago for £7K and spent another £3k getting it right(ish). The air con still doesn't work but I'm not bothered by that as I have never driven it with the roof up - heaters are brilliant and a midnight cruise with the roof down and the heater on (draft excluder in place) is a pretty brilliant experience.
I would advise to get the very best you can - as big engined cars are about as popular as syphilis at the moment, the worlds your oyster! Get full history, low miles and mint body, make sure the hardtop is good and that EVERYTHING works. Parts are effing pricey if you have to get the bits from MB - I had a problem with the intermittant wipers on mine and it turned out to be a simple relay... after MB sold me the wrong one ("Oh that multi relay always goes!") and I eventually tracked down the correct one, I was close to a thousand quid... on two relays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MB did refund me the £400 odd for te incorrect one, eventually.
My 500 still surprises me just how bloody quick it is - overtaking is a bloody joy and with the AMG sports exhaust (no back box) it sounds bloody glorious at higher revs, and pretty awesome just burbling around. Fuel consumption is pretty appalling at 15 ish to the gallon, but then it does spend 99% of its life in town/country lanes ( I live in Devon) so probably not representative, but if we ever go on a long run, we always take my wifes car as it is MUCH better on fuel.
Not sure if my suspension is standard or not as the car handles superbly and remains beautifully flat when cornering hard, it does have 18" wheels (235/40 on the front and 265/35 on the rear on AMG wheels) and remains very comfortable. Steering however is not an enthusiasts delight as it feels really quite "dead" and feedback is somewhat less than "epic"
However, it works beautifully and you can place the car precisely, just lacks feel.
Make sure the roof works properly as they are quite complex, equally, make sure it's in good order and the windows are good as they are pricey to replace.
Buy privately if you can from an enthusiast. Dealers at this end of the MB market don't seem to understand them and main dealers are useless on "old" stuff. Find a good specialist if you can and don't skimp.
Mine had a full MB service history and had always been run on Mobil 1 fully synthetic and engine wise, it's a joy. But it had problems where the previous owner had taken out the warning bulbs for the airbags system whch was not working, nor was the horn (related) which was the clock spring behind the steering wheel. I guess I just fell in love with mine and didn't check properly - berk!
They really are a fabulous car and if you can get a good one for your budget, then go for it without hesitation! I've been looking around for something to replace mine (just bored/fancy a change) and there really is nothing else to replace it. We have two dogs that we take with us everywhere and the rear seats were made for the pair of fat arsed buggers, and, with the draft excluder in place ( should be behind a cover in the boot) they are safe and protected - no good if you've got kids though.
I bought mine a couple of years ago for £7K and spent another £3k getting it right(ish). The air con still doesn't work but I'm not bothered by that as I have never driven it with the roof up - heaters are brilliant and a midnight cruise with the roof down and the heater on (draft excluder in place) is a pretty brilliant experience.
I would advise to get the very best you can - as big engined cars are about as popular as syphilis at the moment, the worlds your oyster! Get full history, low miles and mint body, make sure the hardtop is good and that EVERYTHING works. Parts are effing pricey if you have to get the bits from MB - I had a problem with the intermittant wipers on mine and it turned out to be a simple relay... after MB sold me the wrong one ("Oh that multi relay always goes!") and I eventually tracked down the correct one, I was close to a thousand quid... on two relays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MB did refund me the £400 odd for te incorrect one, eventually.
My 500 still surprises me just how bloody quick it is - overtaking is a bloody joy and with the AMG sports exhaust (no back box) it sounds bloody glorious at higher revs, and pretty awesome just burbling around. Fuel consumption is pretty appalling at 15 ish to the gallon, but then it does spend 99% of its life in town/country lanes ( I live in Devon) so probably not representative, but if we ever go on a long run, we always take my wifes car as it is MUCH better on fuel.
Not sure if my suspension is standard or not as the car handles superbly and remains beautifully flat when cornering hard, it does have 18" wheels (235/40 on the front and 265/35 on the rear on AMG wheels) and remains very comfortable. Steering however is not an enthusiasts delight as it feels really quite "dead" and feedback is somewhat less than "epic"
However, it works beautifully and you can place the car precisely, just lacks feel.Make sure the roof works properly as they are quite complex, equally, make sure it's in good order and the windows are good as they are pricey to replace.
Buy privately if you can from an enthusiast. Dealers at this end of the MB market don't seem to understand them and main dealers are useless on "old" stuff. Find a good specialist if you can and don't skimp.
Mine had a full MB service history and had always been run on Mobil 1 fully synthetic and engine wise, it's a joy. But it had problems where the previous owner had taken out the warning bulbs for the airbags system whch was not working, nor was the horn (related) which was the clock spring behind the steering wheel. I guess I just fell in love with mine and didn't check properly - berk!
They really are a fabulous car and if you can get a good one for your budget, then go for it without hesitation! I've been looking around for something to replace mine (just bored/fancy a change) and there really is nothing else to replace it. We have two dogs that we take with us everywhere and the rear seats were made for the pair of fat arsed buggers, and, with the draft excluder in place ( should be behind a cover in the boot) they are safe and protected - no good if you've got kids though
.
I had a 95 M 500 that I sold for 3k. It needed a 'box replacement and I couldn't face it. Car was clean, new rear window, recon leather, good AMG split rims and tyres, and 115k FSH. Felt it was a good price for honest genuine car. Guy has sorted the 'box and I understand all has worked out and he is happy. I would buy it back for 6k now!
Have moved on to an SL55 but the theatre and spirit of the car is much the same. My 129 have a back box delete and sounds better than my 55!
Let's here all about your purchase!
Have moved on to an SL55 but the theatre and spirit of the car is much the same. My 129 have a back box delete and sounds better than my 55!
Let's here all about your purchase!
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