1996 SL600

[Wunderkind]

Hello everyone

I am new to this Mercedes Benz forum.

I am thinking about buying a 1996 SL600. Since it is a 10 year old car now, I am quite open minded about the need to spend some money to make sure the car is in good order both mechanically and aesthetically.

I would be most grateful if the current (and past) owners of SL600 could give me some guidance as to what I can expect. The areas I am most concerned about are:

1) The engine - I know the M120 engine has some niggly problem such as oil leaks and faulty wiring harness. How much does it cost to rectify these and other problems so the engine could be good as new? What is the worst case scenario?

2) The gearbox - I know from experience the Mercedes 5-speeder is quite bulletproof mated to the M119 V8 engine. But are there any problems with the V12?

3) The adjustable suspension - The car I'm looking at has adjustable suspension. The ride height could be adjusted by a button next to the headlight dial-switch. Any problems with this? Is it expensive to fix?

4) The convertible roof - I know the hydraulic cylinders need renewing or reconditioned after years of service. But are there other problems with the roof mechanisms such as burnt motors, rust, worn fabric, and opaque rear window. Are there problems expensive to fix?

5) The panoramic hardtop. Any problems there?

Thank you for being so patient in reading this lengthy post. Please feel free to include any problems that you know of in your reply.

Many thanks

Stan

[cdk4219]

Well my car is a 95 with 115,000 on it. It might be a lot easier to tell you what is actually working on the car than it would be to tell you what is broken. Everything is expensive to fix, and quite a few things are over engineered. The 96 should have a good harness so you would have that going for you.

[Wunderkind]

Thanks for your response.

But I think I'm gonna stay away from this particular 1996 example. The car salesman has been reluctant to provide me with the car's service and other history.............................

[msbarsi]

Run away on the spot then. No service history no past too many question marks about the future.
In case the car really interests you try to lower the price by a fair amount.

Cheers.

[Wunderkind]

Originally Posted by msbarsi

Run away on the spot then. No service history no past too many question marks about the future.
In case the car really interests you try to lower the price by a fair amount.

Cheers.

Thanks for your advice. I thought the last thing I needed was to have purchased the car and only to find out there are all sorts of problems. Perhaps the engine needs an extensive rebuild job that requires the whole thing to be pulled out from the engine bay. Or the adjustable suspension system (and the car's hydraulic system) need a full refurb job performed.

Furthermore, the car might have had some accidents and not properly repaired. When I saw the car, I drew comfort from the fact that the panel gaps were quite even and the paint work looked original. But I'm sure there would have been some nasty surprises underneath.

Oh well, the search for a pristine low-mileage SL600 continues......................................... ..

PS: By the way, has anyone had problems with the heated electric seats of his/her R129?

[msbarsi]

I have them even if mine is only a SL 320 and they still cook my behind and my back pretty good eheheheh.

Cheers.