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2004 SL 600

2K views 23 replies 13 participants last post by  alabbasi 
#1 ·
Howdy,
I've been mostly on the W126 Forum, talking about my '89 560 SEC, but am considering buying a 2004 SL 600.
I'm a little confused by the nomenclature, though.
It seems that the R230 was introduced in 2001, but the 2004 is still a R-129, yet the 2004 SL 600 I'm considering is clearly a R-129.
Can somebody explain?
Here's the car I'm considering. I would be grateful for any thoughts on this car: 1994 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Roadster | eBay
Thanks, Joe
PS: here's my SEC
 

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#4 ·
Thanks for that. Someone else mentioned the possibility of having to replace the wiring harnesses.
Appreciate the clarification on the year.
 
#5 ·
If 600s were like everything else it wouldn't be so bad. But they are worse in that they suffer the crumbling insulation problem on the engine harness / body mounted, which is about a $3k harness (if available) and over 30 hours of skilled labor to replace, so people don't do it, they patch instead.
 
#6 ·
Nice SEC you got there......:thumbsup:

BTW me think it a misprint.....

It should be 1994 not 2004......:wink
 
#8 · (Edited)
Looks like listing correct MY to 1994.
I bought my 1998 SL500 about 5 miles from this place.
Paid $1300
Even my wire harness is holding OK (car passed smog with 10% of allowable pollution) I already have good harness I pulled from S500. Cost me $25.
Parts for 600 are going to be so much harder to find.
I would inspect the car very carefully. Some buyers get sucked by low mileage, but if the soft top is original- it will likely crack very soon once you pull it couple of times.
 
#11 ·
my 97 has the original soft top, plastic is still in very good shape, top is still nice black color, and the PO and myself have the top going up and down quite often. IMHO if the top has been well cared for it will last a long time.

Also do NOT ever try to put the top up or down if the temp is below about 40F, maybe 50F. MB warns in the manual about lowering or raising the top in low temps causing the plastic window to crack. they give the temp limit in the manual.
 
#12 ·
Good to know cracks and peeling insulation is not consider problem. ;)
Still the point I was trying to make is that some items you can get VERY cheap on junk yards, some on ebay (I paid $28 for driver door outside panel) but once you go into dealer-only items, owning vintage vehicle can become nightmare very fast.
 
#10 ·
So, its just the '93-95 models years with the weak wiring?
 
#16 ·
what is the actual number of valves?

in the ebay ad for that 600 SL, it lists the engine as "DOHC 48 valve". I was under the impression that those early V12's were 24 valve motors, not 48.

Mileage seems awful low for a car of that vintage, and the seller is about as sparse on details as you can possibly get. Kind of strange.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for all the comments.
I guess I'll think on it a bit more before I dive into the SL pool.
Meanwhile, here's a few more pics of my 1989 560 SEC, since a couple posters seemed interested.
Petrol Blue/Taxis Gruen/Creme Beige.
Joe
 

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#20 ·
Hey Joe, good to hear from you. We met at the Centerville Gathering. Most hot climate SL's would have had their wiring harness replaced by now as they would have already failed. I don't think you need to look too far for an R129 however as there should be plenty around in Texas.

Best wishes
 
#22 ·
#24 ·
That looks like a lot of car for the money. the nice thing for you is that you can put your eyes on it before you buy and give it a proper shake down. If you decide to buy it and need parts, I have a 99 SL500 parts car in that exact color that I'll soon be dismantling.

Best wishes.
 
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