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1990 SL300 or 1995 SL320

6K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  deanyel 
#1 ·
If you could have one or the other, both are about the same in mileage, and shape. Which would be preferred?

I have the this situation right now and not sure which on to pick up.

kurt
 
#3 ·
does the 90 have a manual? If so it is a fairly rare us configuration. That would interest me.

And an inline 6 is a sweet engine. The V-6 is I believe a 90 degree block with a balance shaft so likely not as smooth as the inline 6.

And did the 95 320 have the same wiring problems as the 500 and 600??

My oh my, what choices!
 
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#17 · (Edited)
I think they imported about 350 manual transmission 1990 300SLs. Have a friend in the car club who had one - he needed a part for the manual tranny and there was one left - in Germany.

They are both the same engine (unless the 300 has the M103 of which none were officially sold in the US). Only issue is the wiring issue on the 1995. 6 of 1 and a half dozen of the other IMO.

Neither is the V6 M112 - those were not sold in the US - both are inline 6 DOHC.

If you had evidence of one with a recent head gasket I would go for that one.
 
#5 · (Edited)
A second facelift, introduced in late 1998, comprised new external mirrors, 17" wheels and new bumpers. Also new were the engines,
SL 280 with a M112 2.8 L 18-valve SOHC V6 (204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) at 5700 rpm),
SL 320 with a M112 3.2 L 18-valve SOHC V6 (224 PS (165 kW; 221 hp) at 5600 rpm)
SL 500 with a M113 5.0 L 24-valve SOHC V8 (306 PS (225 kW; 302 hp) at 5600 rpm).

but the 95 is indeed a inline 6.
 
#8 ·
Search and do your research on the 320, especially the Eco junk wiring issues for that year , I think 95 had that, check here and the W124 320 forum, they have a lot of 320 engine guys there, early would be nice to, but the 320 has more HP and faster! 500 is the sweet spot for these cars ,and they are fast and will get you a speeding ticket!, they do weigh a lot.
 
#10 ·
When buying I tried several cars inc a 3.0 24v 4 speed and a 3.2 HFM 5 speed.

The 5 speed won the day, the 4 speed felt very agricultural. Mines registered late 94 but 95MY, simpler electronics, can fault read using an LED and ETS instead of ASR.
Downside is it had the dodgy engine harness, TB etc. All sorted without too much hassle and expense. Budget £500 for this.

Don't rely on M/Y re the harness AIUI all HFM equipped 6s had it
 
#12 · (Edited)
Don't rely on M/Y re the harness AIUI all HFM equipped 6s had it
I don't think I've heard of any 96 or 97 SL320s with wiring harness issues. However, I agree that the MY is no guarantee because I've never seen definitive proof as to when the harness was upgraded. All I know for sure is wires in my SL don't exhibit any signs of biodegrading. I have to admit though that I don't know any service history before 2011...
 
#13 · (Edited)
sorry, but the 95 by a million miles even with the engine wiring harness problem. The electronics and sound system are wayyyy better on the 95. The early ones are a royal pain to work on when they do not work right..

The drop-down window feature is worth it's price in gold on the 95...

I say this from working on old and new ones...

Martin
 
#16 ·
300SLs have a fine peak horsepower rating - 228, but it's at 6300 RPMs which is almost redline. Torque is where you really notice the difference, especially lower end torque. 300SLs have just 201, SL320s have 232 - 15+% more. And torque and horsepower are available at much lower RPMs on the 3.2L - so it's more like 20 to 25% more power under normal driving conditions. And 3.2s don't have a hesitation when you hit the gas. When you hit the gas on a 3.0 it first says "uh...what?" and then it takes off. And once it's screaming at 3,500 RPMs it's fine. But 3.2s just have more usable power.
 
#18 ·
Manuals were available in the U.S. from 1990 to 1993 but in declining numbers each year. It's a horrid setup but they are certainly becoming way more valuable than the automatics, which of course are worthless.

Bad harnesses on 129 sixes were in model years 1994, 1995 and about 4-5 months of 1996 production. Your chances of coming across one today are extremely small. If you can't fix it yourself for about $200 you probably shouldn't be buying the car in the first place.
 
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