[FloridaGeek]

I have caught the Fever and see myself in an SL500. But is a 97-02 R129 a realistic daily driver? I drive maybe 7500 miles/yr at most - an occasional 250-mile jaunt but usually if I drive 40 miles in a day that's a lot.

I had a 98 S420 and I regret not keeping it; the evaporator blew at 195k and I got talked out of fixing it. Everything else on the car was fine, it was a bank vault on wheels.

I have been reading about the R129 at length and think I know the trouble spots. I don't expect a 20-year-old car to be repair free, but I'm not Mr Moneybags either.. And I can do some work myself. There seems to be a goodly number on the market nationally at around 100k miles and 6000-8000 USD.

So do I wait for the fever to pass, or follow the dream?

 

[4wdave]

Follow the dream! You seem to be realistic in your expectations. My $6000 '99 had 100k miles, and I spent ~$4000 doing all the neglected maintenance. If you get one with excellent maintenance history, you'll probably spend ~$10,000 anyway.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Benica]

It's only...money.
And none of us are getting out of here alive.. buy one.
We've 2 R129's...one purchased new and one we are the 2nd owner.
Daily drivers except snow, rain.
You don't know what you are buying in used...owners are not always forthcoming with complete issues.
So...maintenance records are valued aids. Overall condition.
Expect to have something go bad...daily driver or not.

 

[ceta4zng]

I bought my 2002 Silver Arrow with 100k miles on it almost 5 years ago (November 2015) and now have 144k. I daily mine -- but I have only an 8.1 mile commute and my two sons are in college so the very large percentage of my driving is me by myself. I drive it year-round, in rain and have even been caught in the occasional snow storm. It gets dirty, I clean it. It is a car, not an egg. Had a little bit of catch up maintenance at first but it has probably been one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. I've had two check engine lights in 5 years - both from the gasoline station jockey not tightening my gas cap correctly (c'mon man, you are supposed to be a professional).

I started taking my car on business trips (anything inside about 6 hour drive) from NJ to Boston, DC, Virginia, etc. as I figure the 45 minutes to the airport to get there 90 minutes early for a 90 minute flight, then to hotel or meeting...just easier to jump in the car, put the top down and hit the road. Winds up being about the same time commitment door to door anyway, and the R129 really shines out on the highway. I made a 12 hour drive (each way) to Evansville, IN last spring -- just on impulse, shot out there to meet some college hoop buddies and watch the D2 Elite 8 my school was competing in. Even when I bought it -- flew into Nashville and drove it home 13 hours first time I sat in the seat.

For me, I wanted to buy something with some miles on it so I wasn't tempted to think that it would appreciate in value if I kept it hidden in the garage and never let it get dirty. I believe you should buy the vehicle that you WANT to sit in every day. And then do just that...drive it every chance you get. It is very freeing to not worry about the odometer or a rock chip on the front bumper, because you are experiencing your car and letting it do what it was built to do, even in bad weather.

 

[ceta4zng]

And I should add -- I have done 99% of the repair and maintenance myself. The only time the car has been to the dealer, was to buy a second key. And the only time an indy has had it was to give the A/C system a checkup.

 

[sushipaste]

It’s very possible. I’m a junior in college, but I make it work by doing 50% of the work myself and leaving the complicated 50% to a reputable and fair priced specialist. Bought a firemist 01 last September and had to do catch-up maintenance , still am but it’s been a great car.

Get yourself a sport package one!

 

[jdgretz]

My 2002 SL500 is my daily driver. After doing or fixing the work that either wasn't done or wasn't done correctly, I've probably got close to $18K in mine - that does include a new top at $1600 installed. The car is a pretty nice 5-foot car at this point.

 

[sushipaste]

My 2002 SL500 is my daily driver. After doing or fixing the work that either wasn't done or wasn't done correctly, I've probably got close to $18K in mine - that does include a new top at $1600 installed. The car is a pretty nice 5-foot car at this point.

damn, 1600 for the top? Who did it for you and what color?

 

[BRN9121]

Here's my story..

I bought a 99 SL500 for 5k, transformed it completely into an AMG model, and thought I would keep it as my weekend car.
I was wrong, I driver her every day.

The average temperatures here range from 95F to 130F from June to Sept.

I am loving every mile of it. It's perfect.

 

[jdgretz]

damn, 1600 for the top? Who did it for you and what color?

A local automotive interior shop in Chatsworth, California (Chatsworth Auto Upholstery - good folks). GAHH OEM quality w/6 year warranty. Cash deal. Excellent work. These guys have a very good reputation with the custom car bunch.

Looks like the top is currently on sale for $560 direct from GAHH.

HTH

jdg

 

[apeman]

I use my 97 SL500 for daily driving around the SF Bay area. It is perfect for that, no matter the weather (it never is below freezing), and with either the hard or soft top it is relatively quiet at freeway speeds (but not like my much missed E430 sedan). I do not use it to travel up to the mountains in the snowy months -- no 4wd, and not enough ground clearance. I have a GL550, or my GF's GLK350 for that. I bought mine with 84K miles about 5 years ago, and am now at 100K, so I do not put many miles on it. I have only needed to replace tires, lightbulbs, and one ignition coil, so it has not been a money pit. I did put in a new leather interior kit to make the seats look like new. All day job, but very much worth it. It is a very fun car, and I get admiring looks all the time.

 

[RDARoadstar]

I have caught the Fever and see myself in an SL500. But is a 97-02 R129 a realistic daily driver? I drive maybe 7500 miles/yr at most - an occasional 250-mile jaunt but usually if I drive 40 miles in a day that's a lot.

I had a 98 S420 and I regret not keeping it; the evaporator blew at 195k and I got talked out of fixing it. Everything else on the car was fine, it was a bank vault on wheels.

I have been reading about the R129 at length and think I know the trouble spots. I don't expect a 20-year-old car to be repair free, but I'm not Mr Moneybags either.. And I can do some work myself. There seems to be a goodly number on the market nationally at around 100k miles and 6000-8000 USD.

So do I wait for the fever to pass, or follow the dream?

Following what @4wdave said, I drive an SL320 with 110k miles on it. I bought it for 3,500 and I already put nearly 10k into fixing it up. The check engine light is on, ever since we bought it and it has issues whenever you disconnect and re-connect the battery but regardless of all that, it still drives and handles like a dream. I do occasionally rev it up but with the I6, you don’t have as much power available until you reach 3000 rpms and above. It’s shining features are mainly how spacious the interior is, as I managed to shove and carry around a teenager’s room sized amount of items in the trunk and the “backseat” storage area, it’s looks, especially the front of the car, and for me, its OEM Bose sound system still kicks but it’s definitely showing age, as some bass lines from the door speakers make the door rattle. Other than that, be ready to spend a pretty penny on the convertible aspect of the car, usually the convertible hydraulics cost around $500 to $700 dollars, and then a brand new soft top may run you $400 and above. The R129 is a marvelous vehicle, and it really shines when you drive around town.

 

[FATHERTIME]

Bought my 98 5 years ago with 55k on it it now has 115K In total I have 27K in it. Long trips and short trips make this a real fun and comfortable ride I keep it in new condition cause I like working on them I have 3 SL's so they keep me busy😎

 

[asheus3]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and it's been my dream to own one of these SLs. I am currently in California and plan to buy one of these soon as a daily driver and then take it with me to New York next year.This forum is a treasure trove of information but honestly it is a little intimidating as well. I don't know where to start. I can see how maintenance is key but there is an element of unpredictability as well. I have been looking on AutoTrader and Carfax for clean titles. Would you all prefer a low-mileage (25-30k) 2002 SL500 over lets say a 1996 SL500 (75-90k)?
I'm willing to spend around 10-12k on a well maintained refreshed car. Any ideas would help? Thanks

 

[sushipaste]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and it's been my dream to own one of these SLs. I am currently in California and plan to buy one of these soon as a daily driver and then take it with me to New York next year.This forum is a treasure trove of information but honestly it is a little intimidating as well. I don't know where to start. I can see how maintenance is key but there is an element of unpredictability as well. I have been looking on AutoTrader and Carfax for clean titles. Would you all prefer a low-mileage (25-30k) 2002 SL500 over lets say a 1996 SL500 (75-90k)?
I'm willing to spend around 10-12k on a well maintained refreshed car. Any ideas would help? Thanks

Typically I'd say go for the higher mileage if well maintained, but the 1999-2002 Sl's (particularly sport package ones) are way better looking inside and out than 1998 and prior

 

[jdgretz]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and it's been my dream to own one of these SLs. I am currently in California and plan to buy one of these soon as a daily driver and then take it with me to New York next year.This forum is a treasure trove of information but honestly it is a little intimidating as well. I don't know where to start. I can see how maintenance is key but there is an element of unpredictability as well. I have been looking on AutoTrader and Carfax for clean titles. Would you all prefer a low-mileage (25-30k) 2002 SL500 over lets say a 1996 SL500 (75-90k)?
I'm willing to spend around 10-12k on a well maintained refreshed car. Any ideas would help? Thanks

I specifically looked for a 2002. Why? It's the newest of the R129s. That means the plastic is the newest, has all the latest improvements, etc. At least that was the theory. In reality, the plastics are going to be broken, on their way to being broken, or have been replaced as they already broke. Again, I wanted something with relatively low mileage as I planned to drive it 20-30,000 miles annually. Since I purchased from a dealer, I picked up a two year warranty. I expect that anything major that goes wrong will probably happen within two years, or one month after the warranty expires. But, if I have a major problem (unlikely it now seems) the warranty will pay for itself in that one repair.

Turns out that having the last model year also means it has some relatively unique parts when compared to something like a '96 (front bumper, driving lights, and tow hook covers for starters). Also, currently you cannot get replacement keys for one newer than 96 (95?). That is probably the biggest drawback, and one of the most important things to look for when purchasing.

On the plus side, anything after 1995 is supposed to have the automatic rain sensing windshield wipers as standard, the 2000-2002 are more likely to have Xenon HID, self leveling lights (nice feature). You bypass the biodegradable wiring harness, and get the 5-speed transmission (although some will argue that the earlier motor is better because of slightly higher horse power rating).

Also, look at CarGurus.com and Bring A Trailer for your R129. Great resources.

Where in California are you located? I'm in SoCal as are several other folks here. Also find the R129 SL Class - Mercedes Benz page on Facebook. Lots of good folks there as well.

Good luck on your search,

jdg

 

[BRN9121]

Well, logically? It is always a good idea to purchase the "new and improved" version of any product.
Some will argue that is not always the case.

The bottom line? You are probably investing in a newer car and parts may be more abundant for that later model than older ones.

 

[asheus3]

I specifically looked for a 2002. Why? It's the newest of the R129s. That means the plastic is the newest, has all the latest improvements, etc. At least that was the theory. In reality, the plastics are going to be broken, on their way to being broken, or have been replaced as they already broke. Again, I wanted something with relatively low mileage as I planned to drive it 20-30,000 miles annually. Since I purchased from a dealer, I picked up a two year warranty. I expect that anything major that goes wrong will probably happen within two years, or one month after the warranty expires. But, if I have a major problem (unlikely it now seems) the warranty will pay for itself in that one repair.

Turns out that having the last model year also means it has some relatively unique parts when compared to something like a '96 (front bumper, driving lights, and tow hook covers for starters). Also, currently you cannot get replacement keys for one newer than 96 (95?). That is probably the biggest drawback, and one of the most important things to look for when purchasing.

On the plus side, anything after 1995 is supposed to have the automatic rain sensing windshield wipers as standard, the 2000-2002 are more likely to have Xenon HID, self leveling lights (nice feature). You bypass the biodegradable wiring harness, and get the 5-speed transmission (although some will argue that the earlier motor is better because of slightly higher horse power rating).

Also, look at CarGurus.com and Bring A Trailer for your R129. Great resources.

Where in California are you located? I'm in SoCal as are several other folks here. Also find the R129 SL Class - Mercedes Benz page on Facebook. Lots of good folks there as well.

Good luck on your search,

jdg

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. It is amazing how one can find people so passionate about the R129. I do agree with your thinking as well and I am more inclined to get a recent model. I am looking everywhere these days and found a car in SoCal which has low mileage and looks clean. However, the price seems a bit high for me as the sweet spot is around 10-12k. Not sure if these people negotiate. Were you able to get a decent deal from the dealer? Did they offer you a discount?

2001 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 500 found on Carsforsale.com®

This 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 500 is listed on Carsforsale.com® for $16,500 in Escondido, CA

www.carsforsale.com

I am located in San Francisco and want to enjoy driving this R129 in NorCal. Has always been a dream!

 

[sushipaste]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. It is amazing how one can find people so passionate about the R129. I do agree with your thinking as well and I am more inclined to get a recent model. I am looking everywhere these days and found a car in SoCal which has low mileage and looks clean. However, the price seems a bit high for me as the sweet spot is around 10-12k. Not sure if these people negotiate. Were you able to get a decent deal from the dealer? Did they offer you a discount?

2001 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 500 found on Carsforsale.com®

This 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 500 is listed on Carsforsale.com® for $16,500 in Escondido, CA

www.carsforsale.com

I am located in San Francisco and want to enjoy driving this R129 in NorCal. Has always been a dream!

Look on craigslist too. Thats where i found mine. Nitpick everything wrong and you can get one with maybe 50 - 60k miles for about 12 k or less. You shouldn't have trouble finding the perfect one for you as CA offers nice ass examples pretty often. Too bad you aren't in socal, you could drive around the la area and find a few that are nice and simply ask the owners if they're selling

 

[BRN9121]

The color itself is worth 10k 😉