[Tonye]

Go for a later 320 98-02 with the 112 v6, will last for ever.

 

[e-420]

I've had two cars with the M119, my 97E420 and the 97 SL500. The E420 had 190K on, the SL has 98K. In general the M119 is a reliable trouble free engine. Now the vacuum hoses, another story, they need replacing every 6-8 years. Normal maintenance is easy peasy. Some have had problems with the plastic cam oiler system, and/or valve cover gaskets leaking.

As the years have gone by, I see R129's splitting into two classes, with the classes moving further and further apart.
1) the Majority have gone through mulitple owners, getting rough, little maintenance and way up there in "dog years".
2) A few with one/two maybe 3 owners, well maintained, full or near full service records from dealer or good indy and kept in very good shape.

or (3) a complete deal killer, 97 or later without at least TWO working keys!!!

8 years ago we spent over a year looking for a (2), and we wanted red, and a 96 or later. Those 3 complicated the search but we did finally find one, zero door dings, paint in excellent condition, interior looked new, one owner, full service records, well maintained, seldom driven in the rain, soft top still in decent condition. Even with that it did have some things I needed to fix, drivers side mirror had leaked it's stuff out, a few switches needed replacing, hood pad breaking down, and the vacuum hoses deteriorated. along with getting new shocks and tossing the OEM brake pads for a set of Akebono's and new rotors.

 

[355190E26]

My recommendations: Keep an eye on Craigslist both in SoCal and the Bay Area. There's a lot of clean R129s up here in the Bay Area, many are still original owner cars and garaged w/ low miles. Lots of older folks bought them new as secondary cars and now we're starting to see more of them hit the market for sale. (I got mine from an owner who had to stop driving)
I've also done inspections for forum members of the yrs.

 

[Benica]

One owner 2002 SL 500 here.
70K miles. Black w/grey interior.
3 keys. Records. Seats look new as always used seat covers. Soft top...16 months ago replaced. Cylinders? Tops replaced 8 months ago.
For sale??
Twist my arm...

 

[wlb50]

Go for a later 320 98-02 with the 112 v6, will last for ever.

Unfortunately they never sold the 112 V6 in the R129 in North America

 

[ronster1]

Hello everyone! My grandparents like my R129 so much despite all the things wrong with it they are strongly considering their own. They are looking at a later model SL500 ideally but SL320 or SL600 they would consider. Looking for well maintained great condition, no issues and ideally garage kept most of all. An AMG Sport would be nice but Grey Silver or Tan interior would be ideal. No modifications except for an aftermarket radio would be best. Budget is up to $20,000 but maybe higher for a special edition model. Higher miles aren’t a problem. Have y’all seen any listings that meet these criteria somewhat or are selling your own R129s?

Edit: Mods, If this is the wrong place to ask this please move it or delete.

I'll sell you my well-maintained 1990 500SL (crimson/tan) with less than 65k miles.

 

[[email protected]]

Let me second some ideas posted above. BringaTrailer has some really excellent cars, and the commenters to the auctions provide a lot of insight. Prices are not cheap, but you should be able to get a good one for under $20K. The second option is to join the Mercedes Benz Club of America. Their monthly Star magazine has an excellent classified ad section, and you could find a good R129 there. People who post there tend to be collectors who have taken good care of their cars. Again, not rock bottom Craigslist prices but a much better chance of ending up with a good car. I doubt your grandparents want to be chasing repair issues on a 20-30 year old Mercedes. Life is too short. The best advice I have heard is to buy the best maintained one that you can afford. It is cheapest in the long run and certainly most enjoyable.

 

[daddy'sbenz]

Hello everyone! My grandparents like my R129 so much despite all the things wrong with it they are strongly considering their own. They are looking at a later model SL500 ideally but SL320 or SL600 they would consider. Looking for well maintained great condition, no issues and ideally garage kept most of all. An AMG Sport would be nice but Grey Silver or Tan interior would be ideal. No modifications except for an aftermarket radio would be best. Budget is up to $20,000 but maybe higher for a special edition model. Higher miles aren’t a problem. Have y’all seen any listings that meet these criteria somewhat or are selling your own R129s?

Edit: Mods, If this is the wrong place to ask this please move it or delete.

Where are you or they located? I did not see it or missed it.

 

[Flashdawg007?]

Hello everyone! My grandparents like my R129 so much despite all the things wrong with it they are strongly considering their own. They are looking at a later model SL500 ideally but SL320 or SL600 they would consider. Looking for well maintained great condition, no issues and ideally garage kept most of all. An AMG Sport would be nice but Grey Silver or Tan interior would be ideal. No modifications except for an aftermarket radio would be best. Budget is up to $20,000 but maybe higher for a special edition model. Higher miles aren’t a problem. Have y’all seen any listings that meet these criteria somewhat or are selling your own R129s?

Edit: Mods, If this is the wrong place to ask this please move it or delete.

How about a 2005 SL600 V12 twin turbo with 83,000 miles? Clean car fax. New A/C and going next week for some top work. Black with tan/white interior, all original, garage kept. Just had 80K maintenance completed. $24,000.

 

[Maxey]

Hello everyone! My grandparents like my R129 so much despite all the things wrong with it they are strongly considering their own. They are looking at a later model SL500 ideally but SL320 or SL600 they would consider. Looking for well maintained great condition, no issues and ideally garage kept most of all. An AMG Sport would be nice but Grey Silver or Tan interior would be ideal. No modifications except for an aftermarket radio would be best. Budget is up to $20,000 but maybe higher for a special edition model. Higher miles aren’t a problem. Have y’all seen any listings that meet these criteria somewhat or are selling your own R129s?

Edit: Mods, If this is the wrong place to ask this please move it or delete.

Hi, are you still looking for an R129. I did put the following post up 2 day ago on BenzWorld forum:

Hey guys,
After owning my R129 for almost 21 years I have, sadly, decided I should sell her. I bought her as a 'Starmarked' used car from Mercedes Benz Manhattan in Jan 2001 with 9,000 miles. She now has 58,700 and in beautiful condition. She only gets driven a few times from Spring - Fall and it's time she went to an enthusiast that will drive her more.
She's not 'mint' but all the items are small cosmetic ones. Engine, paint and upholstery are excellent. Anyone that is interested please reply to me and I'll send you pictures and much more detail. I've come to this forum first to try and find an enthusiast rather than the usual car sites.
I want $15,000 which I think is a fair price for a car like this. The car is located near near Morristown NJ.

Yes, I would love her to go to someone that loves this car. Hoping it's not too cheap that someone just 'flips' it but cheap enough to be a great deal. I paid $81,000 in 2001 ( it was $100k new! ). Apart from usual maintenance she hasn't given me one problem at all in almost 21 years. Thought I'd be buried in this car......LOLOLOL......
If she doesn't sell maybe it's a sign I should keep her!

Let me know if there is any interest, thank you.

 

[RESTO SL]

IMO BAT is that last place to purchase an R129. My reasons are many but I'll start with any car asking $20K+ should have an in person inspection at minimum and if you're not sure what to look for, you should have a professional do a pre-purchase inspection.

 

[John Fischer]

I bought my SL500 on eBay...took the train to Michigan and drove it back to Wisconsin...The listing on mine was incredibly thorough, and it worked out fine...

 

[Tonye]

Hi, are you still looking for an R129. I did put the following post up 2 day ago on BenzWorld forum:

This is the car for you. I read this the other day and thought of you. Go for it.

Maxey, will i get a commission if it sells 😇

 

[landt]

Why not an SL600?

The R129 600 brings a couple of downsides in exchange for a hundred horsies over the 500. There's 200 pounds extra on the front end compared to the 500. That affects handling. The 500 feels surprisingly lighter on its feet in comparison.
Plus the 600's nitrogen-topped hydraulic "Active Body Control" suspension is fun to watch lift the car a couple inches, and there's a button to change the damper rate. It hasn't been a horrible repair pig in my experience, but it's unnecessary other stuff to go wrong. It's time to replace the accumulators on my 600 (115,000 miles), whereas my 500 (167,000 miles) just keeps going.

 

[landt]

Both my R129s came from ebay. The owners were honest, each offering cars that were in good shape. I flew to Virginia and Texas in turn, then drove back home to Pensacola. (I nearly totaled the SL500 on a huge tortoise east of Houston.) I was well treated by both sellers.
On the other hand, we bought a '99 SL500 locally on Craigslist that was not in the best shape. It's remarkable how little work it took to bring it back up. I replaced a badly defective tire, the MAP sensor, the two hydraulic cylinders in the windshield header, and suddenly it was an SL again. There's a deep vein of quality in these cars.

 

[JohnEB]

A great places to find used SLs is the classified ads on the Mercedes Benz Club of America website.

It is open for non-members to view.
www.mbca.org

Good, enthusiast -owned cars....beats Craigslist and the like.

 

[jdgretz]

I found mine using cargurus.com I searched specifically for a 2002 and found a relatively nice one in Texas at a reasonable price (so I thought until I started fixing the poor work done by the previous owner(s) ). I'm now into mine for about $21K and will be doing a hood repaint in the spring, and a seat recovering ($1000) before the end of the year. It should be fully sorted at that point with only ongoing regular maintenance to worry about.

Taking a quick look at the listings in CarGurus, there are several final facelift cars with the SL1 and SL2 packages for well under $20K that look pretty good. Most will be a fly and drive sort of deal, but the prices for some of those cars would be hard to beat in CA.

Oh yeah, don't forget to get one with 2 keys (at least).

Good luck,

jdg

 

[Benica]

The R129 600 brings a couple of downsides in exchange for a hundred horsies over the 500. There's 200 pounds extra on the front end compared to the 500. That affects handling. The 500 feels surprisingly lighter on its feet in comparison.
Plus the 600's nitrogen-topped hydraulic "Active Body Control" suspension is fun to watch lift the car a couple inches, and there's a button to change the damper rate. It hasn't been a horrible repair pig in my experience, but it's unnecessary other stuff to go wrong. It's time to replace the accumulators on my 600 (115,000 miles), whereas my 500 (167,000 miles) just keeps going.

315 vs 389 horse power difference.....

 

[Benica]

A great places to find used SLs is the classified ads on the Mercedes Benz Club of America website.

It is open for non-members to view.
www.mbca.org

Good, enthusiast -owned cars....beats Craigslist and the like.

Really is an informative magazine.
Worth the membership.
And so is this site...nominal membership fee....and yet....

 

[Maxey]

This is the car for you. I read this the other day and thought of you. Go for it.

Maxey, will i get a commission if it sells 😇

Thank you for thinking of me, that is so kind. Would love her to go to someone that just loves this model. ......I find all the SL's beautiful but just think this shape was the best (in my opinion). 2 active kids keep me in an suv or truck so she never gets driven. Will ask for first refusal to buy her back. All the best.