[ivorystar]

I am getting so tired of car dealers and eBay that I am starting to get a complex, a very evil complex. Last week I saw a really sweet black-on-black '98 Sport 500SL photographed on the internet but the driver's seat was obviously trashed, especially the bolster right on the inside edge where it would scrape against the XXL derriere of some fatty squeezing in and out of it every day. When I contacted the dealer, he told me that the leather was in excellent condition and that what I had seen was only the reflection of some trees in the photo. RIGHT!!

What are some ways to go about finding a really nice 1998 500SL?

 

[ajm0623]

1. autotrader has ten 98 sl500s listed throughout the country; you could try that (autotrader.com).

2. you could go to cars.com and pop in your parameters as well.

3. the mercedes showroom ('mercedeshowroom.com') in ft. lauderdale has a few 98s (and earlier and later models too). the cars from steve's and meta's (the owners) shop are like brand new - i've seen them ,,, but whoa! are they expensive! shudder-shudder.

other than ebay and local dealers, sources 1 and 2 above are your best bet.

 

[discobaysl500]

Hang in there. It took me about 5 months to find mine. I wouldn't count on Ebay. Too much risk. But with the warmer weather coming you'll start to see more SL's coming on the market.

I contacted all my local dealers and let them know what I was looking for. Even had a local indepenent looking for me. In the end, found it in the local paper. Take your time, it will be worth the wait.

 

[HitParader]

Yeah, you have to be careful on eBay but if you know your cars you can get good deals there. Yes it's 99% used car dealers who use the website for straight up advertising as opposed to truly auctioning the vehicles. But if supply is limited in your area it's a good place to start, especially if you can visit the cars before making an offer. I found a 99 SL at a muscle car resto shop on eBay who really didn't know what to do with it. I got it for about $4K under market, and yes I did sink a little over $1,000 into it right away to make up for missing maintenance records. But it's been rock solid ever since, and I do drive it rather, err, aggressively.

Good luck.

 

[ajm0623]

there is one 98 sl500 sport in today's (saturday - 12 march) chicago tribune; the car is located in one of our western suburbs. i'll rewrite the advert (as listed) here:

'1998 sl500 sport, blk/blk, amg whls, panorama roof, cd chgr, 58k, gar kept, perfect! $29,000. 847.489.2702'

 

[Shaida]

I found that Autotrader.com is almost all dealers. Do you have craigslist in your area. There seems to be more private party sellers that post there. Good Luck!

 

[Socalmat]

I got mine on Ebay and am very happy with the experience. After asking a thousand questions, for $95 I had the selling dealer take the car to the nearest Mercedes dealer, who performed a pre-purchase inspection for me. After the purchase, it cost me $1300 dollars to ship the car, enclosed, from North Carolina to San Diego. Still, I saved thousands.
Do your homework, know what the cars are worth, and look for good feedback. it also helps if the ad is not that well presented on Ebay. The ad on the car that I purchased had small pictures compared to other cars that sold for thousands more. Another trick is to find an ad that runs out on a special day, such as New Years, Christmas at dinner time, or even Holloween evening when parents are usually busy with their kids.
Try Ezsnipe.com, a service that will bid for you ate the last second. The first three snipes are free.
Good luck!

 

[Remington]

I found my '99 through AutoTrader.com. I figured I'd drive at most 200 miles to look at the right car so I restricted the search engines to that distance from my town. It took a few months and a couple of trips but the end result was worth the wait. I also found local dealers that would look for specific cars comming off lease and being offered at auction. Keep trying, you'll find the one you want.