Is there a good year to buy an SL?
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]Yes - I think there are some good and some bad years. In general, the first years of each generational change they can be suspect. So I'd avoid the first years of the R129
I have over 100K miles on my SL with really just a few odds and ends that have caused pain, but the car's been pretty flawless as a daily driver.
Among SLs made before 1996, the first three years of production are in fact the ones to go for! All Mercedes between model years '93 to '95 were assembled with faulty wiring harnesses, and many of these are only now beginning to develop problems. Repairs are very expensive relative to the purchase cost of the used car.
The new 5-speed automatic was introduced in model-year 1996. Early production of these had problems which were later corrected. Probably best to avoid any V-8 or V-12 made in 1995. The SL320 retained the original automatic until '97.
Finally, any prospective buyer who is on a budget ought to know that many diagnostic checks and repairs on '96 and newer SLs can only be done by a dealer or an unusually well-equiped independent.
When it says 1990-2002 in the forum subtitle it refers to model year -- not production date. The R129 went into production in mid-1989 as a 1990 model-year car, so you very well could have seen one in '89, 'Rattle.
I've never seen any service bulletins mentioning the harnesses and there were not recalls, but M-B has implicity acknowledged the problem. Many dealers have a policy of replacing the harnesses at a great discount.
Finally, in the earlier post, "first three years of production refers to all 1990, 1991, and 1992 model-year cars. This would be from the very first car produced in '89 through mid-1992.
I've never seen any service bulletins mentioning the harnesses and there were not recalls, but M-B has implicity acknowledged the problem. Many dealers have a policy of replacing the harnesses at a great discount.
Finally, in the earlier post, "first three years of production refers to all 1990, 1991, and 1992 model-year cars. This would be from the very first car produced in '89 through mid-1992.
2009 SL550 Silver Arrow Launch Edition, 2013 Mercedes Benz C300 4Matic
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Please read my previous posts on my experience with the replacement of my wiring harness vs. Mercedes Benz paying for most of it. I have a 95 SL600. Feell free to e-mail me direclt with concerns and compliments.
OK I have run the SL 600 to MB for advise. $9,600 in repairs. The antenna is broke r/r $850 both sides have sensors egr that need to be replaced r/r $3000 60K service $650 new rear tires $600 new rear brakes and rotors $650 new hydraulic line for suspension $500. The good news no oil leaks and harness was just replaced. I am offering 16K for car any thoughts. Car is visually perfect the paint interior hard top soft top a 10. This seems to be the type of thing simple services over the years would fix. I am so sick of people buying these cars when they can't afford to fix them!!!!! People if you are thinking of buying an MB remember service is billable at $100 per hour whether your car is a 1970 or a 2005 please leave these cars alone and buy a Toyota!!!!
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