Would anyone even CONSIDER this purchase??
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not at $19k after it was totalled and who's to say it wasn't under 6ft of water.
what you can't see with all the cosmetic reconditioning could be a real nightmare.
is the seller a private party or dealer/consignment lot/auction.
stay away, there's much better to choose from if you look around.
what you can't see with all the cosmetic reconditioning could be a real nightmare.
is the seller a private party or dealer/consignment lot/auction.
stay away, there's much better to choose from if you look around.
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33 Posts
:nono::nono: bearone2 is right, look around
If it had really big water damage, the chassis may be in bad condition, perhaps even rotten in some places. With a regular inspection it’s very difficult to appreciate chassis rot in some places. However perhaps at a lower price, and after a big inspection, if it rides nice and smooth and everything Works, I World buy it.
MB SL600, MB 380SE, Suzuki Grand Vitara, 38' Chris-Craft, Volvo V70XC, and my own two feet...
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4,129 Posts
Stay far far away from this car...
A year ago, our SL500 was parked and a heavy storm came through causing the water to pile up in the parking area. There was a bad rubber floor drain in the driver's side, which let a small amount of water in. Just to replace the carpet, padding, insulation, seat control module, and the few wires that got wet, as well as the bad floor drain (so it wouldn't happen again) was over $3k.
And that was MINOR damage, the only thing that happened was the drivers' side floor got wet. If the whole car was flooded bad enough to result in a salvage situation, I can't imagine what problems are lurking in there.
A year ago, our SL500 was parked and a heavy storm came through causing the water to pile up in the parking area. There was a bad rubber floor drain in the driver's side, which let a small amount of water in. Just to replace the carpet, padding, insulation, seat control module, and the few wires that got wet, as well as the bad floor drain (so it wouldn't happen again) was over $3k.
And that was MINOR damage, the only thing that happened was the drivers' side floor got wet. If the whole car was flooded bad enough to result in a salvage situation, I can't imagine what problems are lurking in there.
2000 SL500 Designo Edition, 1992 500SL, 1991 300SL, 1977 450SL, 1999 E320 4matic Wagon
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1,263 Posts
The only thing that bothers me is the Salvage title and I'm sure it has one. The price is still way to high for a Salvage title car. When you going to sell and someday you will do an upgrade and with the prices going downward, that's really going to make it a hard to sell, especially when it's a Mercedes. That's just my opinion, but that's the very FIRST thing I asked when I'm buying a car (clear title?) and I'm sure many buyers feel the same way.
carltwo
carltwo
in hawaii a salvage title can be restored with legit repairs and a signoff that the vehicle is roadworthy.
to me, a salvaged vehicle "might be good" for parts but do you really want to hang it all out on integrity of a sleazeball dealer/auction.
caveat emptor.
to me, a salvaged vehicle "might be good" for parts but do you really want to hang it all out on integrity of a sleazeball dealer/auction.
caveat emptor.
95 SL500, K&N, NEOKEN Ported TB, Custom Intake, RENNtech Sport Exhaust, AMG I Monoblocks
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11,008 Posts
THIS BECOMES AVAILABLE AFTER SUFFERING MINOR WATER DAMAGE FROM A PIPE LEAK WHILE IN THE GARAGE WITH TOP DOWN.
IT BECAME AVAILABLE AFTER THE INSURANCE CARRIER OPTED TO DECLARE IT A TOTAL LOSS.
Sounds more like 'major' water damage to me. It is hard for 'minor' damages to total out a 1998 SL500.
Best Regards.
IT BECAME AVAILABLE AFTER THE INSURANCE CARRIER OPTED TO DECLARE IT A TOTAL LOSS.
Sounds more like 'major' water damage to me. It is hard for 'minor' damages to total out a 1998 SL500.
Best Regards.
2000 Obsidian Black Metallic Mercedes SL 320 V6 (SOLD) 2012 E 350CDI Cabrio 265 PS
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4,553 Posts
From an insurance professional point of view (that's my job), that car has the plague.
If an insurer declares it a write off for flooding it means that the R129 became a boat if you see what I mean.
Don't touch it.
Cheers.
If an insurer declares it a write off for flooding it means that the R129 became a boat if you see what I mean.
Don't touch it.
Cheers.
Run quickly. There could be all kinds of damage that could show up days, weeks, months and even years later. Keep in mind if it is totaled out, that will most likely show up in a carfax and will decrease the value by half or more when you try to sell it.
You should be able to get a car of that year for the same price with higher miles (but not overly high).
You should be able to get a car of that year for the same price with higher miles (but not overly high).
2016 E350 4matic Luxury Sedan, 2011 E350 Avant Garde Cabriolet
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2,008 Posts
Not to mention you might have a hard time getting insurance. A friend of mine bought a Lexus with the same perameters. After he bought it the only coverage he could get because it was a salvage title was minimal liability and even then he had to pay big bucks for it ("What if the frame has rot and it decides to give way at 70 mph on a winding interstate? What then?")
I vote no
I vote no
Make that 12 NO's. A good salvage vehicle is worth about half of what a normal vehicle would sell for. Given the current value of SL's you can do way better for that $$.
Do you really want to deal with decaying wiring and electronics in an SL for $19,000 ???
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