I Bought an R129 Mercedes.....
 

..1999 SL500 Sport, low miles. The plan is to sort out a few things, enjoy it a little, then put it on BaT. One convertible top cylinder leaks, one front hub has four stripped threads and it could use a good paint correction. The wheels currently are mismatched front to rear. But it comes with another four wheels to make two complete sets. The other wheels are off a CLK. I'll sell those to pay for some of the sorting out. All tires are date coded 2003, so those need to go. The carrier for the hard top is included along with all receipts since 2002. Other than that it's a pretty solid car and the Carfax is clean. My wife likes it. Not sure if that's good or bad.

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Been watching the market on these and it seemed $22k-ish was what I was expecting to fetch for it. Then this happened:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-mercedes-benz-sl500-93/

Seems oddly high.

Lots of discussion as to why that car was so high, but yeah, they're appreciating.
Paid 8500 for an under 100k 96 sl600 4 years ago. Its a keeper, as its a nice summer touring car.
If the leaking cyl is the one above the visor, its an easy fix. They're the first to go. Top Hydraulics is the bomb for rebuilt.

There is one of those sitting on a few flat tires that I have been walking past for a few years with the dogs. I think maybe I need to knock on that front door.

I've already fixed those, both sides. So far that's it for leaks. I also did a full brake job on the car and changed both the front hubs along with the bearings. Once Spring hits I'll drive it a little then get ready to sell it.

They're nice cars. Now I find myself looking for a little more practical older Mercedes. for a daily driver. I need four seats though. C36, C43, E55, CLK55.....

'97 and '98 are typically the most sought after as it is the last years of the M119 (4-cam 32V) before the M113 when MB introduced the slightly less powerful 24V M113 V8.

Also '97 and '98 were the first years of the better 722.6 trans, HVAC and wiring harnesses.

I've owned a '98 SL500 with the SL2 package now for over 4 years and its been a great car. I also upgraded the suspension (lowered it 2.5") and brakes to the Series 2 V12 (larger) brakes and control arms.

https://www.benzworld.org/cdn-cgi/im...n-jpg.2687434/

Yeah, the upgraded brakes are a nice improvement. Mine didn’t need the control arms changed, not sure if that was because it originally had ads.


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Wheels, tires, light wet sand, buff, engine insulation pad. Almost ready to start the listing process. It's a nice car, I'd love to keep it.

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Yeah, great gt. Not a sports car by any stretch, but for cruising the wineries around here its perfect.

Once upon a time, probably 10 or so years ago, I happened to stop by to see my friend that owns his one man Porsche-BMW-Mercedes independent shop. Just to say how ya doing. I wound up spending the day with him and helping him replace all the hydraulic cylinders for the top in one of those cars. I think he said something like "$10,000 worth of parts" and yes some of them came from an outfit known for rebuilding them.

He hated those cars and that one afternoon showed me that I'd surely never own one.

Nah. Its less than a grand for all of the cylinders, exchange. It is a lot of labor, 16 hrs or so diy. On my winter agenda.

I think you should keep the car, at least for a year or two. They drive nice, I enjoyed mine.

This is the exact mis-information that people throw-up on the internet, that sounds convincing but is yet inaccurate.

Yes, there a dozen hydraulic cylinders for the SL top, every 15-20ish years they need to be changed, that's extremely good life cycle reliability in my books. They are NOT $10,000, more like 10% of the number. The best part it can be done at home, there are a ton of tips and tricks on the steps involved, take your time and you save $1000s in labor. You can even replace the rear plastic window at home.

If your mechanic friend "hated" these cars then he might be in the wrong business. The R129 is actually a very reliable car especially in the straight 6 and V8 models. The V12s are rare and tricky to work on due to the share size of the engine. I have spent exactly $130 on my R129 in the current 5-years of ownership for a part that was starting to show signs of wear which was a clutch fan (30 minutes to change). Everything else like tires, brakes and fluids and filters would be no different than if you drove a Corolla or Sonata.

During the 20 years that the previous owner had this car, he literally never removed the hard top. The soft top itself is perfect. The first time I removed it and actuated the soft top the front locking cylinders started leaking. These are the easiest to fix and I fixed them myself for under $25. I've actuated the top no fewer than 10 times since and nothing else has started leaking. My daughter and I made a "top function" video and I've reinstalled the hard top. Now I'm just gonna drive it until it's gone.

Why sell it?

Well, I spent the day helping my indy friend change out all those top cylinders, he must have mis-spoke or I must have mis-heard on what he said they cost at the time because if they were truly about $1000 worth it wouldn't have stuck with me. I didn't pay the bill so I don't know. I've learned that if he is working on a BMW dealing with anything under the hood that is plastic...which is pretty much anything and everything.... I don't stick around.

I watched the owner of this one park his car and get out. His appearance was more like a lawyer than a man in the coffee trade. I didn't "aks" him.


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I never intended on keeping it. The wife will tolerate the 911, don't want to push it.

The car is on BaT, I believe it will do well, but who knows.


https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-mercedes-benz-sl500-148/

Well I'm 1 for 1 having disappointing results on BaT. I'd have been better off selling my Honda and daily driving the Benz for this kind of money. Buyer got a good deal.

I think there is a thread or two about BAT poor results somewhere on here. I'm with you, 1 for 1 poor.