Mercedes-Benz SL (1989 – 2001) Review

Mercedes-Benz SL (1989 – 2001) At A Glance

Still looks good, even thought it's now over 25 years old, best bet is the 224bhp SL320 V6 with five-speed automatic gearbox from June 1998

Heavy, separate hard-top, uninspiring handling.

Ask Honest John

What comfortable but reasonably fast car would you suggest on a £35k budget?

"I have owned a sports car as a second car for many years and currently have a BMW M2. Due to advancing years and the poor state of the roads I would like a car with a more pliant suspension but still reasonably fast. I would appreciate any suggestions for a small (the M2 width only just fits my garage) two or four seater car for around £35,000, either new, used or classic."

You could get a really nice Mazda MX-5 well within budget. It won't be as fast as your BMW M2 but it'll be a lot of fun in a different kind of way - and it's relatively soft compared to other sports cars. Alternatively, you could go down the classic route - an R129 generation Mercedes SL (sold between 1989 and 2001) is a modern classic with compliant suspension.

Answered by Andrew Brady

Is a Mercedes-Benz SL a sensible buy as a classic?

"I am in love with classic Mercedes-Benz SLs, especially R107 models built between 1970 and 1989. Finding a Mercedes-Benz R107 at a good price and in good condition, especially late RHD SL500 (242 BHP) models, is increasingly difficult. The LHD SL560 produced from 1985 only for US, Japan and Australia seems tempting. What are the potential pitfalls of importing one? What would you look for where and who could help? What are the insurance and emissions implications? The European 560 SEC the 560 V8 produced 296 or 275 BHP (latter with catalyst). Are all 560 SLs restricted by US-required emissions equipment to 227 BHP? Is it possible to remove the emissions equipment from a 560SL to unleash its full potential? "

I'm afraid you've missed the boat on R107s. Ten years ago, prices were competitive but not any more. It's unlikely that you'll save any money on importing one by the time you've paid fees, shipping and VAT... and that's before your planned modifications. As power seems to be high on your list of requirements, have a look at the R129 series that replaced the R107 as these can still be found for under £10k.

Answered by Keith Moody

I'm looking for a fun convertible for £14,000 - what do you advise?

"I've got £10,000 - £14,000 to buy a car that's a bit of fun. It won't be driven over huge mileages - I've got a diesel Skoda Superb for that. But I've never had a vehicle that's been genuinely exciting. It has to have four seats and my son is keen for it to be a convertible. I was thinking maybe an Audi S4."

I'd be tempted to invest in a classic (or future classic) that's bottomed out in value. Something like a Porsche 996 911 or Mercedes-Benz R129 SL will be a lot of fun, while also being very different to your Skoda Superb. They'll take a bit more maintenance and you'll need to do your research before buying one, but buy well and you won't lose a penny in depreciation. Combine this with cheap classic insurance and you could be onto a winner.

Answered by Andrew Brady

What's the best way to sell my classic car?

"I have a lovely 1999 Mercedes-Benz 320 SL. It has 84,000 miles on the clock and a full service history. A house move is forcing a reluctant sale. Where do you think the best place to advertise this would be? What would be a fair asking price?"

In terms of valuing the car, the best thing to do is have a look at the classifieds adverts in print and online. Find a model similar to yours and price it accordingly - values for R129 SL vary greatly at the moment. You can find them for between £6000 and £14,000. How you sell the car depends on how much time you've got. To maximise the Mercedes' value, you'll need to sell it privately - but that can be time-consuming as you'll need to take pictures, write a decent description, and answer lots of questions and phone calls. At the other end of the spectrum, you could sell it through an auction house but you'll have commission and fees taking a bite out of your selling price.

Answered by Keith Moody

More Questions

Mercedes-Benz SL (1989 – 2001) Buying Guide

Good

• Model designation R129.
• Vastly better looking than previous W107 SL.
• 14' 10" by 6' wide.
• Six-cylinder cars probably the most sensible. 300 12-valve: 190 bhp; 280 12-valve 193 bhp; 300 24v 231 bhp, 320 24v also 231 bhp, pre-cat 500 V8 326 bhp, catalysed 500 from Sept '90 down to 308 bhp, then power up again to 315 bhp from May '95; 600 V12 has 389 bhp; AMG SL60 is a bored-out 5,956cc 381 bhp V8 handles better than 600SL. Most had 4-speed torque converter auto.
• All these cars came with a standard, lift-off hardtop which is a two person job to remove.
• Instruments chenched from mechanical to digital in 2996.
• Best bet is probably the 224 bhp 320SL V6 from June 1998 with 5-speed automatic transmission. There were several limited editions, the first from June 2000 with 18" six hole alloys.
• Then, from April 2001 the designo Alanite from April 2001 with Java leather and burr walnut inside  and the designo Almandine wit Bordeaux two tone leather and curly maple anthracite interior trim.
• MB had fifth lowest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index. MB generally 9th lowest average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 70.79 v/s lowest 31.93) Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

Bad

• Splodgy fat car handling.
• Automatic gearbox prone to change gear on corners when you don't want it to.
• Hugely better replacement with electric folding hard top arrived early 2002 (and promptly sold out).

Watch

• Lots of iffy cars with doubtful pasts in the trade: LHD to RHD conversions. Clones. Cancelled Far East Export orders.
• Check carefully for repaired body damage. Look for rust at the bottom rear sides of the hard top.
• Make sure the aircon blows cold.
• Don't buy with the hardtop fitted and no chance to check out the hood operation and the hood itself for mould or tears. Really need 3,000-mile fully synthetic oil changes.
• Bulkhead ventilation plenum chamber on these cars can rust out causing a very bad water leak to the front foot well area. The cure requires considerable stripping out of the dash and heater matrix, de-rusting, making suitable sections of new metal and welding these in position followed by sealing and rust proofing.
• 26-6-2012: R129 SLs have very complex electrics, so the older the car is the more likely these are to be flakey due to moisture ingress, breaking down of insulation, etc. Best to buy as late year as possible.
• 21-5-2017: Report of intermittent electrical  problem with 1996 R129. Every few weeks SRS warning light on the dashboard comes on faintly while driving and when this happens ,the offside indicator, the wipers and the soft top motor don't work. Fault always disappears by the time the owner gets it to the garage. Will be a problem with one of the Signal Acquisition Modules (SAMs): http://www.mercedesmedic.com/mercedes-sam-module/ To trace the fault you need a very good MB SMM unit specialist. Googling <MB SAM Unit Specialists> doesn't immediately find any, but will help you understand the problem.
• 3-9-2018: Seems that MB identified an issue in early 1998 of a brass bearing in the automatic transmission wearing out and then causing havoc within the gearbox needing a complete rebuild. They came up with a permanent fix in mid 1999 and all cars (R129 through to R230) use the fixed gearbox

Recall data

• 8/5/2001: Build dates 1/9/1995 to 31/12/1996: high humidity may cause corrosion of trigger mechanism leading to airbag inflating. Airbags to be replaced.
• 27/4/2001: Build dates 1/1/1993 to 31/12/1996: end of exhaust may break from silencer causing heat damage to rear of car. Rear silencer to be replaced with one of stainless steel if this has not already been done.

Running Mercedes-Benz SL (1989 – 2001)

• Club: www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
• Usergroup linked to 'Mercedes Owner' magazine www.mercedesclub.org.uk
• Useful online forum: www.mbclub.co.uk