OT: Any experience with the 1996 Mercedes SL 500?

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

Old boss had one and no one could touch it. Only his girlfriend and wife could ride in it. Great car, but man that guy was a dick.

I can't stop laughing

[RFC]

I went ahead and bought it. I would never have done this if I didn't have an independent Certified Mercedes mechanic I trust. But I do. As I mentioned above, I have bought four Mercedes from him -- 1989 SE300, 1992 SEL300, 1998 E320 and 1998 ML320. The first two are gone and the last two driven by my sons.

This was the shop owner's car. He has always treated me well and honestly and made things right. Like the other mechanics in his shop, he buys cars that he likes, works on them and drives them for a year or two and then flips for another car. Kind of like bikes.

On this one, he assured me that he had fixed everything that needed to be fixed, including replacing the roof hydraulics from the originals.

Just should be fun. I can't believe I am buying a car with a 5.0 liter engine. Yes, as mentioned above, it will not be as quick as my Z4, which I sometimes analogized to a motorcycle with 4 wheels. This will be a different experience.

What I like about buying well maintained old German cars is that I get to spend a few years experiencing a great car at a very small price. Not so with the Z4. I bought it new in 2003 and drove it for 16 years. I think I got my money's worth.

BTW, Phoenix is a treasure trove of well maintained, rust free older luxury cars. All of those Snow Birds who keep a separate Phoenix car in their garage all year long and then eventually move on . . . to Sun City.

[warren128]

Enjoy our new SL

As others have said, they are more luxury GT cars than true sports cars. They are beautiful, stylish, and very luxurious and were a showcase for MBZ technology when they were first introduce.

I owned one from 2003 to 2016. It was a 1990 500SL, the first year that they were imported into the U.S. I had a very good independent mechanic who kept it running well, that is until age finally caught up with it. In the end, the timing chain snapped and it was not cost effective for us to get it fixed considering the overall age of the car (26 years old).

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by RFC

I went ahead and bought it. I would never have done this if I didn't have an independent Certified Mercedes mechanic I trust. But I do. As I mentioned above, I have bought four Mercedes from him -- 1989 SE300, 1992 SEL300, 1998 E320 and 1998 ML320. The first two are gone and the last two driven by my sons.

This was the shop owner's car. He has always treated me well and honestly and made things right. Like the other mechanics in his shop, he buys cars that he likes, works on them and drives them for a year or two and then flips for another car. Kind of like bikes.

On this one, he assured me that he had fixed everything that needed to be fixed, including replacing the roof hydraulics from the originals.

Just should be fun. I can't believe I am buying a car with a 5.0 liter engine. Yes, as mentioned above, it will not be as quick as my Z4, which I sometimes analogized to a motorcycle with 4 wheels. This will be a different experience.

What I like about buying well maintained old German cars is that I get to spend a few years experiencing a great car at a very small price. Not so with the Z4. I bought it new in 2003 and drove it for 16 years. I think I got my money's worth.

BTW, Phoenix is a treasure trove of well maintained, rust free older luxury cars. All of those Snow Birds who keep a separate Phoenix car in their garage all year long and then eventually move on . . . to Sun City.

Congrats! I love this version, btw. They represent a nice clean design that is only going to get better with age.

[ZeKGB]

Congrats, but where are the pics???

Originally Posted by RFC

I went ahead and bought it. I would never have done this if I didn't have an independent Certified Mercedes mechanic I trust. But I do. As I mentioned above, I have bought four Mercedes from him -- 1989 SE300, 1992 SEL300, 1998 E320 and 1998 ML320. The first two are gone and the last two driven by my sons.

This was the shop owner's car. He has always treated me well and honestly and made things right. Like the other mechanics in his shop, he buys cars that he likes, works on them and drives them for a year or two and then flips for another car. Kind of like bikes.

On this one, he assured me that he had fixed everything that needed to be fixed, including replacing the roof hydraulics from the originals.

Just should be fun. I can't believe I am buying a car with a 5.0 liter engine. Yes, as mentioned above, it will not be as quick as my Z4, which I sometimes analogized to a motorcycle with 4 wheels. This will be a different experience.

What I like about buying well maintained old German cars is that I get to spend a few years experiencing a great car at a very small price. Not so with the Z4. I bought it new in 2003 and drove it for 16 years. I think I got my money's worth.

BTW, Phoenix is a treasure trove of well maintained, rust free older luxury cars. All of those Snow Birds who keep a separate Phoenix car in their garage all year long and then eventually move on . . . to Sun City.

[redir]

I've had a '94 e420 for 15 years now. If you are even slightly mechanically inclined and not afriad to get your hands dirty you can still DIY a lot of work on these cars. Having a trusted MB mech local is a plus. I'd have jumped on that 96SL in a heart beat. Congrats! I think the 96 was the year they went to the better transmission. I think also it's the first year they got rid of the eco junk wiring harness but you might want to look into that.

[azrider]

This thread is useless without pics

[Gummee]

Top Gear did a show on 'the old top of the line German cars for the price of a new something' and Jeremy got himself a V-12 version of that car.

Car needed injectors to the tune of a few thou pounds.

My point: Just because the car was relatively inexpensive to buy doesn't mean it isn't a $100k (ish) car to maintain.

or

As my Dad used to say 'anyone can afford a used Mercedes. Not everyone can afford to maintain that used Mercedes.'

Good luck!

M

[coreyaugustus]

Originally Posted by RFC

I went ahead and bought it.

Seriously, pics dude.

I have a 2000 SL500 Sport. I've replaced the main lift cylinders on the convertible top, the AC control unit, brake pads and rotors, and I'm constantly on the lookout for various plastic pieces that get fragile as they age (air vent sliders, console opener, etc). But the drivetrain has been solid as a rock. The M113 engine runs just as smoothly and quietly as any new MB if not better. Your M119 plant is a little less fuel efficient, but has racing pedigree (fwiw).

It's not quick off a line by comparison to the Z4. However, it will pass anything on the highway with ease. And around town, I mostly just let it coast. I bought the thing because when I was younger, no car looked more F-you money than a R129 SL.

It's a wonderful car, also a wonderfully impractical car. Your only real option for strapping on the bikes is the Seasucker on the hardtop, and even then, you have to dismount bikes to get to the trunk. You can only put one other person in it. And you had better pack light because the trunk is similar in size to an overhead bin on a 737. But the seats are heavenly, even after a few hundred uninterrupted miles on the highway. The cabin is quiet even with the top down and the ride is smooth.

Definitely don't have it serviced by the dealer; get a good indy mechanic (sounds like you do).

[azrider]

Originally Posted by RFC

BTW, Phoenix is a treasure trove of well maintained, rust free older luxury cars. All of those Snow Birds who keep a separate Phoenix car in their garage all year long and then eventually move on . . . to Sun City.

FACT !

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/c...859022788.html




btw.........that Sun City comment is gold

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by azrider

FACT !

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/c...859022788.html




btw.........that Sun City comment is gold

GEEZ, no A/C in Phoenix and one of the slowest cars made in the last 50 years to make sure you suffer for a LOOOONG time getting to your destination.

[azrider]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

GEEZ, no A/C in Phoenix and one of the slowest cars made in the last 50 years to make sure you suffer for a LOOOONG time getting to your destination.

No AC???......hmmmm...I didn't notice. Plus that's an easy fix

When I read that listing all I saw were three things: diesel, 240, manual

[RFC]

Originally Posted by azrider

This thread is useless without pics

LOL! Just picked it up, put the top down and went driving. A lot of fun. I'll shoot some pics later today when the light is better.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by azrider

No AC???......hmmmm...I didn't notice. Plus that's an easy fix

When I read that listing all I saw were three things: diesel, 240, manual

Adding A/C is an easy fix?

[RFC]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Adding A/C is an easy fix?

Sure. We had one of these on a Volkswagen when I was a kid.

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-swamp-cooler-534715