anybody here ever owned a sl500?

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thunderball

Greasemonkey
Jan 18, 2016
236
162
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Ive been very casually kicking around idea of getting another car. Which can go from one second a project 69 lemans to a 2002 z28 or another gbody. I sometimes think practical other times project.

I have been intrigued also by a sl500 particularly the 1990s model. I always thought they were sharp and Ive been itching for a t-top or convertible. They seem currently very reasonably priced.

I was curious opinions on these cars from people with similar taste to mine. Ive never even riden in one and have never owned a non GM/ford car. I do hear the parts arent bad to find compared to some mercedes.
 

zdeckich

Master Mechanic
Jun 23, 2013
460
346
43
Fort Worth, TX
My father owned a 97 SL600 convertible. He loved it untill stuff started to break. Parts are not to hard to come by but are not cheap. Everything is over engineered. Fun car but not something id like to work on all the time. Sorry i couldn't be much help since i personally never owned one. But that 6.0L V12 was fun to get on it.
 

thunderball

Greasemonkey
Jan 18, 2016
236
162
43
I do appreciate the feedback as Im looking at mostly 100k+ cars and dont want to get in over my head. Like I said ive never even owned a foreign car. I could just get a camaro convertible which would be be similar but would be more in my comfort zone.
 

1evilregal

Comic Book Super Hero
Apr 23, 2009
3,056
4,357
113
Greensboro, NC
my buddy has a 93 model... loves it, and compares performance to his old 99 Cobra mustang convertible.... also pulling his hair out with some issues, (mainly heat & a/c and fan speeds... normally he's my go to guy for electrical problems, but he's a bit baffled since everything goes through the computers...
 

DRIVEN

Geezer
Apr 25, 2009
8,062
14,479
113
*CENSORED*
Used Euro cars, as a general rule, aren't great investments. At least that's been my experience.

They were sweet rides in their day. In fact, they were popular enough that you could buy a body kit to put on a Chrysler Lebaron to try to pass yourself off as "someone". I only know that because my mom used to have a Lebaron that got wrecked and my dad was almost considering that route. Thankfully, he didn't. Sorry, I never owned an SL but I've worked on a few '90s Mercedes. Glad I wasn't paying the bill.
 

UNGN

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 6, 2016
3,048
3,264
113
Southlake, TX
Unless you have a Merc mechanic friend, I would go for a 97-02 Jag XK8 instead. If the motor or trans goes bad, you swap in an LS1 and it works with all the electronics using the Jag Specialties kit.

Fixing an XK8 is not very hard. It's designed to be repaired by the local Jag mechanic and parts aren't that expensive. Mercedes is a whole nother level.

My dad has a '05 Mercedes roadster (in the form of a Chrysler Crossfire with a Supercharged AMG motor) and stuff like it wouldn't start because the shifter area of the console got wet years ago with a previous owner and needed a $1000 part replaced and reprogrammed to not leave you stranded in the middle of the road, is some of the quirky crap you have to deal with.

I would consider one (because My Dad has a guy), but if you don't "have a guy", it could become a bottomless money pit.
 
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carnutjw

G-Body Guru
Sep 17, 2017
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My wife and I bought a 2006 SL500 just last December, Red Ext., Grey Int.,82k miles, 5.0L, 302 HP, 330TQ,?, 7 spd. auto. That chassis, R230, has its own issues(motor mounts, hydraulic suspension, etc.) We replaced Motor mounts shortly after buying( $700 labor at independent shop, parts from Amazon$150). She wanted a hardtop convertible, found a Red one locally, and agreed to keep working 5 more years before retiring, for less than my cost for a new Camry, how could I say NO? Repairs can be expensive, but MY GOD it is a sweet driving car. Acceleration, handling, and crazy braking, Kinda like a late model Corvette and a La-z-boy recliner made a baby that was born in Germany.
 

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New Vintage USA

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Oct 3, 2017
39
49
18
DETROIT
Have had a few Mercs, way too much ha$$le to fix. Our mechanic for all our German cars, Hans, yes his name was Hans, was very happy.
Sunroof parts good luck. 4 matic, walk away, head gasket replacement, sell the car. AC problem, hope it's not ever hot out again. Have thought about doing an LS powered AMG clone one day.
 
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