This 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500SL was sold new in February 1993 in California where it remained until 1997. It then relocated to Nevada for a brief time and returned to California in 2003 and has remained there ever since. Finished in Signal Red (568) over Beige Leather (275), power is provided by a 5.0-liter M119 V8 paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes a body-color removable hardtop, an electric-folding black soft top, power-adjustable heated seats with memory, headlight wipers, cruise control, and automatic climate control. Service in preparation for the sale included new top hydraulic cylinders, engine mounts, transmission mounts, all suspension struts with front strut mounts, brake pads all around, and the distributor cap and rotor. Additionally, the transmission was rebuilt in June 2025. This R129 500SL now shows just under 44k miles and is offered by the seller at No Reserve in California with one key fob, manufacturer’s literature, recent service records, a Carfax report, and a clean California title.
The exterior is finished in Signal Red (568) and features a full body professional repaint in the factory color. The repaint was performed earlier this year to correct failing clear coat. Exterior features include a matching removable hardtop, an electric-folding black convertible soft top, headlight wipers, fog lights, and a power antenna. The Carfax shows one damage report from August 2019 listed as minor. The top hydraulic cylinders were recently replaced with a freshly rebuilt set from Top Hydraulics. Pictures of the install are provided in the gallery along with detailed photos of the soft top.
Staggered 18″ AMG Monoblock wheels wear a chrome finish and are mounted with 235/40 Continental tires up front and 255/35 Michelin tires in the rear. The car is equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), automatic slip control (ASR), and a leather-wrapped roll bar designed to automatically deploy in the event of a rollover. The original full-size spare is located under the trunk floor and has a new tire installed. Recent service includes new suspension struts all around with front strut mounts, and new brake pads.
The cabin features power-adjustable seats with memory upholstered in Beige Leather (275) along with matching carpets and door panels. The upper dash and steering wheel are finished in black while the center console and door cards are accented with burl wood trim. Equipment includes heated seats, power windows, automatic climate control, cruise control, and an original Becker head unit. Detailed photos of all touch points are provided in the gallery and a wind deflector is also included in the sale.
The leather wrapped steering wheel frames instrumentation including a 160-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock, and a digital thermometer along with auxiliary gauges for fuel level, oil pressure, instant economy, and coolant temperature. The six-digit odometer shows approximately 43,600 miles.
The 5.0-liter M119 V8 was factory rated at 322 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. The transmission was fully rebuilt in June 2025 with a receipt for the work. The included Carfax report shows 34 service history records since new. The most recent services over the last 2 months include the aforementioned install of top hydraulic cylinders, along with new engine mounts, transmission mounts, and a new distributor cap and rotor.
The Carfax report shows linear mileage updates since new along with the minor damage report in 2019 and registration history in Nevada and primarily California. The original hardtop and wind deflector are included in the sale.
A video below shows the soft top in operation.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
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22 Comments
$18,500 bid placed by @cjwashington
$18,000 bid placed by @Marko
$17,499 bid placed by @rouchi74
$17,249 bid placed by @1edison1
$16,999 bid placed by @cjwashington
$16,500 bid placed by @rouchi74
$16,250 bid placed by @cjwashington
$16,000 bid placed by @1edison1
$15,750 bid placed by @cjwashington
$15,500 bid placed by @knexthedots
$15,250 bid placed by @rouchi74
Last 5 minutes. Lets see what happens$15,000 bid placed by @cjwashington
$14,750 bid placed by @rouchi74
$14,500 bid placed by @cjwashington
$14,250 bid placed by @rouchi74
What a truly fantastic 500SL this is… and a NR!! Should be double the current bid IMO… no offense to those bidding. Trust the finish will be full of action!!$14,000 bid placed by @cjwashington
@Benzfriendz Thank you for the answers to my questions. Much appreciated!@theobido I'm happy to asnwer all your questions. Paint / body 1,2. To clarify and make sure there's no confusion — the full car was resprayed by the shop, correct color code match throughout. All panels, bumpers, lights, and trim were removed for the job so the finish is consistent everywhere, not just on discrete panels. Roof/fenders that's where the original clear coat failure was worst and what triggered the decision to repaint, but the shop did the entire car to ensure a proper, even match rather than blending in a partial repaint. I'll get the invoice from my friend at the shop and post it in the gallery so you can see the full scope of work yourself. 3. Sure, I'll get those paint readings done for you. 4. I don't have documentation on what caused the reported damage — it predates my ownership and there's no accompanying report beyond the Carfax entry itself. What I can tell you from my own inspection: the engine bay stickers/labels all appear original and undisturbed, and there's no visible bending, misalignment, or fresh paint overspray anywhere in that area, which is consistent with something cosmetic/minor rather than structural. Drivetrain 5. There is a receipt on the transmission work performed. This model is notorious for leaking between engine and transmission. It was the main reason for the job. If you check the invoice you will see that they mostly replaced the seals and such. For that it needed to be removed and fully checked. Invoice is in the gallery. 6. The ETA was replaced. Just verified it yesterday. And wires appear to be soft. I will attach some photos of the wiring for you. 7. No leaks anywhere on the car. Top / systems 8. Please refer to the receipt in the gallery. It was described that all 12 were refurbished and replaced. 9. Roll bar works, its verified. 10. AC converted, please see video attached of it blowing cold as the car is standing still. Its everyday here 100 degrees in LA. 11. Soft top condition great. Photos attached from all angles. Ownership / paperwork 12. Since 2021 13. One keyfob yes 14. If the winner is from California I can provide a SMOG. 15. Everything is up to date. In my ladies name. Of course title in hand.Hi there!! Beautiful car, and I appreciate how responsive you've been throughout the auction. I'm a serious potential bidder but I'm not able to see it in person before Thursday, so I'd be grateful if you could answer a few things to help me set my max bid: Paint / body 1. Who performed the full respray, and would you be able to post the invoice? Were the panels removed and the jambs sprayed, or was the car masked? 2. Was any bodywork, filler, or panel replacement done as part of that job? 3. Could you post paint depth gauge readings for each panel (photos of the meter would be ideal)? 4. What exactly was the August 2019 damage reported on the Carfax — which panels, and who did the repair? Drivetrain 5. Why was the transmission rebuilt in June 2025 at only 43k miles? What failed, who performed the work, and is there any warranty attached? 6. Has the engine wiring harness been replaced? If not, could you post close-up photos of the insulation at the connectors, flexed, so I can see its condition? 7. Any oil leaks from the valve covers, front or rear main? Any records on the timing chain guides? Top / systems 8. Which top hydraulic cylinders were replaced — the full set or a partial set? Was the pump done as well? Could you post the receipt from Top Hydraulics? 9. Does the roll bar deploy and retract properly on the manual test? 10. Has the A/C been converted to R134a, and does it blow cold in traffic on a hot day? 11. Condition of the soft top fabric and rear window — any cracking, shrinkage, or leaks? Ownership / paperwork 12. How long have you owned the car, and how many miles have you added? 13. Only one key fob is mentioned — is a second key available, and does the fob work reliably? 14. Will you be providing a current California smog certificate for the sale? 15. Is the title in your name, in hand, and is the registration current with no back fees? Thank you! I’m happy to take any of this to a private message if you'd prefer.$13,500 bid placed by @Benzdriven
Photos have been added showing the ETA.I have verified that the ETA was in fact replaced. Got a great question about the ETA, so I pulled a photo of the stamp on the unit itself — it shows a manufacture date of 05/08, confirming this ETA was replaced at some point after May 2008 and is not the original 1993 unit. I don't have paperwork on when exactly that swap happened, but a mid-2000s replacement gives it plenty of remaining service life compared to a 30+ year old original, and it's running perfectly with no hesitation, no codes, and smooth throttle response. Photo will be up in the gallery for anyone who wants to see it for themselves. Happy to answer any other questions. Here is the link for the photo: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KonFHKj9e_c305_eRqNANq-abVTQ_JuK?usp=drive_linkGuys don't forget to check out the new videos. Thursday this beauty finds its new owner. Good luck!$13,000 bid placed by @EddieColatorti
@Luis_2118 Hi Luis, I thought I replied to you in a private message. As shown in the CARFAX the vehicle was bought and serviced at Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach until 2015. The wiring doesn't show any signs of failure and appears to be soft. The ETA works perfectly fine. There is no issues there. I haven't performed these services but there is no problems. AMGs of course are genuine, I don't deal with replicas. Those were recently rechromed. As stated in the ad the car received a full professional respray. Hope this helps. ThanksGood afternoon.. The car looks fantastic and you have definitely provided an incredible amount of images and videos to address everything. A few questions I have while determining my max bid are: Has the engine wiring harness been replaced? Has the electronic throttle actuator (ETA) been rebuilt or replaced? Are the AMG wheels genuine or replicas? Is the paint largely original, or has any panel been repainted?$12,750 bid placed by @Luis_2118
Photos have been added to the gallery showing additional records, spare wheels and tires, and the undercarriage.Additional videos have been added to the listing showing all operating functions, a cold start, AC, and driving footage.$12,500 bid placed by @EddieColatorti
@Benzdriven Hi there, you re welcome to stop by and check it out. Send me a private message with yor phone number and I'll get in touch with you. Thanks for your interestHello, I’m local would it be possible to see the car in person? My main concern is the paint job. Thank you !@Dasti Yeah absolutely that's not a problem. I have experience with shipping to multiple countries. I have a company that I'm working with in Los Angeles port.Hi can you ship the car to Norway?@tennisravi Thank you gentlemen for the early bids! It's a true pleasure to see your interest. I will be posting those photos soon, bringing the car to the lift tomorrow. Also will upload the documentation and more videos. Thanks!Any pics of the undercarriage ?$12,250 bid placed by @Kfuller
$12,000 bid placed by @Jacob
$10,000 bid placed by @Kfuller
Welcome everyone, and thanks for checking out my 1993 500SL! If you have any questions about the car, don't hesitate to ask—I’ll be as transparent and responsive as possible throughout the auction. I'll also be uploading additional videos over the next couple of days, including a driving video, a demonstration of the A/C, and a full electrical functions video so you can bid with confidence. If you're serious about the car, I encourage you to get your bids in early. Good luck to everyone, and thanks for following along!Saw that red 93 on BaT last week and said "yeah I think its time!"$1,829 bid placed by @tennisravi
$1,579 bid placed by @Lfuselier
$1,250 bid placed by @Kfuller
Nice lookin rig👊🏼Original miles? Original paint?$1,000 bid placed by @cjwashington
$250 bid placed by @Marko