This 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500 shows Florida registration from new and 99k miles on the odometer. Finished in Black (040) over Beige Leather (265), power is provided by a 5.0-liter M119 V8 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. Equipment includes a power operated soft top with a paint-matched removable hardtop, power side mirrors with memory, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic climate control, power seats and ASR slip control. Recent maintenance includes an engine oil and filter change, a fluid check and a new alternator. This SL500 is now offered for sale by the current owner in Winter Park, Florida with the original manufacturer’s literature, tool kit, spare tire, a clean Carfax report and a clean Florida title.
The exterior is finished in Black (040) and features a fully power operated black fabric soft top with a paint-matched removable hardtop. Additional exterior equipment includes power side mirrors with memory, headlamp wiper/washers and a draft deflector. The exterior shows minor imperfections including small rock chips, a cracked passenger headlight surround, and a missing plastic rocker cover. The seller states that the rocker panels have likely been repainted before and that the body shows no signs of rust.
The 16” 12-hole alloy wheels come fitted with all-season tires measuring 225/55 on all four corners and appear in good condition with no signs of curb rash or corrosion. ASR slip control is standard equipment and can be manually disabled from a button on the center console. A full-size spare tire can be found mounted in the trunk along with the factory jack and original tool kit.
The interior is upholstered in Beige Leather (265) and features matching beige floor mats and Burl Walnut wood trim lining the center console and door panels. Both front seats are power operated with three-position memory. Interior features include automatic climate control, cruise control, a Becker radio with a trunk-mounted CD changer and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The seller notes missing trim on the passenger sun visor mirror and the overhead light. The center console is said to not properly close as well.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel frames a 160-mph speedometer along with a 7k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock and gauges for fuel level, economy, coolant temperature and oil pressure. The digital odometer currently reads 99k miles with 15k miles added by the current owner in the past two years.
This R129 is powered by a 5.0-liter M119 V8 which outputs 315 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Recent maintenance performed in January 2023 included an engine oil and filter change, a full fluid check and a new alternator. Partial service history is included with the car.
The Carfax report shows Florida registration from new with linear mileage updates and no accidents or damage reports. This R129 SL500 is now offered with the original manufacturer’s literature, tool kit, spare tire, a clean Carfax report and a clean Florida title.
The R129 SL is known as an icon of 90’s Sacco styling and for its great selection of powertrains and advanced equipment. The SL500, first badged as a 500SL, was offered with the M119 V8 engine from 1989 through 1998 and is often more desirable than the M113 that would follow due to its 32 valves and higher power output realized higher in the rev range. This later M119 example includes the five-speed transmission as well as the updated interior and exterior styling distinguishing it from the earlier models. Showing just 99k miles and Florida registration from new, this SL500 should provide many more years of top down motoring for its lucky new owner.
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14 Comments
Sinansaul got a great deal!!Wowwwww! Congrates to buyer!!!Reserve is off, the car will sell today!Why does it take three videos to show the top going up and down?@ArtVandelay0 Here are three videos of the electric top functioning flawlessly. Mercedes-Benz SL500 Top Operation Pt. 1 https://youtu.be/-8LSF0oo7iw Mercedes-Benz SL500 Top Operation Pt. 2 https://youtu.be/3bGgL88pChc Mercedes-Benz SL500 Top Operation Pt. 3 https://youtu.be/R5BFvUbFU3w$7,250 bid placed by @Sinansaul
@ArtVandelay0 sorry for the delayed response. I do have the Service History from the previous owner, and our service history. Under our ownership, the vehicle has only required regular maintenance, including oil changes every 5,000 miles, and about a year ago we had the serpentine belt replaced, all 4 brake pads replaced, had a new alternator installed, and a fuel pump relay. Also, days after purchasing the car we noticed that one of the hydraulics that sit on top of the windshield was starting to leak slightly, so we went ahead and replaced both of the hydraulics that sit there, we were also told that the remainder of the hydraulics had been replaced under previous ownership. Apart from that, we have several records form the previous owner, including a $5,812 visit to Europa Auto in 2015, and several others from Nort Northam Collection, as well as Ferrari of Central FL, which is where the vehicle was purchased from by the previous owner, with overall records dating back to 2009, totaling over $15,000 from the ones that we have paper-bill confirmation in hand alone.Checking in again regarding service history..$7,000 bid placed by @Rizo
MB initially marketed the 722.6 transmission as sealed for life but has since changed their tune and now suggests a pan off fluid and filter change. As a rule, reputable MB dealers and Indy's won't FLUSH the transmission due to fluid shock concerns, but all I've spoken with now offer the pan off service.@SpeedyGonzalez thank you. And is there any additional service history? Looks like there was a 30,000 mile service, a 73000 mile service at a pep boys, but beyond that, any regular maintenance, repairs records, etc?@MBstyle we have not completed any flush on the automatic transmission, we have actually been recommended against doing that as the transmission works flawlessly, and a flush could compromise it.@ArtVandelay0 I can have a link to a video of the full operation of the top both and up and down within a day or so. The two hydraulics that go on top of the windshield were replaced under our ownership, which to our understanding are the most brittle ones, but we don't know if the others have been replaced under previous ownership.Any flush and filter incl magnetic base chqnged for automatic gearbox?Fun photo set on this one- looking forward to watching it after yesterday’s saleAny videos for top operation (up/down)? Have the hydraulics been replaced at all?$5,000 bid placed by @MBAddict