67_97BenzBoy said:
Bargain! You got a deal, @txmbnut
This is going to be a long auction if y'all keep bidding at $250 increments!
Hate to say it, but the owner paid way too much at more than $6100 to replace the hydraulic actuators for the soft top. At first glance, I assumed this was an MB dealer, as they are notoriously expensive for this project. But it appears to have been an independent shop. The charge for replacement cylinders (parts) was $2,400. You can get the full exchange set, as the mechanic likely did, from Top Hydraulics in Oregon for $700 plus shipping. The 26 hours of labor charged was excessive, too. I paid under $1,500 to have my shop replace all the cylinders, vs. $3,640 here. Kudos to the owner for bringing this car up to a good standard mechanically, but I doubt he'll get back all that he invested. Pity. If it clears the reserve, someone will get a fine R129.
The photos in cloudy sunlight don't really do this color justice. I have essentially the same car, but a '97 with the Sport package, and the color is what most people comment on. This one is very clean; even the usual skuff points on the interior show only light wear, which is rare. The lack of monobloc wheels and the Sport trim may depress the price a bit, but otherwise it looks like a 26-year-old creampuff.
@jthorseshoe, the steering wheel in this car is from Mercedes-Benz. It's a late R107 steering wheel, from the R129's predecessor. In the early R129s, airbags were optional in some markets. The four-spoke steering wheel is a holdover from the R107 used on non-airbag cars. You rarely see that on R129s in the USA because driver's side airbags were standard on the early R129s in N. America. The passenger side airbag was optional in the USA early on, which is why some cars have an actual glovebox in front of the passenger seat, like this one. Just a couple of quirks that make this car different, but I'd rather have airbags.
Get the best of The MB Market directly in your inbox every day. Subscribe for a curated list of our top market listings and articles!
1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 w/59k Miles
67_97BenzBoy said:
Bargain! You got a deal, @txmbnut1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 w/59k Miles
67_97BenzBoy said:
This is going to be a long auction if y'all keep bidding at $250 increments!1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 w/59k Miles
67_97BenzBoy said:
Hate to say it, but the owner paid way too much at more than $6100 to replace the hydraulic actuators for the soft top. At first glance, I assumed this was an MB dealer, as they are notoriously expensive for this project. But it appears to have been an independent shop. The charge for replacement cylinders (parts) was $2,400. You can get the full exchange set, as the mechanic likely did, from Top Hydraulics in Oregon for $700 plus shipping. The 26 hours of labor charged was excessive, too. I paid under $1,500 to have my shop replace all the cylinders, vs. $3,640 here. Kudos to the owner for bringing this car up to a good standard mechanically, but I doubt he'll get back all that he invested. Pity. If it clears the reserve, someone will get a fine R129.1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 w/59k Miles
67_97BenzBoy said:
The photos in cloudy sunlight don't really do this color justice. I have essentially the same car, but a '97 with the Sport package, and the color is what most people comment on. This one is very clean; even the usual skuff points on the interior show only light wear, which is rare. The lack of monobloc wheels and the Sport trim may depress the price a bit, but otherwise it looks like a 26-year-old creampuff.1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL 5-Speed
67_97BenzBoy said:
@jthorseshoe, the steering wheel in this car is from Mercedes-Benz. It's a late R107 steering wheel, from the R129's predecessor. In the early R129s, airbags were optional in some markets. The four-spoke steering wheel is a holdover from the R107 used on non-airbag cars. You rarely see that on R129s in the USA because driver's side airbags were standard on the early R129s in N. America. The passenger side airbag was optional in the USA early on, which is why some cars have an actual glovebox in front of the passenger seat, like this one. Just a couple of quirks that make this car different, but I'd rather have airbags.