£*K budget to spend on a convertible -help needed?

[swizzle]

New to the forum, but have had a Mercedes c est for the last 7 years cdi.

Looking to spend £7-£8 ish on merc Convertible, open to either 2 or 4 seats
wonder what the members feel would be best value, and what to look out for!

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[s5tuart]

Now is a good time to buy a convertible...
I got my SL500 nearly 2 years ago after MUCH advice and tutoring from the good folk on this forum and have never been happier with a car. It fulfils my every need except the trips to the tidy-tip!
Good luck with your search, but only you can decide what you'll use yours for and how many seats etc.

For instance....and this is in no way a recommendation..http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-...6528984?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item58a642f8d8

 

[SL63 Mark]

New to the forum, but have had a Mercedes c est for the last 7 years cdi.

Looking to spend £7-£8 ish on merc Convertible, open to either 2 or 4 seats
wonder what the members feel would be best value, and what to look out for!

Thanks for your thoughts.

That money will buy you a fairly leggy R230 350SL. For the CLK, you will get a bit more for your money, 2004/05 cars with 60-80k, otherwise, you are looking an SLK. My favourite is the SL, obviously, but you really need to add a few £££ to get something decent. Autotrader is your friend - have a browse.

 

[Gkinghorn]

I would think that isn't enough for an SL that would be trouble free .. CLK would be my choice I confess. I think the SLK is too cramp if you are long legged ...

Sent from my SM-P605 using Tapatalk

 

[Philedge]

Now is the time for buying a convertible but you need to decide on how risk averse you are, handy with tools you are and how resourceful you are. If you don't mind risk and can fix things if they go wrong then an SL comes recommended, but you need to read up about them to understand the risks you are taking on

Ignore all the advertised prices and be looking to take 25% off, brutal for the seller but they don't have to take your money if they don't want to- they can wait til spring if they want. Watch Autotader/Ebay for a few weeks to work out which cars aren't selling and then go and have a look at them.

For whatever reason SL's (and maybe others) just don't seem to move at fair prices. Whether that is regionally or seasonally I don't know but you can get an awful lot for your money. I seem to recall there was a lad on here that had a fully sorted SL with all the weaknesses sorted with replacement parts and he could only get £7.5K for it. I got 25% off the asking price because the seller just couldn't shift it due to poor advertising.

Happy hunting

 

[WG M-B]

129 SL for sure.
The R230 is a beautiful car but the R129 has phenomenal build quality, and will appreciate for sure.
They are wonderful cars, and with your budget you could find a very nice one

 

[Wearsafoxhat]

Some good advice from other members already.
It might be an idea to take a few different Mercedes out.
My advice would be :
If you do not want a five litre V8, then never take one out for a test drive.
When you settle on one just make sure that it all works correctly.

 

[Philedge]

My advice would be :
If you do not want a five litre V8, then never take one out for a test drive.
.

The reason being............;-)

 

[dozypillock]

The reason being............;-)

My guess is the reason being, if you did take a V8 out, you would then want one, and look at nothing else?

Neil

 

[Philedge]

Thats the one

 

[DSB SL AMG]

+1

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/usedcars?logcode=p

129 SL for sure.
The R230 is a beautiful car but the R129 has phenomenal build quality, and will appreciate for sure.
They are wonderful cars, and with your budget you could find a very nice one

 

[Chrishazle]

+1

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/usedcars?logcode=p

Get thee behind me Satan!! 4 1/2 hours drive from me, but still tempting!!

 

[epervier]

My guess is the reason being, if you did take a V8 out, you would then want one, and look at nothing else?

Neil

Is there anything else?

Oh yeah, V12 600, V12 70, V12 73:mrgreen:

 

[Philedge]

V8 kompressor

 

[The Pan Man]

I think the SLK is too cramp if you are long legged .

This for sure, not generous with the head room either.

 

[swizzle]

HI Guys, thanks for your kind reply s.
The car will be a 2/3rd car depending what and how much i spend.
We have a old mondeo that used as the runaround and the c class as everyday car.


while I would very much like the sl350/500 the running cost/ repair cost are a concern. would want to use the car dailiy ish, and not just as a weekend jewel! 2 seats is ok as 95% of the time it will manage our needs. I did have a tvr before,but the wife hated it, and would never use it be seen in it, so I became billy no mates! when driving it, so dont want to make the same mistake!

so now looking for a middle age man car to pop to the pub and the seaside in!


Will have a look on autotrader, and try a few out this weekend if possible.
thanks for your thoughts .

 

[television]

By rights most SL 230 faults should have been fixed, but sadly not the case.

Roof / boot leaks can be dealt with at no cost, just look at a few and you will notice the better ones.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Philedge]

while I would very much like the sl350/500 the running cost/ repair cost are a concern. .

Do the cheap fixes to keep the car dry and change the ABC fluid and if all is well when you buy the car you'll be fine.

Get the car checked over by a Merc indy and have the ABC pressure checked on the STAR diagnostic. If pressure is good and no leaks then a fluid and filter change will keep the suspension sweet.

SBC units can give problems and the standard 2 year brake fluid changes will help but the units do ultimately time out. Replacement price has dropped recently as no longer an MB monopoly on the unit.

If you're clueless about cars and use main dealers then even a good SL could cost a lot to run. If you know a bit and DIY or have a friendly mechanic and use this forum then the rewards are worth the risk.

 

[television]

The 350 does not have ABC, very few with it as the £3500 option when new

 

[brick10]

The SL 129 is a very good car, PITA taking the hardtop on and off, also you have to have somewhere to store it. The CLK convertible is the best bet IMHO.
Just check the roof mechanism is OK and obviously the rest of the car as you would normally.