£10k budget......

[Irish(London)]

for 2 cars............and it must include an A-class......


Any goood dealers who have lots of A-classes and other metal. Any tips appreciated.

A

 

[Irish(London)]

So, it looks like I will be going for a later 90s SL and an early 00s A Class.

Which of the SLs have the strongest engines? Is 8k a reasonable budget?

 

[stumpy]

8k gets you a bulletproof 500SL which is the best bet imo

 

[Irish(London)]

Thanks Stumpy (nice garage btw - well thought out!). What a short commute (5 miles each way daily) be ok with a leggy SL (80k miles).

A

 

[stumpy]

Thanks Stumpy (nice garage btw - well thought out!). What a short commute (5 miles each way daily) be ok with a leggy SL (80k miles).

A

Thanks, but I feel the Smart was overdoing it a bit

80k on a 129 500 is not leggy. Most of these have low miles for their age as they are often part of a multicar fleet. But yes, it will be ok as long as you take it for a blast at weekends to blow away the cobwebs!

 

[Irish(London)]

OK, so I checked out a 320SL over the weekend.

Two issues: wear on the bolster on a sub-50k milers and water/condensation on the spare tyre (power washing?). Any views? Box clucked in reverese also (that seems to be a feature of most Merc. I have driven).

A

 

[stumpy]

Don't be too put off by wear on the drivers seat. Although the car may only have low miles it is still old in years and has probably done lots of short journeys and therefore lots of bum in and out. It can represent clocking but there would be other evidence of that. The seats can be re-coloured with liquid leather anyway. The boot seals may be shot which I gather is common on SLs. Gearbox clunks? It could just need a fluid change. Did you check the levels?