Sales mileage of 129s

[Mikesmerc]

Hello all, still hankering after a 129, been trawling autotrader and the amount of 129s advertised with 99,000miles is crazy, how do so many people trade their motors in or decide to sell privately with this mileage on, it would take some serious planning in order to achieve this.
Now am I being paranoid or what or deliberately dense to believe this.
Rgds
Mike

 

[television]

Hello all, still hankering after a 129, been trawling autotrader and the amount of 129s advertised with 99,000miles is crazy, how do so many people trade their motors in or decide to sell privately with this mileage on, it would take some serious planning in order to achieve this.
Now am I being paranoid or what or deliberately dense to believe this.
Rgds
Mike

Yes, clocking is still going on, I can tell in seconds, just looking at the drivers seat, on the bolster on the back rest.

 

[Mikesmerc]

Thanks Malcolm, spotted a 1990 SL300 local today, looks very nice on the net, but it seems to have the later bumpers and an airbag wheel on it. All I can assume is that the bumpers were changed and that the airbag was an option that year, is this correct?
Would prefer a 500 and by the looks of it are affordable in the UK but the import duty for a 1990 varies from 4000euro to 7500euro for a good one. What the sods over here did was to abolish duty being in the EU and all that and put the VRT up to what they like depending on the vehicle. The VRT used to be about 20quid accross the board, this must be illeagle.
Cheers
Mike
Before I forget, are all the 300s 24valve or was there a 12valve version?

 

[Setanta]

Mine is 12 valve version and also agree with television that the interior condition speaks a 1000 words! Handy also if there are the receipts from dealers to back up the mileage!

 

[Mikesmerc]

So there is a 12 valver, good to know cheers. Test drove the 300 yesterday, feels a bit underpowered, also found traces of oil in the water, very slow to come up to temp, had been resprayed with the hard top in situ leaving a 10mm gap around the hood cover, had trouble removing the hard top, couldnt get the sot top cover to pop, been lowered with big alloys which were missing the anti theft socket to undo them, badged as a V12 SL600, big twin sports exhaust very loud, passenger seat motor faulty.
Other than that shes a bute
Will give it a skip me thinks.
Cheers
Mike

 

[l5foye]

Hello Mikesmerc-I have a Dec 1994 SL320 (5sp auto, leather etc) with 73k miles. A few months ago a man from your part of the world was interested in buying it. He checked out the VRT and was told it would be €8000. I decided not to sell but I did notice my then asking price plus VRT was a lot cheaper than a Dublin dealer was asking for a 1992 SL320 (with more miles). I would suggest you set a price/cost you are willing to pay and then see what is the best car you can buy for that money.
I spent quite a while searching for the right car but have been very happy with what I bought. Great car.

 

[arthurk]

Mikesmerc,

Just been what you've been through a couple of months ago. I bought a 97 car SL320. Although I looked at a newer 98 SL320, with the newer v6 engine and much better spec(Zenons, nappa leather and panoramic roof), I decided to go for my own car for a number of reasons, even though it didn't have these desirable extras.

1 Dealer was open and honest. No Issues with giving me access to talk to previous owner, which I did at length.

2 Previous owner was a local business man, who had the car for 8 yrs and obviously looked after it.

3 Checked servive history with dates and milages and contacted merc dealers who confirmed all.

4 As Malcolm says the interior condition tells you a lot about the car also.

When you start to do all of this you start to get a picture of the car and it builds up a confidence that it is an honest looked after car.

With the newer car not everything checked out, so for me the confidence was not there. Not full history and that dealer was reluctant to let me speak to previous owner(made an excuse). It was still a nice car. I wanted everything to check out because I was purchasing an older car, which probably would cost a few bob more to fix if anything went wrong. I've got to say I am very happy with mine so far, its lived up to my expectations and more.

Good luck with your car hunting.

Kenny

 

[Mikesmerc]

Thanks for the input guys, 8000:roll: , it sickens me to think about it, you would think it was a 5yr old motor, its all take take take,1350euro road tax on any thing over 3litre. As you might have guessed Ive got a bit of a budjet problem with this car, would like an old 500 1990 or similar which is in my price bracket except the VRT customs would be on my tail like I was drug running, think I have 48hrs to clear it:roll: .The VRT is based on 33% of the open market average selling price in Ireland which could be as high as 20k euro for a 1990=Nuts. Been on about buying one for a while now but I feel this is the year , anyone selling an Irish reg one???, didnt think so:-( .
Anything that looks nice on Auto trader has been lowered, big exhaust and just blinged, why do these people do this to SLs, they are not this type of motor. Suppose everyones taste is different.
Thanks again, the the impossible bargin search continues.
Mike

 

[Hibbo]

Keep on looking my friend, something will turn up.

I had a great time over in Ireland (good night out in Cork too ) and it was a common theme that people whinged about the VRT, it does seem bonkers that it's based on THEIR valuation of the car, NOT the price you actually paid!

"We're the best country in the world for making up taxes" was a particularly good quote from a taxi driver!

I did seem some cracking late model w124 coupes though, will one of them not suffice?

 

[RGubbioli]

Mikesmerc, have you checked out www.pistonheads.com/sales ? There are some very nice looking ones on there for pretty cheap. In particular there is an SL 320 with 77k miles at less than £9k, sounds like a bargain to me...? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/158681.htm

Also a 300SL for just £6k which appears to have had some of the more expensive repairs done on it already (roof top, seals, and head gasket). Almost too cheap? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/146514.htm

Finally, have a look on ebay under 'completed listings', that will give you a good idea of whats going on in the market, at least at the cheaper end.

 

[Mikesmerc]

Corks the real capital Hibbo , hope you drank lots of Murphys, not the foriegn Guinness stuff. Have a sick 126 560SEC which is enough coupes for me and a 350SL which would you believe is also sick(minor probs with big effects, just to find out what the problem is). Yes its like the Simpsons... a leaving town tax will be applied shortly. You would think the uk is 1000miles apart not like 100.
Been in contact with the owner of the 300 RG, and while the 320 seems reasonable I would have to add another 5-6k stg on to this price, I get depressed thinking about it, must check out Ebay, thanks for the tip,anyhoo, the search continues.
Thanks again
Mike

 

[Hibbo]

Corks the real capital Hibbo , hope you drank lots of Murphys, not the foriegn Guinness stuff.

Cork was the one place I really wanted to visit, certainly more so than Dublin. Only downe was that it was the Thursday night before Good Friday, so everywhere closed at midnight, I was just getting going! I'll deffo go back!

Incidentally, on my first night over there, in Ballina, a bloke offered me 4000euro for my w124, until he saw the UK plate!

 

[RGubbioli]

Been in contact with the owner of the 300 RG...

So was it a bad car? Reason I ask is that I'm hoping to get an SL sooner rather than later and I have noticed how cheap they are, so its good to know whats on offer at the lower end of the range. From the description and pics it looks geat, but don't they all...

I really think the 129 SLs will start gaining in value in the next few years as they shift from old cars to classcis.

 

[television]

I could not say one bad word against the 129 that I owned, the driving and comfort were perfect for me, they are in two words "very nice"

 

[Hibbo]

I really think the 129 SLs will start gaining in value in the next few years as they shift from old cars to classcis.

Great point, I think Mercs do this much sooner than most other cars.

 

[television]

Great point, I think Mercs do this much sooner than most other cars.

That is so true of the 123-4s I am staggered at the prices being asked and got, but all said and done, there nothing else like them out there

 

[Mikesmerc]

Glad you enjoyed yourself Hibbo, good friday is a bit of a strange day for the Irish, no drink.
Dont know what its like yet RG, as you say they all look good in the pics, an average car can look mint as I have found out the hard way.
Rgds
Mike