SL or SLK?

[cockyapple]

Thanks or the info Malcolm.....i have the occasional rattle from the exhaust on idle, that will need to be checked out.

How you actually do this properly would be a great help... if you get a spare moment

Steve

 

[television]

The sound is more a tinkle come rattle.

Just cut open the box with an angle grinder on 3 sides, pull the metal down and remove the ceramic CAT by breaking it up,(as soft as butter), then weld it up.

It is said that the reason they go on this model is that they are very low down, under extreme rain or if you go over long grass, this causes the metal to contract before the ceramic part has cooled, crushing it in the process

 

[roscoc180]

Just spotted an sl500 1994 87000k's for 4000, is it me or does this sound to cheap.

 

[television]

Just spotted an sl500 1994 87000k's for 4000, is it me or does this sound to cheap.

Could be fine,you never know,,if not too far away I would always come and have a look with you

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Just spotted an sl500 1994 87000k's for 4000, is it me or does this sound to cheap.

Sadly, it may not be too cheap. I guess there is probably just no market at present and if someone has to sell, the price will keep falling until they do.

Excellent offer by Malcolm to view it with you - you lucky person.

 

[roscoc180]

Yes, I should consider myself lucky to have Malcom offering his services. The only snag is the car has sold (no wonder) I am in the market for an sl500 under £6000 if anyone knows of one.

Thanks

Ross

 

[discoking]

Sadly, it may not be too cheap. I guess there is probably just no market at present and if someone has to sell, the price will keep falling until they do.

The market for SL and similar types of car will take a little dip but I can't imagine prices being affected at all if I'm honest.

There is a general consenus in the public that the car trade is on it's knees atm and while that is true for new and nearly new it's quite the opposite for cars over 5yrs old.These cars are selling fast and the value is rising rapidly because people aren't buying new so there are no used part exchanges comming into the market and thus the few used cars out there are commanding greater money.A 52 reg 1.1 206 has gone up £200 in 2 months and the story is the same for most other popular cars(not just small hatchbacks) also lots of people who were thinking of buying new and have been hit buy the crunch now foind themselves in the already understocked used market,pushing prices up further.

So in the current climate a man may have thought about spending £10000 on an SL may now only want to spend half...thus the SL's in that range quickly become desirable and hold their money.(you can replace SL for almost anyother car)

 

[Alex M Grieve]

The market for SL and similar types of car will take a little dip but I can't imagine prices being affected at all if I'm honest.

There is a general consenus in the public that the car trade is on it's knees atm and while that is true for new and nearly new it's quite the opposite for cars over 5yrs old.These cars are selling fast and the value is rising rapidly because people aren't buying new so there are no used part exchanges comming into the market and thus the few used cars out there are commanding greater money.A 52 reg 1.1 206 has gone up £200 in 2 months and the story is the same for most other popular cars(not just small hatchbacks) also lots of people who were thinking of buying new and have been hit buy the crunch now foind themselves in the already understocked used market,pushing prices up further.

I believe that is a fair general assessment of the market. Indeed, some nearly new car prices are regaining ground as reported by Hawk elsewhere.

The difference with SLs of the 1990s is that, althought they are not classics (yet?) they are a niche market - not he sort of car you might want in exchange for a volume "working" car. Probably not a car for everyday use. That puts them on the margin of the used market, and at greatest vulnerability when money dries up.

I gave £15K for a very respectable 1994 SL500 4 years ago. I would probably get half that at present, and others are there for less. There are a number of one owner, FMBSH cars on dealers lots at present for even less.

So, for "working cars" such as you mentioned, I agree with you. For "cherished" or "hobby" cars, I am less optimistic at present - but it is a great time to buy.

 

[discoking]

I believe that is a fair general assessment of the market. Indeed, some nearly new car prices are regaining ground as reported by Hawk elsewhere.

The difference with SLs of the 1990s is that, althought they are not classics (yet?) they are a niche market - not he sort of car you might want in exchange for a volume "working" car. Probably not a car for everyday use. That puts them on the margin of the used market, and at greatest vulnerability when money dries up.

I gave £15K for a very respectable 1994 SL500 4 years ago. I would probably get half that at present, and others are there for less. There are a number of one owner, FMBSH cars on dealers lots at present for even less.

So, for "working cars" such as you mentioned, I agree with you. For "cherished" or "hobby" cars, I am less optimistic at present - but it is a great time to buy.

The SL is no different but with these types of cars mileage and condition is everything.If you paid £15k 4yrs ago and say it had 30k miles and was split mint then aslong as the car is still of a similar mileage and condition then it wont have lost a lot.

I recently had 2 jaguars for sale,1 a 52k 1 owner 95 N base model XJ6 and the other a 99 S 102k XJ8 with all the bits.The XJ6 was mint,I mean straight out the box and I sold it for £4999,no discounts nowt given away and I could have sold it 10 times if I'm honest.The XJ8 was a lovely car,in good condition for it's age and up at £3499.I sold that for £3200 and gave the tax free because it was tough with so many similar XJ8's on the market.

Point is if you have the best,or in this case a wonderfull lowmileage SL in genuinely good condition(not the 230) then you will get good money for it.

What you have to be carefull of tho when paying top money for a car like an SL which has been someones weekend car and kept in a garage etc is that if you don't treat it the same ie you use it as an everyday car you will see it depreciate pretty fast becuase it will loose that magical twinkle which made you pay top whack for it in the 1st place.(hope you get my drift )

 

[television]

The SL is no different but with these types of cars mileage and condition is everything.If you paid £15k 4yrs ago and say it had 30k miles and was split mint then aslong as the car is still of a similar mileage and condition then it wont have lost a lot.

I recently had 2 jaguars for sale,1 a 52k 1 owner 95 N base model XJ6 and the other a 99 S 102k XJ8 with all the bits.The XJ6 was mint,I mean straight out the box and I sold it for £4999,no discounts nowt given away and I could have sold it 10 times if I'm honest.The XJ8 was a lovely car,in good condition for it's age and up at £3499.I sold that for £3200 and gave the tax free because it was tough with so many similar XJ8's on the market.

Point is if you have the best,or in this case a wonderfull lowmileage SL in genuinely good condition(not the 230) then you will get good money for it.

What you have to be carefull of tho when paying top money for a car like an SL which has been someones weekend car and kept in a garage etc is that if you don't treat it the same ie you use it as an everyday car you will see it depreciate pretty fast becuase it will loose that magical twinkle which made you pay top whack for it in the 1st place.(hope you get my drift )

If you love the car like I love mine with no desire to change it, then does it matter

 

[Alex M Grieve]

The SL is no different but with these types of cars mileage and condition is everything.If you paid £15k 4yrs ago and say it had 30k miles and was split mint then aslong as the car is still of a similar mileage and condition then it wont have lost a lot.

Good point and well made. I think the problem lies in introducing such a car to a discriminating buyer who will appreciate its true worth. This is why the specialist dealers hold stock for so long - years in some cases. A private seller will struggle to alert the market to the opportunity and may have to sell to realise the cash.

 

[discoking]

If you love the car like I love mine with no desire to change it, then does it matter

People change their cars far too often nowadays and loose soo much more than they should if they just kept them for a little longer.

Also I'm not sure how the 230 will fare when it starts getting old,I don't think it will do aswell as the 129 purely because most will have been company or lease vehicles where the owners tend not to care and just treat them as a disposable item.Finding privately owned 230's with low mileage will be tough in a few years time.

The new SL however seems to have been released at a pretty good time where companies are cutting back leases and cars etc so hopefully there wont be as many about which will balance the private/corporate share of them.

Ultimately tho only time will tell us.

 

[television]

People change their cars far too often nowadays and loose soo much more than they should if they just kept them for a little longer.

Also I'm not sure how the 230 will fare when it starts getting old,I don't think it will do aswell as the 129 purely because most will have been company or lease vehicles where the owners tend not to care and just treat them as a disposable item.Finding privately owned 230's with low mileage will be tough in a few years time.

The new SL however seems to have been released at a pretty good time where companies are cutting back leases and cars etc so hopefully there wont be as many about which will balance the private/corporate share of them.

Ultimately tho only time will tell us.

I bought mine at 14k miles, as that is what I wanted, we do seem to change our cars more that in other countries, in Sweden they keep cars for years and years

 

[mikestrivens]

I kept my 1993 W124 280TE for 14 years before exchanging for a 1995 W124 320TE. I plan to keep the recent acquisitions for as long as possible and probably add a R129 to my fleet later this year. I do like the mercs of the mid to late 1990s.

 

[Mrtibbs]

I bought mine at 14k miles, as that is what I wanted, we do seem to change our cars more that in other countries, in Sweden they keep cars for years and years

You are right Malcolm, and the way banks were throwing their money at people it is little wonder that some folks were tempted into the "I've got the latest plate" game. There are of course many who were not. Some of these folks now find themselves having to dispose of their "treasures" and will lose money in the process, however those who didn't subscribe to the madness, and kept their possessions longer will be smiling.
I am trying to convince my wife to let go of her beloved Ford Explorer and have an SL500 She is still in love with the Explorer (maybe more than me ) and is resisting.............
Anyway I really think that this credit crunch will bring about some benefits and one of them is that we all may regain some of our common sense and hold onto our stuff a little longer, we may also bring about pressure on the manufacturers to bring good, solidly engineered and built items to market, that will stand the test of time instead of their feeding of the throw away society that we have had to endure for years now, whilst we have said "thanks for the crap you sold me......" :x:x

Keith

 

[Alex M Grieve]

You are right Malcolm, and the way banks were throwing their money at people it is little wonder that some folks were tempted into the "I've got the latest plate" game. Some of these folks now find themselves having to dispose of their "treasures" and will lose money in the process, however those who didn't subscribe to the madness, and kept their possessions longer will be smiling.

Keith

Several good points there Keith. When I eventually persuaded myself that I could afford an SL, I was stalking a very nice 107. Someone else bought it first (drat), but I then looked more seriously at a 129 in the same dealership. It was not only rather cheaper than the 107, but had a list of improvements and features - and no rust.

I keep it and drive it because I love it. Even if I had a total loss tomorrow, I have had my money's worth. I can only lose a finite amount on depreciation.

Other good reasons for retaining it rather than trading up to a 230 are the relative simplicity, and boot space. It may not be a classic yet, and I may not be here by the time it is, but here and now it is great and for me it is timeless.

 

[television]

Several good points there Keith. When I eventually persuaded myself that I could afford an SL, I was stalking a very nice 107. Someone else bought it first (drat), but I then looked more seriously at a 129 in the same dealership. It was not only rather cheaper than the 107, but had a list of improvements and features - and no rust.

I keep it and drive it because I love it. Even if I had a total loss tomorrow, I have had my money's worth. I can only lose a finite amount on depreciation.

Other good reasons for retaining it rather than trading up to a 230 are the relative simplicity, and boot space. It may not be a classic yet, and I may not be here by the time it is, but here and now it is great and for me it is timeless.

The boot space in the 230 is 288 liter as against the 129 at 250 liters, a less complicated version of the 230 is the 350SL as from 06-06 with the new engine it is only ½ second slower to 60mph, than the old 113 engined 500.

Any way when my car goes wrong it gives me something to do, and the more I dig, the more I see what a marvel the thing is.

My next job is to scope up the D2b ring and see why it is not talking to the CAN, a simple job that just means removing all of the rear panels behind the seats both sides, removing the sills and carpet both sides, taking out the CD changer and rear storage compartment and center console, I can keep the seats in the car.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

The boot space in the 230 is 288 liter as against the 129 at 250 liters

It just doesn't look that big with the hood folded Malcolm?

 

[television]

It just doesn't look that big with the hood folded Malcolm?

You do not think that I am going to post that figure Alex, its only 206 with the roof down, oops

 

[Alex M Grieve]

You do not think that I am going to post that figure Alex, its only 206 with the roof down, oops

We admire your honesty Malcolm, and your lovely car!