SL/R129: are SLs decent daily drivers?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Baltimore MD
MB, BMW
are SLs decent daily drivers?
if i buy one i'll be driving it every day, rain or shine or snow. (will buy snow tires).
how is the SL as a commuter? i'm sure it wont be as quiet or solid as sedans, but how bad? is teh ride a lot more stiff & loud? how much rattling? also, how bad is the visibility w/ the soft top up. I'm disappointed that the SL only has a plastic rear window.
how is the SL as a commuter? i'm sure it wont be as quiet or solid as sedans, but how bad? is teh ride a lot more stiff & loud? how much rattling? also, how bad is the visibility w/ the soft top up. I'm disappointed that the SL only has a plastic rear window.
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From: NJ
2009 SL63 AMG
It depends on the drive. Nice, open highways or scenic winding roads suit it perfectly as a daily driver. However, being stuck in gridlock and any slow moving traffic is a waste of the car, IMHO. So, if you have a lot of highway travel, then it would make a very enjoyable daily driver. If more so city annoyances, then probably not the best choice, since these things love to burn gasoline.
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From: West Coast, USA
2 SL with every Brabus mods available & Class A competition sound system
It can be an everyday car...... The R129 would be more solid then your S2000..... If you could live with the S2000 then I don't see why the R129 SL a problem for you.......keep in mind you have to be a roadsters type of guy....... if you not, then this car is not for you....... good luck.....
Last edited by SL BRABUS; Feb 6, 2007 at 10:06 PM.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Baltimore MD
MB, BMW
It can be an everyday car...... The R129 would be more solid then your S2000..... If you could live with the S2000 then I don't see why the R129 SL a problem for you.......keep in mind you have to be a roadsters type of guy....... if you not, then this car is not for you....... good luck.....yeah i bet the SL is gonna ride like a Maybach limo compared to my Honda S2000. The thing is, I'm selling my S2000 b/c it's too "raw", 9000 rpm motor and all. I must be getting old. and my super hottie gf doesn't like the ride in the S2000.
I've been looking for a nice W220 S500 sport, but I've always like the SL500 AMG package. I'm a bit worried though b/c after all the R129 chassis is FRIGGIN OLDSKOOL. 1990 technology. i bet the chassis is not as stiff as my S2000. also the plastic rear window. spartan interior. not many gizmo options. but the SL is the flagship and it still looks good.
I love roadsters, so I may just wait a bit longer and get a R230 SL500.. not sure..
Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 184
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From: Maryland
'87 W124, '95 R129, '04 G35
i bet the chassis is not as stiff as my S2000.
spartan interior. not many gizmo options.
I love roadsters, so I may just wait a bit longer and get a R230 SL500.. not sure..
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 924
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From: Socal
1991 300sl 5 speed manual
Its a good daily driver if you can handle the low front end and not hitting the front bumper on curbs. As far as your hottie girl friend we will be the judge of that. One nice thing is that once you start racking up miles on these they dont devalue like newer cars since they have for the most part lost most of their initial value. Parts are expensive. I am hoping my fuel distributer is ok because if thats whats wrong with my car Im looking at 1600 dollars for the part. Name a part on that honda that is 1600 bucks.. JJ
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 301
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From: So. Cal.
SL500 2001 Formula 1 Edition;
I drive mine every day on my commute. It is 1.5 miles each way. HA HA.
For a while I was driving my baby the 20 miles from the suburbs to downtown L.A. Even though most of it was bumper to bumper, she made the ride a pleasure.
Especially fun was driving through the skid row area early on summer mornings with the top down and blasting some obnoxious song on the stereo in order to wake the homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks.
The ride is much better than almost any other roadster type car I've been in. With the massive weight, however, you give up some of the advantages of the S2000 and other cars like Miata and so forth.
Hotties love the car -- especially the heated seats when they are wearing mini-skirts.
BUT: You are right -- not too many gizmos and missing things that are almost standard on most mid-priced cars. Not even a navigation system.
For a while I was driving my baby the 20 miles from the suburbs to downtown L.A. Even though most of it was bumper to bumper, she made the ride a pleasure.
Especially fun was driving through the skid row area early on summer mornings with the top down and blasting some obnoxious song on the stereo in order to wake the homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks.
The ride is much better than almost any other roadster type car I've been in. With the massive weight, however, you give up some of the advantages of the S2000 and other cars like Miata and so forth.
Hotties love the car -- especially the heated seats when they are wearing mini-skirts.
BUT: You are right -- not too many gizmos and missing things that are almost standard on most mid-priced cars. Not even a navigation system.
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Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 141
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From: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
2002 S430 Sport Pkg
I have three buddies all of which have had SL roadsters two were R129's one was a R230. All three were owned by brothers so I have driven all of them. Being a fellow Michigander over here in Grosse Pointe Shores I can tell you our winters have beeen mild so keep that in mind. All of these guys drove these cars year round on the factory tires they would complain on occassion but then again what do you expect from low profile tires in the snow. I would suggest getting a nice winter set of rims and tires, obviosly snow tires. You should be more than fine. My car I have only been caught in snow a few times and I was more than satisfied with its snow performance. Although I don't really use it as my daily driver, its my baby even the wife can't touch it unless it is an emergency.
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From: North Carolina
98 Black C43 , 12’ ML 350 Blutec
yeah i bet the SL is gonna ride like a Maybach limo compared to my Honda S2000. The thing is, I'm selling my S2000 b/c it's too "raw", 9000 rpm motor and all. I must be getting old. and my super hottie gf doesn't like the ride in the S2000.
I've been looking for a nice W220 S500 sport, but I've always like the SL500 AMG package. I'm a bit worried though b/c after all the R129 chassis is FRIGGIN OLDSKOOL. 1990 technology. i bet the chassis is not as stiff as my S2000. also the plastic rear window. spartan interior. not many gizmo options. but the SL is the flagship and it still looks good.
I love roadsters, so I may just wait a bit longer and get a R230 SL500.. not sure..
I've been looking for a nice W220 S500 sport, but I've always like the SL500 AMG package. I'm a bit worried though b/c after all the R129 chassis is FRIGGIN OLDSKOOL. 1990 technology. i bet the chassis is not as stiff as my S2000. also the plastic rear window. spartan interior. not many gizmo options. but the SL is the flagship and it still looks good.
I love roadsters, so I may just wait a bit longer and get a R230 SL500.. not sure..
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,057
Likes: 341
From: NJ
2009 SL63 AMG
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2004
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From: California
2014 C250 sport
I dont own one, but one of my close relatives has a 2001 500, and I do drive it a lot. One thing is that there's a difference having the hardtop on vs. having the softtop up. The car feels much more solid with the hardtop on, less shaking and cowl/steering shake. However, being a 90k car, there's still an underlying solidity of the car when driving it, definitely feels like a Mercedes should,especially at freeway speeds. There is quite a bit of creaking going on in the interior, but yes, it would be a great daily driver...
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: US-Philadelphia
SL600
Drove my 97 SL600, as a daily driver (except in the snow) for nearly 10 years and enjoyed it every day. Great daily driver and it was nice to see the car transition between soft top and hard top. The clamshell gives it a completely different look.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 290
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i daily drive either an SL600 or an SL500. It's a daily driver what do you expect? It'll get you to point B safely. Nothing spectacular, but nothing too dissappointing either. It's a fun car though.
I average 100 miles a day and fill up twice a week. To me there is no difference in gas mileage between the 600 and the 500 [well it's very minimal]. So I say go get a V12.
I average 100 miles a day and fill up twice a week. To me there is no difference in gas mileage between the 600 and the 500 [well it's very minimal]. So I say go get a V12.
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 100
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From: East Coast (Up and Down)
13 S550, 10 S550, 08 GL550, 05 SL65, 97 SL600, 09 E63
My little SL600
Well.. I own an SL600 and I can tell you it's fine as a daily driver until something goes wrong.. Things just seem to snowball.. I've put about 13K into mine in the last year alone, but that included the whole restoration. The only thing I changed was the radio (It's now an Alpine). As for the actual driveability of the car as a daily driver, you can't go wrong. It's great in and out of traffic, but sitting in traffic just makes you crave the open road.. and that's when it gets annoying.. So much power.. So little room to flex it with (in traffic during rush hour)..
Snow.. Well that's another story. 1/4" of powder on the ground and it just doesn't move. Hit the ESP button to turn it off and it just gets worse. I barely made it home that night during a snowstorm (caught the front end of the storm) and I can tell you driving an SL in the snow behind an 18 wheeler on I-87 is one scary experience.
Spring, Fall and Summer is wonderful for this car. Even in the rain. but snow.. well.. just pull over and hope to god there's a hotel nearby.. You're going nowhere.
So I resigned the SL to 3 out of 4 seasons.. bought a ford explorer for winter.. and what do i learn? If you let an SL sit in the garage, things seem to just break if you don't drive it.
It cost me about $3000 to get it working properly.. (new battery, a few sensors, and a malfunctioning top).
Do I regret having the SL? hells no. I just regret I'm out of warranty. I'm seriously considering a relocation to hawaii and I've decided that if I do go through with the move, the SL gets traded in for a new one (leased this time).
I'll still go V-12 the second time around. It's just worth every penny.
Snow.. Well that's another story. 1/4" of powder on the ground and it just doesn't move. Hit the ESP button to turn it off and it just gets worse. I barely made it home that night during a snowstorm (caught the front end of the storm) and I can tell you driving an SL in the snow behind an 18 wheeler on I-87 is one scary experience.
Spring, Fall and Summer is wonderful for this car. Even in the rain. but snow.. well.. just pull over and hope to god there's a hotel nearby.. You're going nowhere.
So I resigned the SL to 3 out of 4 seasons.. bought a ford explorer for winter.. and what do i learn? If you let an SL sit in the garage, things seem to just break if you don't drive it.
It cost me about $3000 to get it working properly.. (new battery, a few sensors, and a malfunctioning top).
Do I regret having the SL? hells no. I just regret I'm out of warranty. I'm seriously considering a relocation to hawaii and I've decided that if I do go through with the move, the SL gets traded in for a new one (leased this time).
I'll still go V-12 the second time around. It's just worth every penny.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15
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1998 sl 500 silver/black
Drive my 98 sl500 daily except Dec-April. Love the way it drives and the way it looks. We bought it to drive it which is why we stayed away from the classic older (and often cooler) models. Love the back roads. Good point about the parking space bumpers. If you land on one be sure you don't leave your tow grid behind.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5
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From: North of Copenhagen, Denmark
500 SL
Drive teh Sl every day..
I just bought my 500SL (R129) 2 month ago and sold my Honda Prelude 2.2VTi. There is a big difference between these two cars. The Honda was happy doing 7.500 rpm and glued to the road, even on the highway near Frankfurt doing 240km/h. The Mercedes, I haven’t been over 3.000 rpm yet, and the speed 130km/h. You really have to be awake, even at this relative low speed. The Honda was a race machine the Mercer is a smart and beautiful limo, and I enjoy every second I drive it.
Today the hard top got off and the first time ever with the soft top down… wonderful drive. No regrets going from the Honda to the 500SL. And on top of that, the local gasoline man has now become a friend of mine!!!
Today the hard top got off and the first time ever with the soft top down… wonderful drive. No regrets going from the Honda to the 500SL. And on top of that, the local gasoline man has now become a friend of mine!!!
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: London, UK
1990 300SL, panoramic top
Decent daily driver?
I drive my 83,000 miler 1990 300SL rather more than I should, both in London and on what may laughably be called the open road in the UK. At around $10 a gallon (UK) for the best commonly available petrol, you will get an idea of how much I must enjoy driving it! It is utterly reliable and a hoot to drive, especially now that it has a Remus back end and the K&N filter to give it just a little more oomph off the lights.
I also have a beast of a S600C (the 6litre V12) for out of town driving as I cover around 40,000 miles a year for work - much better for my back but too insulated from reality with its double glazed windows and armchairs for seats.
So I spend more time than I should in the SL.
For town driving, my wife's 230 SLK is also worth taking out but I am scared witless on what seems to be little more than a supercharged rollerskate when contesting traffic on the UK's motorway network!
I also have a beast of a S600C (the 6litre V12) for out of town driving as I cover around 40,000 miles a year for work - much better for my back but too insulated from reality with its double glazed windows and armchairs for seats.
So I spend more time than I should in the SL.
For town driving, my wife's 230 SLK is also worth taking out but I am scared witless on what seems to be little more than a supercharged rollerskate when contesting traffic on the UK's motorway network!
