Hello R129 forum. I'm interesting in buying a MY2000-2002 500, but I have a few questions to make sure this car is a good match for me.

I'm looking for a fun and reliable road trip convertible, but also a car that can effortlessly handle heavy traffic for a few months at a time.The R129 strikes me as an over-engineered, elegant, reliable, and fun car. Would anyone disagree?

I have a '73 450 SLC, which is my only Mercedes. It has been rock solid and not overly costly to maintain for a car of its age. How do the '99+ 500s do for reliability/cost? Is the engine solid but the trim/radio troublesome?

Are there any problem areas I should know about when I look at one? It seems that silver and black are the most common colors. Are grays or blues very rare?

I've have many questions, but I'll save some for later. Thanks for any help.

 

Hey RWDvelocity. I am a recent r129 convert, so I thought I would share with you what I learned while shopping. The r129 was made from 1990 until 2002, and had a few major changes along the way. In 1996 the car was upgraded to a 5 speed automatic transmission. There were some cosmetic changes as well. In '99 the 119 v8 was replaced with the 113 v8. There is a pretty big divide with r129 fans on which one is better. The 119 is a 4valve DOHC design, while the 113 is a simpler 3valve SOHC design. The 119 has a little more HP and torque. The 113 has better low end torque for off the line performance, and it has lower emissions. Both motors are pretty much bullet proof. The 2 mechanical items that I have come across frequently to check on are the motor/transmission mounts, and the transmission plug adaptor. The motor mounts could fail as early as 25,000 miles. The tip off to them being worn/failing is a roughness to the idle, as well as a roughness to the driving experience. The transmission plug adaptor is an inexpensive part that could start to leak tranmission fluid. The fluid could travel along the electrical wire to the TCM and damage the electronics to the tune of a lot of $. The plug adaptor is cheap and easy to swap out, so caught in time is not an issue.
The main issue everyone told me to check first is the soft top. Make sure you raise/lower the top on the car you are looking at to make sure it works properly. Pay special attention to the hydraulics above the windshield. Make sure that area is dry and leak free. Note it is not the fastest operator. I had a newer Z4 and the top was a lot faster (less complicated) compared to the SL.
As far as the car itself, it is exactly what you asked for, a great cruiser, and also a liveable daily commuter. I have only had mine for about a month, but it already strikes me as a great cruiser. I have taken it up the Pacific Coast Highway here in southern California. It is smooth, powerful, and has a great ride. Also the wind buffering is great, especially with the screen installed (check to make sure that the car you are looking at has it, it stores in the trunk when not installed on the roll bar). Driving around town it is very liveable. Smooth in stop and go traffic, and good visability. When I first got mine it took me a bit to get used to the "softness" of the car. Throttle tip in is smooth, and the engine is super quiet, even at wide open throttle. The brakes are spongy. There is quite a bit of petal travel, and the brake bit is slow. But the brake are great once you get used to that, and will stop the car quick when they need to. There are some people out there who have changed out the oem brake lines with stainless steel ones which seems to firm up the petal and feel. My daily driver is an x5 4.8i, and after getting out of the SL it feels like I am going to pop a wheely and lift the *** end of the car up when I accelerate and brake. The Sl is so much more relaxed than the set up in the bmw. The SL is much smoother and quieter.
I ended up getting a low mileage '98. I look forward to years of fun with it, and also these forums make ownership more fun. Check out this website: http://www.brianclifton.com/mb/cars/r129/
it has a lot of info on the r129, yearly changes, some informative videos ect.
Good luck on the search!
cheers.
John

 

Thank you for the information, trek96. Its good to hear that these cars are as comfortable and tough as they seem. I've been disappointed with the "new" Mercedes build quality and designs.

Were the roll bar windscreens standard or an accessory? I have a feeling I might come up against dealers who claim it was an expensive option. On the topic of standard items, were the hardtops an accessory?

I'm glad to know about the areas to check. The website you linked is great. I've been looking for a site like that. Thank you for the luck on the search. I'll see you around the R129 forum.

 

No prob
The windscreen and hard top were both standard features on the r129. If you are lucky enough to find one with the panoramic top (upgrade option from the standard hardtop) those things are worth their weight in gold.
One other thing, finding one with the xenon headlamps is an added bonus as well. I heard the standard headlamps are lacking (I have the xenons, and they seem great). Many of the later SL's have the xenons, as it seems it was a popular option.

 

Thanks again, trek 96. I agree, from what I've seen, the xenons are the better deal. I'm glad to know those two items are standard- good information in case I come across a sleazy salesperson. The panorama top is certainly a sight to behold. From the pictures I've been able to find, it makes the car feel entirely different than with the solid roof.