ChrisB

After following MB for about a 1 1/2 years ... it is clear to me that SL represents a flaghip of the MB brand.

I see lots of interest in the latest and greatest SL55, SL600 and models to follow. Not much talk of racing or street "kills".

I have also seen a lot excitement in the release of the E55 AMG.

I have just this week learned that there is a lot of performace pride in the early 1990's E 500 "velvet hammer".

There are forums divoted to the E 500. Members being quite passionate about 12 year old cars.

Why does the SL not generate a similar amount of buzz in internet forums?

eabul

This is a special website for SL owbers in Japan, and lots of pictures
http://homepage2.nifty.com/STM-SL500/

sluvr

Hi Chris... I think the 129 series fell between the old classic coupe styling and the present radical designs. To me the 129 represents the best in refined design by Bruno Sacco design group. You might want to read Mercedes-Benz SL published in 1989 by Automobilia. Bruno Alfieri, Author. This is the definitive R129 Study, with great photos & cutaway drawings.
Cheers Ray

'98 sl 500- Brilliant silver/ black
'98 e320- Wagon

vraa

The R129 does not need discussion to show it's one of the best automobiles ever made. I've said it before and I'll say it again. No car out there can compare with the elegence of any R129. They are a rare species, even when you and your neighbor have one. However contrast it to the R230 and those are a dime a dozen. Perhaps the notion that the R129 is a classic in every car enthusiasts head plays a role? Or maybe it's that thought inserted into every individual who has the pleasure of viewing a R129 in life that alters the intangible feeling of a new sensation which rivals something along ecstasy, except sweeter.

Mind you, my uncle has a R129 500 and everytime I see that car, I get a chill down my spine.

sleeper

well its a bit better than a honda civic...... bwahaha just kidding guys

but seriously, the R129 has a certain air to it. For me, its not a sporty air but an air of refinement.

I mean its a "gentleman's" touring car and not something meant for track use or pedal mashing...

the 129 seems more suited for coat-and-tie dinners and just cool relaxed cruising.

If you want something that screams sporty then get an R230.

ChrisB

A few weeks ago I became aware that there is an updated version of "The SL Experience" now out in print. Apparantly a great SL resource book.

http://www.slmarket.com/toc.htm

I will learn more of the 50 plus year history 300SL leading up to the R129 SL and beyond ... because it has been updated to include R230.

Ken Silver

I think it depends when you were born.

The period of greatest emotional impact for learning and assimilation comes during adolescence, and as my start year on this earth was 1948 the model that had the most impact on me was the R107. (OK, I have always been a late starter, for those who are doing the sums on this )

Even 40 years later that model gave me shivers down my spine, and when I could buy one a few years back I was estatic.

Up till then the 129 has always looked blocky to me, even though I acknowledge it has the charisma that others have commented on. It still gave me a thrill to see one, but I wasn't that impressed.

One reason I think this came about was personal availability - the new 129 was impossibly out of my financial reach and so I automatically discounted it as being accessible, in my mind.

So it stayed stylish, but unattractive to me.

Now that I've seen the R230 - and don't like it - the 129 has started to look better. And as an 129 owner of 8 months, it has started to really look good.

Part of that good feeling is the advantage of physical ownership... polishing, getting admiring comments, and all the things that make you feel good about an exclusive car - indeed, the best car in the world as has been said.

The other part is the complex way we process stuff intellectually.

When I see my car in the distance from the front, the star makes the biggest oomph. That colors the whole view of its shape from then on... and as I take in its lines, the whole 129 'comes together' as a design statement in a way that no other SL does.

To illustrate that, on some SL photo album pages somewhere is an SL500 which has been debadged - no front star - no back boot star - no markings. Because of that it is unrecognisable to me. It sort of looks exotic, but I couldn't quite figure out what brand it was. I thought it might have been a kitset. There were no identifying factors.

So it appears the body plays only a small part in our likes and dislikes. Someone else might like the SL because of its iron glove performance, rather in the way a Porsche's beetlish style grows on you and becomes more attractive the more you encounter it.

Shows how complicated it is to come to some sort of agreement on these things, doesn't it!

And I'm really trying to like the R230, against my better judgement, but I might have to wait another decade or two to appreciate it.

In the meantime, my SL needs a good looking at!

Ken Silver
--------------
1993 Mercedes SL500, 1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas), 1992 Miata MX5. Finish detailing, then start all over again...

ChrisB

Ken, I think you are on to something there.

The age group that may be most impressed by the R129 styling would have been say 16 years old in mid series 1996 ... or 34 years old now +/- 5 years.

But in general can 29 to 39 year old people afford a $ 20,000 to $ 60,000 luxury in the form of a two seater raodster? They are mostly buzy raising kids.

The 450 SL (R107) was the first MB that caught my attention ... probably in my late teans. They always have been classic in their styling.

When we went to buy our first Benz in Dec 2002, the 560 SL seemed to be very attaractive and a good price. We test drove ... too bad I don't like old cars!

We spent conciderably more money and went for the SL 500. A great car! I love every minute of driving it! Top down or panorama roof on. Driving aggressivly or just cruising.

For some reason, I am still learning how to let my eyes relax and absorb the beauty of the car. To others that beauty may seem obvious.

Ken Silver

You're quite right Chris - price probably plays as much a part as age with these cars.

I keep forgetting that when I was poor these cars seemed hugely expensive and out of reach.

Now it's like: shall I buy one in a different color for every day of the week? (Just kidding of course, but one's attitude changes enormously when you have a surplus of the folding stuff).

Ken Silver.

ChrisB

Thanks.

I will have to look this up at the book store.

I just had the "The SL Experience - Five Decades of the Mercedes-Benz SL" by John R. Olson, delivered this last week. Interesting from a heritage point of view.

For my taste it dwells a bit too much on 300SL to 560SL for my taste ... cause I'm interested most in the R129 and R230 series.

Black129

I have two things to say. I know about 5 people(6 including me) with SL500 129/230 body styles and I am the only one of the 6 who looks at internet forums. Most of the people who own this car are just people who love the look of the car and enjoy driving it. The people on the forums are CAR people who not only appreciate the SL mistique but also are into the interworkings of the car. They want to modify it, fix it, or just know all they can about this car. When I was younger(high school) I worked in a body shop and build a fast 5.0 Mustang so i am very confortable working on cars. I love working on cars so I naturaly gravitated to the internet and forums to learn all about these cars. My guess is that alot of SL owners just are not interested in what the forums provide.

As to the SL mistique I ask you this. What type of reactions to you get from people when you show up driving an SL or tell people that you drive an SL. I know that when people hear you have a mercedes usually ask which one. I have been there when a person said that they have a E - C - S class and usually ge the same response. Most people just say thats "a nice car", but when you drop the SL name you get a more emotional reaction like WOW!!! thats a beautiful car... damn you a high roller... or I bet that car is really fun to drive.

Another example on how the mistique of the SL is so strong is just the response by my neighbors when I first pulled into the driveway in a 97 triple black SL500/W AMG 5spoke(in CHERRY condition) on a nice warm sunny day with the top down and began to wash it. You would have thought I was giving $100 bills away. 5 neighbors must have came over and talked to me about the car. Some wanted to sit in it and others just wanted to stand there, look at it and talk to me about how much I love my car. Now it is not like I am the only Mercedes or BMW in the neighborhood. There are multiple neighbors who have purchased a Mercedes or a BMW's everyone would say "nice car" when they got their new rides but nobody ever stopped what they were doing to go see the NON SL mercedes or BMW when they pulled up after they got it.

This is just my experience and I am sure that other have had the same. Hope eveyone is enjoying there SL and just waiting for that day when they can take that Hard top off and put it into storage for the summer.

ChrisB

I know one person that has a SL. Me.

That is why I surf the forums. To seek an exchange of ideas.

All expressions welcome as far as I am concerned!

ChrisB

Very well written vraa.

Several weeks later (better late than never) I want to say how much I appreciate those words.

My own experience is beginning to resemble that sentement.

I have only been following MB closely for obout 1 1/2 years now ... and bought used. So I had not experienced the hype surrounding the R129 when it was the current SL model.

SL cars of any style are quite rare where I live. So there is little chance to compare notes with other owners or recieve feedback from admiring observers.

Thanks.

blueSL

The 129 attracted just as much hype at the time with its roof as the 230 does now. In a world of shortening product life cycles and more rapidly evolving technology, the 129 dated faster than the 107 which preceded it.

In fact, some would say the 129 was well overdue for replacement. It came out at the same time as a generation of S and CL and these were both replaced long before the SL; my impression is that resources were switched to the S class because Mercedes was losing out to the continuing success of Lexus and BMW 7 series.

To my eyes, the 129 still looks great, I particularly like the rising shoulder line towards the trunk lid and my SL600 continues to impress as my daily driver which will allow me to pile on the miles, not worry about where I leave it, within reason, and still look good without me having to lavish huge amounts of care on it.

MB AMG

I have to agree. The R129 is a beautiful beautiful car. My uncle's black pearl 500SL with those AMG 2 piece rims look oustanding. You HAVE to love that car.

bzliteyear

The good ol' days...in 1999/2000, I owned a 1993 600SL smoke silver w/ 34k miles that I bot from the original owner for $54k. It was A LOT of money(but it felt less from the internet bubble), but I figured it was a $125k car...so I the prev. guy already took the biggest depreciation. I had also looked at the 500SLs at the time, but it wasn't much cheaper and it was also not as rare.

After two years, I sold the 600SL...thinking that I may wait a year and either buy the new Lexus SC430 or the new MB SL the following year. Surprise, instead of following thru w/ my deposits...I decided against either one. I guess the biggest factor was that I just DIDN'T like the way these new cars looked - esp. the Lexus. Furthermore, as much as the SLs rec'd solid reviews for the way it drives, given the similar engine/drivetrain, I I thought the build quality was WAY DOWN...ie. even the way the SL's door slammed was pretty consistent w/ some of the newer MBs that are being built - CHEAP.

So what am I thinking now? For my wknd/fun, I think the next car will be a 1999 or 2000 SL, sport package. I looked at a few ARROW cars...you guys think it's worth the extra $ vs. regular sports pkg?

ChrisB

I guess you have not bought the R129 yet. Are you still looking?

JAM

The R129 is simply an amazaing vehicle. Even with the R230 available, people still want to talk about my R129 when they see it.

The R129 is a uniqe looking, but tasteful, machine. The R230 seems to blend in with the rest of the modern Benz line. A non-Benz owner could easily mistake it for the current C or CLK. To this point, at least the new SLK really stands out.

As far as the value of getting a Silver Arrow edition, sure it looks very nice, but then again any SL looks good! A possible alternative would be to find an SL in one of the less popular, but very nice colors, such as Turquoise or Black Opal.

mebeJOE

Last night I was driving my 2001 R129 and a young hispanic-looking guy in a Toyota was driving next to me and keep looking at my car, smiling and so forth. After I waved, he gave me a big thumbs up.

So, I think the mystique is still there.

Bigdot

joe that is a nice looking goose


mark

hotel_calif

You have a very nice ride, Joe. It looks like there some lettering just behind the front-left tire. What does it say?

hotel_calif

I agree completely.

mebeJOE

Thanks. These cars are so sweet, I don't know why I waited so long to get one.

As far as the lettering, you've got a great eye for detail, Hotel. I don't know about why that lettering is there. I haven't seen it on any other ones. It is two checked racing flags with the poles crossed and the flags apart; in between the flags it says "SL". It is on both sides. It looks factory to me, I think maybe it was something they did on the sport package for 2001 only or the Designo pacakage.

But like I side, I haven't seen it on any others. Any body know what it means?