BoMB

Good morning, I hope everyone is enjoying a happy and healthy holiday weekend. Long time MB owner/lessee, and even prior to getting my first MB, I had long admired the SL series, and the 1990 SL 300 was one of my favorites (due to the smaller engine). However, I know nothing about this specific year/model. I mentioned this to a wholesaler, and 6 months later he found one. I am going to look at -- a one-owner, no accident car, both hard and soft tops, with...here it is...50,000 miles. Apparently, there are "some" records, and a local (to them) specialty shop did "all" of the service and work.

So, I guess my question(s) is -- one, how can I assure this is a legit 50,000 miles? Two, what should I know about this year/model? Good? Bad? Any major known issues? For example, this year/model is known to have problems with X, and it should be replaced by Y miles, or within Z years. After I look at the car, I am hesitant to call the shop that did the work to ask questions about the car, service history, etc. Yes, I can get an independent assessment/inspection/check done, and I will do that. However, I wanted to ask the resident experts -- what should I know? What should I be concerned about? Are there any major things I should look at and see if they were done, replaced, etc.? Thank you very much in advance!

BenzBopper

Its hard to tell about the 50k miles on it but there are clues...like original fuel filter, fuel pump. Air filters and cabin air filters. My car has a 170k miles on it and it still original cabin filters. with miles that low on the car your talking about I bet the brakes are original, they could be. Check the serpentine belt, it might be original. So many car parts do not get the preventive maintenance required in the owners manual.
I did drive an sl 300 and thought the 6 cylinder engine had ample torque. Plus all that added space to work on your engine. I'm no Mercedes expert but my time as an elevator mechanic gave me the insight to preventive maintenance to prevent break downs and call backs.

BoMB

Thanks BenzBopper. As far as the engine, torque, etc., when given the choice, I've tended to opt for the smaller engine. On my original Jag XJS, and my second one, I had the option between the 6 cylinder and the 12, and both times I went for the 6. I don't drive fast, don't need or want speed, major HP, etc. Unless the smaller engine was known to have problems, it was always fine for me. Same with MB. I never needed a 12 cylinder or a big, powerful 8 cylinder. Thanks again for your insight.

BenzBopper

I travel up I-70 west Denver frequently. I found an 03' CLK320 v-6 and it has enough power to pull those first mountain runs. Plus its getting 30mpg. I can't complain about the sl500 with the v-8, I only paid 2k for the car so the v-8 was a bonus for me, I wasn't even looking for one but it was there.
I would like to think that dependability is the performance that the majority of MB owners pay for. There certainly are many great performance options that MB offers. I drove an 1981 Honda prelude to 320k miles(3 trannies) but that little engine would not quit.

BoMB

UPDATE...So I went and looked at the car. The actual car is not what the pictures looked like! LOL. What a surprise, LOL. First, they did not have complete service records at all. They had a Carfax printout, which didn't have any service entries (except the last one), along with just one receipt -- again, the last one -- which showed an oil change (and some trivial other tasks). Second the car has not been maintained well at all -- a door armrest fell off and wasn't screwed in, the other door panel was loose, the front/low spoiler is all beat up, scratched, cracked, patched (a very poor job), etc., and the chrome/plastic grill slats are dented and bent. Plus, the guy who has the car on consignment said the front right quarter panel looks like it may have been repainted. The car just doesn't look well maintained at all.

Then, I drove the car, 32 years old, and 50k miles -- it was sluggish, very sluggish -- almost as it if were in limp mode. I get that it's a 6 cylinder, but it had zero nimbleness, zero responsiveness, and was just "slow" and sluggish. You stepped on the gas, to the floor, and it accelerated (if you want to call it that) like an old mini-van. On top of all this -- the car has a problem with the soft top!!! LOL. I am not buying this car. Too bad because it looked really great in the pictures, LOL. Thanks again for all the insight and advice!

BenzBopper

There are some really nice SL's on Denver's CL ad right now. There is an sl with 38k miles on it, an sl320 around 6,600.00. Sometimes there is that luck factor and you may get lucky and find a good one, be patient.

BoMB

Thanks. I greatly appreciate the advice.