jayg

Hello everyone, this is my first time to the R129 board and I've come to ask for help.

My question is "what is a fair price for a 95 SL500"? An aquanitence I golf with has the car and has decided to part with it. I haven't looked at the car yet but this is what I've been told.

-23K miles
-Dark Green
-2 roofs
-"every option" , I don't believe many were available.
-Mint condition in every way.
-Asking price is $27K , which I think is high.

I've read a few posts on this board about what to expect in terms of upgrade costs when buying a 95 (the SL320 post was interesting, estimates about $3500) but if anyone has any other advice I'd appreciated that also.

If I buy the car I'd send it to Florida and only drive it 2 or 3 months a year.

Thanks in advance,

-Jay

RSpreier

In August, I bought a 95 SL600 for 24500. It has 50k miles. 23K miles is, as you know extremely low for a a 95. I would think the car is worth 23k - 25k, depending on how badly you want it.

jayg

Thanks RSpreier. Did you find that the 95' needed much basic maintenance to get it running right? I'm worried that the wiring will be brittle after 10 years.

Thanks again for the reply.

RSpreier

My SL600 needed nothing. It is in perfect condition. I also have a 91 500SL with 150k miles that needed nothing and still runs like new. The overall condition will tell a great deal about the car. Usually it is pretty easy to see if a car has 23K and has received exceptional care or if it has 23k because it spent most of its life in a body shop. I own a used car dealership and have owned numerous mercedes, and I have never had the electrical problems that some of the members of this forum have had. It may just be luck, but I think it has more to do with checking a car out thoroughly before purchasing it.

MeJay

Wiring harness is not known to be a major problem with the 320 or 500. It is more common with the 600 due to the tight space in the engine compartment.

sl3204me

I was amused when you said that 1995 SL320 and SL500 models did not have any wiring harness problems.I only wish that this was true.The 1st trip in my local MB dealer for service made me painfully aware of both the engine wiring harness problems and the head gasket leak problems on the SL320 from 1994 through 1997.MB is willing to replace the harness for $850 on out of warranty SLs.Their initial quote was $1250 until I started mentioning defective harnesses on these cars.The price began to drop quickly.
This happens after the car has over 80,000 miles.Heat in the engine compartment eventually breaks down the plastic insulation covering the wires and then there are numerous short circuits causing numerous problems.After a long talk with my MB master mechanic,it appears that if you have not had a problem yet you are very fortunate.However just as no one escapes old man time,so too you will not escape having to eventually replace the engine wiring harness and the head gasket($2000).Also include the front shock mounts.They crack eventually.Continued good luck

Black129

Where do you live? If you live close to chicago, I have a whole saler that gets GREAT luxury cars. I have purchase collectively with my father 4 SL500(97,98,00,01) X5 4.4, Porsche cayenne all w/ low miles and like new condition. I bought a 2000 SL500 with 32k on the clock, prestine condition for 34k. I am positive that you could find a newer car with comparable feature for the same cost.

jayg

Hi Black129. I live In central Ma. This car belongs to another member of the club where I play golf. He's moving to Fl and needs to unload some toys. After the research I've done I don't think I'd pay over $22K. If we can't reach agreement it's not a big deal for me. I'll just keep looking.

Thanks,

RUCKDR

This might be of some help - go here and run the numbers:
http://www.kbb.com/


Select a Type of Blue Book Value


Kelley Blue Book Trade-In Value
Trade-in Value is what consumers can expect to receive from a dealer for a trade-in vehicle.


Kelley Blue Book Private Party Value
Private Party Value is what a buyer can expect to pay when buying a used car from a private party. This value may also be used to derive Fair Market Value for insurance and vehicle donation purposes.


Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value
The Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value is representative of dealers' asking prices and is the starting point for negotiation between a consumer and a dealer.

Don

blueSL

I think $27k is way high. The car may have low miles but Mercedes are not frightened of high miles. This car will be before the first facelift which came in 96.

The comments about wiring looms are valid; I had a wiring loom failure in my 96 SL600 last year which was one of the three strikes (the others being gearbox and airbag controller) which caused me to dump it and replace it with the 911.

MeJay

Thanks for the information on the wiring harness. I guess my point is the 600 is more prone to the problem as opposed to the 320 and 500. At least this is the first ime I hear there is a problem with the 320. I usually open my hood when I get home after a long drive and let the heat out. Now, that may not help but I figure the heat generated inside the engine compartment when the car is in park is more damaging than when it is in motion.