Mercedes SL

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Sun 22 Sep 2002 08:19
Mercedes SL - DenisO
I am currently looking to buy one in the £20 - £24k range and the collective knowledge of the Back Roomers would be greatly appreciated.

1). What engine. I am thinking along the lines of the 320, probably a straight 6. Would it be worth spending extra to get the later V6.

2). Does high mileage make that much difference. Mercs have a rep for going for ever. Are there any problems associated with high milers and at what sort of mileage.

3). Are they noisey when driven with the soft top up. I tried an M3 soft top and the drumming noise over 70 was horrendous. Not condusive to long motorway trips, of which I do quite a few.

4). When were the various facelifts done and what changes were made. It seems that around 95/96 that Air Con became Climate but what else happened through the model years.

5). What is security like. I think a tracker would be a good idea and a lot of them seem to have one but what is the standard alarm immobiliser set up like.

6). The old chestnut....depreciation. My XJR dropped like a stone and SWMBO's RR is doing similar. The SL seems to hold it's price a little better but I suspect I am in for a fair old hit.

7). Do they get significantly cheaper when the sun disappears to the Southern hemisphere like most soft tops.

If anyone has one or owned one previously any help in advising what to look for would be much appreciated.
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