Purchase advice Mercedes Sl of the generation R 129: Open temptation – play it safe

Purchase advice for the Mercedes Sl of the R 129 generation
Open temptation – play it safe

Its design was new, different and somehow typical Daimler of that time. Unlike the R 107, which was built from 1971 to 1989 as a spectacular classic and wore the star design of the late 1960s well into the 1990s, the SL from the R 129 series dared to make a real restart. It was angular, lush and a real high-tech vehicle. Fully electric fabric roof, extendable rollover protection, safety seats, luxury equipment with every comfort – actually a Mercedes S-Class with two doors, two seats and an electrically opening fabric roof. Not everyone liked so much high-tech and the design leap, because while the 107 predecessor, like the Pagoda, has been able to boast of being everyone’s darling for decades, things looked quite different with the successor for a long time. Its luxury and quality impressed and also frightened many. The 129 is now more popular than ever on the classic car market.

Open temptation – play it safe

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When Mercedes presented the new SL series R129 to the world public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1989, nothing in the convertible world was to be the same afterwards. The roadster presented with the 300 SL, 300 SL-24 and 500 SL not only made people open their mouths because of the fact that it only had the star in common with its predecessors, but above all because of the drastic improvement in terms of passive safety – and opening purse. After twelve years of production, the last R129 rolled off the assembly line in July 2001. And not in Sindelfingen, but in Bremen. It was the first SL that was not built in Sindelfingen. However, it is not only the design that causes a stir, but also the conglomerate of comfort and safety equipment – above all the automatic roll bar. For the first time in the history of automobile construction, this safety concept, which is invisible during normal operation or can be folded up if desired, is being used. In the event of a rollover, the roll bar is triggered electromagnetically within 0.3 seconds by a sensor, thus increasing the chances of survival for the two SL occupants. The disadvantage of the increasing number of safety modules in the vehicle is the associated increase in vehicle weight, which increases in this way from generation to generation. However, thanks to lightweight construction and a reduction in the body shell weight, Mercedes managed to surpass the total weight of the previous R107 model by a slim 20 kilograms.

In addition to the world premiere of the automatic roll bar, there are also newly developed integral seats, which offer increased protection in side impact accidents with their high level of rigidity. At the same time, the fully electric seat adjustment functions, the belt system including belt tensioners and the belt height adjustment have been integrated into the seats. The electro-hydraulic convertible top mechanism, which is very slow by today’s standards and provides a real roadster feeling within 30 seconds, was an eye-catcher three decades ago. Another novelty: the wind deflector used for the first time in the R129, which prompted the designer Bruno Sacco to make a brief but extremely self-deprecating comment: “And even without a full head of hair, I appreciate the effect of the clever idea of ​​our wind deflector engineers.” However, the new SL not only sets itself apart from its predecessor due to the banning of disruptive turbulence within the vehicle, which has grown to a length of 4.47 meters and a width of 1.81 meters, but also due to a new chassis system. The optional system, which consists of three parts, consists of level control and adjustment on the front and rear axles, speed-dependent level adjustment and the adaptive damping system. On the classic market, however, one should avoid such models. The system is good, but just as maintenance-intensive as it is expensive. If it is defective, an exchange sometimes costs more than 10,000 euros. In the early years, the Mercedes SL of the R 129 series was even available with a manual transmission and fabric seats. Afterwards, electric leather seats and a five-speed automatic transmission were installed as standard.

During its twelve-year model cycle, a restructuring of the nomenclature within the Mercedes group briefly caused confusion. In a nutshell, for the SL this means that vehicles produced up to June 1993 have the SL after the three-digit number, all subsequent vehicles before it. The entry-level 300 SL with its 3.0-liter six-cylinder petrol engine manages the sprint to 100 km/h in under ten seconds with a speed of 9.3. Its top speed is 228 kilometers per hour. In the eight-cylinder models with the 500 in their name, whether in front of or behind the SL doesn’t matter here, the electric lock kicks in at a speed of 250 – with the twelve-cylinder from the 600 series too, of course. Even the 4.8-second Sprinter SL 73 AMG with the 7.3-liter 12-pointer under the long bonnet has a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour. However, the limit can be lifted at the customer’s request. In order to be able to enjoy the 525 hp blocking peak of the SL series, a DM 99,180 conversion of the SL 600, which cost DM 226,432, had to be commissioned between 1999 and 2001.

Overall, there were two major facelifts for the R129 series. The first will be presented in September 1995 at the IAA in Frankfurt. Slight changes to the body design, new alloy wheels and a glass roof with sunblind characterize the first overhaul. In addition, there are headlights with xenon lamps and modifications to the engines and transmissions of the eight and twelve-cylinder vehicles. And when it comes to driving safety, Mercedes has given its chic roadster another new feature that had just celebrated its world premiere in the 600 SEC: the electronic driving stability program ESP. The second facelift takes place at the end of April 1998. The most important innovations are the introduction of a new generation of V-engines with eight or six cylinders and a slightly modified rear section. A year later, in the spring of 1999, new AMG versions rounded off the top end of the model range. The top-of-the-range SL 73 AMG is one of the horsepower giants. The successor to the R129 was the R230 in 2001, which, however, could not match its predecessor with its folding roof. There is nothing that shows this more clearly than the prices on the used car market. But these are also increasing slowly and steadily.

While the R230 in its various engine variants is still available for a manageable price and prices of less than 25,000 euros (with a clear upward trend), things are quite different with the predecessor. The vehicles of the last model series and thus from the model year 1999 are particularly popular. They offer xenon lights, modified rear lights, aprons and the more modern center console. The most popular model is the Mercedes 500 SL, closely followed by the 320 SL, which again has a V6 engine and not a straight six as in the early 1990s models. Well-preserved R129s with complete equipment cost over 45,000 euros. The 500s sometimes cost over 50,000 euros – especially limited editions and Designo models without the wrong colors that are sometimes common. The 320 with a maximum of 150,000 km is around 40,000 euros, while the top model of the 600 SL with the equally heavy and powerful V12 engine with almost 400 hp is in much less demand than the entry-level model of the 280. The early models and especially those from 1989 to 1995 are cheaper and less sought after. A well-preserved Mercedes SL 320 / SL 500 with less than 150,000 kilometers costs between 25,000 and 35,000 euros.

Color choice is more important than ever for the Mercedes SL and its popularity on the used car market. The undisputed number one is silver exterior paint and a black interior. This is followed by the exterior paintwork in black and dark blue metallic. If you are looking for such a vehicle, you should make sure that it has not passed through numerous hands, is accident-free and has a service history (officially Mercedes). Then nothing stands in the way of a lasting relationship with lots of sunshine, because the quality is R129 not only set standards when he was active with a new car.

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