The SMOG feature is a system which detects elevated levels of carbon monoxide and other pollutants outside the vehicle and automatically activates the secondary cabin air charcoal filter, and deactivates it when the air is clean enough again. SMOG on the display is just an indication that the system is on, there is no input required from the user. I have this same feature on my '96 S600. I believe it was standard on the higher level models. Please upvote so others (and hopefully Doug) can see this. Nice car!
@@Affalterbach1967 That is a really good question. Logically, one would think it should shut itself off automatically when the roof is open to extend the life of the filter. Maybe it does, and the smog indication just stays there to remind you that you're in SoCal? Maybe someone with an R129 can check the manual and chime in.
@@beedslolkuntus2070 The W140 and R129 were very technologically advanced cars for their age, especially the W140. First car with soft close doors, first car with parking sensors, first Benz with GPS (Euro/Japan only).
Fuck Google Censorship GPS BACK WHEN?!?! *when?!?!?!!* 1990's? No way I can't believe that I wouldn't even believe it if you told GPS back in 2005! When I was born too. My dad had this old Chevy Lumina back in 2004 he bought that, well we had to leave the country and we sold it, but then Recently I got to saw the interior and the door squeekkkksssss like hell xD
@@beansontoastforbreakfast7911 It's even more sophisticated than that... skidding is enough to trigger it. I did a quick turn on fine gravel with mine; all wheels still were on the ground and it was all under control - but suddenly the bar shot up. Pretty scary at the moment - but it feels reassuring that the device is there and rather too quick than too slow...
I always remember the blurry video of an SL crashing on the Autobahn and rolling over at 100+ MPH. The driver walked away, due in no small part to the pop-up roll bar.
@@svenbrachthauser1143 Yup. Harry's garage SL600 V12 - great review, btw - has rear seats. Seems like the roll bar would cause a serious injury to any rear seat passengers.
@@svenbrachthauser1143 Yes you're right. But Doug might be partially right too. I don't think they ever were sold with rear seats in North America. And if they ever were sold with the back seats in North America, that option must have disappeared after the Bose sound system became standard over there (not in Europe) in MY 94.
That makes sense, but it begs the question of why have a switch to put it up? It's not like it looks good up, so it's not for style. And it couldn't be for redundant safety - it's not like you'd have time mid-roll to realize it didn't automatically deploy and remember to reach out and hold the button.
Great video Doug! The roll bar raises automatically if the car detects an imminent roll over. The reason that it can be raised or lowered manually from the button on the console, is because the wind deflector you showed in the boot attaches to it. So if you want to reduce wind buffet whilst driving with the roof down, you raise the roll bar with the deflector attached to it.
Ah the 02 silver arrow. I emailed you a few years ago to capture my 00 SL600 which only still has 22k miles on it. Glad to see a r129 get some appreciation.
I would die for that car. Wish he would have done yours. I had a phaeton w12 he was going to review but he ended up with another one that was in better shape than mine.
8:50 doug: “I really wanna show the top being put on. But it’s a two person job, would you mind?” owner of car: “not at all! hey kids! You wanna be on a TH-cam video?”
omg how brilliant, that means Doug putting out a review means you automatically have a good day and a hundred and thirty one people feel uplifted at this simple observation. Go humanity!
@ZionHillCalling bro he gives us informations about a car, that even the car owner gets suprised And he so comited to it And he's the only youtuber I know without cringy first video
nolan879 same thing as the e36 bmw convertible even in a minor accident, but a minor accident was still enough to total mine with 52,000 miles on the clock
TableRocked actually he did say that “modern convertibles” have “automatic” roll-bars that shoot up in position in case of need, but this was manual. And this was clearly a mistake because it does pop up in case of accident.
My dad bought a 2002 SL500 Final Edition three years ago from a renowned seller in Germany for around 70.000$. And it holds value quite well. Edit: the storage compartment with the cup holders in it can be optioned to be a 20 discs CD changer
My uncle owns an SL600, had no idea what it was until I asked him about it, then I did some research. Very understated yet beautiful car. My favorite thing to do when we hang out is take it for a drive on the highway and just cruise, such a smooth ride and engine. Absolutely amazing car.
OMG, my best friend's dad used to have one of these!! I remember when my friend finally got his driver's licence, his father allowed him to drive around with this car. When I was staying at his place, we used to sneak out of the house late at night, raced to the local McDonald's with the top open (even when it was like freezing cold outside), then ordered something at the Drive Through just to impress the young lady at the counter. It was hands down one of the greatest times of my life, and everytime I see one of those old SL on the streets, I instantly remember the two of us just having a blast :D
I always thought this was a beautiful car. It's monolithic styling is just iconic. No weird, busy body lines. Just a simple, well-proportioned shape. I think I'll go buy one.
I ended up buying a 92 400E instead. Similar Bruno Sacco styling, but with 4 doors. Got to have room for the whole family. It's getting a 5 liter swap from a 94 S500 right now.
"This was the very last really good Mercedes SL" He says as his own chart scoring chart shows the 2018 SL 450 scoring higher in most categories as well as over all.
He really got this wrong. The power glass hardtop of the next generations was astonishing virtuoso Mercedes engineering. The cumbersome manual hardtop fitting only underscored that fact. Shocked he never realized that.
If you have watched the British version of Top Gear, you’ll know what makes a car truly “great” is an intangible quality that can’t be explained logically.
@@redram5150 However, it is Doug's own metrics that led to that conclusion. On top of that, it was not the higher trim model head to head (SL550) with this silver arrow, but the base model. I'm curious if Doug will respond to this because it is definitely a strange ending.
5:50 No. If your car is about to flip, the roll bar will pop up. And the tiny box about the radio wasn't to deal with the loss of the glovebox, it was to put your 90s cellphone. Many of the earlier models had the cellphone built in.
Beautiful, damn near timeless design The SL has really gone into the crapper ever since. The next generation was good, but the styling was fading, After that, a crime scene
The styling was fading because of this "SUV/crossover" trend nowadays sadly. It's very rare to find a Miata than a GT86 where I live (yes I'm not joking, the miata doesn't really sell as well as a GT86 in Dubai). I see more Range Rover Evoque convertibles than GT86s also. Yes I know you guys will say "How tf?/Why tf?". But that is how it is. I do see an R129 and R230 SL 500 and SL 600 once in a while here. But AMG variants are just ridiculously rare.
We have a 600SL in our family. Great car, sounds amazing. The little "compartment" in the center is where MB installed the factory cell phone module (including keypad and display).
Douggy muh boi, MBZ spend an untold sum of money to auto-engage the roll bar in something like .2 seconds when the vehicle sensed a rollover imminent. So no you did not have to chose as the owner to look nice or be safe. There are commercials with some very 90’s graphics depicting this very safety feature. This is the best convertible ever made in my humble opinion so I’ve spend countless hours researching the R129. Douggy is very often well informed and is the best car review guy on the tube but this little tidbit he missed (also I think it was the very first all powered convertible). Love your work Doug, thank you for all the world class videos and info you bring to the Wild West of TH-cam. Your Aces.
Doug, My friend had one of these and the roll bar even when it was in the down position would automatically flip up if an impact occurred. I thought that was cool!
I personally own a black/black 2001 SL 500 sport. I couldn't be any happier with this car. In this video he explains it well. Extremely well built, solid feel, smooth ride, timeless styling and quick. When the R129 first came out it was a status symbol and it still is. Even though this body style came out over 20 years ago. It still looks current today by the timeless styling. Nothing on the road looks like it. They just don't make cars like this anymore. You can definitely feel it was a $95k car when you drive it for the quality and perfection to detail.
Doug, Missed it by that much. The 2003 SL55 AMG is the last of the REAL Sl's V8 Supercharged 493hp, hardtop convertible, fast, smooth and does not look like 1990's square box type of car.
Those SL55s were the absolute bomb back then. I had a '95 SL600 and my best friend's dad had an '03 SL55 and I just loved that thing. It was hard to believe that my car ran up to a year before his, it was a seismic shift between the two generations. R129 was in production entirely too long, they were so dated. The SL55 was one of the coolest cars in the world at the time, 100%.
Great video. Had several R129's, including a '96 SL600 was the bomb to drive. There were a couple of cool facts from these cars in that era. 1) In the storage space above the center climate controls, on all SL600s and SL500s if you ordered it, there was an in-dash phone (we always referred to it as the "Bat Phone".) Even in the late 90's Analog phone plans were on the way out so you had to shop around for some company that still offered them if you wanted the phone to work. BUT, the height of cool was having "Home/Office/Car all with different numbers on your business cards. 2) New owners didn't always realize that you had to turn the radio OFF for the antenna mast to retract, so Mercedes stocked masts for those of us who liked automatic car-washes where it would ALWAYS bust off if you left it up, and would replace it for $150 bucks or whatever it was with just a "look" that you were clearly a "newbe." I only had to have that happen once. 3) Lastly, the real aficionados of this car didn't have to manually put on the hardtop, we had a winch attached to the garage ceiling which would strap under the roof, pretty easily I might add, and then automatically lift the roof off the car. It worked nicely in reverse as well - making it a one-person job. Some of us like to drive with the top down in the Winter, long before the AIRSCARF® system was a thing.
In 1979 my first year in college my football coach owned a Mercedes Benz sports coupe that I fell in love with. In 2004 I was able to purchase a 2002 Silver Arrow. My dream had come true. Fast forward to 2023 I still owned my Silver Arrow, it was almost at 200,000 miles and was still running great. It had a few dings on it but they were minor. I saw one with only 60,000 miles. I traded my Silver Arrow in for the one with less mileage and fell in love all over again! I really love 💕 this car. I’ll keep it until I’m gone! Thanks for your videos 👍🏾
The reason for the locks sounding like they do and not being is perfect synce is because Mercedes of this era used a vacuum actuated locking system, not electric motors.
One of my favorite cars of all time. I lusted for those and still do. They are an example of what made Mercedes Benz great up to a certain era of car. (:
@@ryanwilsonbackup Yeah, those are very rare. Only 85 of them were built, so not many people have heard about them. Apparently SL72 was even rarer, only 35 of those were built in from 1995 to 1996.
Well Doug, it's not a matter of safety vs. style choice, while talking about the roll bar. Even when the roll bar is down, it will automatically and very quickly pop up in case of the car rolling over!
It also activates if you corner too hard and are on 3 wheels. There are 2 large limit switches on the rear wheel axles. KKKKKKKKRRRRRRR Clunk and it's up. Happens every now and then when you drive enthusiastically.
I love this car. Was driving one like this in Germany back in 2002. Designed in the 90s and still looks nice. And I still remember how driving it 120 or 140 mph feels so smooth and stable. But on a german highway of course
@@jareknowak8712 I have a 1994 S420 and a 1996 S600. I have driven the newer S classes, and would not "upgrade" unless someone wanted to give me a free one (and assuming I could keep the ones I already have). The reasoning is very simple: although the new ones have many more features, handle better, and are faster, the build quality just isn't all there, will deteriorate much faster and will be much more expensive to fix . Once the warranty expires... there is no doubt that I would take a W140 over a W222.
Jarek Nowak quite the contrary. I have driven most newer models from all of the European manufacturers. While they may be technologically more “advanced” I still would rather drive something like this “true” Benz.
The music when lowering the top is extremely satisfying. Sidenote, I was obsessed with the 2003, SL600 model and customised them online for fun. However this video shows the robustness and class of the SL500 and that's something I've grown to appreciate with age. Great review, love your videos.
The silver arrow legend comes back from their early racing years: their cars were always amongst the heaviest, so they decided to save weight on the painting, removing it, showing their shiny alluminum bodies. Hence the name.
I remember spotting and following behind Bill Cowher in the Pittsburgh suburbs in a red SL500 one day a while back when he was still coaching the Steelers. He was driving it quite quickly, although it was the early morning and your able to drive those roads quickly without anyone on them!
The SL600 was top of the heap, not the SL500, and there was a +2 rear seat option in some markets. I have personally seen a 1994 SL600 with this option. Also, the “storage” compartment in the dash was where an optional built in cell phone was located.
my dad has this car when i was young (13), i would drive it back and forth in the long drive way and rev the engine, thing was a beast and i thought it was the coooooolest car, still is badass
@@eric_9565 I'm not sure why they did that, I can't imagine it was for environmental reasons. Otherwise this is probably the best era for Mercedes. I have a '99 S320 and I love it. It could use a bit more power though which is why I want to upgrade to a S600
@@jareknowak8712 I've heard a lot of people say this. I mean I already have a W140 so I'd be buying it specifically for the V12. I'm sure they are much more expensive to maintain but plenty of cars have a V8, It's not every day you see a classic Mercedes with a V12
I remember when I was little, we went on a house visit and the house we went to had a 500SL hardtop in the living room. The housewife said to my mom, "He said he was going to drive to leave us alone at the home, but he brought this and left this here, I'm sorry." I remember asking "Does this belong to a 500SL?" and the housewife said "Yes, how did you know?"
Anyone else remember when Jim Carey had this car in Liar Liar? (Cuts of truck driver) Truck driver: HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?! Fletcher: IM AN INCONSIDERATE PRICK!!!!
@@microchrist6122 Phantom of the Opera?! Don't nobody wanna see no damn Phantom of the Opera! I thought you had some good shit like Luther Vandross tickets or somethin!
Here it goes: I sped. I followed too closely. I ran a stop sign. I almost hit a Chevy. I sped some more. I failed to yield at a crosswalk. I changed lanes at an intersection. I changed lanes without signaling while running a red light and SPEEDING!
When I was in high school, my mom bought a then-brand-new Mazda Miata, with its matching hard top. Yep, us kids got the chore of putting it on and taking it off. But we couldn't drive it - oh, no. The only time I got to drive it before age 21 was the last day of high school - I got to drive it to and from school. Even though it was 4 years old at that point, that was my first time - and I wouldn't get to drive it again for another 3 years. I think I only drove it less than a dozen times in the 27 years she owned it. (Sadly, it was totaled when it was hit while parked a couple years ago - it only had 45,000 miles on it at the time!)
More nostalgia Doug, thanks, I remember the 500SL as a kid in the mid 90's, but the nostalgia for me is right here, I was 15 in 2002 and I thought this car was so cool, I loved the solid-looking, powerful, confident, simple styling (I still do) and the car itself was just a really nice execution overall. I remember the 97 generation of the SL600 V12 being Andrew Cunanan's dream car on the mini series/dramatization on the murder of Gianni Versace
Sure it´s normal. There are 6 or 7 lifters which are not digitaly synchronized. Welcome back to the Age of mechanical solutions. When the system breaks, you pay at least 3k to fix it with original parts at the MB dealership.
RE: Silver Arrow name - One bit of lore from the 1930s race circuits was that the Mercedes entries to a 1934 Nurburgring race were overweight, so the lead paint was sanded off, making weight and revealing the gleaming silver aluminum. Voila, Silver Arrows!!! Great story, IF you can believe it...the man who told it had been found to have embellished other stories, so... Would be great if it WAS true.
I owned one of these for 5 years and never knew the top button was shaped like the top LOL This car was the size of my MB wagon huge and would cruse at 100 all day long
Hmmm... why? I think everything above the 500 is a bit of a waste. You don't floor it when it's open and when the top is up, it's just a coupé with poor visibility, anyway. Better buy a 320 or 500 to drive with an open top in fine weather and spend the change you'll save from that on a really sporty car...
A little trivia. In 1933 Pierce Arrow made a show car for the New York auto show called the Silver Arrow. In 1963 Bill Mitchell (designer for GM ) made a prototype show car call The Buick Silver Arrow. In 1999 Buick came out with the last versions of the Buick Riviera called The Silver Arrow. And as Doug is showing us, Mercedes Benz gave the Silver Arrow name to the SL.
I own a W124 with the same locking system. It is really satisfying to lock and unlock that car xD (The locks work that weird way, because they are operated pneumatically = with air pressure)
The SMOG feature is a system which detects elevated levels of carbon monoxide and other pollutants outside the vehicle and automatically activates the secondary cabin air charcoal filter, and deactivates it when the air is clean enough again. SMOG on the display is just an indication that the system is on, there is no input required from the user. I have this same feature on my '96 S600. I believe it was standard on the higher level models. Please upvote so others (and hopefully Doug) can see this. Nice car!
Does SMOG work better with the roof up or down ?
@@Affalterbach1967 That is a really good question. Logically, one would think it should shut itself off automatically when the roof is open to extend the life of the filter. Maybe it does, and the smog indication just stays there to remind you that you're in SoCal? Maybe someone with an R129 can check the manual and chime in.
Fuck Google Censorship
Wow some carbon detecting tech back in 96?!? Cool, I taught old cars were so simpley made.... no tech shit...
@@beedslolkuntus2070 The W140 and R129 were very technologically advanced cars for their age, especially the W140. First car with soft close doors, first car with parking sensors, first Benz with GPS (Euro/Japan only).
Fuck Google Censorship
GPS BACK WHEN?!?! *when?!?!?!!*
1990's? No way I can't believe that
I wouldn't even believe it if you told GPS back in 2005! When I was born too.
My dad had this old Chevy Lumina back in 2004 he bought that, well we had to leave the country and we sold it, but then Recently I got to saw the interior and the door squeekkkksssss like hell xD
Also, the roll bar still automatically pops up with a spring in a roll over even if you have it down, Doug.
Owlrich, you are correct. Pops up within 0,3 seconds when the rear axles sensors detect a rollover.
Beans on Toast for Breakfast that’s clever
Yes, it happens more and more often that the lack of research shows.
Thank you! Doug get your facts straight! I like this channel, but this sort of thing happens way to often!
@@beansontoastforbreakfast7911 It's even more sophisticated than that... skidding is enough to trigger it. I did a quick turn on fine gravel with mine; all wheels still were on the ground and it was all under control - but suddenly the bar shot up. Pretty scary at the moment - but it feels reassuring that the device is there and rather too quick than too slow...
“Thissss” at the start pierced my brain.
HMZ he is a god
I guess you are new to his channel lol
.. and left the carcass unobstructed
Every time, you'll miss it if it left ..
Roll bar still pops up when the car detects an impending roll over even in the down position.
Olu Folami yes thank you
He talks about stuff he doesn't know, also it came with rear seats if you wanted to.
I always remember the blurry video of an SL crashing on the Autobahn and rolling over at 100+ MPH. The driver walked away, due in no small part to the pop-up roll bar.
@@svenbrachthauser1143 Yup. Harry's garage SL600 V12 - great review, btw - has rear seats.
Seems like the roll bar would cause a serious injury to any rear seat passengers.
@@svenbrachthauser1143 Yes you're right. But Doug might be partially right too. I don't think they ever were sold with rear seats in North America. And if they ever were sold with the back seats in North America, that option must have disappeared after the Bose sound system became standard over there (not in Europe) in MY 94.
The roll bar automatically shoots up for safety in case of the car rolling over.
Doug was unaware of that.
RJ Beats he’s mentioned this same exact safety feature in other videos though I wonder how and why he missed it. He knows what it’s for
That makes sense, but it begs the question of why have a switch to put it up? It's not like it looks good up, so it's not for style. And it couldn't be for redundant safety - it's not like you'd have time mid-roll to realize it didn't automatically deploy and remember to reach out and hold the button.
@@Mee399 Yes, I got that impression too.
@@Mee399 he should be if he is avtomotive expert.
Great video Doug! The roll bar raises automatically if the car detects an imminent roll over. The reason that it can be raised or lowered manually from the button on the console, is because the wind deflector you showed in the boot attaches to it. So if you want to reduce wind buffet whilst driving with the roof down, you raise the roll bar with the deflector attached to it.
Exactly 😂
Ah the 02 silver arrow. I emailed you a few years ago to capture my 00 SL600 which only still has 22k miles on it. Glad to see a r129 get some appreciation.
I would die for that car. Wish he would have done yours. I had a phaeton w12 he was going to review but he ended up with another one that was in better shape than mine.
I also have a r129. It’s a 97’ with 11k miles. One of the best generations of the SL
I thought he was saying Silver _Aero_ !
SL 320 owner,, don't drive it much now but can't bring myself to sell.😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Poor car is begging to be driven......
8:50 doug: “I really wanna show the top being put on. But it’s a two person job, would you mind?”
owner of car: “not at all! hey kids! You wanna be on a TH-cam video?”
Alan Harper im glad I’m not the only one who noticed that lol!
@Alan Harper Some creepy ass shit going on...🤔
Having Doug watching them do it for him was very funny! even more with that elegant and relaxing music!
I see the owner has manufactured two clones to take the roof on and off.
MI Car Guy looked forever for this comment
@@jmoney7289 same surprised no one mentioned them
Doug didn't even help those two clones
I knew someone had to have said something like this hahah
Identical blonde twins are required to install und remove the hardtop, so ownership of the SL500 Silver Arrow requires good breeding.
This body style for the SL is timeless. No lie, I would buy one.
Same here, I love this model.
I bought one last summer and this model is plagued with problems. Trust me, you don't want one.
I bought one last summer and this model is plagued with problems. Trust me, you don't want one.
Dave Carpena I have a 1975 450SL it’s sexy as helllll
@@tommydogsdad if you think this car is plagued with problems I would stay away from enthusiast cars
Doug: "THIS...."
Me: "Is the start of a good day."
omg how brilliant, that means Doug putting out a review means you automatically have a good day and a hundred and thirty one people feel uplifted at this simple observation. Go humanity!
1 3 ok
ziiiiiiiis
@@user-sl1tg3eb9q ok
im a fkin psycho
We can thank the great Bruno Sacco for this beautiful masterpiece. The R129 was one of his best designs.
You are so correct
My parents: What are you watching
Me: THISSSSSSS, is my favourite car guy on youtube
@ZionHillCalling Have you seen the Tesla father and son? Now that's bad!
Not my favorite car guy. But his reviews are extremely detailed which I like
@ZionHillCalling bro he gives us informations about a car, that even the car owner gets suprised
And he so comited to it
And he's the only youtuber I know without cringy first video
Priceless and Timeless. That's why I'm keeping mine.
You could consider purchasing one for me too
@A real bisexual petrol-head stfu and don't repeat your nonsense everywhere.
@@eazen but he speaks the truth
+1.... 97 SL320 anniversary edition
@@eazen hes kinda true in a way lol
Doug in his Veloster N review: Why do manufacturers put metal badges on their mats?
Also Doug: I really like the metal badge on this mat
German car double standards 🤷♂️😌
Typical germanophile behavior.
We need a compilation of Doug saying “absolutely massive”
I think you just discovered an untapped market!!!
I want a compilation where Doug say CUPHOLDERS
You ever realize you've always wanted something without knowing it.
@@BCaldwell I have been thinking the same thing. I like the way he says it in his first Audi r8 v10 plus review.
@@davidc4946 It must be done!
What Doug completely forgot to mention is that the rollbar automatically deploys in a crash (I own a 2000 SL500)
nolan879 same thing as the e36 bmw convertible even in a minor accident, but a minor accident was still enough to total mine with 52,000 miles on the clock
nolan879 yeah it comes up as the first video result if you search r129 roll bar
TableRocked relaxxx
nolan879 I doubt that he forgot to mention it, but rather didn’t bother to do any research about it. He is famous for his inaccurate assumptions.
TableRocked actually he did say that “modern convertibles” have “automatic” roll-bars that shoot up in position in case of need, but this was manual. And this was clearly a mistake because it does pop up in case of accident.
My dad bought a 2002 SL500 Final Edition three years ago from a renowned seller in Germany for around 70.000$.
And it holds value quite well.
Edit: the storage compartment with the cup holders in it can be optioned to be a 20 discs CD changer
My uncle owns an SL600, had no idea what it was until I asked him about it, then I did some research. Very understated yet beautiful car. My favorite thing to do when we hang out is take it for a drive on the highway and just cruise, such a smooth ride and engine. Absolutely amazing car.
Oh no… $50k max
10 k all day long on marketplace for a base model sl 500 12-15K for an AMG Good luck finding the silver arrow
Doug the type of guy to look up and down before crossing the street
You're telling me people don't do that?
fried rice You look at the sky and ground before crossing the street? Do you have special needs?
@@dragonballtorture haha i do that.
r/whoosh to both of you
What if a plane/submarine runs you over?
@@gustavserrano2237 don't worry that tablerocked dude said the exact same thing in my comment.
The top going down sounds like my printer when it preps itself after just turning it on😂
😂😂😂
Or when you print the test page. :)
I have an R129 and it's pretty freaking loud. After all the years you're just used to it. That's how I tell if everything is working as it should! 😂
That’s the sound of massive overengineering. The car will probably still be going in 2049.
For me it's the sound when flight attendant walks down the aisle and closes the overhead bins.
“Picture me rolling in my 500 Benz”
*in my SL 500 Benz if you are referring to the Joey Bada$$ song
Matthew Szoke na I was referring to Pac
I got no luv 4 these niggas theres no need 2 be friendssss
“Flossing a Benz on rims that isn't stolen”
“They got me under surveillance, that's what somebody be telling”
OMG, my best friend's dad used to have one of these!! I remember when my friend finally got his driver's licence, his father allowed him to drive around with this car. When I was staying at his place, we used to sneak out of the house late at night, raced to the local McDonald's with the top open (even when it was like freezing cold outside), then ordered something at the Drive Through just to impress the young lady at the counter. It was hands down one of the greatest times of my life, and everytime I see one of those old SL on the streets, I instantly remember the two of us just having a blast :D
I always thought this was a beautiful car. It's monolithic styling is just iconic. No weird, busy body lines. Just a simple, well-proportioned shape. I think I'll go buy one.
Come get me for a ride
i own a 500sl and I can confirm there is no better looking hard top convertible in my opinion
I ended up buying a 92 400E instead. Similar Bruno Sacco styling, but with 4 doors. Got to have room for the whole family. It's getting a 5 liter swap from a 94 S500 right now.
I've been following Doug for more than a year and never have I read a single comment on a video anybody appreciating him showing roof mechanism...
Every cabrio owner hates roofs.
Thats why.
It’s an old tradition. This channel is way older than 1 year
Doug's enthusiastic "This" lets me know everything is going to be ok
Dougs "thiiiss" cured my anxiety
"This was the very last really good Mercedes SL"
He says as his own chart scoring chart shows the 2018 SL 450 scoring higher in most categories as well as over all.
Lmao nice consistency.
He really got this wrong. The power glass hardtop of the next generations was astonishing virtuoso Mercedes engineering. The cumbersome manual hardtop fitting only underscored that fact. Shocked he never realized that.
Well, that's because it's the newest of all the cars and is faster, better tech, etc...
If you have watched the British version of Top Gear, you’ll know what makes a car truly “great” is an intangible quality that can’t be explained logically.
@@redram5150 However, it is Doug's own metrics that led to that conclusion. On top of that, it was not the higher trim model head to head (SL550) with this silver arrow, but the base model. I'm curious if Doug will respond to this because it is definitely a strange ending.
5:50 No. If your car is about to flip, the roll bar will pop up. And the tiny box about the radio wasn't to deal with the loss of the glovebox, it was to put your 90s cellphone. Many of the earlier models had the cellphone built in.
I miss the era of Benz in the ‘90s and ‘00s
They were just simply beautiful machines
You can thank Bruno Sacco for them.
You're both right. 70 through 99. The best on earth.
@@ultraguy8771 He left in 99 and it SHOWED.
The 90s yes, and even before that. But the 2000? After they merged with chrysler in 98 their quality started to slip imo
Its called 2000s. Dont be lazy with the bs 00s
Beautiful, damn near timeless design
The SL has really gone into the crapper ever since.
The next generation was good, but the styling was fading,
After that, a crime scene
the current one isnt bad! i'd love to see how the next gen will look with mercedes' new design language
Eh this thing looks like a mid 80s car. Not bad but imo mercedes often look 10-20 years older then they actually are
@@Mr.Marbles Well, it came out in 1989, so it was probably designed around the mid 80s.
It literally just looks like an old car, nothing special about it
The styling was fading because of this "SUV/crossover" trend nowadays sadly. It's very rare to find a Miata than a GT86 where I live (yes I'm not joking, the miata doesn't really sell as well as a GT86 in Dubai). I see more Range Rover Evoque convertibles than GT86s also. Yes I know you guys will say "How tf?/Why tf?". But that is how it is.
I do see an R129 and R230 SL 500 and SL 600 once in a while here. But AMG variants are just ridiculously rare.
Doug's the type of guy to give his children a Doug score.
And the type to show all the guys his wife's "quirks and features"
Bruh..😂😂😂
The SL was actually the first car to ever have an automatic rollbar
8:51 I thought there were multiple Dougs for a second 😂😂
This is my favourite Mercedes of all time. I think it is stunning. I hope I will be able to buy an SL500 one day.
We have a 600SL in our family. Great car, sounds amazing.
The little "compartment" in the center is where MB installed the factory cell phone module (including keypad and display).
Was about to comment this! It’s true. Wonder if it’ll still work?
@@simontung8866 Not in the US - the cellular companies decommissioned those networks.
@@simontung8866 No. It is analog. Good luck finding cell service.
4:52 I see the same red light for the convertible top as the one in his recently acquired G500
Looks as though it's the exact same switch! Doug must've recorded this before he got the G-wagon
Edward Hobbs I was thinking that exact same thing
Julian Stanford look at the temperature reading... 101°!
Douggy muh boi, MBZ spend an untold sum of money to auto-engage the roll bar in something like .2 seconds when the vehicle sensed a rollover imminent. So no you did not have to chose as the owner to look nice or be safe. There are commercials with some very 90’s graphics depicting this very safety feature. This is the best convertible ever made in my humble opinion so I’ve spend countless hours researching the R129. Douggy is very often well informed and is the best car review guy on the tube but this little tidbit he missed (also I think it was the very first all powered convertible). Love your work Doug, thank you for all the world class videos and info you bring to the Wild West of TH-cam. Your Aces.
when your so early that there are no doug is the type of guy comments
Doug is the type of guy who knows the diff between you're and your
Dumbest comment ever lol.
When you're so early, Doug hasn't even said "this" yet
turnersexplicit the type of guy to be too early for the ”Doug the type of guy” comments.
Your comment made me in a better mood for some reason
Anyone else hold their breath that those kids didn’t drop a roofpin on the body??
Doug, you just made me fall in love with the r129 sl500... It may be my next car I love it so much
11:54 I feel a power broker with a nose candy habit in the 90s found this amazing
Lol but coke never goes outta style so the underlying point is still valid
This was the Merc to have when I grew up. Back then SL really meant something.
I wish Doug would’ve driven around listening to Picture me Rollin’
Same 😆 but i doubt that he would do that cause of copyright infringement then he wont be able to earn from this video 😅
And, be in a Limp Bizcuit vid...." Keep rollin, rollin, ROLLLLIN"! 😆😆🤣
The central locking is air operated, hence the pressure reaching each lock in order
The roll-bar was deployable manually, or if in the event of a roll over, it also deploys on it's own.
That's good to know, lol.
Doug, My friend had one of these and the roll bar even when it was in the down position would automatically flip up if an impact occurred. I thought that was cool!
I always liked that Mercedes of this time had the Le Mans style single windshield wiper. I'm rather surprised it wasn't mentioned under quirks.
Doug doesn’t get old like the rest of us normal human beings He gets “old school “
ok boomer
Dale Marcell hi dale
that's a good one
OK BOOMER
I personally own a black/black 2001 SL 500 sport. I couldn't be any happier with this car. In this video he explains it well. Extremely well built, solid feel, smooth ride, timeless styling and quick. When the R129 first came out it was a status symbol and it still is. Even though this body style came out over 20 years ago. It still looks current today by the timeless styling. Nothing on the road looks like it. They just don't make cars like this anymore. You can definitely feel it was a $95k car when you drive it for the quality and perfection to detail.
I love those box shape Benzes from the 90s. Love the straight 6s that they came with also.
You know, for a early 2000s car, it actually ages really well. I would love to have something like that.
$16k, bro.
I'll sell you my '98 SLK if it ever appreciates in value, lol.
Mine was 5200 but it wasnt this edition
Its late 80’s car not 2000’s
Doug, Missed it by that much. The 2003 SL55 AMG is the last of the REAL Sl's V8 Supercharged 493hp, hardtop convertible, fast, smooth and does not look like 1990's square box type of car.
Those SL55s were the absolute bomb back then. I had a '95 SL600 and my best friend's dad had an '03 SL55 and I just loved that thing. It was hard to believe that my car ran up to a year before his, it was a seismic shift between the two generations. R129 was in production entirely too long, they were so dated.
The SL55 was one of the coolest cars in the world at the time, 100%.
I just love this car. Nothing more. Just iconic Mercedes, so pretty and stunning
Great video. Had several R129's, including a '96 SL600 was the bomb to drive. There were a couple of cool facts from these cars in that era. 1) In the storage space above the center climate controls, on all SL600s and SL500s if you ordered it, there was an in-dash phone (we always referred to it as the "Bat Phone".) Even in the late 90's Analog phone plans were on the way out so you had to shop around for some company that still offered them if you wanted the phone to work. BUT, the height of cool was having "Home/Office/Car all with different numbers on your business cards.
2) New owners didn't always realize that you had to turn the radio OFF for the antenna mast to retract, so Mercedes stocked masts for those of us who liked automatic car-washes where it would ALWAYS bust off if you left it up, and would replace it for $150 bucks or whatever it was with just a "look" that you were clearly a "newbe." I only had to have that happen once.
3) Lastly, the real aficionados of this car didn't have to manually put on the hardtop, we had a winch attached to the garage ceiling which would strap under the roof, pretty easily I might add, and then automatically lift the roof off the car. It worked nicely in reverse as well - making it a one-person job. Some of us like to drive with the top down in the Winter, long before the AIRSCARF® system was a thing.
Like your style.
In 1979 my first year in college my football coach owned a Mercedes Benz sports coupe that I fell in love with. In 2004 I was able to purchase a 2002 Silver Arrow. My dream had come true. Fast forward to 2023 I still owned my Silver Arrow, it was almost at 200,000 miles and was still running great. It had a few dings on it but they were minor. I saw one with only 60,000 miles. I traded my Silver Arrow in for the one with less mileage and fell in love all over again! I really love 💕 this car. I’ll keep it until I’m gone! Thanks for your videos 👍🏾
The reason for the locks sounding like they do and not being is perfect synce is because Mercedes of this era used a vacuum actuated locking system, not electric motors.
I figured that as 90s audis had the same type of locking system
I really hate when I’m reading the comments and a AD comes on and shoots me back up to watch it 😐
Thats my favorite car. People still turn around, when this car drives by. So many years later.
One of my favorite cars of all time. I lusted for those and still do. They are an example of what made Mercedes Benz great up to a certain era of car. (:
Mercedes SL73 AMG based on this body style is one of the coolest Mercs of all time.
TCMustang I never heard about that model until you posted this. Thanks! That’s such a badass car
@@ryanwilsonbackup Yeah, those are very rare. Only 85 of them were built, so not many people have heard about them. Apparently SL72 was even rarer, only 35 of those were built in from 1995 to 1996.
TCMustang like 50 of those 85 were all commissioned by the Brunei royal family
@@kylekeogh2731 Yeah, Sultan of Brunei also bought 25 of 35 SL72 AMG's.
TCMustang sucks that he has so many amazing cars just rotting away in the garage. I say we invade and flood the exotic car market
Well Doug, it's not a matter of safety vs. style choice, while talking about the roll bar. Even when the roll bar is down, it will automatically and very quickly pop up in case of the car rolling over!
Hey Doug, i'm pretty sure the roll-bar automatically activates in the event of an accident. In fact, It did.
I think government regulations requires a protection system.
It also activates if you corner too hard and are on 3 wheels.
There are 2 large limit switches on the rear wheel axles. KKKKKKKKRRRRRRR Clunk and it's up. Happens every now and then when you drive enthusiastically.
@@SoundsLikeOdie you have to put a pie on it so it launches it like a catapult
I didn't know this same design ran for that many years. My father's close friend owned one. As a kid I wanted one so bad.
I love this car. Was driving one like this in Germany back in 2002. Designed in the 90s and still looks nice. And I still remember how driving it 120 or 140 mph feels so smooth and stable. But on a german highway of course
I believe the r129 was designed beginning in the early-to-mid-1980s, given its initial release date. 👍🏻👍🏻
Gorgeous...and I’d rather drive this than most any newer Benz on the road
Same
You say so bc You have not tried the new ones. Thats why.
@@jareknowak8712 I have a 1994 S420 and a 1996 S600. I have driven the newer S classes, and would not "upgrade" unless someone wanted to give me a free one (and assuming I could keep the ones I already have). The reasoning is very simple: although the new ones have many more features, handle better, and are faster, the build quality just isn't all there, will deteriorate much faster and will be much more expensive to fix . Once the warranty expires... there is no doubt that I would take a W140 over a W222.
Jarek Nowak quite the contrary. I have driven most newer models from all of the European manufacturers. While they may be technologically more “advanced” I still would rather drive something like this “true” Benz.
Jarek Nowak How do you know what he’s driven? Oh right, you were completely guessing.
Car salesman: "Why do you want to buy this Ford GT?"
Doug: *Because it's the last Old-School Ford GT*
Fuel Economy Hahahaahahahahhasooooooooooo funny
The music when lowering the top is extremely satisfying.
Sidenote, I was obsessed with the 2003, SL600 model and customised them online for fun. However this video shows the robustness and class of the SL500 and that's something I've grown to appreciate with age.
Great review, love your videos.
PICTURE ME ROLLIN’ IN MY 500 BENZ
After getting through every Mercedes model known to man, Doug will review them again but in a different color.
I wouldn't trust that folding roll bar... Being mechanical folding & not fixed is a concern of mines... Still a beautiful & iconic vehicle...
I knew a guy in Roanoke, VA who had an SL73AMG...never knew where or how he got it...amazing vehicle
The silver arrow legend comes back from their early racing years: their cars were always amongst the heaviest, so they decided to save weight on the painting, removing it, showing their shiny alluminum bodies. Hence the name.
I remember spotting and following behind Bill Cowher in the Pittsburgh suburbs in a red SL500 one day a while back when he was still coaching the Steelers. He was driving it quite quickly, although it was the early morning and your able to drive those roads quickly without anyone on them!
📣Great video as always, I love the features you point out. Beautiful SL NICE!
The SL600 was top of the heap, not the SL500, and there was a +2 rear seat option in some markets. I have personally seen a 1994 SL600 with this option. Also, the “storage” compartment in the dash was where an optional built in cell phone was located.
Mine was Dubai market, 97 sl500. Back seats and bort computer in the storage compartment!
Also came with 2 hardtops, metal and panoramic one.
the roof top and the trunk sounds like a VCR, when you insert the tape, and then press play
Was thinking the exact same thing. 🤣
my dad has this car when i was young (13), i would drive it back and forth in the long drive way and rev the engine, thing was a beast and i thought it was the coooooolest car, still is badass
Review my 94 sl600 with a v12, car phone, and “snow chain mode”
How's that biodegradable wiring harness treating you?
Currently down right now for that reason @chasetingley
@@eric_9565 I'm not sure why they did that, I can't imagine it was for environmental reasons. Otherwise this is probably the best era for Mercedes. I have a '99 S320 and I love it. It could use a bit more power though which is why I want to upgrade to a S600
@@chasetingley1172 buy 500 instead of 600. Really.
@@jareknowak8712 I've heard a lot of people say this. I mean I already have a W140 so I'd be buying it specifically for the V12. I'm sure they are much more expensive to maintain but plenty of cars have a V8, It's not every day you see a classic Mercedes with a V12
I remember when I was little, we went on a house visit and the house we went to had a 500SL hardtop in the living room. The housewife said to my mom, "He said he was going to drive to leave us alone at the home, but he brought this and left this here, I'm sorry." I remember asking "Does this belong to a 500SL?" and the housewife said "Yes, how did you know?"
Doug is the type of guy to...
Yikes I’m way too early to think of anything to say
Doug is the type of guy to make excellent videos.
*Doug the type of guy
Singh out Loud is the type of guy to try and make a Doug the type of guy joke while bragging about how early he is.
My dad has a ‘98 SL500 - it feels and drives like its almost brand new.
Mine does too. It's a piece of art rather than a car almost. Still in mint condition.
The roll bar in the up position looks awesome.
Anyone else remember when Jim Carey had this car in Liar Liar?
(Cuts of truck driver)
Truck driver: HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!
Fletcher: IM AN INCONSIDERATE PRICK!!!!
Anyone else remembers, yes.
Tokyo JZA80 “money talks” is full of this era Mercedes in a lot of scenes
@@microchrist6122 Phantom of the Opera?! Don't nobody wanna see no damn Phantom of the Opera! I thought you had some good shit like Luther Vandross tickets or somethin!
Here it goes: I sped. I followed too closely. I ran a stop sign. I almost hit a Chevy. I sped some more. I failed to yield at a crosswalk. I changed lanes at an intersection. I changed lanes without signaling while running a red light and SPEEDING!
@@celsovera91 💀💀💀💀
Doug looks so smug, making two children do the hard labor.
Those kids are doing something right in life though, they own a Mercedes.
@@kurtmadouse8455 huh their parents owns it u dumbass
When I was in high school, my mom bought a then-brand-new Mazda Miata, with its matching hard top. Yep, us kids got the chore of putting it on and taking it off. But we couldn't drive it - oh, no. The only time I got to drive it before age 21 was the last day of high school - I got to drive it to and from school. Even though it was 4 years old at that point, that was my first time - and I wouldn't get to drive it again for another 3 years. I think I only drove it less than a dozen times in the 27 years she owned it. (Sadly, it was totaled when it was hit while parked a couple years ago - it only had 45,000 miles on it at the time!)
@@AnonymousFreakYT damn :/ at least you got to drive it
@@davenadeau8671 no u
More nostalgia Doug, thanks, I remember the 500SL as a kid in the mid 90's, but the nostalgia for me is right here, I was 15 in 2002 and I thought this car was so cool, I loved the solid-looking, powerful, confident, simple styling (I still do) and the car itself was just a really nice execution overall. I remember the 97 generation of the SL600 V12 being Andrew Cunanan's dream car on the mini series/dramatization on the murder of Gianni Versace
I was genuinely horrified at the sound of the convertible convertibling. 7:12
It made me want to play Super Mario 64.
Batmanhec Yeah that sound was pretty intimidating lol
There is something wrong, it needs to be looked at. It is not normally that clacky sounding.
Sure it´s normal. There are 6 or 7 lifters which are not digitaly synchronized. Welcome back to the Age of mechanical solutions. When the system breaks, you pay at least 3k to fix it with original parts at the MB dealership.
@@citcit9811 I spent $2400 to repair the vario roof on my
1998 SLK. , the little sister of the SL.
Finally you reviewed my dreamcar, thank you a lot
RE: Silver Arrow name - One bit of lore from the 1930s race circuits was that the Mercedes entries to a 1934 Nurburgring race were overweight, so the lead paint was sanded off, making weight and revealing the gleaming silver aluminum. Voila, Silver Arrows!!! Great story, IF you can believe it...the man who told it had been found to have embellished other stories, so... Would be great if it WAS true.
Alright, who is looking at SL500 listings?
There's one on Ebay for $26,800
ME!
Looking at the 600...
96' models are about $60k in my country but I'll not say which country is it. I hate this country.
ASOZCAN why are you hiding your country?
Funny how this gorgeous Merc got a 7 in styling, while that bmw 7 series from the same era got a 9.
Yeah, it's almost like styling is subjective and Doug decides the scores. Weird
But after Doug's fawning praise of its styling earlier on in the video, that score was unexpected.
@@phelicitas3342 that's why it is called Doug's score
Doug said he considers the e38 7 series the best looking sedan of all time
@Theodore Frazier the sedan that looks better than an e38 7 series is the e28 M5
I owned one of these for 5 years and never knew the top button was shaped like the top LOL This car was the size of my MB wagon huge and would cruse at 100 all day long
Car Salesman: "Sir, you won't believe it! We have the 2020 Ford GT in stock!"
Doug: *Nahhh, it's not Old-School enough.*
I would love to get my hands on an SL73 AMG from this era
Yes!!!!!
Yeah that’s basically the best one. I think it has like 480hp
Hmmm... why?
I think everything above the 500 is a bit of a waste. You don't floor it when it's open and when the top is up, it's just a coupé with poor visibility, anyway. Better buy a 320 or 500 to drive with an open top in fine weather and spend the change you'll save from that on a really sporty car...
@@notroll1279 I bet you're a blast at parties.
@@bobcortez4427 At least I get invitations...
I'm very fortunate to have a Silver Arrow Edition as well. Absolutely love it!
I was actually really excited to see this because I have a 97’ SL600 and I really enjoy the car
I always loved these since I saw 2pac drive one I would buy one as a daily driver.
Press the "0" key on your keyboard repeatedly and make Doug your private DJ...
LOOOOOOOOL
Klingt komisch...is aber so
Gruß an Herrn Paschulke
I'd say Doug sounds more like an annoying fly
@@HowItsEvenPossible hahahahaha WELL SAID!!
A little trivia. In 1933 Pierce Arrow made a show car for the New York auto show called the Silver Arrow. In 1963 Bill Mitchell (designer for GM ) made a prototype show car call The Buick Silver Arrow. In 1999 Buick came out with the last versions of the Buick Riviera called The Silver Arrow. And as Doug is showing us, Mercedes Benz gave the Silver Arrow name to the SL.
While I still would love a R107 560SL, this is my second choice. Love the R129 models.
That interior is beautiful 😻
I own a W124 with the same locking system. It is really satisfying to lock and unlock that car xD (The locks work that weird way, because they are operated pneumatically = with air pressure)
These cars had class, and beauty. Unlike the new ones which look like a tear drop..
Better Than You I’m 22, not a kid.