1996 Mercedes SL 320 Review - Daily Driver & Investment Classic?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 พ.ย. 2024
- Full review and guide to the the R129 series Mercedes SL 320 from 1996 with the rare panoramic glass hardtop, I look at the history, the features, the quirks, quality and features, plus I take it for a drive and reveal if you should buy one today?
Read the full written review here browncarguy.co...
#BCGMercedesSL320
#mercedes #mercedessl320 #mercedesr129 #roadster #sl #mercedessl #luxurycar #sportscar #buyingguide #quirks #features #classiccar #modernclassic #1990s #1990scars #carreview
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Brown Car Guy
@collectingcars
My SL320 gets great mileage premium ethanol free fuel 15 city 26 hwy
I am the 2nd owner of a 1996 SL320 triple black 135k miles. I love it wish I could post a picture or two.
Please post them on my Facebook page @BrownCarGuy!
The Car might not be a classic yet but your review is!
Hi Shazhad .Nice review :>) !
I'm on my 2nd R129 in 14 years. Sold my 92 500SL last February .It was imported from Japan @ 40000 KMS in 2008 & sold this year @ 62000 KMS @ had been not always been garaged in Japan so it had the broken interior trim similar to your test car due to plastic parts perishing from heat & age. I sold it for $12000 which it what I paid for it in 2008.
My 96 SL320 I bought from a neighbour last month was always garaged & I'm 4th owner @ 127000 Kilometers. This car has no trim issues @ all. R129's are a deal if you get a well taken care of one that has been garaged. Those trim bits are EXPENSIVE. I paid $10000 for this one so I'm really pleased as it's nicer than my 1992. I'm 76 & the performance difference between them is not that important to me & the 6 cylinder will be less expensive to service & has better fuel consumption . I live in Calgary Alberta Canada.
Thanks so much for your informative comment. Really useful to know. Interesting to hear about how the interior is affected. BTW the owner of the car I reviewed is getting everything fixed at a specialist and the bill looks like it will be in the mid-2000, though further faults were discovered.
There is something wrong if you are getting 22mpg from a 320 . I get 28-32 from mine . Also the engine was a straight six until the final face lift when the became a v6
Love mine
The dude opens the hood and looks at the engine and can't tell that it's a straight six. Click away.
clock: pull pin closest to clock outward toward driver to the point of resistance. then turn same pin left of right to adjust hands of clock to set the time. You missed the storage pockets in the doors. Great example! Looks like it has had some interesting previous owners who took good care of it in their own way. All those plastic trim parts are now available via 3D printing, far less expensive than trying to source from M-B. The center console/armrest should open by pushing the side button on same console. Funny to see the carbuncle hanging from the center rear view mirror, a 1996 exclusive item ;) Noticed your roll bar switch is flashing continuously... could be an indication of hard top not properly or fully latched down, or may need a reset, which you can do with the bar up or down. if down, depress down on switch and hold for 10 seconds until flashing stops, inverse if bar is raised.... Or upon second thought, I wonder if that steering wheel is original, as that specific steering wheel was not offered on US market 129's (my familiar market) - certainly not on the 320's. I think it was standard steering wheel on the 92-95 SL600's... so that flashing of the roll bar switch may be an indication of the driver airbag not being properly armedi if that steering wheel was swapped out by a non MB service dept, thus triggering that flashing switch as the roll bar was considered part of the SRS system, same family as your airbags. Also, that center storage cabin above center air vents IS locked in this video, just barely, you can see the keyhole at 2 o'clock instead of unlocked 12 o'clock. Just use ignition switchblade to correct. Get that rear suspension checked. Although those 18" AMG I rims do fit in the wheel wells, there is very little room for suspension travel in the rear as those rims weren't standard kit on non AMG package built cars, like we see here. Same reason you may notice a bit of tire rub in the front arches when at full steering wheel turn. Your interior trim issues are standard par for the course, especially the failure of the plastic pins for the seat belt adjustment mechanics on the seat back. I don't think I've seen a 129 in the last 10 years where at a minimum, those aren't separating or detaching, but an easy fix. Car looks great in white, whomever installed the Xenons with clear turn signal indicators added 3-5k of value to the car - and the pano roof, if original, & RHD, makes this example a legit unicorn. , and the 6 cylinders are rare enough to the point of [great examples] commanding a premium in some cases outpricing their V8 SL500 counterparts, though never strong enough to displace the M120 "wolfe in sheep's clothing" (though notably nose-heavy) SL600
Wow ! Fantastic info. Do you work with these?
@@BrownCarGuy only in an unofficial capacity - 129 has always been a favorite.
@@BrownCarGuy I was going to mention the center armrest opening also. I just received my ‘99 SL500 last weekend and when I opened the armrest it contained the original Motorola phone and, when I plugged it in, it powered up. Looked like it had never been removed from its cradle. My car has 65k miles and I’m the second owner. Thankfully no trim issues but the seat bases aren’t warming up and the switch to turn the interior lights on when a door is open isn’t working. Apart from that she’s a beut. Silver over gray with the same pano roof & xenon + CD package.
First of your vids I’ve watched so I’ll check out more of them!
18:05 I found the amount of brake pedal travel before the brakes bite quite disconcerting. It’s a trait of these cars for some reason (folks on forums say other MBs of the period didn’t exhibit this) and I have gotten used to it. More importantly when I next drove my modern car I didn’t fly through the windscreen upon braking as I was worried would be the case.
@@GreatCarStories Thanks!
They’re amazing cars…I have an immaculate 107 (300SL 1989) for the last 8 years and in 2021 I succumbed and bought a 1996 R129 SL500 which has done less than 6,000m from new. It was kept in a garage in Osaka for most of its life until it was exported to the U.K. (RHD) in late 2020 and I purchased soon after it’s arrival on these shores.
I’m supposed to be selling one of my SL’s to keep some space free in the garage but I’m so conflicted!
First world problems I guess…😎
Keep the 500SL - sounds an awesome car and values will strengthen
I love my 1991 300sl. A gorgeous car in every way.
I suspect that this particular Mercedes has not had the same amount of maintenance money spent on it as your E30 BMW, I’m guessing by the screwed interior panel that the owner simply couldn’t be bothered with the extra spend. This leads to an interesting conclusion actually regarding build quality. If my assumption is correct, then this is a particularly well-engineered car for the age, it drives really well and apart from superficial panels loosening and the odd electrical flaw, it’s remarkably good. Much newer cars have similar issues so its just wear and tear. Im utterly astonished at the engineering profile of the seats, they HAVE lasted to perform and thats what German engineering used to be about, the longevity of it all. Excellent review, lets have more like these that are so much better paced out by way of information and visuals.
🙏🏽☺️😉 Thanks!
Timeless!! Just purchased a 2000 Silver / Black int. SL500 .Panoramic Roof coming soon. Gotta standout amongst the croud under the city lights 💯
I have a 1996 sL280. I have owned it for 6 years and my father had it for 18 years before me. It has been a reliable car and cheap to run. The engine is the VR 6 derived “straight 6”. It is low on power but in sports mode picks up well. In modern driving conditions it is quite quick enough. It is exceptional with the top down in the summer. I also drive a BMW and I can say that the interior in my r129 is not as good as an equivalent BMW. I think engine wise and transmission wise the merc is more reliable than the BMW however. I used to rum a e38 3.5 v8, which was amazing to drive. Over all I think prefer 1990’s BMW cars to Mercedes of the same era with the exception of the W124 which stands up well.
I have a 1997 sL280. Everybody complain they are slow, IMHO fast enough. Maybe a bit sluggish from 0-30 kmh, but after that giving a kick down( 5 ger auto) its pretty fast actually.
I think it will have an appreciating value:
1) design: it is the last one to have these sharp rectangular shapes. It is like the transition between the old and new models.
2) technology: it comes at an era where Mercedes were seeking excellence. They introduced the best technology at that time, and with it you will be able to drive it nowadays without feeling so outdated.
3) quality: again, it was the ers of excellence, every detail was thought through, i am not surprised to see some of the features of your model going bad, i think it could the fault of the owner. Maintenance is primary to preserve the quality. Compare it with any other car nowadays, no car will survive more than 10years without being worn out.
(Just bought my sl 1 day ago. I may be biased:) )
I was blessed with a 1997 SL 320, all black, 87K original miles, no rust, California car, hydraulic pistons leak for convertible which is common on all the R 129’s. I believe 1998 was a year on mergers with Chrysler and quality went south, they also had some issues with the wiring harness on the earlier models 1994 -
nah its just the 20+ year old plastics. sure am glad 3d printing came along.
I was gifted one last week..I had no idea what I received..thank you
Great review! You are actually a natural and very easy to listen to!
So kind - thanks so much!
I also own a white 1996 SL320... nothing falling off inside. its only done 37,000 miles and the brown guy's car has done 100,000+. That means it's really been used. I think it is an amazing car and it is a classic -and really safe- which is very rare in a classic
The seat backs fold down to give you a parcel shelf for additional storage - very useful for weekends away with the Wife or someone elses!
😂
You mean weekends away without the Wife :)
@@XSAILOR65 nope
I'd say yes, that's an appreciating classic. Because you've got to compare it with a 190E, which is much less exclusive but was still seen as aspirational. The SL320 is glamorous. If you owned one of those back in the day you were really someone. I think this changed over time. Unfortunately, it probably won't make the "historic" cut, with the way things are going. However, I can easily imagine it on the pages of Car & Classic. The right sort of people (elite) had this.
Great comment - thanks!
Great review!!! Love the knowledge and flow of the video. Car looks amazing
Great review! Love your content.
I’ve got a ‘99 320. My interior is solid and all of the electrics work too. These old Mercs need good parts and maintenance both inside, outside and under the skin as everything was over engineered. Well kept, I’d say it’s on a par in terms of quality with the E34 5 series I had before it.
Ohhh, and a few little details from the video;
W and S is ‘winter’ and ‘standard.’ There is nothing that sporty about an SL 😂 Winter pulls away in 2nd.
The SL got ‘tip-to-start’ which meant you didn’t need to hold the key to crank the engine. Simply ‘tipping’ it and letting it go triggered the sequence to start the engine.
The rear seats fold down and can be latched in the flat position enabling luggage to be stowed in the back without damaging the leather. The seats were standard in the UK. You lost them if you specified the Bose stereo upgrade or selected the option to delete the rear seats. The cushions on those seats are aftermarket.
That loose centre tray looks non-standard to me. The storage areas in the dash and the centre can be locked separately with the key slot on the dash, or they will lock with a vacuum pipe along with the central locking, so that centre may be locked because the vac pipe has come off.
And that centre arm rest does open. The button is on the passenger side of the console and the lid tips sideways 🤓
These are epic cars. I’m sure they’ll have their day in the sun as a bonafide classic before too long.
Great info - thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Driving around in mine I get a lot of looks, people don’t expect it to be a hard top either!
The R129 looks wonderful. But in white, it's a dream ❤️
It's pretty cool
Hi Shazhad! Great review of the Mercedes SL320. I agree with you, this car has excellent visibility thanks to the panoramic glass roof. The leather interior is beautiful but needs a lot of maintenance. The engine has a good sprint but doesn't have the kind of brutal sports acceleration that I like. So I agree with you, you should probably try the V12. Great Shazhad mythical video. Good afternoon 😃👍
Glad you enjoyed the video! 🙏🏽
Great review bro. Keep up the hard work💪 love the content
Thanks so much! 🙏🏽☺️
I wonder if the quality issues may be limited to that car? I've watched numerous reviews and this is seemingly the SL to have over its Chrysler based successor. I'm pining for a comvertible for my next daily and that Panoramic roof is a thing of beauty
Did he say it is a V6?? 🤔
Sorry misspoke, 1998-on SL320 was a V6 I believe, this was still the straight six. My bad.
Yes he did, WRONG. He also said the 300-24v was not liked, WRONG. If you are going to make a video, you should get your facts right.
He said it a few times. He got it wrong. It’s a straight 6
Worst car review ever ! Sorry fix the car first before judging. And get facts straight!
V6 had different mirrors
Door cards are actually secret wallets they flip up and the armrest open at the side
Seems you have a few less-than-polite comments, but I really enjoyed your video review, cheers. 👍
Beautiful car. I've had a 1999 C280 for 7 years now and it's slowly dying on me. I'm eyeing a 1995 SL500, the same color as yours, very clean and maintained. It has 119,000 miles, a good price too, do you think with this mileage it can last 5 years for me?
It was last forever if looked after and maintained! Go for it!
Nice review!
At 2:40 or so you state this engine is a v6, it is not, it is a straight or inline 6.
My 112K miler, 1999 SL500 has none of the interior problems of this white car, perhaps because the previous owner took much better care to fix things, correctly, and soon. The white car could be nice so maybe negotiate down a little, THEN fix the issues to have a nice example. BUT Did the owner who chose to screw in the trim instead of fixing it properly have the same attitude toward the mechanical bits too? That would make me hesitate.
Love the panoramic roof
It's seriously the one to have!
At 8:27 that dash compartment on USA cars has am cell phone dial pad and head set in arm rest....
Own a 92 500sl in rare beryl blue my opinion the best SL the 320 lacks power the 600 or the unicorn 73 far to expensive to maintain love my 500sl drives like new and no broken interior trim and has plenty of get up and go makes me smile every time I drive it downside to owning these cars are parts are rare and can cost two arms and a leg heater resistor second hand £190 told you expensive still love the old girl and it would have to be a lot of money to ,ake me part with it 😊
I am interested in one now, I saw a nice silver one
I have a 2000 E320 if you can actually manually downshift you'll be amazed by the power
I care about fuel gauges! lol R129's are ACE. Some cars look cool but don't have any road presence. R129's do, they've got an authority on the road.
You were wrong about several fundamental aspects of the car such as calling it a v6
Id love to buy the amg version of this
And if you turn off trash control you will be very surprised by the amount of power these cars have and that engine
don't know why there isa a line through 'and really safe ' in my blog comment just now , as I didn't put that there. The car is really safe - that's official !
Straight-6 has better longevity and economy with reduced maintenance.
Wow car was hit so hard from the side that the steering wheel moved from the left side to the right side.
Supreme!! 🎥
Thanks to Reza!
For the love of christ it has a straight 6 cylinder engine, this is important to remember if reviewing the car...
You mix up v6 and straight 6 engines and then say the interior quality is worse than a BMW e30 which you have fixed, compared to a ‘botched’ R129, how would a properly fixed R129 compare? I have owned an e30 (325i) which was 8 years old when I sold it and now own a 25 year old SL320 V6 and from gut feeling I think the R129 would be in better shape.
Did he say V6😂
The car shown isn’t a v6. It’s straight six. The hard top was 3k. That’s how much I paid when I bought my 1997 sl320 new. Those silly back rests on the rear seats are aftermarket
This particular car has been abused. Non of my trim is loose after 27 years. Wooden steering was £550 extra when new and wooden gear knob £150 extra ( but this particular one looks aftermarket )
Centre console slides and opens ( tilts up) with side button. And on the gearbox , w and S stands for winter and summer. Generally a poor review. Should have taken the roof off and then could have spoken about the scuttle shake and how the car feels different - an opportunity missed . This particular car has been abused. A well looked after car won’t have interior trim problems. If you’ve lived with one of these for a few years you’d be much better informed than this chap.
It’s a beating up R129, our 97 is tight as a drum 🥁
I’ll save you a lot of time and money and say this car is a hard pass. I own and run a shop that services and maintains classic Mercedes and these cars if not properly maintained aren’t worth anything. Most of them are not maintained. We see at least one of these things in our shop every single week and they all have similar issues, head, gaskets, radiators, and operable AC systems hydraulic top failures. Those are just a few of the issues we deal with. Some of these issues cost 2 to 3 times what the cars worth to fix, there are plenty of other better older Mercedes out there than this thing
Agreed, however, if maintenance was done, it’s still a 80k car when purchased new which is unbelievable!
You missed the point of owning a classic car you don't care what other people think you drive it because you love it not because you're trying to impress anyone
You should see browncarguy.com/2022/12/09/buying-a-bmw-e30-325i-at-auction/
These cars a real pain....so many issues. Yes they are attractive but very high maintenance. And if you are not a DIY kinda guy/gal they are a MONEY PIT!
👍👍👍
Why is this one falling apart? This looks like a poor maintained imported Hounslow special example tbh (speedo in kmph) I have a e30 325i and a SL320 and the interior build quality is far better on the merc.
It used to live in Hong Kong apparently. My E30 is solid!
I'd so no because of the hydraulic soft top. Hell no. Otherwise I like it.
That's not a V6.
You should have gotten a V8.
The guy doesn't even know what engine he's looking at,this car has the straight six not the V6.