Faults:

ASR/throttle position sensor cutting out.

Power steering box leak.

Front shocks blown.

Front lower ball joint boots torn open.

Oil level sensor leaking.

Oil sump pan leaking.

Transmission pan gasket leak.

General Comments:

My buddy's neighbor was diagnosed with dementia and started selling off a bunch of his cars; the guy had like a dozen vehicles in his driveway and one of them was a beat-to-sh*t 1993 R129 with 130,318 miles. I've always loved the R129, but I'd never owned one even though I'd already owned a 1988 300 SE, a 1989 300 SEL, a 1990 300 SDL, a 1984 & 1985 300D turbo diesel, 2005 W211 E500 4Matic and a W221 S550 AMG.

I ended up going over there one day and buying the car from him -- with the original factory hardtop stand -- for $4,500. That was $500 more than I told myself I would pay for it, but the car was just too much fun. I drove it home and took it to my M-B specialist in La Crescenta who went through it entirely. The car had been wrecked early in its life but was in otherwise good shape; the body work was quite solid. Even though the seller had maintained the car reasonably well, all he did was the bare minimums, as he was only driving the car about 5,000 miles per year. By the time we went thru the whole vehicle, it needed about $10,000 worth of work and miscellaneous repairs.

From the front shocks and control arm bushings to the power soft top hydraulics and power steering, and from the ASR light/throttle position sensor and the oil pan gasket, to the lower ball joint boots, there was plenty to be done and plenty that could be ignored. It was obvious from the start that the car was still worth putting some money into; it already had new brakes all around, new tires, ice cold A/C that worked perfectly and the interior was clean with only a few stains here and there, the soft top had only been out of the boot a handful of times in 28-years and so, in effect, was a brand new top. The aluminum hardtop was in pristine condition with a perfect headliner as well. So even though I knew up front that it will be impossible to ever get all my money back, I went ahead and put about $7,000 into it and had everything important serviced and repaired while leaving a few of the smaller, inconsequential items as is. At this point, I'm in the thing about $11,900 but since all the work I had done, it drives now like the $100,000+ car that it was...and really still is.

I couldn't be more pleased. The car rides and handles great, gets 20+ MPG if I don't go all lead footed on her and... well... there's nothing quite like a convertible Mercedes-Benz for those evening sunsets on PCH and the 5 freeway. I find myself just a little bit happier whenever I'm driving it. I doubt I'll ever get rid of it either, seeing as right now it can probably go another 125,000 miles with little more than scheduled maintenance.

I've had them all: Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz. Out of all of them -- and many of them were incredibly well made, stout, beautiful cars with power and handling -- with the exception of the Porsche, my 500 SL is the car I've enjoyed most. More than any of them, I look forward to getting into my R129 and firing up that big 5.0 liter M119 V8 engine. Even after all the technological advancements of the past 30-years, three decades later, there's still nothing quite like the driving experience of a classic 500 SL roadster!

Faults:

I inherited the car from my mother in late 2007. She had had some engine trouble and put $6,000 worth of repairs in it. I believe the problem was that the car wasn't being driven like a Mercedes 500 SEL should be driven, nor had any fuel injector cleaner been used. So, when my mother was in the hospital I drove this car and added cleaner and have had no further problems.

General Comments:

The Mercedes Benz 500 SEL handles beautifully. There is faint highway noise, but nothing bothersome. It drives like a dream, mileage could be better especially in this market, and really settles in at higher speeds.

It's heavy and well-built. I've always felt safe in it -not like a Honda or Toyota, both of which I've owned.

My step-father paid close to $100,000 for it new - at least that's the story. If he didn't he paid close to it. This car has every bell and whistle on it. The sound system is unbelievable. It is extremely comfortable on long trips. So what if it only uses Premium gas - we don't use it all the time. We have a pickup that also fits our lifestyle.