My Cars: 1992 Mercedes SL500 (R129)

This UK RHD SL500 in Green was first registered in August 1992. It has 4 previous keepers. I bought it on eBay in September 2014. I had been looking at the next thing to add to the fleet and always had a thing for Merc SLs: R129 models in particular. They were still quite cheap in places so I set up an eBay search and just kept an eye on it during coffee breaks etc.
The day after I set it up, this Mercedes 500SL appeared looking for a quick sale. The owners had been through the wringer with a timewaster and needed the parking space pronto. It is a 1992 model so has the M119 engine, 4 speed auto, Malachite green and Champignon trim. 68,000 miles from new.
I rang the number, a lady interior designer answered. I asked whether everything worked and, as soon as she confirmed that it did, I paypalled a deposit at the asking price. I picked it up that weekend and that was a fun story. The four-speed gearbox is great to use and supposedly bulletproof. I can;t see I miss the fifth gear that buying guides tend to harp on about: it is easy to shift it down a gear and charge onwards.
Showing 69k miles, the car lived on the street in London for many years, so there are several dents in the body and slight damage to the front grille. There’s a hole in the driver’s seat base and the plastic rear window was cracked when I bought it. I had the plastic rear window replaced and the soft top guy steam cleaned the roof.
I experienced the car cutting out while driving a few times. It was shown to be the engine bay wiring loom insulation disintegrating, which is a well-known problem on all Mercedes from the mid-1990s. There are four looms to change, with a total cost of €1500 plus shipping! Not got around to doing that yet so I put it into storage. Would be nice to get it out sometime soon!
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