There is no such thing as a cheap Mercedes. Especially SL. That car is R230 SL, equipped with a notorious first-gen ABC hydraulic suspension. Guaranteed you will need a new tandem pump, new struts, spheres and valve blocks. If any of these fail, you come back to a "deflated" suspension and "slammed" car that could only be towed by a special flatbed truck.

I used to have one of these (not SL65 that would be $250K car, just SL500 with meager V8) and they were problematic even back then, being a much newer than this car. I could only imagine what it is like now to own one. I would not recommend ownership to one unless you own a hydraulic repair business.

 

"Mercedes Benz; The Best, or Nothing"

HA! Nothing like a lot of narcissism for a car company.

 

I was never a Merc fan. Nice cars, just not for me. Plus there are so many around here they are boring.

For monster HP and TQ for ~$20-25k, I'd get (another) late 60s/early 70s muscle car. Much cooler and more fun IMO.

 

The thing about old Muscle Cars, they don't drive for crap. My toy car is a '75 Mustang II with a 557 cid (9.2 liter) and it's right at 1000 hp/1000 f/p. It's a total HOOT to drive.................. in a straight line. Sharp & fast corners, it'd probably either roll or do a two-wheel corner. No thanks. Course it IS set up for 1/4 mile, so I suppose that if I changed all the suspension stuff it'd handle........ a..... little????? better. It's certainly not a commuter car.

 

This is the last generation of Mercedes that appeals to me.

 

Agreed! This is my 1993 600SL. I gave it to my son in Dallas, TX when I bought my XKR, and he still has it.

 

100% agree. I regretted selling my R129 500SL. I might even buy one again in the future. The only thing I don't miss is black on black. It was a royal PITA to keep it clean - all dust showed.