2001 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Even though the car is 19 years old it certainly feels like it could have been released yesterday, the handling is pinpoint accurate you need only tell it where and it will be more than willing to go there. The acceleration is decent do not buy this car expecting it to be fast, expect a gran-turismo this car was meant for long comfortable highway miles not racing (that said it could still out perform most sports cars, its just not this cars main focus), The interior is dated but stately (no worries about a HUD aging horribly); Id recommend a quality cellphone holder(most buyers replace cellphones every two years so this shouldnt be an issue) and cassette adapter. The seats are what you would expect from Mercedes, no compromises in comfort were made expect decent not perfect support in the corners and a plush seat. Gas mileage , I didnt make the purchase because the covid-19 virus made it look like financial suicide so I cant say anything about it. Storage this car has enough storage to bat head to head with volvos estates , its just mostly hidden about the cabin. On the subject of storage youre given ample room in the trunk plus a full size spare(dont forget to check the spare for dry-rot this car is 19 years old; dont be a statistic) . So its a convertible and a targa ,this from a time when mercedes built cars with redundancies , if your looking for an r129 be certain that the seller at least has the hardtop(targas are removable or partially removable tops , I.E Supras and 911 targas for some well known examples) . The soft top has a chance to fail but its not something to worry about because the unit fitted on the r129 is pretty well engineered; especially when compared with the hard-tops equipped on the r230s(they fail A LOT). In closing if it werent for the virus outbreak and a few other more personal issues I would have closed on the purchase. Ive driven a 04 volvo xc70 , 01 jaguar Xj8. Going from luxury to luxury Id rank the sl500 somewhere between the xc70 and xj8 , good looking but wont draw too much attention just like the jaguar , surprisingly fast and practical like the xc70(no one expects an estate to overtake their brand new mustang). seats are comparable to the xc70 as well . acceleration is about even with the xj8. In short its a underrated classic . Mar 25, 2020

These tradiotionally will need a regular replacement of the mass air flow sensor, so keep one handy. No tools are needed, but since you'll never know when they will give up, 2 yrs, 4yrs?? just keep 1 handy. About $250 from Bosch, ONLY use Bosch, voice of experience. Performance has a few special needs, as you can expect, oil is 0-W40, about 9 qts, and mobile 1 is one of the only ones that has it on hand at local parts stores. Other than that, 16 spark plugs and wires are the only other visible extra going in on a regular tune up I saw. The extra costs are minimal compared to the maximum enjoyment the majority of the time, and the way I feel in this car is amazing. Oh, except I keep wondering why there's a plastic rear window in the convertible top of my 100k sports car..... The hard top is like new and here in TX hardly ever sees the car, but is a great decoration for my bedroom.Oct 01, 2012