1995 SL320 115K Miles

[sldan]

I will be taking a look at a 1995 SL320 with 115K miles.

Any comments, warnings, or experience with an SL320 with this many miles?

sldan

[elau]

Main thing to look for is its service history. You should not worry about the high miles as long as the car has meticulous maintenance record. Don't forget, no matter how well the car was originally designed and built, it is nonetheless a 10 year old car. Thus some components are due to be replaced. You don't want to pay for the repair of major components but there will be other small stuffs that are inevitable. It seems like it is a daily driver for about 11K per year. Check for things like shocks and control arms as well. Good luck and let us know how you make out with it.

[sldan]

Thanks elau.

I will ask for maintenance records. No or minimum records will raise the red flag.

I already have a 1991 300SL with 50K and have an idea about chassis issues and normal wear and tear on the early R129.

I have no experience with the SL320 engine to know of any components that should have been replaced by the time this milage is reached.

Best regards,

sldan

[elau]

Not so fast.......since you are familiar with the chassis, then you know what to look for. The SL320 engine, is better than the 300SL you already have. If the car has regular oil change, then you should look for premature head gasket failure. I am sure you can spot that just by looking. If the engine is dry, it should be OK. Otherwise the M103 is rather bullet proof.

[deanyel]

What I want to know about a 104 motor with 115k is whether it has any funny noises when you start it cold first thing in the morning. Of course it's tough to find out because if it's got cold start issues you usually don't get a chance to experience them until your second day of ownership. A good well maintained car shouldn't have any problems at that point. But a car that has been driven hard or maintained poorly often will. Top end work on a 104 motor is pretty expensive stuff.

[bobterry99]

That car is a '95 Dan and is subject to deteriorating wiring harness! If you do a search on "wiring harness insulation" you will learn all you need to know.

[sldan]

Thanks Bobterry99 I was hoping you would comment.

I will run the search.

sldan

[Justin_Luhrs]

You should probably take her to a local merc dealer if you are seriously considering buying her. Have them do a "Starmark" inspection, and run the cars service history. That will show you if there are any major red flags while it was in warranty or possible goodwill.

Keep in mind as stated that it will definitely need a bit of something or another a lot of the time to stay tight and clean.

Ditto on the wiring harness, if it hasn't been changed, by now it will need it.

You may want to check out our EA/ETA thread if you hadn't caught it already!

Justin

[sldan]

Justin,

Thank you for the reply.

How do I check out the EA/ETA thread?

"You may want to check out our EA/ETA thread if you hadn't caught it already!"

Dan

[Justin_Luhrs]

Electronic Accelerator (EA) - Who's got the best price?

[sldan]

I want to thank everyone that replied to my intial post.

I did not look at the SL320. It was at a used car dealer that specialized in not so clean high line cars. When I went to look at the car it was in a repair shop. I did not go back.

sldan