I've always loved the SL500 and can now purchase a used one. My daily right now is a 94 Miata, I have just switched jobs and have a 45 minute 1 way (1h30 round trip) freeway commute, and the miata will not do, it is far too loud and exhausting to drive.

at one point in my life i owned an individually imported 1978 300D and remember what a pleasure it was to drive during long trips.

this leads me to believe (havent test driven yet) that a 90s sl model will offer all this and more.

now lets get to the specifics:

-is the car dead silent with the soft top up? (compare to hardtop mercedes models)
-is the car dead silent with the hardtop on? (compare to hardtop mercedes models)
-need be, can the car be driven in the snow if equipped with winter tires
-what is the freeway mileage of the sl320 and sl500 crusing at 85mph?

what is the yearly maintenance of this car like?

 

From the perspective of an SL600 owner...

I doubt it very much. Mine has two spots of annoying wind noise with the soft top up. Not as bad as the mid-60s Corvette I used to have, but noticeable nonetheless.

I doubt it. Mine has much less noise with the hard top on, but it isn't "dead silent." It's not annoyning, though.

I wouldn't have any trouble driving mine unless the snow was deep, say more than about 4". You'd start plowing snow if it got much deeper or if strong winds caused deep drifts.

I don't know this one. My guess would be the low- to mid-20s for the SL500 at best. A little better for the SL320, but I doubt very much better. SLs are heavy.

Normal annual maintenance isn't any more than any other car. Oil, filters, tires, etc cost the same. Aftermarket discount parts are available for either car. I'd avoid M-B dealerships whenever possible. That'll save you a ton-o-bucks.

The SLs are driver's cars. They handle great, ride great, look great, and have power to spare.

 

I wouldn't say 129s are drivers cars, nor handle great at all. 1900kgs of car smooths out the bumps, the auto box is nice, but it's not involving dynamically at all. It's a GT, not a sports car.

 

The SL500s must be much, much less than the SL600s. I assumed they were close, but not exactly the same. I didn't think they would be just a heavy hunk of metal that drives like a Buick. If you rate your SL500 so poorly, I won't argue with you since I haven't driven one.

 

The SL600s are worse than the 500s! I don't think Americans have a concept of what a good handling car is

 

So, are you the M-B Forum's new fart bubble?

 

Another worthwhile post from you! When you actually know anything about cars, be sure to let us all know Anyone who knows anything about vehicle dynamics and performance will tell you the R129 is not a drivers car. Like the Corvette C6 it's a great GT, but that's it.

 

The newest clown member. Lucky us.

The C6 Z06 has 1.0g lateral acceleration and you call it a GT. A C5 has 0.98g. A C6 Z06 will do 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds in first gear and you call it a GT. Now you've proven you're just full of British mad cow pies and know very little about cars. You're a loud mouth prejudiced punk, nothing more.

 

Lateral G means nothing on roads with varying camber - as soon as the suspension is anything but static things go awry. The C6 has been covered widely in the European press - guess what - like every american car it has grunt, sounds great, a cheap interior and fails in the handling department. I'm sure if you pulled your thumb out of your **** you could hold a valid argument.

 

Like I said, you're blowing mad cow wind. Britain's pubs are now open 24/7 to take care of drunken buffoons like you who echo advertisements and manufacturers' claims while bench racing. Now you can do it all night long.

You need to compare at least two cars for your argument. One with 1.0g and another with less. Test them both on roads with varying camber and guess what happens? Lateral G all of sudden means something. Relax your **** retentiveness to expand your focus and maybe you'll see a sparkle of light--and hear a ding-dong in your mostly empty head.

Your European press is just as asinine and prejudice as you are. Not surprising at all. You Brit twits just can't stand an American car under $60K outperforming European cars costing $100K plus. You and your press remind me of the scientist who makes up his mind then conducts tests to prove himself right. The British press has no integrity. We have newspapers and magazines like them in America and we call them supermarket tabloids, a derogatory term.