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Contemplating the Cabriolets
- Thread starter stevenstevensteven
- Start date
Or just a different set of wheels, which I've seen really change these chassis cars. Not for nothing, I think the .036 8holes with the extra width and wider tires might actually fill up these arches and make it "seem" lower without it actually being lower (and the compromises that come with that). People think they want lower when I think they really just want stiffer with the arches full. I could be wrong. The M3 guys have a raging debate on that right now.
maw
EDIT… for a visual… might still need to be lowered a tad, so there are springs and Bilsteins to be figured out… I wonder if there was an 8hole option for this car I’ve seen it so often wearing them.
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Have you driven one?
I recently put a set of refinished Lorinser LO's on my 84 500SL. I think they really look the part on the R107
We’ll that’s actually “Needs AMG.”
But sure, if not AMG then maybe just get the wheels. IMO, those wheels don‘t work without the ground effect kit… but I can see how that might be up for debate.
maw
EDIT… visual — Pentas w/o body kit
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Yes. Several. S, SL and CL, and in all cases I missed the instant kick and relative light weight of the 55. Now, lately I’ve started downshifting multiple gears in my 55 courtesy of a TCU tune that uncorks it a bit. And I can see how if I did that in a 65, the results would be more wheel spin (
). Yay. But I still don’t think I’d want to deal with the extra weight, heat and complexity on an ownership basis. To flip in and out of in 3 years, maybe. But I’m not that guy.On this note, I’m sort of convinced that the one to have is the TTV8 550 4Matic with ECU and TCU tunes — everything you want and none of what you don’t. But that’s beyond this thread.
maw
Okay that’s a good point. There’s a guy that is a total tool in my neighborhood that has negative taste (rocks a new pink RR convertible w gold wheels) who also shows awesome taste bc he also has a black AMGed out R109 mit bodykit and Pentas that look awesome. And he recently started ballin’ around the neighborhood in a new-to-him Ferrari F40 so I am extra envious!
But I digress. If not Pentas, then the r109 in question needs XXXXXTRA 70s style - color matched hubcaps and whitewalls.
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Comparing the two would be like comparing a W124 300E with a 500E. It's easy to do because they look alike but the characteristics or a twin turbo V12 vs a supercharged V8 completely different. The 55K is a fast car, the 65 is a supercar. They don't compare and people who buy one over will take the full fat over the semi skimmed.
Yeah… I wasn't quite so impressed with the differences… but obviously I’ve seen and heard this viewpoint before… generally by people who have actually not driven both… and generally by people who think more is always better … I’m not buying either rap… but I hear you.
Calling it a supercar doesn’t actually make it perform any better. I know, strange concept.
maw
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Oof. I’m sure that does well on those awesome SF streets.
Yeah well if you don't know, you don't know.
I dunno. We all live on the west-side, otherwise known as “the part of SF that is, like, filled with normal people and not crazy-town.” The roads are not billiard table smooth, but they are indeed pretty nice here on the west side, and the closest freeway is I-280 which is really nice.
The east side, which is what people think of when they think of SF (touristy stuff and bridges and cable cars) sucks for cars.
Most learn though, generally the hard way. Those things trade like boats — people love the day they buy them and the day they sell them.
I‘ve only seen one long time owner, a special soul who has replaced or repaired all the usual suspects on his RENNTech SL65 (coil packs, voltage regulator, transmission, ABC hoses and struts, hard top mechanism, leaky turbos, you name it) — multiple times — and still comes back for more. Insists on driving the car “the way god intended.” Maybe he has 50k on the clock by now — he’s breaking this car at an alarming rate. Very off brand for AMG, who made their name at an ENDURANCE race and now, Constructors Championships. But I digress — maybe not.
I must admit, he’s one of very few people I can honestly say I don’t listen to AT ALL, about ANYTHING, because I‘m convinced based upon what I have seen that he has ZERO sense whatsoever. Completely out to lunch, and his wife with him. Plumb idiots. Very sweet people though. They remind me of Jacob and Darlene Snell, just not as smart. Coming from a different place altogether, and I don’t even know where that is. I jest… sort of.
And we all want to know (the shop owners who take his money, the AMG Certified MB Master Techs who care for the car, all of us), why he keeps that car. He has others. But like I said, most learn, generally the hard way. He’s a special case.
maw
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I expect that he has the sense to be successful enough to afford to maintain an expensive car. Maybe he's just not listening to you?
That’s the perfect rim for the 500SL. Mine had 16” Centras which looked pretty nice also but I always thought the Lorinser rims were the best.
Absolutely not connected anywhere other than my idiotic brain, but your use of ‘West Side’ took me here:
I think that’s good advice. Marge needs to stay away from the West Side (West coast) becuzzzz ….. this West Side vs East Side. This was the seminal West Side vs East Side (w vs e coast rap scene) that went down in the 90s!
He listens just fine. We talk about all kinds of stuff. He's just not listening to anyone talking to him about the nonsense of that V12, so no one talks to him about it (including me, because... IDGAF).
*Now THAT is a classic maw quote*
And he IS smart enough not to argue that his opinion is right, which I can respect. He simply doesn't care if what he's decided to do doesn't make economic sense or isn't even rational. OK.
"What do you do when the bride who took your breath away becomes the wife who makes you hold your breath in terror?" ~ Jacob Snell
maw
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You're arguing economic sense over European luxury cars over 17 years old and wondering why he tuned you out?
It's going to be some time before owning any 2000 era Mercedes Benz will make economic sense. They're all ticking time bombs at this point.
No. I’m not arguing anything with him. Never mentioned anything about the 65 actually. He doesn’t even know I own a 55. He just loves the E5E.
And not all such cars are created equally. But advice is only as good as the listener. I take your point.
For instance, I don’t think the 55k or the E5E or the M119 W140s or E46M, for instance, are ticking time bombs. The E5E is demonstrably not, which you know from owning one. The Allroad 4.2, however, might properly be regarded as such. Not that I care. I enjoy my mistakes in the making. That car is with Satish right now racking up a series of healthy “mistakes”.
The difference is, I’d never try to tell someone about how the 4.2 is superior to the 2.7T, even though it clearly is.
Or that it’s worth all the money I continue to spend on it, which it’s clearly not. I can afford to be wrong or to waste money a lot better than I can afford to try to convince the world I’m right when I’m wrong.You see, for me money is a lot cheaper than credibility; and ego costs too much.
maw
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Wait what? Why are you sh*t talking him then?
I don't have any experience with the E46M, my BMW experience is with older M cars. but there is a BMW specialist near me that has a display cabinet full of rod bearings.
WRT to the M113K, indeed it's a robust engine. The W220 S55K itself is a ticking timebomb. There's more to it then just the engine. ABC, electronic modules, level sensors, hoses that route in such a way that you'll have to remove engines and subframes to replace them. Those jobs are expensive now and will not get cheaper as the cars age and parts become NLA. The V12 cars are also capable of mega miles. The engine isn't what's going to total it.
Back on topic, here’s a cabriolet that caught my attention! Calling @gerryvz and @8899
bringatrailer.com
maw
No Reserve: Euro 2006 Mercedes-Benz G500 Cabriolet
Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: Euro 2006 Mercedes-Benz G500 Cabriolet at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #79,153.
maw
This one:
www.facebook.com
"
BRABUS Roadster 600SL B13 | 75.000 €
6.9L V12 DOHC 508 PS
09.1992 / 155.000 km
From Nürnberg
- German vehicle
- No known accidents
- History available / can be viewed on site
- Converted to a 6.9 displacement engine at Brabus
- Serviced / In 2021 front brakes, 4x tires, new service
- Soft top windows renewed
- hard top
- Air conditioning
- Beige leather interior
- Fine wood interior
- Lifting chassis on the front axle
- Brabus sports rear silencer / 18 inch wheel set
- Very neat condition / rust-free
- Currently invested 5,000 euros
- From a private collection / No trade-ins possible
- Fixed price
- Only approx. 12 (600 SL) subsequently converted to 6.9 liters by Brabus
- 5.5sec 0 to 100 Km/h
- 306 Km/h top speed
Matthias Reichel
Owner
Tel.: +49 (0)911 8109878"
But, to all the eagle eyes out there. the body kit to me is not a Brabus but Expression?
??? To my memory, Brabus aprons were a bit "thicker" and a bit more "aggressive"? Love that car regardless, and those 3 spokes of Brabus!
Regards,
D
German Tuning History
German Tuning History. 75,036 likes · 14 talking about this. Classic Benz enthusiast
www.facebook.com
"
BRABUS Roadster 600SL B13 | 75.000 €
6.9L V12 DOHC 508 PS
09.1992 / 155.000 km
From Nürnberg
- German vehicle
- No known accidents
- History available / can be viewed on site
- Converted to a 6.9 displacement engine at Brabus
- Serviced / In 2021 front brakes, 4x tires, new service
- Soft top windows renewed
- hard top
- Air conditioning
- Beige leather interior
- Fine wood interior
- Lifting chassis on the front axle
- Brabus sports rear silencer / 18 inch wheel set
- Very neat condition / rust-free
- Currently invested 5,000 euros
- From a private collection / No trade-ins possible
- Fixed price
- Only approx. 12 (600 SL) subsequently converted to 6.9 liters by Brabus
- 5.5sec 0 to 100 Km/h
- 306 Km/h top speed
Matthias Reichel
Owner
Tel.: +49 (0)911 8109878"
But, to all the eagle eyes out there. the body kit to me is not a Brabus but Expression?
??? To my memory, Brabus aprons were a bit "thicker" and a bit more "aggressive"? Love that car regardless, and those 3 spokes of Brabus!
Regards,
D
The 129s look so good to me with spoiler kits, as do the 124s. Satish has the AMG bumper kit on his 500E, which I never even thought about on a non-AMG car, but I have to admit it looks really good.This one:
German Tuning History
German Tuning History. 75,036 likes · 14 talking about this. Classic Benz enthusiast
maw
Anybody with opinions on the R230? Doing some research on them now because I can't help myself. I saw Jono said to go after 2009 or later to get the ABC and other engine updates that improved reliability.
This checks all the boxes for me, silver with dark red interior:
https://www.txautogroup.com/inventory/mercedes-benz/sl-class/143478-tr/
This checks all the boxes for me, silver with dark red interior:
https://www.txautogroup.com/inventory/mercedes-benz/sl-class/143478-tr/
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I love them and agree with @jhodg5ck. Good news is they ran that silver over red combo the whole model run I think. My FL mechanic had a 2003 SL55 in that color which was one of the best cars I've driven in a long time. If I didn't need the back seats in the M3 I would have sold it and bought Rex's SL55 (and probably made money). I also agree on the years (I like the '09 headlights better), and as usual I'd stay away from the V12s. The hydraulic top and ABC will cost you to keep up (hydraulic fluid is hydraulic fluid), so I see no reason to pile on more heat, more weight, more cylinders, coil packs, etc., which are well documented everywhere. Those are not one time fixes, so price your headache there. I think the TTV8 63's for 2013 up are starting to get pricey -- reason being a tune turns them into absolute monsters.
Looks like the 2012 still came with the naturally aspirated engines... 45k-Mile 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG... the 2013s are technically R231 and about $30k more.
maw
Looks like the 2012 still came with the naturally aspirated engines... 45k-Mile 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG... the 2013s are technically R231 and about $30k more.
maw
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The SL550 may also have a TTV8, which is also great with a tune. If you don't need the AMG, then you just don't need it. I'm not sure my next one will be an AMG (unless I just have a few hundred grand to throw at that Hammer coupe for sale right now on MBMarket). The newer ones just don't hold the same appeal for me, the lone exception being the '09-'12 SL63 in certain colors.
maw
@RicardoD - please be careful with ECU tunes and OBDII. CARB is clamping down on tunes and any tune = instant smog fail.
You can thanks all those coal rollers over the past 10 years doing their thing for getting CARB to start clamping down on tunes.
+1000%... I forgot about California... good look @Jlaa ... I'm hearing nothing but horror stories for modded cars... some tunes you can maybe revert back for smog checks (e.g., RENNtech). I know a dealer if you want me to check for you.
maw
Your car, your decision... but these tunes are more subtle than that. You won't feel the extra unless you really get into it. No one else will know the difference. I can feel the extra in my S55 but for everyone else it feels stock. It's more like the WOT enhancement than anything else really. It really just takes away some of the factory safety for low grade gas and maintenance. For a car you keep up to snuff, I've not seen any downside.
That said, not much upside either ... RENNtech ... for some reason I thought there would be more here.
I see why... the SL550 isn't the bi-turbo that the CLS 550 has... RENNtech ... those are real numbers that make you ask "why AMG?"
And to @gsxr point, they come with the handheld tuner.
But yeah, nice cars either way.
maw
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Yeah I have an 05 SL55 in exactly that same color scheme. I've owned it about 8 years. It's got about 67k miles. The only time it left me stranded was when the supercharger pulley let go. It's part plastic , part metal and the plastic part failed. Easy fix but embarrassing. It needs to be kept on a trickle charger if you don't drive it often. It's a blast to drive and for a 17 year old car, still turn heads.
I'm sure that the 09 had some improvements but I do feel that it got beaten with an ugly stick. As I already have a face for radio, I don't need anymore favors.
Are you sure that wasn't an aftermarket pulley? I don't recall plastic on the OEM pulleys. I have a spare in the basement but haven't gone down to check. It may not matter, as belts and pulleys are the cost of admission here, like leaky turbos and coil packs or engine out services on other models. No free lunches ...
maw
It's a factory one. I should say that it's not 'the' supercharger pulley but one of the dual belt pulleys that's used for the regular drive belt and the supercharger belt. The part # is 1132020419 and it ain't cheap for the genuine one. There's basically two pulley's in one assembly to drive two belts. The back pulley is plastic, the front is metal.
I did see some aftermarket versions made from bullet aluminum but figured that I'd rather buy genuine. I read that they normally crap out at around 60k miles. When the back one let go, it took the front belt so I lost power steering and water pump which is why I had to stop.
I see. “Supercharger Belt Idler Pulley”… yes, I’ve seen the billet ones but I’ll stick with MB OEM. Did it go without warning? I drove around on a broken supercharger drive pulley for months before I figured out what it was.
The crank and s/c pulleys cost real money (like $600 and $1000+, respectively). You’ll get 100k out of the crank and about 150k out of the s/c pulleys, provided you change the s/c oil. YMMV but that’s been my experience.
maw
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No warning. I don't think it was the bearing that failed but the plastic pulley itself which looked like it imploded. It happened right around when I bought the car
IIRC, this pulley was right around $500. When I was looking, I saw that URO made one for 1/2 price which was not an option. I see now that Febi makes one which might be an option in the future. I've only done 7000 miles since so it will hopefully be the distant future.
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Let's try 7.1L???
£125,500 WINNING BID
"1996 MERCEDES-BENZ (R129) SL70 AMG
KEY FACTS
- A highly specified example of the brawny and exceptionally rare AMG-tuned grand tourer.
- Under the bonnet sits the AMG upgraded 7.1-litre V12, delivering 489bhp and 531lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.
- This German-market example has had only one previous owner from new, and is now offered for sale by the trade having since been imported and registered in the UK.
- It is believed that just 150 examples of the SL70 AMG were built.
- The odometer shows 84,138 km / 52,280 miles.
- It is accompanied by the detachable hard top as well as a Certificate of Authenticity and comprehensive Mercedes-Benz service history. "
That would be the ultra luxurious ride with some serous power! R129 is a great car, and facelift with 722.6 indeed feel refined, still, no match to W140 in terms of how quiet and luxurious they feel compare the the shorter wheel base of the roadster.
Making of new SL AMG… we‘ve come a long way. I’m a bit ambivalent here — as much as I appreciate new century robot manufacturing, I’m not really into a very tech heavy car experience. I want the robots helping to make the car, I don’t want the car itself to be a robot. We’ve a relatively new 2022 EClass in the garage which, as much as I appreciate it for my wife, I have zero interest in engaging with. I feel like an old man, thinking “shut all that off and let me drive the car.” I have that same feeling watching videos about this convertible compared to my E46M Cabrio (which I would most likely sell or trade for this one) — I’ll keep the simple one, thanks much.
maw
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