Description
When buying one of these cars history is EVERYTHING. Not just a stamped up book but all the invoices that back it up. this car has history going back to day one and has 17 stamps in the book with an astonishing amount of invoices to prove it the previous owner who was in his late 70s had spent over £18, 000 over his four year ownership. Going back further I would estimate there’s another at least £15, 000 of invoices. on top of this in my 16 months of ownership have spent around £4000 keeping it to the manner to which it has been a accustomed. As far as I can see most if not all of the perils of owning one of these vehicles has been renewed over the last 10, 000 miles. Including (but not exclusive) Pulleys, belts, water pump, gearbox selector, transverse control and track control, accelerator pedal potentiometer, ABC valve block, ABC reservoir, roof cable, ABC pump, front disc brakes pads and sensors, hydraulic pipes to the roof, two new front shock absorbers, paint correction to the rear wheel arches which were showing minor bubbling of the paint, new boot lock, Suspension arms, rear section of exhaust in stainless steel , all 16 spark plugs ! Also on top of this the front tires were replaced 1000 miles ago and I will be fitting two brand-new continental tires for the rear prior to sale. I have just had all four wheels professionally refurbished, these are very expensive three-piece wheels that had to be taken apart, stripped back and repainted in two colours and stove enamelled. Also when I fist picked it up all the drain holes for the roof where cleared and all the roof seals were treated with Mercedes recommended lubricants to keep them in tiptop condition. There is absolutely no ingress of water into the vehicle even under the heaviest rain! I have taken a picture inside the boot to show that there has never been any leakage in there. Just to give you an indication of costs for these type of vehicles just the ABC block and the ABC pump is £4000! The two shock absorbers were £2400! So please bear these costs in mind when you compare this car to others. The four Continental tyres are almost £1000 alone. Always check when you’re buying one of these vehicles if all four tires match it’s important and it tends to show if people canp afford to keep them in the manner to which they should be accustomed.
The ABC handling Pack is absolutely phenomenal. The car corners flat around even tightest bends. I have owned SL’s previously and I missed the joy of open air motoring 12 months of the year. My previous cars have been the model before this one with a fabric roof. Unfortunately, a fabric roof was not suitable for my style of motoring which is if it’s not raining the roof must be down or what else is the point in having them? Unfortunately since owning the car I have developed severe arthritis in my right hip and 6 foot six getting in and out is proving to be difficult. I’ve already replaced the vehicle with the Bentley Arnage which i suppose is a bit more in keeping with somebody 71 years old! Please bear in mind if you are unfamiliar with these cars that these are not cars that are suitable for anyone with limited driving history. This car is phenomenally powerful and such needs a degree of competence from the driver
