Listing snapshot
| Spotted | July 2023 |
| Asking price | $9,995 |
| Mileage | 49,000 (seller-stated) |
| Location | Ringwood, New Jersey |
| Listed on | Craigslist, private seller |
| Drivetrain | V8, automatic, rear-wheel drive |
| Status | Ad expired. This page is our archive of the listing. |
We found this 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 in July 2023, listed at $9,995 by its owner in Ringwood, New Jersey. Buyers often want to know what a decent red R129 with 49,000 miles and both tops should cost, so we keep the record so there’s a real asking price to compare against.
What this car was
This was the R129 SL, the generation Mercedes built from 1989 to 2001, in its V8 SL500 form. The single photo shows red paint with a good shine and factory alloy wheels. The seller described a car kept covered or garaged.
The ad was honest about one problem. Here’s what the seller disclosed:
- 49,000 miles
- V8 engine with automatic transmission
- A new soft top, but with a hydraulic issue in the top mechanism
- The removable hardtop was included
- No accidents
- New tires
- Paint described as excellent, with the car kept covered or garaged
Was $9,995 a fair ask?
For a low-mile SL500 with the hardtop, $9,995 was on the low side in 2023. The hydraulic fault is the reason. The R129’s power top uses a network of hydraulic cylinders and lines, and chasing leaks can be time-consuming and costly. A buyer comfortable with that work was getting a lot of car. A buyer who needed it fixed by a shop had to budget for the repair before calling it a bargain.
A little SL history
The R129 replaced the long-running R107 SL and brought an automatic pop-up roll bar and a fully powered soft top. The V8 car was sold as the 500SL until Mercedes changed its naming for 1994, when it became the SL500. It used a 5.0-liter V8 and was the core of the range, with six-cylinder and V12 versions on either side.
More cars from the archive
- Every Mercedes-Benz SL we’ve spotted, with asking prices
- 1994 Mercedes-Benz E500, another Mercedes-Benz
- 1990 Mercedes-Benz G300, another Mercedes-Benz
- 1987 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen 300GD, another Mercedes-Benz
- 1995 BMW 325is, another 1990s European car
