Is the sl500 reliable?
Yes. Just expensive to maintain.
Heres all the info and owners reviews in one place: http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/sl-class/2005/?sub=convertible&ps=used
SL's from all years are absolutely fun to drive cars. However, they can be very expensive to maintain. You can find 20yr models that the owners just did normal service on and never had a problem. Then there are fairly new models that have just eaten an owners bank account up. The ones that are driven regularly and have been maintained well (oil, brake and transmission fluid changes) seem to be the most trouble free - regardless of age and mileage. The local MB dealer says the most expensive repairs come from SL's that have been driven very little and sit for long periods of time. An MB product is built to be run every day.
I have since 2012, no problems yet. Has 141,000 miles, weekend warrior!
I have a low mile 94 Sl 500 I've owned car for 7 years and have only done regular maint. Runs great very fun to drive.Has never let me down. Best investment I've made. Love this car.
I have a 1995 SL500 with only 55K miles. Too bad it's only worth less than $10,000.00. Would buy a new one, but they/re not as good a car as mine .MBs Rule!!!!!!!!
It is amazing how fast the resale value of these cars drops. You would think a limited production luxury sports car (only a few thousand per year made) could hold its value better. A big percentage of these cars are driven less than 5k miles per year. That being said, get a good one, drive and service it regularly and it will likely provide many years of motoring fun. I've had two of these and will always have an SL if possible.
I have a 94 Mercedes Benz sl500 with a impulse code 3 anyone know what this is
have 1995 SL500 roadster R129 convertible hard & soft top. with 50,000 miles. Never had a problem. Rides great.
I have a 1999 SL 500 with 135k miles and zero problems. However, if you ever change the battery you must reset the power top.
tcm3240 I have the same car myself and recently changed the battery. Ironically my top stop working, how do you reset it.
Try the window reset. Both down to stop/hold. Then both up to top and hold for a few seconds. Not sure if I got it reversed.
You have a 1995 with no wiring problems? My 1995 sl600 has been in 4 different shops over the last 8 years with no one able to get it to go more then a few miles. Last shop tried to get complete wiring harness but as of 4 years ago they are not avalible. The injector harness was replaced 8 years ago. But the insuation on all of the wiring is disintegrating and every time I drive it something else wiring related goes wrong, right now the mass flow air sensor is coding but replacing it did not help. The check engine light is on, and the srs light is on. I have only been able to drive it back and forth to the shop. By the time I get home something else is worng. It is in the shop now to repair the rams for the top that are leaking. That still does not address the wiring problem. I don't mind repairs and upkeep but the wiring problem has effectively made the car useless.
