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Author: Paul

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Twelve Cylinder Time Warp: 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL600 with 172 miles

Anyone looking for a brand new 15 year old car? Here’s your chance to buy what must be the lowest mileage R129 generation SL600 in the country. With 172 original miles, this car is probably as close to new as you can find. The R129 began production in 1989 as a 1990 model, and lasted until 2002; a pretty typical production life for an SL. To celebrate the final year of production, and to pay homage to the brand’s racing heritage, Mercedes released the Silver Arrow spec SL. Available as an SL500 and an SL600, 1,500 cars were produced in total, only 100 of which were 600’s.

While this car isn’t a Silver Arrow, it is a second-to-last model year R129, and is fitted in a very desirable color combo of black on light grey. I spoke with a salesman at Mercedes of Cherry Hill who informed me that the car was purchased new there, and the owner stored the car with the hopes of it climbing in value and turning a profit down the road. Needless to say, that dude bought the wrong car. He probably paid in the vicinity of $140,000 for it, and I don’t even want to know what he sold it back to the dealer for. The good news is that we have the opportunity to buy the car, in virtually new condition, for around $90K off the original price.

Click for details: 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL600 at Cherry Hill Mercedes-Benz

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2012 Mercedes-Benz SL550

The R231 Mercedes SL has been with us for about three years, and I have to say that it hasn’t grown on me at all. Neither the exterior nor interior aesthetics do anything for me. Having said that, I think the previous generation SL, the R230, is one of the best looking cars Mercedes has ever made.

Released in the U.S. market in 2003, the R230 spanned a relatively short production life for a Mercedes SL. Its predecessor, the R129, was produced for twelve years, and the R107 lasted for eighteen years. The R230 received a debatably successful facelift in 2009, which gave the previously rounded front fascia a more rigid appearance, and tweaked a few stylistic details both on the interior and exterior to give the car a more aggressive appearance. The facelift divided many Mercedes enthusiasts, but the general consensus was that the R230 was still a beautiful car.

Today I’d like to go over some of the details on this very attractive 2012 SL550. 2012 was the last year of production for the R230 SL, which was offered in three derivations for the U.S. market; the SL550, and the AMG-tuned SL63 and SL65 models. Not many AMG SL’s were sold in 2012, but there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of final year SL550’s. This particular one is finished in my favorite color combo of black on tan, and appears to be in great shape. With only 17,000 miles, this is about as close as you can get to picking up a brand new R230 generation SL.

Click for details: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL550 on eBay

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1997 Saab 9000 Aero

If you look at my vehicle history prior to my current vehicle, everything has been German. However, after years of flying the flag for the Fatherland, I’ve found myself wanting just a bit more. Something different. For years I took Saab for granted but when they finally closed up shop a few years ago, I shed a tear. Saabs were both obscure and sensible, with sometimes a heavy helping of performance. Such is the case with this 1997 9000 Aero for sale in New Jersey. While I was a bit saddened to scroll through the ad and find out it was equipped with an automatic, it’s a rare instance that you see one of these Q-ships in such great nick. This car represents the final year for the Aero, a model that featured a color-keyed body kit and spoiler, heavily bolstered Recaro seating, sport suspension and special 16 inch alloys. This automatic equipped example keeps the standard turbocharger for an output of 200 bhp, while manual equipped Aeros had a larger turbo capable of producing 225 bhp.

Click for details: 1997 Saab 9000 Aero on eBay

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1995 Porsche 928GTS

Here’s a fine example of my favorite car in the world. A 1995 Porsche 928 GTS. This particular car is almost certainly one of the lowest mileage examples in the country, and is priced accordingly. As you may know, only 406 928 GTSs were sold in North America between 1992 and 1995. The 1992 model year cars were sold as 1993s, thereby dividing 1993 production into early 1992 928s, and late (real 1993) 928s. For 1995, only 77 GTSs were imported, 47 of which were automatics. This car is one of those 47, and judging by the mileage and color combination, it is certainly one of the most desirable.

Click for details: 1995 Porsche 928GTS at Willhoit Enterprises

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1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL-24

Some cars come and go, but the Mercedes-Benz SL has had staying power. Ever since the mid 1950s, this name has been going strong in the lineup, transforming from the original Gullwing coupe to a smaller hardtop two-seater, to the boulevard cruiser of the 1970s and 1980s and into the present day as a refined but capable luxury roadster. One of my favorite SLs was the R129 from the 1990s. It was no easy task taking over from the iconic R107 SL which had an impressive 18 year production run. This car was literally the face of Mercedes throughout the oil crises, recessions and the boom times of the 1980s, yet stayed fashionable all along. However, the new for 1990 300SL brought back an option to US buyers, albeit for a short time, that was lacking throughout the R107 production run: the manual gearbox.

Yes, you could order your 300SL from a US showroom with a 5-speed manual, making the most of a 3.0 liter inline-6 engine that was tasked with moving around 4,000 lbs. of car around. If you’re used to a V8 in your SL, performance is a bit underwhelming in this model, but given that only a few hundred R129s were sold in the US with a manual gearbox, the novelty factor is certainly there. This 300SL-24 for sale in Arizona is one of the nicest 5-speed manual R129s I’ve come across in my time at GCFSB, tempting for someone who absolutely must row their own.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL-24 on Craigslist Phoenix

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