Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
It always surprised me what comes out of the woodwork when looking at unusual color combinations. Most of the time I didn’t even think it was possible, but the old adage of anything is possible with enough money sure rings true.
Today, we have a 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 up for sale in London finished in Designo Purple over Designo Purple leather. Thats the name. Just Designo Purple.
It still makes me wonder why the R230 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is so inexpensive. I know they are now 20 years old and very much considered “used” cars, but they are generally good in the grand scheme of cars that use to cost $100,000. I don’t think they’ve aged all that poorly considering when it was designed and built, and actual quality isn’t that bad either. Today’s car, a 2004 SL500 up for sale in Florida, has the classic look of understated on the outside but a totally wild interior.
Crazy to think that $20,000 isn’t considering a large sum of money for a car anymore, but it will still buy you a handful of really cool used stuff as long as you are okay with it being 20 years old. Hard to wrap my head around the fact that the R230 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is in fact that old, but thankfully it doesn’t look its age. Today’s car, a 2003 SL500 up for sale in Chicagoland, brings a whole lot of flash with its Mars Red paint, but thankfully you can drive away while still being under that $20,000 limit.
Last week I laid out why I think right now the R230 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is probably the best value in the Mercedes-Benz world. It has the perfect combination of very high production numbers and the perfect timing of too old to be modern but too young to be a classic. Today, we have the previous generation that had a similar production run, which means it can still be had for very little money given how many are out there floating around. Of course I’m talking about the trusty R129, and more specifically an early 500SL.
This example up for sale in New Jersey is finished in one of my favorite colors of Spruce Green and just has shy of 51,000 miles. The best part? The asking price is only $10,900. Of course there is a catch.
For me, right now, there is no better value in the Mercedes-Benz world than the R230 generation SL-Class. A nearly $90,000 car new back when it first launched almost 20 years ago has probably reached its floor for the well-loved models. If you want in on one, now is the time. Thankfully just like the previous generation, the R230 had a long production run with no less than five different engine choices including a V12. Of course, the real value is with the classic M113 5.0-liter V8 with the nearly indestructible 722.6 five-speed automatic. Today’s example, an Amber Red Metallic example up for sale in Nevada, is looking to be a real deal even in today’s thirst for everything cool in the automotive world.
