1998 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

SL500 Convertible

5.0L 4973CC 303Cu. In. V8 GAS DOHC Naturally Aspir

Automatic

WDBFA67F2WF164732

Clear

Gasoline

1998 Mercedes Benz SL500 Roadster Auto 5.0L V8, Leather, CD, Hard top and Soft top Keyless !!! Vehicle InformationYear:1998VIN:WDBFA67F2WF164732Make:Mercedes Benz Condition:UsedModel:SL500 R129 SL-ClassTitle:ClearBody:2 Door Convertible Exterior Color:Imperial Red Engine:5.0L 315HP/ 347 ft-Ibs Torque Interior Color:Light Beige (Leather)Cylinders:8-CylindersWarranty:None Transmission:AutomaticDrive Train:Rear Wheel DriveMileage:97300Fuel:GASFuel Economy:15/26 MPG Vehicle DescriptionYou are bidding on a very beautiful and outstanding Classic One-Owner 1998 Mercedes Benz SL500 with Automatic Transmission and 97K all miles are from the state of Florida. This Mercedes is very fuel efficient with about 26MPG Highway resulting in huge savings on fuel cost. It runs and drives very well with smooth acceleration and shifts good from gear to gear. This vehicle has only 97K Original Miles and for a Mercedes Engine it has many more miles to travel. Most of the miles racked up because this Mercedes was like a Snow Bird during the summer season it would go to for the past 10 years in Ellisville, Missouri and also be serviced by Tri-Star Mercedes a lot and also Fields Motorcars in Daytona Beach during the winter season. All this Information was provided by the CARFAX. I got this Mercedes from Fields Motorcars in Daytona Beach, FL. It was traded in by the first Owner back in April of last year when it had 94k miles on it, the reminder of time it was used as a demo promo car by the there Sales Manager and then they had it on there lot for sale until they sold it to ARC MOTORS INC (ME). I was told by the sales manager that the Mercedes used as a show room classic SL promo, as it sat in the show room for most of the time when it was at Fields for sale and what I'm saying is that it was used a display car with other SL's models. It stayed parked next to generations of SL's. Also Comes with Both Top Including Hard Top and the power soft top works flawlessly a switch of a button. This vehicle comes equipped with Leather, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Power Top, Power Mirrors, Keyless Entry etc. It has a Imperial Red Exterior and the interior comes dressed in a very nice Tan Leather Upholstery and in very good condition.There is No Rust on the vehicle. A Southern Vehicle from the Sun Shine State 26MPG. Huge $avings on fuel cost!!!!!!The A/C blows cold and the Heater works great too.Controls such as the Power Mirrors, Power Door Locks, Power Windows, Keyless Entry, Power Soft roof all work.Car Runs and Drives Good. Don't miss out on this beautiful Classic Mercedes (R129) Roadster. Bid with confidence. Overall, this is an outstanding and beautiful vehicle and it is awaiting its new owner. Bid with Confidence. See lots of Pictures Below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The winning bidder will not be disappointed with this vehicle so bid with confidence. This is a NO RESERVE auction bid which means the highest bidder wins and gets this beautiful car. I have started the auction very low to enable you to decide what you want to pay by entering your maximum bid. Enter your bids early rather than the last minute so that you do not loose out on this vehicle.Congratulations in advance to the winning highest bidder :)HAPPY BIDDING!!!!!! The Mercedes SL series is quite likely the very finest automobile ever made.The SL500 is visual poetry parked in your garage, and poetry in motion while driven.Driving the SL500 one learns what it must feel like to be a deity when freed from the shackles of place and time and the cares and worries that haunt ordinary drivers. The SL500 engine runs without sound or vibration at idle and normal speeds. It has more power than even the largest military Hummer, yet when pushed merely makes a slight whooshing sound while objects from afar get very big very fast and evaporate in your rear view mirror almost instantly. Shifting through the gears the SL500 gives no jerking forward and back, but instead offers continuous, unbroken smooth acceleration more like a silent turbine jet engine. The SL500's ground speed exceeds the speed at which aircraft lift off, and ten SL500s have more power than a locomotive with a lot less weight and noise.While moving the SL500 reminds one that it costs over five times what a normal car does not by excess, but by the absence of all the little noises, inconveniences and compromises of lesser cars. As many world religions have noted, pleasure and Heaven are not obvious pleasures, but the complete lack of unpleasantness. The SL500 accelerates smoothly and brutally at any speed. Acceleration comes from torque, not horsepower. The horsepower advertised by sub-six-figure vehicles has much less to do with acceleration than torque. A normal car has only about 150 ft-lbs of torque, peak. The SL500 not only has 347 ft-lbs, it does this over most RPMs.Driving the SL500 is salvation. Behind the wheel your life is perfect.The SL500 is a masterpiece of beauty, power, smoothness, safety and convenience which cannot be put into words by any living poet. The rest of this is all technical. Other cars occasionally can offer better performance on paper in one aspect or another, but always at the expense of something else at which the SL continues to excel. The rest of this cannot possibly convey the pleasure received from owning an SL500. I present the rest of these facts for my personal reference after having researched them. This R129 body style SL500 was made from 1990 through 2002. It was called the 500 SL from 1990 - 1993.They all have just about the same suspension regardless of year or package. The "sport" packages are just trim and tires, not suspension, engine or drivetrain. Some packages were called "AMG," but lack the engines and real hardware of the 2003 and newer AMG model cars. From 1990 - 1995 the SL500 used a boring hydraulic 4-speed transmission. It was boring because it didn't usually downshift when punched. A much improved 5-speed electronic transmission was introduced in 1996 and used through today. The 5-speed automatic greatly improves the driving experience because it downshifts instantly, as well as adding a fuel saving overdrive.The original 1990 - 1995 models also had a remote memory controlled interior rear view mirror and locking side door pockets. These features were skipped as of 1996 in favor of adding side airbags. The high performance 4-valve quad-cam engine was made from 1990 - 1998. The 1999 - 2006 V8s are only three valve, single overhead cam versions with less power and torque. The simpler, lower performance 1999 - 2006 SL500 engines have two spark plugs per cylinder and have the identical EPA MPG. Thus the best years for drivers are 1996, 1997 and 1998, which have both the quad-cam engine and the 5-speed transmission. They are the best SL500s ever made and are real Mercedes, not watered down Daimler-Chryslers.The 1996 is the least expensive as a driver's car. It's only vices are an ugly wart hanging from the rear view mirror for the remote control and it's missing the garage door opener and automatic wipers. The 1997 and newer models fix that but cost more for the same engine and driveline. The 1998 is just about perfect, which is why I choose it for myself.The 1998 adds an alphanumeric display to the dashboard and a remote control with more buttons. The 1998 also introduced computer prediction of service intervals. In the 1998 and newer you can go about 12,000 miles between services depending on how the computer thinks you are driving. Many people don't trust the computer and service more often. 1997 and older were on 7,500 mile or 12 month intervals. Newer SL500s after 1998 just cost more, may be more cheaply made and have the lower performance engine. Of course every SL ever made is worth owning if you find one in stellar condition, and if you have the choice look for the 1997 or 1998.The second version from 1996 through 1998 is the most desirable. The superior electronic 5 speed transmission and side airbags were added in 1996 and continued through 2002. The much improved 5-speed transmission, 54 pounds lighter with 40% fewer parts than the earlier 4 speed, kicks down immediately and lets you hit redline from any speed. You can recognize it by the "4" position on the transmission selector, which is lacking on their earlier 4 speed versions. (Top gear is marked "D" on both.) Spotters Guide: You can identify this version by the two long rounded vents in each front fender and the classic square stepped tail lights. The 5 speed is the main reason that these and newer cars are so much more drivable and fun than earlier cars, and also why they give better fuel economy. Even at part throttle these downshift expertly, unlike the older transmission which rarely would downshift for anything, cheating you out of much of the engine's performance for real-world driving. The added fifth gear is an overdrive which boosts the EPA highway MPG rating from 20 to 23 MPG. The transmission learns what you're doing, so if you're racing it stays downshifted for a while before upshifting. For instance, in a 100MPH acceleration run uphill it stays in 3rd gear for quite a while even after lifting off the gas, in anticipation of being hammered again. Caution: unlike the latest electronic transmissions it's not quite smart enough to prevent you from doing something stupid like shifting into reverse at 100MPH, or so I'm told. Many ordinary cars today, like Dodge minivans, are smart enough not to do this even if you move the shift lever. If you get sluggish response be sure to have the new transmission mode selector set to "S" for Summer or Sport. The "W" position, for Winter or Wet, deliberately starts in 2nd gear. In 2005 models Mercedes renamed the "W" Wet selection to "C" for Comfort. The interior door panels were redesigned for 1996 through 2002. They integrate everything to a more uniform look, hiding the separate garish woofer and tweeter grills and odd switches of the earlier models. They add an airbag and replace the weird lock switch with a lock stem on the rear top of the door panel. To lock the doors use either the center console switch or press down a stem on the door. To unlock just pull the lever on the door panel. The fog lights are now conventional reflector and lens assemblies with a 55W H1 bulb.In 1996 the SL500 grew an inch or two in length and improved a point or two in aerodynamics (Cd). You can see this since the bumper now pokes out a little from the grille. There are two rounded vent holes on each side of the front fenders replacing the three previous rectangular ones. In the 1996 model only the receiver for the infrared remote control was an ugly growth dangling from the bottom of the rear view mirror. In other years the infrared receivers returned are hidden in each door handle and the trunk lock instead, and later went to radio control. (Oddly the similar 2005 BMW 645 convertible still uses this hideous carbuncle hanging from the mirror.) The remote controls had only one button through 1997, and in 1998 they became more difficult to use without looking right at them with three separate buttons. I prefer one big button. The 1996 versions and newer saved a little expense by forgoing the remote control internal rear view mirror and eliminating the automatic locks on the door map pockets. Of course all models continue automatically to lock the central dash storage compartment, both center console storage compartments and both rear internal storage. They lock automatically along with the trunk and fuel door with the rest of the SL500. The 1996 - 2002 SL500 replaced the earlier climate control panel with one with a much larger LCD. The radio of this version includes a weather band radio and six presets. Mercedes replaced the original quad-cam SL500 V8 with a lower performance version in 1999. The 1999 - 2002 models are less desirable. The newer engine was the simpler three-valve version with less power and less torque. Thank goodness for 2007 Mercedes has brought back the four-valve, quad-cam high-performance V8 for the S-Klasse sedan. The 1999 and newer is slightly less desirable because of the cost reduced lower performance engine. Mercedes makes up for the lower power by using a cheaper exhaust system that makes more noise to impress the innocent instead. It has less power and less torque and does give the same EPA MPG. It only has single, not dual, cams and only three, instead of four, valves per cylinder. This gives it only 24 valves instead of the full 32 as the 1990 - 1998 models. It has only 302 HP and only 339 foot-pounds of torque. It has a prettier plastic vanity cover and adds an extra spark plug in each cylinder and slightly lowered emissions. The Three TopsThe SL500 is a bargain when you consider it's three cars in one: a coupé with the hard top attached, a roadster with the top down, and a ragtop with the cloth top up. The cloth top is always with the car while the hard top is removable. If you get an SL with the hard top rest assured the soft top is snuggled away underneath.The Soft TopMy power soft top lowers in 18 seconds and raises in 24 seconds. This is important; longer times with budget cars like the 2005 Cadillac XLR mean you can't do this while stopped at a red light. The SL500 is smart enough not to let you move the top while it's moving.The entire raising or lowering requires no more than a single touch of one button, a world's first. My 1970s American power-top convertibles were the same as today's domestics: you always had to grab and release one or two front latches and then manually attach or remove the tonneau cover. The tonneau cover covers the lowered top. Most users forgo using the tonneau since it requires more effort. The SL does all that for you electrohydraulically, including the tonneau cover! The SL is a $100,000 car, not a $20,000 Dodge Chrysler Sebring or similar. At speed the soft top of the SL is quiet and makes no wind noise. I never appreciated this until we got stuck with a Chrysler Sebring rental. Drive the Chrysler with the top up and you hear a ruckus coming from where the soft top and windshield meet, and whistling from above the side windows. Mercedes designs the tops and interfaces for perfect aerodynamics, airflow and quiet. It costs more to do it correctly. My American convertibles had big seams at the top of the windshield; the SL500 is completely smooth. The soft top of the SL even includes rain gutters to keep rain and windshield washer fluid off your side windows, just like Mercedes hard tops. These gutters are the slight indentations towards the front that channel water to the rear instead of letting it slip off to the side. The 1998's base price started at $90,600. That's $115,000 in 2015 dollars before sales taxes or options like CD player or heated seats. SL500 2dr Convertible with only 97,300 Garged miles, car is SUPER CLEAN. Florida Car all its life , Garage Kept, adult driver. synthetic Oil every 5.000 miles. Clean Title. AUTO. CHECK record on hands. Fuel Type System: Gasoline Cylinders:8 Fuel Economy:: City 15 mile per gallon-Hwy: 26 miles per gallon Brakes: 4- Wheel Disc Brakes Exterior color : Imperial Red Interior color: TAN Leather entertainment: Am-Fm-Cassette Player, Premium Sound System this car in Blue Book and Nada Website with this miles $10,500 value INTRO: I've owned Mercedes and BMW's for years. They are strong, durable and get great mpg. Well it is a true fact that the older German cars are easier to maintain and less cost compared to the new ones. Back in the 90's to own one of these fine German cars you either have to be rich, old, or a drug dealer if you were my age back in the day. Everybody knows during that time if you owned a Mercedes or BMW, you had money and in that time of era cars wont even close to a Mercedes and BMW. Even Lexus was no where to being close to design and style. 20 years ago most cars were cheaply made but Mercedes and BMW were always Over Engineered during that time. This SL500 needs nothing for inspection runs and drives great (will go anywhere). I'm just ticked that Mercedes hasn't continued their innovation since the purchase of Chrysler and isn't making vehicles in their own class with base models starting at $50,000, which is what $30,000 was in 1985 in 2005 dollars. Owning a Mercedes used to be a big deal, and today everyone has one and they make the ML series in someplace like Alabama. Mercedes used to test every new model for years in secret to work out every possible bug. They could do that because they had only a few models, every one excellent. Today they have many, many times more models and no time to test them all they way they did. Today they just push them out the door to try to catch everyone else at the same price point. Again, just my opinions. Do get a 1990s SL series before they're all worn out.Used to have just a few almost perfect models. Today Mercedes makes dozens of models.Because every model ran for a decade or more your investment was protected since your car still looked new a decade later. These near perfect vehicles used to have models that were the same for years. For instance, the R129 SL500 sold for twelve model years, and the previous R107 version sold for close to twenty. Mercedes made the investment to make it perfect, not fix it in the next modelEven the alloy wheels were designed for perfection, not style. Mercedes used the same 15 spoke rims for all models in the 1980s and the previous version for all models in the 1970s. They used the same rims, the very best they or anyone could make, on every model from top to bottom.One windshield wiper is superior to today's cheap two-wiper system.Every Mercedes in the USA had every option. You want the best and you got it. If you had to pinch pennys you got a Lexus. Today, like discount brands, you have to pay extra for light packages, navigation systems, climate control, remote controls and even the radios. Every 1990s SL500 for instance simply came with the best sound system available, period.Materials used to be expensive, long wearing, comfortable and unique. Even with your eyes closed you could touch the ceiling, window switch, door panel, seat material or whatever and know it was a Mercedes. The seats for instance were made of a magic material called MB-tex which was some sort of perforated wonder vinyl that lasted forever and was more comfortable than leather. Likewise the door panels, switches and consoles weren't the same plastic and the headliners weren't the same fuzzy fur that every other discount car had, like today. The grilles were metal, not painted plastic, and not cheap metal, but stainless steel. Even the bottom of the line model 190 (1982 - 1994) has stainless steel front trim, and the design of the grille knocks down dirt so my 190's engine compartment, even after over 150,000 miles and almost 20 years, is still clean without ever needing to be detailed. Today the $350,000 Maybach appears to have merely a chromed plastic front grille. Recent repairs: Done by Fields Motorcars of Daytona Beach (Fields BMW)Fuel system was checked and Fuel Filter was changed at 94k Mobile One Synthetic oil used was done at 94kbrand new A/C compressor at 82k not done by Fields but by Tri-Star Mercedesbrand new shocks and struts at 94kbrand new Michelin tires 94kbrand new evaporator at 82k not done by Fields but by Tri-Star Mercedesbrand new Bosch battery at 94kbrand new rebuilt hydraulics for soft top at 94k and yes Soft tops works Flawlessly and has many years to go. Good: WILL PASS EMISSIONS AND state inspections tires in good shape 90%No CEL engine lights on the dashStarts the first time Background: I've owned Mercedes for years. They are strong, durable (900k miles) and get great mpg over a gas counterpart. The Mercedes needs nothing for inspection runs and drives great (will go anywhere). NO RESERVE ACTION 1998 MERCEDES BENZ SL500 5.0L V8ORIGINAL 97,500 MILESADULT OWNED NO LEAKSCLEAN AND CLEAR TITLE IN HANDRUNS AND DRIVES ENGINE STARTS AND RUNS PERFECTCOMES WITH HARD TOPSOFT TOP IN GREAT CONDITON AND WORKS FLAWLESSONE OWNERNO ACCIDENTSNO RUSTSHIFTS SO SMOOTH AND FINE CAN'T EVEN TELLTHE PROBLEMS LISTED *The exhaust has no signs of smoke *The engine shows no signs of oils leaks *The paint is original but very small rock chips on front bumper and very small spots on fender 9.5/10 *Interior Condition 9.5/10 headliner on Hard top is sagging in the back a little and I mean very small to notice *TIRES are in Great condition *A/C WORKS FINE AND EVERTHING ELSE 10/10 *has 97,300 MILES * Florida CAR ALL IT'S LIFE * NO RUST ******BEING RELISTED DUE TO NON PAYING BIDDER us_jim3(27)* Call for more information about the Benz 407-803-1500 *WE ARE A WHOLESALE USED CAR DEALER LOCATED IN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA ARC MOTORS 530 SOUTH ST, FERN PARK, 32730 407-803-1500 * This is a used car NOT new.... Although the car is in very good condition it will have some imperfections, as it is NOT new, thank you for not confusing the two. We do our best to explain everything about the vehicle to the best of our knowledge, but again these are used vehicles and will have some history that is unknown. * $275 doc fee for all buyers + Florida residents must pay 7% sales tax or sales tax required for your county and tag for registration . Out of states buyers must pay sales tax varies from state to state We will ship the car...buyers are responsible for ALL shipping costs. We can help arrange shipping if necessary. TERMS OF SALE 1. Placing a Bid: By bidding on this vehicle you are entering into a legally binding contract to purchase this vehicle and you agree to abide by all terms of sale set forth herein. 2. Vehicle Representation: Although we describe all our vehicles to the best of our abilities, it is still possible that we may have unintentionally made an error or left some information out. Please keep in mind that used vehicles may have typical dings and scratches inherent for their year and mileage. Interior wear should also be considered depending on the vehicle’s year and mileage. Opinions and expectations can vary, so please contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding the condition of this vehicle. Used cars may not come with all of the original books, keys or accessories. Please review all photos carefully and if there is anything you are not sure about, ask questions prior to bidding. We are not responsible for errors or omissions in our listings. The mileage may be different than advertised due to test drives and demos. 3. Financing: If you are planning to finance this vehicle through a lending institution, you must secure the loan prior to bidding. Secure all finances and be able to follow through with the payment before you bid. Please do not call us for financing help, we do not provide financing. 4. Warranty: Unless stated otherwise, this vehicle is being sold “as is” and "where is" with all faults and possible defects. No representations or warranties are made by seller, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of title or implied warranties of merchant ability or fitness for a particular purpose. Nor are any representations or warranties relied upon by bidders in making bids. We are not the first owners of this vehicle and therefore cannot guarantee history, condition, reliability, mileage, title, salvage/history of salvage, function or performance of the vehicle. You are only buying what we have. Manufacturer’s warranties may still apply. You may chose to purchase extended warranty from many aftermarket warranty companies that can be found online. 5. Vehicle Transportation: Buyer is responsible for shipping and/or pickup of the vehicle. All shipping charges are the buyer’s responsibility. We will not be responsible in any way for claims arising from shipping damage. Shipping companies have insurance policies that protect buyers against damage. If you choose to pickup the vehicle yourself, closest airport to us is ORLANDO MCO, FL. 6. Payment Information: If you are the winning bidder/buyer, you must contact us within 24 hours of winning the auction or getting invoice to set up payment arrangements. We do add $275 dollar fee to every car we sell. We require a $275 dollars non-refundable deposit within twenty-four (24) hours. If the deposit is not received within the required time frame and alternative arrangements were not made, we reserve the right to make the vehicle available for sale to another buyer. The remaining balance is due within 5 calendar days of making the deposit. You must fax or email us your State issued driver’s license after you make the deposit. We reserve the right to keep your deposit and resell the vehicle to another buyer if final payment is not received within 7 calendar days. As final payment for the vehicle, we will accept a certified bank check, bank loan check, wire transfer, or cash. We will not release the vehicle and/or title until funds clear. If you pay cash, you can pickup the vehicle immediately. If you pay by wire transfer the vehicle will be available for pickup once funds are available in our account. If you pay by bank check, you will have to wait nine (9) business days until the funds clear. 7. Title Information: Vehicle titles may be held by banks or lenders as collateral for loans. In some cases there is a delay in receiving the original paper Title after the vehicle is paid off. While we usually have all titles in our possession at the time of sale, there are occasions where we may have to wait for them to arrive. It may take anywhere from 3 to 7 business days for us to receive the title. 8. Bidder’s Age: You must be 18 years of age or older to bid/purchase. 9. Storage Terms: Once the auction/sale completed, we will store the vehicle free of charge for (7) calendar days and at 20 dollars per day after that. Ones the payment has been made, the vehicle will be stored free of charge for (30) calendar days and at 20 dollars per day after that. 10. Liquidated Damages: In the event that the winning bidder refuses to honor his/her obligation to purchase the vehicle, we shall be entitled to liquidated damages from that bidder as follows: a. $5,000 in liquidated damages on a vehicle sold for $15,000 or less. b. $7,000 in liquidated damages on a vehicle sold for $15,001 - $40,000. c. $10,000 in liquidated damages on a vehicle sold for $40,001 or greater. 11. Choice of Law & Forum: Buyer agrees that in the event any dispute shall arise, it will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of FLORIDA and litigated in SEMINOLE County. By bidding on this auction/sale buyer consents to service by certified mail. 12. Miscellaneous: We reserve the right to obtain and verify the registered information of all users who bid on this auction/sale. In order to protect the integrity of this auction/deal, buyers with zero or negative feedback must contact us prior to bidding. We reserve the right to cancel any and all bids at our discretion and end the auction early in the event the vehicle is sold locally prior to the end of the auction, we shall not be held liable for such cancellations. 13. Not responsible for Typographical errors, if you are not sure about something just ask us.