1997 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

sl500 Convertible

5.0

Automatic

wdbfa67f1vf154286

Clear

Gasoline

SUPER RARE 1997 sl500 40th anniversary edition roadster.Only 250 of these sl500 cars were sent to the usa and only 500 were produced in total.This is my sons car and I don't agree on selling it.He is 18 and wants to go the common route of the jeep wrangler.Anyway,I bought this out of california a little over a year ago and had it shipped in.It was bought new by a Doctor in Sothern California off the showroom floor.He said the chrome wheels are the original 40th anniversary 17 inch wheels that the Mercedes dealer had chromed for the showroom.The soft top cloth is original and will need replacement from the california sun.The hardtop is included and was most likely rarely on.At about 161k the original transmission started to flare up between first and second gears.Second through fifth were fine.I replaced the transmission myself on my lift,using a transmission jack.The transmission is from a wrecked old lady owned sl500 with only 58k on it when i installed it,It was always serviced at the Mercedes dealer.It has 60k on it now,I completely drained all the fluid and added 12 quarts of mercedes benz transmission fluid.......not cheap.....the transmission is perfect and now only has 60k on it.The vin is on the trans and you can verify this at any mercedes benz dealer.The original trans is yours too if you want it.The car runs fantastic has no leaks,has ice cold a/c and blistering heat.Also heated seats.The radio works fine but the display turned black so you have to guess at the station.He uses an iPod with a cassette adapter in the car.The 2 front tires are 90% the rears will need to be changed.I just changed the oil and filter all new brake pads at all 4 wheels.The spare tire has not been used.The 40th anniversary roadster came with heated seats,special non perforated leather wood accent trim wood steering wheel unique to this car only crimson metallic paint,cd changer which we have never tested,17 inch wheels and no chrome moldings or badges other than the mercedes circle crest on the deck lid.My son added the factory sl500 trunk badge which can easily be removed .The paint is original and shines great.The car is always garaged and my son washes it every other day if not more.Has 2 very light parking lot dings if you look hard,and the front bumper had numerous chips that i touched up with perfect match touch up paint.Some small plastic pieces inside broke like they all do from southern california heat,but still looks great.Certainly not perfect,but runs fantastic and from 25 feet looks new.Every so often the abs/asr light illuminates and then goes off when restarted.Not often but no secrets here.Id drive this right now to California without a second thought.If you press the accelerator to the floor at 60mph this car takes off like a missile,although quietly, Its one of the fastest 60mph and up cars I've ever driven.Of course drive anywhere any distance anytime. I almost forgot these cars have a complex hydraulic top actuation system with 11 separate rams,I removed 8 that were leaking and sent them out to a renowned builder in oregon...cost about 500 bucks and was not easy to do.Now the top works perfectly and does not leak.The one ram that lowers and raises the tonneau cover is starting to weep.Its the easiest to remove of all of them should take 2 minutes,if you want to in the future,but for now all works perfectly.This is not a perfect new mercedes,but a real nice sl500 with the bullet proof mercedes 5.0 and an almost new transmission.Lots of car for the money.The listed deposit must be submitted at auction end or the car is still for sale to the next buyer.Ive waited before,and got burnt,I won't wait again.