Suns Out, Guns Out: 1998 Mercedes SL500

Today's feature is what happens when you take a classy late 90's roadster and throw the entire euro car modification playbook at the wall.  Lambo doors seem to work best on a Lambo, but we find them on this face-lift Mercedes R129 roadster along with whatever the builder deemed appropriate for this ersatz Diablo edition.  Two things are almost for certain here: someone paid an outrageous amount of money to create the car and the results would only make Xzibit proud.  Find this 1998 Mercedes SL500 for sale in Santa Rosa Beach, FL for $8,900 via craigslist.

Mid Week Match-Up: Best Car For Summer

It is Wednesday, which means time for the Mid Week Match-Up, but it is also summer, so combine the two and you get -- the best cars for driving around in the summer for less than $10k.

Collector Class: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

The R129 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster is destined to be a Pebble Beach concours classic in the future (when we have self-driving flying cars) and might be tempted to get a monster V12 version...but those were always mated to a recalcitrant slushbox...so you should consider a manual gearbox equipped inline-6 version. Find this 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL offered for $23,995 in SF Bay Area, CA. Tip from FuelTruck.

R129 Fivesome: 4 Mercedes SL300 & 1 Mercedes SL320

Ever grab a cookie and then ten minutes later realize that you just ate five of them?  Sometimes things don't go exactly as planned and what starts relatively innocently makes a big u-turn.  Any car enthusiast knows having a parts car is a cost effective way to keep a pricey car running.  Today's seller has taken that idea to another level with this Mercedes bundle deal.  Find these five Mercedes R129 Convertibles for sale in Newtown Square, PA for $11,000 via craigslist.

Auction Watch: 1995 Mercedes-Benz SL500 R129

Check out this 38k mile 1995 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 bidding here on eBay for $3,800 reserve-not-met with $11,500 buy-it-now located in Longs, SC with auction ending Monday at 5:06AM PST.

To R129 Is Human: 1992 Mercedes-Benz SL500

The R129 generation Mercedes-Benz SL was sold from 1989 through 2002, available in the affordable inline-6 SL300, and nutty V-12 SL600 -- but somewhere in the middle lives the V8 SL500 which splits the difference between performance and running costs.  Due to the magic of depreciation you can pick up an SL500 for less than the original buyer paid in luxury tax, and it makes sense to buy a nice one. Find this 1992 Mercedes-Benz SL500 here on eBay bidding for $3,800 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go, located in Itasca, IL.

Thanksgiving Saturday: 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL 600 R129

Most US Holidays float around the week, Christmas, New Years, Cinco de Mayo -- you know the deal, but a few are set to specific days of the week, particularly Memorial and Labor Days which arrive on a given Monday.  However, there is one Holiday that is apart from the rest, the bizarre final Thursday in November known as Thanksgiving.  Following Thanksgiving is the number one shopping day of the year (or so I've been told, I avoid shopping malls like a Fiat owner avoids parking above clean concrete) known as Black Friday and then a few days later is Cyber Monday...however, in between you've got two days that aren't known for anything.  Thanksgiving Saturday and Sunday have the dubious honor of being some of the worst possible travel days of the year, but contribute nothing to the social landscape.  They are stuck in the middle, sort of the way a late 90s Mercedes V12 sports car is stuck between being a depreciated maintenance nightmare and a collectible classic.  Like this  1997 Mercedes-Benz SL 600 offered for $15,000 in San Francisco, CA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

5k: One Dollar Per Mile: 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 R129

The Mercedes-Benz SL500 was the middle child of the R129 family -- surrounded by the inline-6 powered SL300 and big brother V12 SL600.  When new someone shelled out a middle of the road $95,000 for this SL500, drove it for 85,000 miles and then donated it to charity.  Ironically, for a Mercedes of this vintage, paying $1/mile for depreciation ain't bad at all.  Find this 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 offered here on eBay currently bidding for $6,200 with located in Anaheim, CA. 

5k: V12 Depreciation Special: 1994 Mercedes-Benz SL600 R129

We posted a V12 powered BMW 850i last week along with a challenge to our readers to find something V12 powered and cheaper...of course the challenge didn't last long and the tips poured in like fuel into a V12 luxobarge.  BMW wasn't the only German manufacturer to offer a ultra high priced V12 tourer; Mercedes-Benz produced its SL600 from 1992 to 2002.  Find this 1994 Mercedes-Benz SL600 V12 for $6000 in Oakland, CA via craiglist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

15k: Ladies Night: 1995 Mercedes-Benz SL320 R129 Convertible, Minty Clean 35k Original Miles

The R129 generation Mercedes SL convertible was built on a shortened version of the W124 E-Class sedan platform for a remarkably long 13 year model life from 1989-2002.  The mid year cars are probably the best to get, as they have had the early "green" design problems fixed at the factory and haven't yet succumbed to the dark ages of the DaimlerChrysler years.  Find this 1995 Mercedes-Benz SL320 with only 35k original miles for sale in Santa Barbara, CA currently bidding on ebay for $12,100 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go.

15k Flash: 1994 Mercedes SL600 V12 R129 low miles

Car enthusiasts nuts have all kinds of lists, ones that they fill with requirements for cars that they must own before they die.  Surely a good list would include, an Alfa Romeo, a track car, a new car, something with a GM LS V8 shoehorned where it doesn't belong, and a V12. Today we aren't going help with the earlier parts of the list, only the V12.  This 1994 Mercedes SL600 R129 chassis is equipped with a 6 liter V12, has a shockingly low 57k miles and is sale for a premium $14k via craigslist in Toccoa, GA.

The R129 Chassis is one of the last of the reliable era Mercedes and was the choice for filthy rich balding men 20 years ago.  It is only available with an automatic transmission, but its sleek styling and big V12 make it a great weekend cruiser.