1991 Mercedes-Benz 500SL-32

With just one owner from new and under 14,800 miles on the clock, this wonderful Mercedes-Benz 500SL benefits from an unbroken 29 years of ownership – and for the sceptics among you, both the MOT history and the service history book support that figure.

And, as you can see from the service history booklet, the car’s first owner used the car both here and in Davos. Clearly a bit of a jet-setter – a role the SL is uncommonly well suited to fulfill – it spent its later years merely shuffling him between home and Sunningdale golf course, which might be a bit of a cliché but this gentle use has left it very well preserved.

Now being offered with a very sensible reserve, this is your chance to get your hands on one of the lowest mileage R129 SL’s we’ve ever seen.

The Pearl Blue Metallic (paint code 348) is in a good condition with decent panel gaps and a good finish to the paintwork. The flanks are free of the sort of ripples that abused cars tend to collect over the years, and the glass, light lenses and badges are all as good as the rest of the exterior.

The lower body is finished in a slightly darker colour and this plastic cladding is also in a good condition. Interestingly, the SL still sports number plates from the original, supplying Mercedes-Benz dealer, which might indicate there are no horror stories in its past.

The electric roof furls and unfurls as it should, and seals as tightly as you’d expect of a car with this pedigree. The blue fabric is in great shape and is completely free of damage and significant wear although there is, of course, the odd mark here and there. But, the plastic windows are still clear and show no signs of the sort of milkiness they can develop with age.

The Merc also comes with a very good factory hardtop, complete with stand. Finished in the same Pearl Blue Metallic as the rest of the metalwork, its inclusion turns the convertible SL into a genuine all-weather, all-season sportscar.

The OE 16-inch alloy wheels are in fine shape having been recently refurbished and completely free of kerbing, peeling lacquer and other imperfections. They’re shod with matching Pirelli Cinturato tyres too – and the front ones were only fitted in March of this year.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

There are a few marks that have been touched in (touch-up paint included), including on the outer edge of the nearside door. Also, the offside door requires the window to be lowered ever so slightly to close easily (just needing minor adjustment), and the trim on the nearside door underneath the side window is slightly loose.

The Mushroom leather seats are in great shape but then with fewer than 15,000 miles-worth of buttock polishing that’s only to be expected, isn’t it? There is some slight creasing and, but there is nothing so vulgar as wear, much less so damage, rips or opening seams.

The tiny rear seats still look like new, which won’t come as any surprise to anyone who has ever tried to use them. Still, their presence does mean you’ll be able to take your children or grandkids out in it. Until they’re about five years old, anyway…

The rest of the interior is similarly well preserved. The wood veneer is free of chips, crazing and scuffs, the carpets are still thick and luxurious, the door cards are practically unmarked and look like new, and the dashboard is as robust as the R129’s reputation.

All the electrical items we have tested work as they should, including the remote central locking, although the spare fob does appear to need a new battery. We are also informed by the seller that the after market immobiliser has been disconnected.

The headlining of the hard-top is very clean, and the boot is home to the spare wheel, tool kit, first aid kit, warning triangle and Sony CD-multichanger.

The entire cockpit is very clean and free of anything bar the lightest of patinas on some of the rubbing points such as the outside bolster of the driver’s seat. It all seems to work, too.

Problems? Well, the windscreen wipers do work, but only on high speed and the spare alloy wheel in the boot has seen better days. That’s genuinely about all we can find to moan about. Remarkable, isn’t it?

Last serviced in March 2020, following a period of dry storage, the work included a full major service including fresh engine oil and brake fluid, new oil, pollen and air filters, a set of spark plugs, distributor caps and rotor arms, and a fuel filter. It also received two new Pirelli tyres, which helped lift the final bill to £1,066 – and that sum didn’t include the new Bosch Silver battery that was fitted in the same month.

The engine bay is almost ridiculously clean, and the SL starts, ticks over and drives exactly as it should.

The underside is solid and strong, and shows no sign of having been welded, something the MOT history supports. It really is very nice under there, and the dampers even still have the factory numbering on them.

The SL’s MOT certificate expires in March 2021. Gained without any advisory points, it’s worth noting that the only advisories it has ever had in its life have been for tyres…

The Mercedes also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, book pack and wallet, an old V5 registration document in addition to the current one, the pre-delivery inspection sheet from when the car was first delivered, and two keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The R129 is as pretty as it is tough - and that’s worth something in today’s troubled times; apocalypse-ready vehicles don’t have to be finished in camouflage green and fitted with four-wheel-drive because only two things will survive in a post-nuclear world: cockroaches and Mercedes-Benz cars built in the eighties and nineties.

But, you need to buy the right one and few fit the bill better than this. With a good service history, miniscule miles on the clock, and the super-durable five-litre V8 engine under the bonnet, it’s probably going to outlast us all.

Which makes our guide price of somewhere between £16,500 and £22,000 look like a bit of a steal. And, remember that the reserve price is even lower, so this might end up being a very cost-effective way of getting your hands on a blue-chip sporting convertible for the coming good weather.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.