2003 Mercedes-Benz SL350

In the care of the vendor for the past six years, this lovely Mercedes-Benz SL350 shows that even the model with the smallest engine in the range (although let’s not forget that it is still a 3.7-litre…) can still be a thing of joy, even with 130,000 miles under its belt.

The coachwork, for example, is in good condition with straight body panels and tidy paintwork. The SL starts, stops and drives as it should too thanks to a strict servicing regimen over the years, and it hides its age in the cockpit well.

Only for sale as the vendor simply can’t find the time to use it as much as he would like, it will need only very light fettling to get it back to its former glory,after which we have no doubt it will continue to thrill and delight its new owner for many years to come.

And, it’s being offered on a "No Reserve" basis, which means it is going to sell from the very first bid so why not pop a cheeky bid on and see what happens?

After all, the worst outcome is that you find yourself the proud new owner of a very usable and original Mercedes-Benz SL350, and that’s hardly cause for concern, is it?

The dark blue coachwork harks back to a time when Mercedes-Benz still built some of the world’s best vehicles. The paintwork presents well, and the colour itself lends it a gravitas and a classless appearance that can be lacking when they are finished in some other colours.

It’s in pretty good shape too, being shiny and free of any significant damage. Its flanks are straight and free of ripples, but there is the odd stonechip and light scratch here and there but we’d be more suspicious if there wasn’t. There is a noticeable scrape on the offside rear wheel arch and the lower edges of the valances and sills, which sit low and are therefore vulnerable, have suffered a couple of minor scrapes too, all of which can be seen in the photos of those areas.

Minor niggles include a missing bolt from the nearside lower corner of the front bumper and a small scuff in the same place but a decent T-Cut should sort most of the latter, while the former would be a moment’s work to replace. Niggles, you see, rather than problems.

Just as importantly the panel shutlines are neat, even after 130,000 miles and the passage of 17 years, and the folding metal roof appears to work as it should.

It also rises on command, and seals well. It’s an ingenious system that genuinely gives the best of all worlds: the security and refinement of a closed coupe, with the open-air thrills and stimulation of a convertible. The mechanism is a little sticky but it’s freeing off nicely as we use it more and more; like us all, it can get a little stiff with lack of use...

The glass is all bright and pretty much undamaged, and the chromework, badges, light lenses, glass, and miscellaneous trim is all present, correct and in working condition. The only other real blemishes we can see on the bodywork are the offside door mirror, which has started to tarnish and the occasional light scratch.

The alloy wheels are in a decent condition, being free of any major kerbing, a modern day blight that is ubiquitous. There is some corrosion, and the lacquer has started to peel in places; given the condition we can see that the new owner might want to invest a couple of pounds in having them refurbished.

Finally, the only rust we can find is to the lips of the rear wheelarches. It’s just starting to bubble, so shouldn’t be a huge job as you will still be able to catch it nice and early.

The dark grey and black leather interior is typically Teutonic, which is to say that it’s darker than Katie Hopkins attitude towards, well, just about everything. However, unlike Ms Hopkins, it is still in a very good condition.

Even the leather on the outer edge of the driver’s seat, normally the first place to show a car’s age, is nigh-on perfect with only very gentle creasing and no significant wear. Germanic build quality might be a cliché but it became a staple in the lexicon of the motoring journalist for a very good reason.

Take the door cards, for example, which look like they are only a couple of years old. The steering wheel, dashboard and all the controls, both minor and major, are in an almost unbelievably good condition, too. The luggage shelf behind the seats looks to have had only occasional use, and the complex trim, which lifts and rises to accommodate that clever folding roof, still all aligns very well.

Even the carpets are good, with no damage or serious scuffs and only light stains here and there. The matching grey overmats – which must be OE given how well they fit – are in cracking shape.

Problems seem to be limited to a slightly inconsistent central locking system, using the key, a sticky boot release button, and a piece of missing trim underneath the COMAND screen in the centre console. Mind you, you’d be removing the latter anyway as the screen’s gone wibbly and doesn’t work. As for the button, it might free off with a bit more use, but it’s only a mildly irritating fault rather than a show-stopper.

The boot, complete with space-saver spare wheel and Vredestein tyre, is a tad scruffy underneath the mildly mucky grey carpet but it should all clean up well with a dab of foaming carpet cleaner and a little elbow grease.

While you’ve got the cleaning materials out, you might want to give the headlining a bit of a clean, too. It’s not damaged, just a bit grubby. It’s superficial and looks like it should clean up without too much effort at all.

A new battery was fitted by the Mercedes-Benz main agent in September 2019. January 2020 saw Stevenson’s, a Mercedes independent specialist, sorting out the fuel tank baffles, which aficionados of the model will recognise as being a common fault. Another common problem is the pneumatic system equipment, or PSE, pump. Not on this example though, as the owner tells us it was replaced in late 2019.

The engine bay is decently clean and doesn’t show any oil leaks. It would benefit from a day’s worth of detailing, but that’s a nice-to-do job for a sunny summer’s day; there really isn’t anything to do to the car’s mechanical bits at the moment. As the owner put it: “it drives extremely well.”

Underneath the car is similarly good, the whole underside of the car is pretty clean and tidy. Not that anyone will be looking, but it’s always nice to see a clean bottom, isn’t it?

Potential bidders shouldn’t be put off by the fact that the UK’s online MOT history shows the car as having an expired MOT. The car has resided in Ireland for the last few years and has been little used, in that time the car has been tested in Northern Ireland.  These Ulster MOT's are more stringent than those in our mainland, but the results are not available online in the same way. A photograph of the car’s MOT certificate, which expires in July 2020, is available in the gallery.

Importantly, what the online UK MOT history does show is that there is nothing of concern in its history. It also confirms the car’s low mileage up to 2014, the point at which it left the mainland system.

The car comes with a stamped service history book too, with eight main dealer stamps up to 4th October 2011 and 91,746 miles. It also has the usual bumf like the owner’s handbook, COMAND manual, and a variety of other guides, all of which are within the OE padded leather wallet.

There are also a few invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it.

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 good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please contact us here at The Market to arrange an appointment.

Being offered with no reserve, this is a lovely little project for an R230 enthusiast to get their teeth into. With only a few niggling faults and barely any rust, it benefits from a nice service history and only a handful of owners over the years, all of whom clearly spent the money to keep it running beautifully and looking sharp.

As to price, we think it will sell for between £3,000 and £5,000. To put that into context, that is the sort of sum you’d happily fork out to buy a semi-decent MX-5.

This is an absurd state of affairs, and surely one that can’t go on forever: after all, the Mazda might be a great car but it offers only a 1.8-litre engine, an overly firm ride, and almost no creature comforts, while the Mercedes-Benz SL350 is able to waft its canny owner around in considerable comfort and style and a 3.7-litre V8 engine under the bonnet.

Yes, there’s a small list of jobs that will need your attention but they should all be fairly straightforward and well within the scope of the competent DIYer - and you’ll likely be adding value with every hour you spend on it, and beating the system in a depreciation-proof car is always satisfying, isn’t it?

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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.