2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500

With just four owners from new and fewer than 90,000 miles recorded on the odometer, this is a beautifully specified and maintained example of a hugely desirable Mercedes sportscar. With a titanic history file and an almost peerless record of MOT tests, this is an SL500 that you can buy with both your heart and your head.

In the care of the current owner for the past two years, it hasn’t got much of a back-story; the owner has enjoyed owning and driving it but as he lives so close to his workplace that he sometimes walks, the car just isn’t getting used as much as it deserves to be; it is, in his words, “something of an unnecessary extravagance” and he’s keen to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it as much as he has.

This is a lovely car, with no reportable issues. It’s bodywork is straight and taut with tight, even shutlines and a gloss to the paintwork that allows you to ignore the few stonechips that inhabit the usual areas.

The outer corners are free of the sort of touch-parking scuffs that many develop, and the doors, boot and bonnet all close and seal nicely.

The alloy wheels are in great shape, and the tyres are all good. If we’re being ultra-pedantic then the headlights look like they could do with buffing to restore their crystal-clear appearance, and two of the front number plate screws are missing their white caps. All this is more about me scraping the barrel to find something to write about than a sign of neglect or abuse.

The folding metal-and-glass roof is solid and free of damage. It rises and falls on command, and seals tightly. It, in other words, continues to fulfill the design brief to perfection.

Some cars are blooming difficult to write about because there ain’t much wrong with ‘em; this is one of them. That’s a Good Thing, in case you were wondering.

In fact, the only area that will need definitely attention is a spot of rust on the rear corner where the wing meets the bumper. It’s so small our photographer, God bless his artistic but occasionally dark soul, missed it. Mind you, it’s only the size of the nail on your little finger, so we can forgive him that.

The owner tells us that it has only just appeared and rather than get it repaired and prompt cynicism from potential bidders about the fresh paintwork, he’s done the honest thing and left it as it is for the world to see. He is, by his own admission, a fastidious man, and the pain in his voice at presenting his car at anything less than a perfect condition was obvious…

The interior is full of swoops and curves, and what swoops and curves there are have weathered the intervening years with typical Mercedes-Benz nonchalance; while it’s the modern cars that might have lost their engineering edge in terms of durability and fit ‘n’ finish, the R230 was still at the top of the company’s game - and its shows.

So, the wooden veneer is still glossy and free of cracks and other blemishes. The dark grey leather seats are still as plump as a Christmas goose and as firm as Kylie’s buttocks. As supportive as a convention of Samaritans too, having shrugged off sixteen years’ of buttock polishing with impressive aplomb. Heated and electrically operated, they work as they should, even the memory function, which almost always fails on older cars.

The wood ‘n’ leather steering wheel looks almost new, as do the door cards, carpets and dashboard; if the Germans hadn’t adopted Bauhaus minimalism with such glee for their modern cars you’d swear the interior was only a couple of years old instead of one that is closer to its third decade than its second.

The car still carries its original first aid kit under the driver’s seat, and even the netting pocket in the passenger’s foot well is taut when almost every other one you’ll ever see has sagged.

The boot is clean and tidy and beautifully organised. Home to a new battery and the spare wheel, the metalwork is solid and completely free of rust.

In addition to the new battery, the Merc has had a new alternator recently. The car drives very well indeed, doing what it should, when it should, in the way it should. Again, hugely boring to both write and read, but when you’re buying a car like this the very last thing you want to have to wade through is a long, complex story explaining the car; short and simple is exactly what you want, and this car simply doesn’t have anything more complicated to say.

The engine bay itself is very clean and tidy and in need of nothing other than the occasional wipe over with a clean rag.

The underside is remarkably clean and tidy; not obsessively so, just the sort of undercarriage that demonstrates years of careful curation and maintenance.

The online MOT history check shows no problems of note, and it’s barely even gained any advisory points – and what points there are is stuff like worn disc pads, dampers with a light misting of oil, and a bulb out. Really, when you’re thinking of buying a car as complex as this, this is exactly the sort of history you dream of finding.

The MOT certificate itself expires in September 2020 and it was gained with no advisories. Just like the year before. And the year before that.

It comes with two keys, a load of old MOT certificates, plus a selection of old bills and invoices for the work that has been carried out on it over the years.

It also has a current V5 registration document, plus the owner’s handbook and wallet containing the usual bumf.

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

This is an honestly presented Mercedes-Benz SL500. Not far off being perfect, what faults there are are minimal and easily resolved. The owner has dealt with the few problems that have cropped up during his time with the car, and the only issue we can see to resolve is the tiny patch of rust on the rear wing; that’s a remarkable state of affairs really, isn’t it?

As to price, we think it will sell for between £5,000 and £7,000, which is a ridiculously small sum to pay for something with this car’s performance and status. Honestly, at a time when good early Mazda MX-5s are fetching similar money, you’d have to be mad to forsake a car like this for something with a 1.6-litre engine, an overly firm ride, and almost no creature comforts.

Sure, it’s more of a risk but this one is as risk-free as anything in its class is ever going to be, and the potential benefits are huge; while the MX-5 owner is struggling to cope with a 30-mile commute and emerging at the end with a headache, this car’s new owner will be crushing continents with a smile on their face and the certain knowledge that they are beating the system.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in 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, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings of any auction, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles we have for sale. While we use our trade experience to assess every car that comes through our hands (and between us we have bought hundreds of classic cars over the years for our personal use…) we are fallible, and our assessment of a car may contrast with that you might form yourself.

This is why we offer a far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange a professional inspection on their behalf of, each vehicle prior to bidding than any traditional car auction, and we will never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this by coming to see it in person.

That said, 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 those formed as a 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.