Description
This SL280 has covered just 56, 721 miles from new across three owners, the last two of whom are from the same family. It was first registered in January 1997, bought by my father in April 1999 at around 20, 000 miles, and passed to me in July 2020 at roughly 54, 000 miles. In the six years since, I have added around 2, 500 miles; approximately 1, 500 of which were a single road trip to Stuttgart, which felt like the appropriate thing to do with it.
The reason for selling is straightforward: it was my father's car, it still feels like my father's car, and as a result it simply doesn't get used. It deserves an owner who will actually drive it.
The car is finished in Silver with grey leather and has the blue fabric soft top and the body-coloured silver hard top. The bodywork presents well and will stand up to a close look, though it is not a concours car. There are a few minor marks scattered around the body which I have shown in the photos. The wheels show some corrosion and have previously been diamond cut around the rims and they could not be cut again, so a solid repaint would be the route next time around. There is no kerb or rim damage. All five tyres, including the spare, were replaced in 2023 and have covered only a couple of thousand miles since.
The interior is in good order with all trim fitted well and everything functioning as it should. The original Blaupunkt stereo has been replaced with an aftermarket unit offering Bluetooth connectivity, but the Blaupunkt is included with the car for anyone who wishes to refit it.
Mechanically, the car drives as well as you would hope a low-mileage R129 should. It is comfortable, composed, and has absolutely no trouble keeping pace with modern traffic. The head gasket was replaced in 2020, and everything visible during that work was inspected and reported as being in excellent condition. Throughout its life, the car has been maintained on the principle of fixing or replacing things at the first sign of wear rather than waiting for failure. It has been predominantly garaged. Service history is documented through a mixture of stamps in the book and invoices, not every service has both, but the overall picture is well supported.
The current MOT runs until 23rd August 2026 with a single advisory noting corrosion to the front anti-roll bar, assessed as not weakened. This is a genuinely low-mileage, well-maintained R129 with a clear and simple ownership history. It has not been restored, because it has never needed to be; it has simply been looked after properly by people who cared about it. The 2. 8-litre straight-six is smooth and willing, the automatic gearbox shifts as it should, and the car covers ground with the kind of quiet, unhurried confidence that Mercedes built into these things from the factory. With the addition of the hard top (they seem to be getting rarer now), a solid documented history, and fewer than 57, 000 miles on the clock, it is an increasingly difficult car to find in this condition. It is not perfect, but it is honest, straight, and exactly what it appears to be.
