Mercedes-Benz R129 SL-Class Facts and Figures (1990-2001)

Original MSRP Prices

The Mercedes-Benz R129 SL-Class is the successor to the earlier R107 SL-Class Mercedes that had a long production run from 1971-1989. The R107 was such a popular series of Mercedes that they decided to keep producing it from 1986 to 1989, just before the R129 was revealed. First revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1989, the R129 had to really be impressive in order to trump the previously held notion of the R107 being the best SL to date.

The release was extremely surprising, considering the high price point that the they were starting at. First being sold in 1990, the 300SL, 300SL-34, and 500SL were the first models to see the streets. The 1990 300SL debuted with a hefty price tag of $73,500 (compared to $64,230 for the 1989 560SL R107) and the 1990 500SL started at $83,500. That’s a whopping $164,400 in 2022 dollars for a 300SL and $186,700 for a 500SL! At such a high price point for the base models, the R129 Series was certainly expected to be a premium ride.

Prices steadily rose until 1995, when the R129 underwent its first facelift. Starting with 1996, prices jumped up with the introduction of the facelift and again, steadily rose from there.

Here is a list of some of the original MSRP prices:

Year	300SL	500SL	600SL	320SL	SL320	SL500	SL600
1990	$73,500	$83,500
1991	$78,500	$89,300
1992	$83,500	$97,500
1993	$83,300	$98,500	$119,500
1994		$99,500	$120,100	$85,200
1995		$89,500	$120,100	$78,300
1996					$78,300	$89,900	$123,200
1997					$79,600	$89,900	$123,200
1998						$79,900	$125,000
1999						$81,100	$126,900
2000						$82,600	$128,950
2001						$83,800	$128,950
2002						$83,800	$128,950

Production Numbers and US Sales

The production for the R129 Series is staggering when compared to the earlier R107 Series. The total number of R129s produced for model years 1990 through 2001 was 204,940.  That’s over the course of 11 years; now compare that to the 18 year run of the R107. Between the model years of 1971 and 1989, a total of 237,287 R107 SLs were produced.

The R129 production was about 23,000 vehicles shy of the total R107 production in a shorter time period. Broken down by each model of the R129, the SL500 is by far the most common vehicle, especially because its production period was as long as the entire lifespan of the R129 itself.

Below is the production numbers by model:

Model	Designation	Production Period	Units
SL280	R129 E28	1993-1998	10,319
SL280*	R129 E28	1997-2001	1,704
300SL	R129 E30	1988-1993	12,020
300SL-24	R129 E30	1988-1993	26,984
SL320	R129 E32	1993-1998	32,223
SL320*	R129 E32	1997-2001	7,070
500SL	R129 E50	1988-1998	79,827
500SL**	R129 E50	1997-2001	23,704
600SL	R129 E60	1991-2001	11,089
SL55 AMG	R129 E55	1999-2001	***
SL65 AMG	R129 E60 AMG	1993-1998	***
SL73 AMG	R129 E73	1999-2001	***

*Contains V6 Engine

**Contains M113 Engine

***Numbers not documented

R129 SL Prices Today

The R129 has aged quite well and some pristine vehicles can sell for what seems like an excessive amount of money. For example, check out this 2002 SL-600 Silver Arrow Edition that sold for $127,000 on Bring a Trailer! It only had 270 miles on the odometer and is 1 of 100 R129s produced with the Silver Arrow Package. Brand new, this car had an MSRP of $136,195.

Now that we’ve seen what a pristine special edition R129 will sell for, what will your average R129 sell for? For your basic option R129, most vehicles will sell between the $10,000 and $35,000 range according to Bring a Trailer. Mileage is a key factor in how much you can buy a used SL for, but also the condition of the interior and exterior. Many of the warmer climates also have better values, as rust and salt damage from the cold climates can greatly affect the value of the vehicle. The interior is much easier to restore and repair than exterior rust or damage, which is why climate has such a large factor in pricing. Some minor pricing factors may be paint and interior colors, but they do have some effect on the price, especially if they are limited edition colors.

Interior Color Options

As far as the interior color options go, the R129 had plenty of options to choose from. The most common interior colors to find on an R129 are both black and mushroom. As your vehicle ages, these colors may lighten or fade due to exposure to the sun and weather. Each interior may age differently based on the different conditions that each car is exposed to. Our R129 aftermarket products come in all nine of these interior colors, and are an exact match to the original OEM color.

If you are unsure about which color your car is, please contact us for assistance! You also may be able to decipher which color your car is based on the year, for example a 1994 SL500 with a gray interior would be the "Gray" color, while a  2000 SL500 with a gray interior would be "Orion Gray". The same thing goes for the two beige colors, "Mushroom" and "Java".

 

Do you own an R129 SL? If so, leave a comment below! Which color is your interior and exterior? Do you enjoy how it drives? Let us know!