Has anyone mentioned the fuel consumption? These V8 roadsters aren’t exactly economical. In today’s market that might be worth considering, but honestly, if you’re buying an SL500, fuel economy probably isn’t your top concern anyway.
That hardtop mechanism is seriously cool. I drove one of these back in 2005 and it still felt modern. The power delivery from the V8 is smooth and refined. Not a tire-shredding beast, but elegant performance. This is a keeper if everything checks out.
The 5-speed conversion is actually worth investigating further. Some of these conversions weren’t done perfectly. Make sure you verify the work quality and that the transmission is properly synchronized if you go this route.
Thanks for the feedback so far. Yeah, I’m really drawn to the single-owner aspect. It definitely gives me more confidence in the overall condition. Does anyone know if parts availability is still decent for 1997 models? I want to make sure I can source anything if needed down the road.
