R129 V8 vs V12 | 1998 Mercedes-Benz SL 600 & 2001 SL 500 Full Tour, Review, & Comparison

[@technicallycars]

Back to the classic’s and we are here for it!!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Hoping to film a couple more of these before the snow settles in!

[@BillCurry-o6h]

. I owned a 320 a number of years ago but always hoped to find an extremely clean 500 SL. Well 2 years ago I was very lucky to find a 1999 triple black 500 Florida car. Currently has under 38,000 original miles that has never been hit or had any paint work. This will always be one of the most favorite cars I’ve ever owned . ❤

[@PRNTestDrive]

Awesome car to own! Hold onto it.

[@miguelsilva9760]

How is the consupcion difference between Sl320 and Sl500?

[@phillippereira6468]

Fantastic, classic cars, this is what got my attention to your channel in the first place. Glad you have returned to reviewing these beasts.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad you like them! Hoping to be able to line up some more, we do have 1 in the works for this month but we're getting into late fall, might have to wait for classics in spring. We'll see how things go!

[@biglexdaboss1241]

Thank you for doing a video on these cars some who have seemed to been forgotten about... you don't see as many out on the road these days I personally have a 98 SL500 fully tuned and complete suspension and exhaust the fact that these cars have three different looks is what makes it a timeless classic not only can you have a V8 or V12 the fact that you have a hard top, a soft top, or can choose no top puts them in a higher class than most of these vehicles built today in my opinion keep them coming love the video🤙

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad you liked it! I've always wanted to do this generation SL, especially after we did the W140 S 600 a few years back. Impressive vehicles!

[@anthonywright9357]

I have the SL500 Silver Arrow edition, I love it! It has 30,000 KM on it and I will never give it up.

[@PRNTestDrive]

We wouldn't sell it either! Enjoy it!

[@DeusMort]

Never ever sell that car! The nicest merc ever made!

[@Marshal_Dunnik]

Timeless looks.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Can't beat the design on these cars, Bruno Sacco knows how to make em!

[@Sc0rpy]

It's been a while I'm glad to see you doing these awesome videos again great classics I enjoyed it.👍🏽

[@PRNTestDrive]

More to come! We've got another classic lined up for this month, should have something before the end of October! Looking forward to see what's to come in the new year.

[@jamesreckling6697]

The M119 is the preferable V8 engine. This has more power and 4 valves per cylinder. It is available through 98: The 5 speed replaced the 4 speed in 96 making 96 to 98 the best years for the V8.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Makes sense!

[@Bayeso]

M119 with 5 speed automatic is the best choice, absolutly agree

[@elbarto7808]

Bro you have a mesmerizing voice! Now I wanna buy a SL R129 even more! I know I shouldn´t, but bro... that voice!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Go for it! These are awesome cars, and every owner I speak with can't say enough about them. If I fit in them better I'd be interested in it for myself, but I'll stick with my larger S-Class for now.

[@MegaSalmanarif]

Perfect video man

[@PRNTestDrive]

This was one of those rare opportunities that we had to jump on. It's hard enough getting a classic car like this to feature, let alone two!

[@alexeymoujeer3498]

Love these older cars videos!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Me too! We're hoping to do more of them now that I've moved back to Ontario. We have another classic German car filmed and uploaded which will go live Thursday morning. It'll likely be our last classic car episode for the year as I imagine we're going to be getting some snow in a little while. Hoping 2023 will be a good year for us for classics!

[@jayi836]

Great back to back drive, new R129 owner

[@PRNTestDrive]

We jumped at the opportunity to film these two, definitely a rare opportunity. Enjoy yours!

[@chrigu6245]

Es ist immer noch ein tolles Auto. Mit meinem 1989 R129 500sL wurde ich bei einem Oldtimer Treffen von der Seite blöd angemacht, was ich mit dem modernen Auto hier verloren habe?. Diesen Moment habe ich genossen.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad to hear it! The SL roadster is one of the few cars, like a G-Wagen that can truly fit in amongst the most modern vehicles and still feel important.

[@michaelford7683]

Love your reviews!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Thanks so much!

[@MegaSalmanarif]

Love these cars. The V12 with a modified exhaust is a dream. But the front bumber on the V8 is missing a clip. That things just hanging on from the left side.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Fair enough!

[@theprofessional8966]

Both of those cars are beautiful, I’d like to have them both. I have a SL500 a 2003 and a matching SLK230 kompressor, but it would be nice to have a SL600 V12. Once you get into these cars, you just can’t have enough. Nice video thanks for sharing.

[@PRNTestDrive]

I had a blast being able to feature these two cars. Nothing feels like a V12, I’ve had the pleasure of driving 4 in my time at TestDrive and I can’t get enough of them. Enjoy the roadsters you’ve got, sounds like you’ve got an awesome pair!

[@BillCurry-o6h]

Great Video Thanks

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad you liked it, thanks! It seems the popularity of this episode has been a slow burn, as we've been getting a lot of recent views on it. Thanks for checking it out!

[@gungfuriceboy]

1st of all...about time you 'returned' to Ontario Nile's!! Welcome 'HOME' Sir! Cheers!

[@PRNTestDrive]

I'm certainly happy to be back home! Looking forward to get the chance to feature some awesome classic cars now that I'm back, Ontario was always great for me with the enthusiast groups, even when I was in Quebec.

[@gungfuriceboy]

patiently waiting for more of your Classic Reviews! this 2 Benz's are Amazing!since i have you online...i still have my '99 E55 AMG....i'm currently having Tranny issues ( SLIPS TERRIBLY!! )!!...With your connections...would you suggest finding a good working used tranny...or try to rebuild this 'Broken one'! cheers hope to hear your reply!!

[@aminebouharaoui4358]

PRN is back

[@PRNTestDrive]

You know it! Now that we're back in Ontario there should be plenty of new opportunities for classic vehicle content like this.

[@aminebouharaoui4358]

@@PRNTestDrive that would your advantage over other channels

[@TheRazvy1990]

Wooooou !!!!! My Maaaan....Long no seee !!!!

[@PRNTestDrive]

Uh oh! We've heard that pretty often. We've been pretty consistent with video production since this specific video, with lots of new cars and some awesome classics. Looks like KZbin doesn't serve up our videos. Hope you find some other awesome stuff from us that you haven't seen!

[@TheRazvy1990]

@@PRNTestDrive 😄😄😄😄no problem ....ii know you since the E38 videos

[@chico3927]

SL600 was the flagship in Europe. SL AMG slotted in between SL600 and SL500. Daimler Benz did not allow the AMG tuned SL to be above the flagship SL600 at that period.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Interesting! Considering there were several different AMG versions of this too. That's why looking at these 90s era cars are so fun to research, that pre-acquisition period for AMG resulted in some interesting vehicles.

[@mirkomasini]

I own a 98 sl600 I love it

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad to hear it, hard not to love one of these!

[@user3378e]

Long time r129 owner, good reviews… that rattle in the 600 panoramic roof is a common issue and is not a small issue, it’s annoying as hell. And the soft top hydraulics always go out, sometimes multiple times during ownership and are ridiculously expensive and complex. I operate mine manually which takes three minutes. Otherwise it’s a very reliable weekly driver that delivers strong torque in any gear. R129 is a tank (4200lbs) but it’s light on its feet and it’s instant 320hp comes on whisper quiet. An amazing car all around

[@PRNTestDrive]

These two were lots of fun to drive, I'm glad I had the chance to feature them.

[@yizhang2646]

Welcome back to Ontario...

[@PRNTestDrive]

Thank you! It's been a nice couple months since the move, we've more or less settled fully now and I'm excited to already have some classic car content filmed.

[@CarharttDADDY]

Come on down to Detroit .... I own all three R129 options. I6, V8 and V12 and have enjoyed them very much over the years. The I6 rivals the BMW I6's and transforms the R129's handling IMO. The V engines are wonderful as you stated. I feel ya on the seat belts as I am a 6'8" guy and have to drop the headrests down to add an extra bit of slack too buckle up.

[@PRNTestDrive]

I imagine the roof has to be down also! I had a blast featuring these two cars, would love to own one if I was slimer.

[@thjn23]

Love the hardtop with the glass roof. But I'd def go with the really reliable m112 late r129 version. There's this guy rand ash coming up with a TCU made from scratch for 722.xx 5g tronic transmission that changes drastically the shift speed and behaviour of these old trannies.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Awesome to know there are people actively working on tuning these vehicles!

[@damilolaakanni]

I believe you could get the SL 320 with a manual transmission, at least for a few years.

[@PRNTestDrive]

It's certainly a possibility, we'd have to find an original one here to know for sure.

[@glen7201]

I have one of each and really enjoy both of them,for as similar as they are it is amazing how different they are. I also have a complete driveline from a 94 sl600,kicking around a project car to use it in,not sure yet though what I will do with it,I have also been looking for one(sl600) with a bad engine I could pick up cheap if anyone knows of one.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Nice! It’s great to have both like the owner of these, it allowed us to really experience both back to back.

[@miguelsilva9760]

The Sl500 consupcion is very high for a Dailly car?

[@glen7201]

@miguelsilva9760 I don't use either as a daily car,but the 500 is not terrible on fuel, I have seen close to 30 mpg on highway trips,and it is more comfortable than the 600 since the seats are redesigned on the later models. But the cost of ownership for the 500 has been very low in comparison. It is just very reliable, and I will even say very low maintenance compared to the 600.

[@claragonzalez7151]

Me encanta me fascina me gusta por lo amplio es una maravilla

[@PRNTestDrive]

Not sure how spacious it really is, but it works!

[@oldporkchops]

Wonderful video that went into talking about the interior features as well, which the other videos do not do. Were any R129 Silver Arrows sold in North America? If you were to speculate on which models at X model year in Y color with Z engine would appreciate the most, which top three would you pick?

[@PRNTestDrive]

I’d say any later model, like the 2001s will be the ones people want the most, and V12s will top the list. If you happen to get your hands on a real AMG though, those will be serious money down the road.

[@oldporkchops]

@@PRNTestDrive Thanks for this advice. Is the 2002 model year to be avoided? It's the last model year.

[@PRNTestDrive]

2002 should be solid, typically the final year of production is the best, as the manufacturers have usually worked out all the problems from customer feedback. I bought my 2013 Mercedes-Benz S 550 for that very reason, it being the final year for the W221.

[@oldporkchops]

@@PRNTestDrive Great. I was wondering why you specifically recommended the 2001 R129. I appreciate you clarifying. The 2013 S350 4Matic BluTec (diesel) is another car I'm looking to get. It's the only four wheel drive modern diesel that MB made in the modern era that I know of. Good to know the 2013 S550 you have is holding up well.

[@oldporkchops]

@@PRNTestDrive By the way, on your 2003-2012 Mercedes cars with the SBC brake system, not sure if you know, but MB USA extended the warranty to 25 years.

[@mk2drippy284]

Hey there I was wondering if ur willing to review my old Japanese luxury classic

[@PRNTestDrive]

You can shoot me an email directly to [e-mail] and let me know more about it!

[@louisjames1062]

I prefer the preface lift visually

[@PRNTestDrive]

Fair enough! Can't go wrong with any look on these ones.

[@Bayeso]

The pre Facelift looks very real and classy, but unfortunetly only with the 4speed😢

[@Bayeso]

The second Facelift looks to modern…

[@haydenchamberlain168]

There was also an sl70 & sl74

[@PRNTestDrive]

Very true, those being even harder to find than the rest, and not available in Canada if I recall.

[@raycroal]

PRN are you a glasgow celtic fan??

[@PRNTestDrive]

I'm not, but I assume it's due to the tattoos?

[@raycroal]

@@PRNTestDrive yes, you will never walk alone and you being canadian with so many scottish descendents there, also liverpool football club use the same motto/song is it not football related then?

[@goldeneye9381]

you look nice and handsome in this SL ...your belly fits it perfectly ❤❤

[@PRNTestDrive]

Thanks?

[@goldeneye9381]

​@@PRNTestDrive any how , would you prefer the SL600 Or the V8 SL500 🤔

[@BOAT-AND-POOL-LIFE]

Winston Churchvill

[@PRNTestDrive]

Correct!

[@BOAT-AND-POOL-LIFE]

@@PRNTestDrive kzbin.info/www/bejne/ame6ZoZnabGWbpo

[@RSTI191]

Great presentation, would be better if your just spoke and didn't "sing" your words..

[@PRNTestDrive]

That's something I haven't heard before, but I'll try not to. Any advice?

[@christophermunoz205]

What is the better years to by without the biodegradeable harnrss

[@PRNTestDrive]

1991 to 1996 are generally the ones you'd find those harnesses, so anything after that should be solid. Most try to go for the 2000 or 2001 SL-Class since they're the later production models with the fewest issues.

[@hagbard72]

Don't buy a '92-95 of any of these, they have biodegradable wiring harnesses that will turn to dust and you won't find replacements.

[@PRNTestDrive]

That's something we've discussed at length when it comes to that range of model years of these Mercedes models.

[@smildob2776]

Bring e38 back.

[@PRNTestDrive]

My E38 is long gone, sold years ago now. Truthfully there isn't any content I can do on that vehicle that I haven't already done. We featured 3 different E38s over the years, different comparisons with other similar vehicles, a lot of DIY content, and ownership experience videos. The reality is there isn't much else to cover on that car from my point of view, and I have no intentions of buying another one. If someone wants to share theirs with me to film an episode like this I'd probably do it, but we ended up doing that a few years ago with my car, an updated version of the show we produce now and no one watched it.

[@smildob2776]

@@PRNTestDrive years ago? Damn im going mad then. Thought it was only a year ago. And as far as i can see all of your e38 videos did great i couldnt find the one you are talking about. But yeah i get it just unfortunate.

[@chuntikyeung7074]

Thⅰs BENZ SL 600 Ⅴ12 ⅰs ⅴery good 😊😊😊

[@PRNTestDrive]

I agree! Really enjoyed driving both of these.

[@fgottbetter]

The creaking top on the V12 would drive me nuts

[@PRNTestDrive]

I can see that