The 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL500 Is the Last Old-School Mercedes 

The SMOG feature is a system which detects elevated levels of carbon monoxide and other pollutants outside the vehicle and automatically activates the secondary cabin air charcoal filter, and deactivates it when the air is clean enough again. SMOG on the display is just an indication that the system is on, there is no input required from the user. I have this same feature on my '96 S600. I believe it was standard on the higher level models. Please upvote so others (and hopefully Doug) can see this. Nice car!

Roll bar still pops up when the car detects an impending roll over even in the down position.

I see the owner has manufactured two clones to take the roof on and off.

“Picture me rolling in my 500 Benz”

Also, the roll bar still automatically pops up with a spring in a roll over even if you have it down, Doug.

The roll bar automatically shoots up for safety in case of the car rolling over.

“Thissss” at the start pierced my brain.

We can thank the great Bruno Sacco for this beautiful masterpiece. The R129 was one of his best designs.

8:50 doug: “I really wanna show the top being put on. But it’s a two person job, would you mind?” owner of car: “not at all! hey kids! You wanna be on a RU-vid video?”

The top going down sounds like my printer when it preps itself after just turning it on😂

Doug in his Veloster N review: Why do manufacturers put metal badges on their mats? Also Doug: I really like the metal badge on this mat

Doug: "THIS...." Me: "Is the start of a good day."

Ah the 02 silver arrow. I emailed you a few years ago to capture my 00 SL600 which only still has 22k miles on it. Glad to see a r129 get some appreciation.

Doug's the type of guy to give his children a Doug score.

Great video Doug! The roll bar raises automatically if the car detects an imminent roll over. The reason that it can be raised or lowered manually from the button on the console, is because the wind deflector you showed in the boot attaches to it. So if you want to reduce wind buffet whilst driving with the roof down, you raise the roll bar with the deflector attached to it.

This body style for the SL is timeless. No lie, I would buy one.

My parents: What are you watching Me: THISSSSSSS, is my favourite car guy on youtube

My dad bought a 2002 SL500 Final Edition three years ago from a renowned seller in Germany for around 70.000$. And it holds value quite well. Edit: the storage compartment with the cup holders in it can be optioned to be a 20 discs CD changer

"taking the top off is a TWO person job" *twins appear* Me: is this some fancy editing trick?

We need a compilation of Doug saying “absolutely massive”

What Doug completely forgot to mention is that the rollbar automatically deploys in a crash (I own a 2000 SL500)

PICTURE ME ROLLIN’ IN MY 500 BENZ

I've been following Doug for more than a year and never have I read a single comment on a video anybody appreciating him showing roof mechanism...

Doug the type of guy to look up and down before crossing the street

The SL was actually the first car to ever have an automatic rollbar

I wish Doug would’ve driven around listening to Picture me Rollin’

This is my favourite Mercedes of all time. I think it is stunning. I hope I will be able to buy an SL500 one day.

I miss the era of Benz in the ‘90s and ‘00s They were just simply beautiful machines

8:51 I thought there were multiple Dougs for a second 😂😂

"This was the last really good Mercedes SL" yet its Doug Score is 4 less than a 2018 SL450 🙄

Doug, you just made me fall in love with the r129 sl500... It may be my next car I love it so much

Priceless and Timeless. That's why I'm keeping mine.

I always thought this was a beautiful car. It's monolithic styling is just iconic. No weird, busy body lines. Just a simple, well-proportioned shape. I think I'll go buy one.

I would love to get my hands on an SL73 AMG from this era

📣Great video as always, I love the features you point out. Beautiful SL NICE!

Anyone else hold their breath that those kids didn’t drop a roofpin on the body??

when your so early that there are no doug is the type of guy comments

the roof top and the trunk sounds like a VCR, when you insert the tape, and then press play

That interior is beautiful 😻

Doug's enthusiastic "This" lets me know everything is going to be ok

Beautiful, damn near timeless design The SL has really gone into the crapper ever since. The next generation was good, but the styling was fading, After that, a crime scene

My dad has a ‘98 SL500 - it feels and drives like its almost brand new.

The music when lowering the top is extremely satisfying. Sidenote, I was obsessed with the 2003, SL600 model and customised them online for fun. However this video shows the robustness and class of the SL500 and that's something I've grown to appreciate with age. Great review, love your videos.

"This was the very last really good Mercedes SL" He says as his own chart scoring chart shows the 2018 SL 450 scoring higher in most categories as well as over all.

OMG, my best friend's dad used to have one of these!! I remember when my friend finally got his driver's licence, his father allowed him to drive around with this car. When I was staying at his place, we used to sneak out of the house late at night, raced to the local McDonald's with the top open (even when it was like freezing cold outside), then ordered something at the Drive Through just to impress the young lady at the counter. It was hands down one of the greatest times of my life, and everytime I see one of those old SL on the streets, I instantly remember the two of us just having a blast :D

Thats my favorite car. People still turn around, when this car drives by. So many years later.

Another FANTASTIC video Doug! 👍 I love watching your videos, as they give me a detailed glimpse of something I might not ever have the chance to see. Keep up the great work my friend!!!

Doug doesn’t get old like the rest of us normal human beings He gets “old school “

I really hate when I’m reading the comments and a AD comes on and shoots me back up to watch it 😐

Doug, My friend had one of these and the roll bar even when it was in the down position would automatically flip up if an impact occurred. I thought that was cool!

I remember spotting and following behind Bill Cowher in the Pittsburgh suburbs in a red SL500 one day a while back when he was still coaching the Steelers. He was driving it quite quickly, although it was the early morning and your able to drive those roads quickly without anyone on them!

You know, for a early 2000s car, it actually ages really well. I would love to have something like that.

Alright, who is looking at SL500 listings?

I love this car. Was driving one like this in Germany back in 2002. Designed in the 90s and still looks nice. And I still remember how driving it 120 or 140 mph feels so smooth and stable. But on a german highway of course

More nostalgia Doug, thanks, I remember the 500SL as a kid in the mid 90's, but the nostalgia for me is right here, I was 15 in 2002 and I thought this car was so cool, I loved the solid-looking, powerful, confident, simple styling (I still do) and the car itself was just a really nice execution overall. I remember the 97 generation of the SL600 V12 being Andrew Cunanan's dream car on the mini series/dramatization on the murder of Gianni Versace

4:52 I see the same red light for the convertible top as the one in his recently acquired G500

This was the Merc to have when I grew up. Back then SL really meant something.

Finally you reviewed my dreamcar, thank you a lot

He almost creamed himself during the lock and unlock sequence.

Car salesman: "Why do you want to buy this Ford GT?" Doug: *Because it's the last Old-School Ford GT*

The roll-bar was deployable manually, or if in the event of a roll over, it also deploys on it's own.

The roll bar automatically deploys even from the down position when the car detects a possible rollover (another example of how far ahead of it time this car was when it came out in 1989). I was driving mine swiftly through some windy roads and a horrible beeping noise accompanied the roll bar while it sprung into action (scared the crap out of me). I personally think the car looks better with the roll bar up. This is a German car, you don't have a choice between style or safety. This car was made to give you both.

They were sold in Europe with optional 4 seats.

I'm very fortunate to have a Silver Arrow Edition as well. Absolutely love it!

We have a 600SL in our family. Great car, sounds amazing. The little "compartment" in the center is where MB installed the factory cell phone module (including keypad and display).

I always liked that Mercedes of this time had the Le Mans style single windshield wiper. I'm rather surprised it wasn't mentioned under quirks.

I personally own a black/black 2001 SL 500 sport. I couldn't be any happier with this car. In this video he explains it well. Extremely well built, solid feel, smooth ride, timeless styling and quick. When the R129 first came out it was a status symbol and it still is. Even though this body style came out over 20 years ago. It still looks current today by the timeless styling. Nothing on the road looks like it. They just don't make cars like this anymore. You can definitely feel it was a $95k car when you drive it for the quality and perfection to detail.

Incredible enthusiasm on Doug's face at the sight of child labor.

I love those box shape Benzes from the 90s. Love the straight 6s that they came with also.

The central locking is air operated, hence the pressure reaching each lock in order

A little trivia. In 1933 Pierce Arrow made a show car for the New York auto show called the Silver Arrow. In 1963 Bill Mitchell (designer for GM ) made a prototype show car call The Buick Silver Arrow. In 1999 Buick came out with the last versions of the Buick Riviera called The Silver Arrow. And as Doug is showing us, Mercedes Benz gave the Silver Arrow name to the SL.

I own a W124 with the same locking system. It is really satisfying to lock and unlock that car xD (The locks work that weird way, because they are operated pneumatically = with air pressure)

Doug looks so smug, making two children do the hard labor.

In 1979 my first year in college my football coach owned a Mercedes Benz sports coupe that I fell in love with. In 2004 I was able to purchase a 2002 Silver Arrow. My dream had come true. Fast forward to 2023 I still owned my Silver Arrow, it was almost at 200,000 miles and was still running great. It had a few dings on it but they were minor. I saw one with only 60,000 miles. I traded my Silver Arrow in for the one with less mileage and fell in love all over again! I really love 💕 this car. I’ll keep it until I’m gone! Thanks for your videos 👍🏾

These are beautiful. I, too, have always loved this styling!

Mercedes SL73 AMG based on this body style is one of the coolest Mercs of all time.

11:54 I feel a power broker with a nose candy habit in the 90s found this amazing

The SL600 was top of the heap, not the SL500, and there was a +2 rear seat option in some markets. I have personally seen a 1994 SL600 with this option. Also, the “storage” compartment in the dash was where an optional built in cell phone was located.

Doug, the roll bar was still automatic - if it detected an impending roll it sprung up in less than 0.3 seconds. I believe the W129 was the first car to have this feature.

The reason for the locks sounding like they do and not being is perfect synce is because Mercedes of this era used a vacuum actuated locking system, not electric motors.

Great video. Had several R129's, including a '96 SL600 was the bomb to drive. There were a couple of cool facts from these cars in that era. 1) In the storage space above the center climate controls, on all SL600s and SL500s if you ordered it, there was an in-dash phone (we always referred to it as the "Bat Phone".) Even in the late 90's Analog phone plans were on the way out so you had to shop around for some company that still offered them if you wanted the phone to work. BUT, the height of cool was having "Home/Office/Car all with different numbers on your business cards. 2) New owners didn't always realize that you had to turn the radio OFF for the antenna mast to retract, so Mercedes stocked masts for those of us who liked automatic car-washes where it would ALWAYS bust off if you left it up, and would replace it for $150 bucks or whatever it was with just a "look" that you were clearly a "newbe." I only had to have that happen once. 3) Lastly, the real aficionados of this car didn't have to manually put on the hardtop, we had a winch attached to the garage ceiling which would strap under the roof, pretty easily I might add, and then automatically lift the roof off the car. It worked nicely in reverse as well - making it a one-person job. Some of us like to drive with the top down in the Winter, long before the AIRSCARF® system was a thing.

The roll bar in the up position looks awesome.

This is by far my favourite n Mercedes of all times . I can’t wait till the day I go and make the purchase ...

Anybody remember this car from Ludacris' 2001 video "roll out"? Such a beautiful car.

Hey Doug, i'm pretty sure the roll-bar automatically activates in the event of an accident. In fact, It did.

Absolutely love that James Bond type of music playing when the soft top is going up and down.

Doug, this was by far your best convertible top music. Bravo, o Master of the Royalty-Free Library.

Press the "0" key on your keyboard repeatedly and make Doug your private DJ...

I was genuinely horrified at the sound of the convertible convertibling. 7:12

Always will remind me of tupac “back off my Benz”

I love this car, my dad just bought a '92. Doug forget that you can manualy turn of the light in the trunk with a switch

Doug: Last old school Mercedes Also Doug: Best modern SL by far *PICK ONE, DOUGY!*

Anyone else remember when Jim Carey had this car in Liar Liar? (Cuts of truck driver) Truck driver: HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?! Fletcher: IM AN INCONSIDERATE PRICK!!!!

My dad's old Mercedes from 1990 has this lock sound as well and it is gorgeous, it is so authentic and cool. No car does that sound

This has always been one of my favorite MB models. Never knew about this trim. Would love to own this some day. More of a BMW guy but damn...

Doug is the type of guy to... Yikes I’m way too early to think of anything to say

Review my 94 sl600 with a v12, car phone, and “snow chain mode”

I had a 90 R129 for a few years, loved it!

VERY good review doug

Gorgeous...and I’d rather drive this than most any newer Benz on the road