Very rare
Among 1997 cars still registered
Rarer than 98% of other 1997 vehicles still registered.
How rare is a 1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL?
1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL
34
still registered in Oz
Very rare
Rarer than 99% of cars still registered
How rare is yours?Oz rare cars
Rarity here means how many are still registered today — not how many were built.
About 34 Mercedes-Benz 500SL vehicles made in 1997 were still registered in Australia on 31 January 2025. Cars made in 1997 are 7.4% of every Mercedes-Benz 500SL still registered (about 458 across all years). By count, 1997 ranks 8th of 13 build years for the 500SL. The busiest year is 1990 (about 84 still registered); 1997 has about 40% as many. That is about 38% fewer than 1996. Rarer than 98% of other 1997 vehicles still registered.
At a glance
Still registered on Aussie roads · BITRE as at 31 Jan 2025
40%
Versus the busiest 500SL year
1997 has about 40% as many still registered as 1990 (about 84).
7.4%
Share of this 500SL fleet
About 34 of about 458 500SL vehicles still registered, all years together.
44%
Registered in VIC
About 15 of about 34 are registered in VIC. State figures come from a separate BITRE table, so they can differ slightly from the national count.
Still registered, year by year: 1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL
How many of this exact car were still registered on 31 January each year (2021–2025). Not new sales in those calendar years.
Tap a point for its count.
BITRE snapshots. Later releases can revise earlier years. Pre-2021 figures are not on this chart.
View counts as a table
| Date | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 31 Jan 2021 | Not published |
| 31 Jan 2022 | About 3 |
| 31 Jan 2023 | Not published |
| 31 Jan 2024 | About 4 |
| 31 Jan 2025 | About 34 |
1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL vs peak and average years
Below the average manufacture year for this model — tap bars for counts.
1997 500SL
Peak year (1990)
Average manufacture year
Still registered counts for this model · BITRE as at 31 Jan 2025
500SL manufacture years by registered count
Manufacture years for the 500SL, with your year highlighted. Tap a bar for its count.
You
View counts as a table
| Year made | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1989 | About 10 |
| 1990 | About 84 |
| 1991 | About 69 |
| 1992 | About 61 |
| 1993 | About 36 |
| 1994 | About 38 |
| 1995 | About 43 |
| 1996 | About 55 |
| 1997 | About 34 |
| 1998 | About 19 |
| 1999 | About 3 |
| 2002 | About 3 |
| 2008 | About 3 |
1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL registrations by state
Where these still-registered vehicles are recorded by state/territory
NSW
VIC
QLD
WA
SA
TAS
ACT
NT
Tap a bar for its count.
View counts as a table
| State | Still registered |
|---|---|
| NSW | About 7 |
| VIC | About 15 |
| QLD | About 6 |
| WA | About 3 |
| SA | About 3 |
| TAS | Not published |
| ACT | Not published |
| NT | Not published |
Most common colour: Blue
Victorian registrations of this model, all years. National colour isn’t published.
Power / fuel
Fuel mix isn’t published for this car.
What a fill might cost· tap to enter your postcode
A typical sedan tank is about 60 L — edit if you know yours.
Estimate only. Nearby pump prices from public fuel-price feeds. Not a valuation.
How likely are you to spot one?
About 411,000 cars
Watch this many cars go by and it’s a 50-50 chance one is a 1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL.
Spot a 1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SLUnder 1%
Spot any Mercedes-Benz 500SL, any yearAbout 1%
A rough guide, based on official registration numbers.
Questions about the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL
- How does 1997 rank among 500SL build years?
- 8th of 13 build years by count. About 34 still registered in Australia.
- How many 500SL vehicles still registered were made in 1997?
- 7.4% — about 34 of about 458 across all years.
- How rare is it among all 1997 cars still registered?
- Rarer than 98% of other 1997 vehicles still registered.
- Which manufacture year has the most 500SL still registered?
- 1990. The model page has every build year side by side.
- Which states have the most registered?
- VIC (About 15); NSW (About 7). State figures come from a separate BITRE table, so they can differ slightly from the national count.
Based on BITRE Road Vehicles Australia, January 2021–2025 (CC BY 3.0 AU; the January 2024 release is CC BY 2.5 AU). Colour: Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, Whole Fleet Vehicle Registration Snapshot by Model, Q4 2024 (CC BY 4.0). Oz rare cars is not affiliated with or endorsed by BITRE, the Australian Government or the Victorian Government. Registration counts are not sales, not a valuation, and not advice. Method