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If you have.a vehicle like that you need to understand that people restore and maintain older cars. The MB club is mega club. Join a club or get to know who does what and where. Soft top repairs etc are done by auto/ boat trimmers. Melb is a big place and it's not much point in recommending a trimmer 70klm from where you live or work. The dollar figures you mention are way over the top. Don't believe half the rubbish on u tube or listen to people who no nothing about car restoration.Also when a plastic screen has the plasticiser leached out with age the fix is replace. People buy cream to remove wrinkles but I don't subscribe to that myth.

Blackmans offer soft-top window replacement, but I'm not sure how much it will cost & it will depend on what approach you take: <http://blackmansleather.com.au/repairs-restorations>

For example, I got a quote from an interstate automotive trimmer of $150 just for MX5 soft-top window replacement in the late 1990s. The trimmer advised the issue was certain soft-top repairs require the soft-top to be removed to get it on an industrial sewing machine. So removal & refitting of a soft-top may be an additional cost depending on how it's done if you don't supply & pickup a stand-alone soft-top, ie off the car & off the frame. For an MX5 you can be looking at a days labour for removal & refitting depending on how it's done, so with $600-$800, plus the cost of the repair itself, you could be looking at $1k.

However, as the price of MX5 soft-tops has come down over the years, owners tend to replace the soft-top rather than replace the plastic window. Of course, that option may not be as attractive with an SL500, depending on soft-top prices.

Prestige Soft Tops Bentleigh East, Vic have SL500 soft-tops starting at $688: <http://www.prestigetops.com.au/mercedes-benz/soft-tops-and-windows.html>

Above is the Australian branch of the UK Prestige Auto Tops, which also advertises on ebay: <http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/prestigeautotrim/m.html?item=310646292128&pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4853f63ea0&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562>

Meguiars PlastX was very popular some years ago, but these days there are more products available (like Vuplex), although PlastX still rates highly in the MX5/Miata community.

You can also source yourself a used NB top (with a glass window) via ebay complete with frame. It fits on an NA - I acquired one for less that $400 and fitted it in less than an hour.