My 2003 SL 500 - 20 years old and passed 30,000 miles today
Discussion
Really doesn't feel that long since I picked it up new from the dealer:
It was never a main car and for the first half of its life lived in Canada. Given the climate and bed winters there was not a great opportunity to use it. When it was permanently transferred to the Arizona house it did much better and is used more often.
Today the car is in good shape, no rust or visible deterioration, but I will list some of the costs next:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/9W9HXTad[/url]
It was never a main car and for the first half of its life lived in Canada. Given the climate and bed winters there was not a great opportunity to use it. When it was permanently transferred to the Arizona house it did much better and is used more often.
Today the car is in good shape, no rust or visible deterioration, but I will list some of the costs next:
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/9W9HXTad[/url]The issue with cars that stand in the desert furlong periods of storage (7 months a year) is that the heat does strange things:
(1) Batteries last half as long, if that.
(2) The heat dries things out. I had the wiring harness replaced for that reason. Essential to have the leather fed regularly to avoid cracking
(3) The plastic trim around the seat bases became as brittle as eggshells and cracked to pieces and had to be replaced
(4) Trunk soft close pistons dried and had to be replaced
(5) Non heat related;
- one xenon bulb failed and whole unit had to be replaced. About $2500
- Crankshaft sensor failed and. left the car at the side of the road
Had none of the major horrors so far. No ABC failure of any engine issue. Tires replaces and will need to be again for age.
(1) Batteries last half as long, if that.
(2) The heat dries things out. I had the wiring harness replaced for that reason. Essential to have the leather fed regularly to avoid cracking
(3) The plastic trim around the seat bases became as brittle as eggshells and cracked to pieces and had to be replaced
(4) Trunk soft close pistons dried and had to be replaced
(5) Non heat related;
- one xenon bulb failed and whole unit had to be replaced. About $2500
- Crankshaft sensor failed and. left the car at the side of the road
Had none of the major horrors so far. No ABC failure of any engine issue. Tires replaces and will need to be again for age.
The car was never a sports car but a convertible cruiser. It does that very well still, smooth and quiet and is a great weekender car.
Of course the electronics are as modern as a radiogram at this stage- tiny little CD-powered nav, no bluetooth or the liken electronic interface to the web. However, when I specced the car I deleted the interior wood and specified aluminium which has aged better than the wood trim.
It is not a raw tire-squealing animal and would be silly on a track, but for a quiet drive on a desert evening when the weather is mild it does the job very nicely. Since it has of course depreciated to nothing I will hang onto it indefinitely for a nice weekend away or just a porting drive to some small town.
Still looks presentable to me.
Of course the electronics are as modern as a radiogram at this stage- tiny little CD-powered nav, no bluetooth or the liken electronic interface to the web. However, when I specced the car I deleted the interior wood and specified aluminium which has aged better than the wood trim.
It is not a raw tire-squealing animal and would be silly on a track, but for a quiet drive on a desert evening when the weather is mild it does the job very nicely. Since it has of course depreciated to nothing I will hang onto it indefinitely for a nice weekend away or just a porting drive to some small town.
Still looks presentable to me.
RDMcG said:
Hoofy said:
Looks great. Quite fancy one as a cruiser although the boot is a bit pokey.
That is why having the fitted leather bag behind the seats is perfect. Straps in and fits perfectly. Surprising commodious and together with the boot makes for a practical weekender.
AB said:
Had a soft spot for these from launch.
Still looks classy.
When I ordered it the salesman could not believe that I deleted the wood from the interior and ordered aluminium instead and he thought that the red interior was awful. Still looks classy.
I had seen this combo in a Swiss car and liked it.
Overal apart from the primitive electronics it has aged quite well.
Wacky Racer said:
Beautiful car. The trouble with these old classics is unless you have very deep pockets, an unexpected large bill, such as a new gearbox can be a nightmare.
$2500 for one headlight is nuts. There are no excuses for that.
Hope you enjoy it for many years to come....
They have some well known faults. The one I am sure will happen is the ABC suspension ( air suspension). Each Spring when I unplug the battery drip the car is down in its stops and I wait for it to warm up. About ten minutes later is starts to rise back to normal. One day it won't.$2500 for one headlight is nuts. There are no excuses for that.
Hope you enjoy it for many years to come....
On the other hand, it is not worth much and as replacement would no be cheap; since is it just a cruiser for the evenings I will hang onto it indefinitely.
RDMcG said:
When I ordered it the salesman could not believe that I deleted the wood from the interior and ordered aluminium instead and he thought that the red interior was awful.
I had seen this combo in a Swiss car and liked it.
Overal apart from the primitive electronics it has aged quite well.
The aesthetics of the car have aged superbly; that looks lovely!I had seen this combo in a Swiss car and liked it.
Overal apart from the primitive electronics it has aged quite well.
I had a similar experience with a red interior at a similar time, having ordered a Mini which was delivered in September 2002. I lived on an island (where Minis sold very well) and, ordering on a budget, ordered one in black (no-cost) with a red interior (no-cost if having half leather) as it was the cheapest way to make it look special (and I rather liked it). To that point, no one had ordered one with a red interior; the salesman also thought I was mad (or just young, tasteless and stupid) for ordering thus (it also had the chequered roof which was a bit of fun and was £200, fitted).
In the 10 days the car sat in the showroom before collection, they started to get a few people specifying thus as it looked pretty good and quite different to anything else on the market (in that segment) at the time.
EJH said:
The aesthetics of the car have aged superbly; that looks lovely!
I had a similar experience with a red interior at a similar time, having ordered a Mini which was delivered in September 2002. I lived on an island (where Minis sold very well) and, ordering on a budget, ordered one in black (no-cost) with a red interior (no-cost if having half leather) as it was the cheapest way to make it look special (and I rather liked it). To that point, no one had ordered one with a red interior; the salesman also thought I was mad (or just young, tasteless and stupid) for ordering thus (it also had the chequered roof which was a bit of fun and was £200, fitted).
In the 10 days the car sat in the showroom before collection, they started to get a few people specifying thus as it looked pretty good and quite different to anything else on the market (in that segment) at the time.
Yes..mine was all no extra charge which was very good!I had a similar experience with a red interior at a similar time, having ordered a Mini which was delivered in September 2002. I lived on an island (where Minis sold very well) and, ordering on a budget, ordered one in black (no-cost) with a red interior (no-cost if having half leather) as it was the cheapest way to make it look special (and I rather liked it). To that point, no one had ordered one with a red interior; the salesman also thought I was mad (or just young, tasteless and stupid) for ordering thus (it also had the chequered roof which was a bit of fun and was £200, fitted).
In the 10 days the car sat in the showroom before collection, they started to get a few people specifying thus as it looked pretty good and quite different to anything else on the market (in that segment) at the time.
I have often gone a bit crazy with car colours and it works sometimes , and sometimes not..........
I had an E63 M6 special order with pale yellow leather. I liked it but others did not
and one of my GT cars met with very mixed reactions
I am aware that many would find these choices horrible, but they work for me. I have no taste
One has to have a little colour in car specification. I tried (and failed) to get PTS on my car...so went for:
Untitled
Speaking to the salesman, mine was the first red or yellow GT4 they had sold (Nov 2020) as everyone around here buys black/white/silver/dark blue. It has a bloomin' great wing on the back (and so will never be subtle) so I decided to go for some colour and a plate to recognise my level of taste, refinement and discernment...
UntitledSpeaking to the salesman, mine was the first red or yellow GT4 they had sold (Nov 2020) as everyone around here buys black/white/silver/dark blue. It has a bloomin' great wing on the back (and so will never be subtle) so I decided to go for some colour and a plate to recognise my level of taste, refinement and discernment...
EJH said:
One has to have a little colour in car specification. I tried (and failed) to get PTS on my car...so went for:
Untitled
Speaking to the salesman, mine was the first red or yellow GT4 they had sold (Nov 2020) as everyone around here buys black/white/silver/dark blue. It has a bloomin' great wing on the back (and so will never be subtle) so I decided to go for some colour and a plate to recognise my level of taste, refinement and discernment...
Looks great- Guards Red?UntitledSpeaking to the salesman, mine was the first red or yellow GT4 they had sold (Nov 2020) as everyone around here buys black/white/silver/dark blue. It has a bloomin' great wing on the back (and so will never be subtle) so I decided to go for some colour and a plate to recognise my level of taste, refinement and discernment...
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