Potential SL55 purchase - am I mad?
Discussion
I’ve got a R107 300SL and R129 SL500. Tempted to also bag a SL55 before the prices for good ones climb in value any further.
I’ve found a lovely two owner 2004 car with 50,000 miles. Doesn’t have a glass roof but ticks all the other boxes for me.
I will be checking the ABC fluid as well as general service history. Anything else obvious I should check out?
I will likely drive this car no more than 2,000 miles a year. Is this a bad car to have “sit around”? Would be interested in your real world experiences and whether the running costs are truly ruinous!
I’ve found a lovely two owner 2004 car with 50,000 miles. Doesn’t have a glass roof but ticks all the other boxes for me.
I will be checking the ABC fluid as well as general service history. Anything else obvious I should check out?
I will likely drive this car no more than 2,000 miles a year. Is this a bad car to have “sit around”? Would be interested in your real world experiences and whether the running costs are truly ruinous!
Hi.
Bought one 18 months ago.
2002 with 56000 miles.
Wasn't really looking for one, was on the lookout for a Cayman/996 and had a buyer for my E55 ( non kompressor).
Out of the blue got offered an SL for £15k.
The difference in performance from a 996/Cayman blew me away.
Got it inspected and it was a straight one. My merc. specialists did warn however that the step up from the E55 would be matched by a step up in costs.
Within 6 months the ABC went!!
I had prepared myself for the worst but the bill was £1800.00 much less than I'd expected. Still nasty though, but the car is a keeper, so it was always going to have be done sometime.
Standard service was more than E55 but not ruinous.
It REALLY likes a drink but you sound like you'll be using yours like I use mine so fuel consumption is irrelevant.
The car has 2 batteries. I have a CTek charger which I alternate between the batteries. It came with my car and I would highly recommend.
Mine has Brabus alloys,one of which I managed to smash in a pothole.£1600 to replace.
I love the car, the V8 overlaid with the supercharger whine is absolutely addictive.
If you want anything substantially quicker you will need to spend some serious cash.
If you have any specific questions just shout.
Bought one 18 months ago.
2002 with 56000 miles.
Wasn't really looking for one, was on the lookout for a Cayman/996 and had a buyer for my E55 ( non kompressor).
Out of the blue got offered an SL for £15k.
The difference in performance from a 996/Cayman blew me away.
Got it inspected and it was a straight one. My merc. specialists did warn however that the step up from the E55 would be matched by a step up in costs.
Within 6 months the ABC went!!
I had prepared myself for the worst but the bill was £1800.00 much less than I'd expected. Still nasty though, but the car is a keeper, so it was always going to have be done sometime.
Standard service was more than E55 but not ruinous.
It REALLY likes a drink but you sound like you'll be using yours like I use mine so fuel consumption is irrelevant.
The car has 2 batteries. I have a CTek charger which I alternate between the batteries. It came with my car and I would highly recommend.
Mine has Brabus alloys,one of which I managed to smash in a pothole.£1600 to replace.
I love the car, the V8 overlaid with the supercharger whine is absolutely addictive.
If you want anything substantially quicker you will need to spend some serious cash.
If you have any specific questions just shout.
ArmaghMan said:
Hi.
Bought one 18 months ago.
2002 with 56000 miles.
Wasn't really looking for one, was on the lookout for a Cayman/996 and had a buyer for my E55 ( non kompressor).
Out of the blue got offered an SL for £15k.
The difference in performance from a 996/Cayman blew me away.
Got it inspected and it was a straight one. My merc. specialists did warn however that the step up from the E55 would be matched by a step up in costs.
Within 6 months the ABC went!!
I had prepared myself for the worst but the bill was £1800.00 much less than I'd expected. Still nasty though, but the car is a keeper, so it was always going to have be done sometime.
Standard service was more than E55 but not ruinous.
It REALLY likes a drink but you sound like you'll be using yours like I use mine so fuel consumption is irrelevant.
The car has 2 batteries. I have a CTek charger which I alternate between the batteries. It came with my car and I would highly recommend.
Mine has Brabus alloys,one of which I managed to smash in a pothole.£1600 to replace.
I love the car, the V8 overlaid with the supercharger whine is absolutely addictive.
If you want anything substantially quicker you will need to spend some serious cash.
If you have any specific questions just shout.
Re the CTek charger, you only need to connect to the auxilliary battery in the boot, this will keep the starter battery charged as well.Bought one 18 months ago.
2002 with 56000 miles.
Wasn't really looking for one, was on the lookout for a Cayman/996 and had a buyer for my E55 ( non kompressor).
Out of the blue got offered an SL for £15k.
The difference in performance from a 996/Cayman blew me away.
Got it inspected and it was a straight one. My merc. specialists did warn however that the step up from the E55 would be matched by a step up in costs.
Within 6 months the ABC went!!
I had prepared myself for the worst but the bill was £1800.00 much less than I'd expected. Still nasty though, but the car is a keeper, so it was always going to have be done sometime.
Standard service was more than E55 but not ruinous.
It REALLY likes a drink but you sound like you'll be using yours like I use mine so fuel consumption is irrelevant.
The car has 2 batteries. I have a CTek charger which I alternate between the batteries. It came with my car and I would highly recommend.
Mine has Brabus alloys,one of which I managed to smash in a pothole.£1600 to replace.
I love the car, the V8 overlaid with the supercharger whine is absolutely addictive.
If you want anything substantially quicker you will need to spend some serious cash.
If you have any specific questions just shout.
Aside of the ABC system, other Issues to look out for are rust, leaking boot seals allowing water into the boot, this can cause issues with the roof mechanism, central locking and boot soft close, SBC pump for the brakes has a set number of cycles before needing resetting or replacement, and fuel tank baffles can come loose, among other things.
They also can have a tendency to get stuck in park due to a very cheap plastic bit in the gearchange mechanism, and issues with the instruement binnacle are not unknown.
The V6 engine also has issues with leaking header cover gaskets, not sure if this applies to the V8.
Lovely cars though.
Edited by Monkeylegend on Saturday 4th December 20:02
ArmaghMan said:
Hi.
Bought one 18 months ago.
2002 with 56000 miles.
Wasn't really looking for one, was on the lookout for a Cayman/996 and had a buyer for my E55 ( non kompressor).
Out of the blue got offered an SL for £15k.
The difference in performance from a 996/Cayman blew me away.
Got it inspected and it was a straight one. My merc. specialists did warn however that the step up from the E55 would be matched by a step up in costs.
Within 6 months the ABC went!!
I had prepared myself for the worst but the bill was £1800.00 much less than I'd expected. Still nasty though, but the car is a keeper, so it was always going to have be done sometime.
Standard service was more than E55 but not ruinous.
It REALLY likes a drink but you sound like you'll be using yours like I use mine so fuel consumption is irrelevant.
The car has 2 batteries. I have a CTek charger which I alternate between the batteries. It came with my car and I would highly recommend.
Mine has Brabus alloys,one of which I managed to smash in a pothole.£1600 to replace.
I love the car, the V8 overlaid with the supercharger whine is absolutely addictive.
If you want anything substantially quicker you will need to spend some serious cash.
If you have any specific questions just shout.
Thanks for the help - sounds like you bagged a bargain there! ABC worries me but sounds like it is not as horrific as I’d imagined. Also appreciate the tip on the battery charger, will definitely make the investment. Bought one 18 months ago.
2002 with 56000 miles.
Wasn't really looking for one, was on the lookout for a Cayman/996 and had a buyer for my E55 ( non kompressor).
Out of the blue got offered an SL for £15k.
The difference in performance from a 996/Cayman blew me away.
Got it inspected and it was a straight one. My merc. specialists did warn however that the step up from the E55 would be matched by a step up in costs.
Within 6 months the ABC went!!
I had prepared myself for the worst but the bill was £1800.00 much less than I'd expected. Still nasty though, but the car is a keeper, so it was always going to have be done sometime.
Standard service was more than E55 but not ruinous.
It REALLY likes a drink but you sound like you'll be using yours like I use mine so fuel consumption is irrelevant.
The car has 2 batteries. I have a CTek charger which I alternate between the batteries. It came with my car and I would highly recommend.
Mine has Brabus alloys,one of which I managed to smash in a pothole.£1600 to replace.
I love the car, the V8 overlaid with the supercharger whine is absolutely addictive.
If you want anything substantially quicker you will need to spend some serious cash.
If you have any specific questions just shout.
I drive a E63S daily so am familiar with fuel bills. This SL will be used sparingly
I can only speak from my experience with a 350 but I did a lot of general research on R230s so hope the below is helpful:
R230s are all galvanised from Q3 2004 onwards.
Water in boot can arise via leak from high level brake light or C pillar bottom seals but there are well known, and straightforward fixes on various MB forums.
Boot not shutting properly due to soft close issue can also lead to ingress. Again, not dfifficult to remedy.
SBC pump can be reset, or rebuilt for around £400 if you want piece of mind.
2006 - 08 facelift cars can still have these same issues so I wouldn't discount an earlier car. Cheaper RFL too.
Trickle charger definitely recommended if you plan to use the car periodically.
Enjoyable both as open top roadster or hardtop GT. Pano roof is well worth it.
Some feel the earlier SLs are more proper Benz but the R230 has plenty of character and feels timeless.
IMO one of the few iconic noughties cars that are still good value.
R230s are all galvanised from Q3 2004 onwards.
Water in boot can arise via leak from high level brake light or C pillar bottom seals but there are well known, and straightforward fixes on various MB forums.
Boot not shutting properly due to soft close issue can also lead to ingress. Again, not dfifficult to remedy.
SBC pump can be reset, or rebuilt for around £400 if you want piece of mind.
2006 - 08 facelift cars can still have these same issues so I wouldn't discount an earlier car. Cheaper RFL too.
Trickle charger definitely recommended if you plan to use the car periodically.
Enjoyable both as open top roadster or hardtop GT. Pano roof is well worth it.
Some feel the earlier SLs are more proper Benz but the R230 has plenty of character and feels timeless.
IMO one of the few iconic noughties cars that are still good value.
Edited by JD2329 on Monday 6th December 17:48
I bought a 65k mile 2003 SL55 a few years ago and ran it for 3 years.
I loved the car: amazing power, torque and sound. A cosy coupe or a convertible at the touch of a button.
Main problems I had: (a) the need to send the car to the body shop (twice during my ownership) for rust-related issues around rear wheel arches (b) the car would often sink at one or more corners when parked overnight. This problem was unpredictable and changeable, although improved a great deal when the car was in the body shop, up in the air with no weight on its wheels. Presumably some crud shifted in the ABC system…
The ABC system was a complex solution to a problem that didn’t really need solving. Although it never caused problems with the car running, it was always a feature I just wish the car hadn’t had.
The overall experience was such that I’d still happily buy another SL55!
I loved the car: amazing power, torque and sound. A cosy coupe or a convertible at the touch of a button.
Main problems I had: (a) the need to send the car to the body shop (twice during my ownership) for rust-related issues around rear wheel arches (b) the car would often sink at one or more corners when parked overnight. This problem was unpredictable and changeable, although improved a great deal when the car was in the body shop, up in the air with no weight on its wheels. Presumably some crud shifted in the ABC system…
The ABC system was a complex solution to a problem that didn’t really need solving. Although it never caused problems with the car running, it was always a feature I just wish the car hadn’t had.
The overall experience was such that I’d still happily buy another SL55!
I’ve had a 2007 for about 5 years now.
I would say that the later cars are a better bet. A few issues were corrected later in the run; the boot seals were redesigned and fuel tank problems corrected.
I really like the car and I’m frankly baffled as to why this generation of SL is still so underpriced.
I would say that the later cars are a better bet. A few issues were corrected later in the run; the boot seals were redesigned and fuel tank problems corrected.
I really like the car and I’m frankly baffled as to why this generation of SL is still so underpriced.
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