SL buying guide
Discussion
Is there such a thing as an SL buying guide and can someone point me at it?
At the end of this year I'll be able to stretch to a nice old SL - probably a '97 or '98 SL500. My plan is to do a European tour in the spring/summer of 2006 with a group of friends, each of us in a nice sports car or convertible. Something like Brussels - Nordschleife - Satzburg - Col De Tuini - Monaco - Florence - Targa Fiorio - Rome - Nice - Biarritz - Bordeaux - Paris.... over a couple of weeks, mind!
For me, the SL will combine just the right blend of style, comfort, performance and reliability. Other guys will be in BMW or Porsches (hiss, spit).
Anyway, I'm fairly flexible as to what to go for, obviously lusting after the more desirable SL600, but imagining the costs would be prohibitive compared to the SL500, and it's bigger and longer and doesn't handle as well? I'd welcome any guidance on this!
At the end of this year I'll be able to stretch to a nice old SL - probably a '97 or '98 SL500. My plan is to do a European tour in the spring/summer of 2006 with a group of friends, each of us in a nice sports car or convertible. Something like Brussels - Nordschleife - Satzburg - Col De Tuini - Monaco - Florence - Targa Fiorio - Rome - Nice - Biarritz - Bordeaux - Paris.... over a couple of weeks, mind!
For me, the SL will combine just the right blend of style, comfort, performance and reliability. Other guys will be in BMW or Porsches (hiss, spit).
Anyway, I'm fairly flexible as to what to go for, obviously lusting after the more desirable SL600, but imagining the costs would be prohibitive compared to the SL500, and it's bigger and longer and doesn't handle as well? I'd welcome any guidance on this!
Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast magazine did one a while back but I just checked and the back issues are sold out:
www.mercedesenthusiast.co.uk/cgi-bin/get_issue.cgi?i=0315Jan
www.mercedesenthusiast.co.uk/cgi-bin/get_issue.cgi?i=0315Jan
The SL600 was only longer in the US. UK cars were the same size. I had an SL600, ran it for 85000 miles and 9 years and it was fine until a spate of expensive problems - gearbox, wiring loom, air bag controller. The SL600 also had Adaptive Damping with an expensive control valve unit exposed to the dirt in the offside front wheel well which costs £750+ to replace.
I'd go for an SL500, last facelift (chrome ringed dials). It's not as fast as the SL600 but the lighter nose makes for sharper turn in. The SL600 is a bit of a barge to drive.
As always with MB, service history and condition are all. Service parts are good value (pads, discs etc) but lots of other things like aircon, roof hydraulics, trim are very expensive.
Built like a tank though, much better than the current SL and still cuts it in my view on the road.
I'd go for an SL500, last facelift (chrome ringed dials). It's not as fast as the SL600 but the lighter nose makes for sharper turn in. The SL600 is a bit of a barge to drive.
As always with MB, service history and condition are all. Service parts are good value (pads, discs etc) but lots of other things like aircon, roof hydraulics, trim are very expensive.
Built like a tank though, much better than the current SL and still cuts it in my view on the road.
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