Dennis Bang

This will be my first Mercedes. I've always been a BMW owner but I think it's time for me to transition myself into the better club. I've been wanting to buy a 2003 SL500 for a while now and I think it's time for me to buy an SL500 in a few days. I just have a few questions before I buy one.

1) I heard there were some major changes made on the SL500 in 2004 is that true? If so, what are the changes?

2) I also heard in 2005 they also made more major changes to Mercedes in general, not sure what that was but it had something to do with the material of parts I believe. Not quite sure.

Correct me if I'm wrong and I do apologize if my information is far from the truth.

3) Do you think I will regret ever financing the car or will I love my decision? (I know that question is hard to answer since it is a personal question, but I guess I'm aiming for your personal experience or a "put yourself in my position" position.) I'm afraid that a car with 100K+ miles may not be too good.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Gsqrd

04 replaced 5 spd with 7 spd transmission, but front brake rotors slightly downsized.
don't know about 05.

Dennis Bang

Thank you. No changes in the exterior/interior?

Gsqrd

03 available in special introduction color(silver/green). 04 had some designo options(special paint/lether/wood). they are very much alike.

Zaddick

05 changes the command system. You get a larger nav screen and updated electronics, athough they still suck by today's standards.

In 04 they also stopped using the credit card transmitter for the keyless go.

Will you regret the prurchase? It all depends how you look at it? If the car is cheap and had a lot of miles it will probably break a lot and you may have a lot of headaches. You may find theis acceptable or not, only you know. these cars are not cheap to maintain so you should look longer and find one where you have a complete repair history and then have a good pre-purchase inspection completed.

Good Luck,

Z

Zaddick

one more think, starting in 05 they added a spare tire.

pleeson

I have the 2003 launch edition with design silver and alcantra leather headliner -- nice.
The interiors look the same from year to year, until about 2007, when the interior plastics look a little better.
The newer (2005) Navigation system is still pretty bad, so you're not missing much there.
Don't pay too much and budget for repairs...

Dennis Bang

Thank you for your responses guys.. they are greatly appreciated.

I found a 2004 SL on craigslist with 131514 miles for 19K. I'm going to just pay all cash.

There will be a lot of maintenance that I have to do? There is a high possibility that a lot of things will go wrong and I'd have to fix?

Zaddick

That is a lot of miles for an SL, especially that body style. I think that 19 is too high for that car.

You really need to look at the maintenance history. If there are no records of ABC or breaks or other major repairs, it is better to assume that you will be fixing them.

I would say to pay a little more and get one with lower miles. You may save $5K in the cost of the car and then spend $10K on repairs. These cars really are very sophisticated and, in my opinion, not that reliable.

Best,

Z

abiazis

+1

pleeson

Offhand, I'd say yes and yes!
A dealer can search for repair history as a starting point.
I wouldn't absolutely rule out based on high miles, but the value drops like a rock over 100K miles.

Dennis Bang

Ahh. Well I absolutely love this car. Love everything about it. I really want to purchase one but I'm very afraid of maintenance costing way too much. Is there a warranty I can get on a used one when I purchase it? If so, how much will I expect to be paying for the warranty? What year do you think I should get without worrying about major maintenance problems? My budget is 25-30K. I want something that will last me at least 5 years and running well without too many problems. This will be my daily driver.

Oh and I'm checking out an 04 SL500 black with 62K miles tomorrow for 29K from a private party. I'm hoping to lower it a little, good deal?

c63_dubai

Hi

Am also want to buy one

I found 02 SL500 light blue converted to 09 SL63 shape with over 123K miles for $16K and there is a problem with hard top it dosent open needs to be fixed

I dont know how much it will cost me to repair the hard top

Mooeboy

I have a Black 2003 SL500 with OEM AMG Package for sale A+ condition with warranty. Mileage 98k. Inside like new

khassis

03 SL500 69800 miles launch edition with design silver, I'd take $19000 for it.

kbob999

Could be a blown hydraulic cylinder, more likely the pump, or electronics, or a host of other switches and such. Complicated system.
At a dealer? At least $1-2000 as they throw parts at it until it works. DIY probably $500, but it will take a bit of work to figure out.

kbob999

Do you work on your own cars? This will greatly affect your maintenance budget.
I have a 2003 SL55 with 88K miles. I spent $4K after purchase changing fluids, adding 2 struts, accumulators, brake pads, shift linkage, battery, suspension bushings, motor mounts, valve cover gaskets, hoses, etc. All done DIY.

These items, and more, are known weak points and preventative maintenance is the only way to improve reliability for this car. Some are age related, some are mileage.

Without a knowledgeable inspection, or complete service records, expect to do all of the above on any R230 model with over 60K miles. However, once complete, it is good as new. I now have a daily driver and keep up with any issues that pop up.

Don't know about warranty...I never buy them.

funymuny

I agree. As described $19k way too much.

Vader1

Dennis, I looked at CARS DOT COM and found that there are 58 2003-2004 SL's with 50K miles or under for $25K or under.

The less miles (along with a good service history) the better.

Ghostty

its all about the miles - the more miles - more chances something will fail. Whatever makes you comfortable. Keep in mind these cars take about $2k per year in maintenance - unplanned service.

Besides that it's all about your budget. I got mine from a private party 2005 SL500 base model with 23k miles for $26500 so look around, you might find good deals

RocketBoots

Ahem. The questions were asked in 2011; I don't think that they have been waiting since then for an answer!

anothercar

P.T. Barnum was correct!