Green_Hornet

I’m currently driving a 2013 SLK 350, and I’m pretty certain my next step will be a 2014-2015 CPO SL. I have a few questions if everyone could offer their input.

1) I’m aware of the mechanical/performance differences between the SL550 and SL63. But let’s talk real world: I don’t track my car and aside from some short high-speed bursts or some spirited twisty-road driving now and again (mainly just to put a smile on my own face), I’m pretty sedate doing mostly city driving. Am I going to miss a whole lot with an SL550? I can’t see it being “slow”.

2) One of the options that I see mentioned as worth having is the ABC System. However, I also see a lot of complaints about its reliability and while standard on the SL63, I don't see many SL550's equipped with it. I’d prefer not to have a suspension that seems problematic and also costs a small fortune to maintain/repair. How good is the “standard” setup? And with that said, if one purchases an SL without ABC, is having an extended warranty still as critical?

3) The SLK350 is a neat little car with the emphasis on “little”. I’m not grossly obese by any means, but I do find the interior somewhat tight. I also find it to have more road noise than I think it should and it seems somewhat less "luxurious" (if that makes any sense). Will the SL offer a great deal more comfort, quiet and luxury over the SLK? This might be a dumb question but I thought I’d ask.

I’m by no means trying to be cheap. I can afford to get what I want, but I try not to spend money just to say I’ve got a bigger...well...you know

All opinions are welcome.

Steinhart

the 550 is a very fast car and has a decent comfortable ride, the 63 ride is stiff

I have ABC and love it, I've not heard of mechanical problems with this generation, however I personally would not own a MB without a warranty, can't comment on standard suspension

the SL is way more comfortable and luxurious compared to the SLK IMO

greatkoei

1) I think you are better off with 2017 SL400 based on your performance requirements and price you are willing to pay. The new model has some long-wanted new features, and the model will remain almost the same for the next few years.

2) I'd recommend to have ABC, but if you are worried about its cost/maintenance, you can certainly live without it. I still recommend getting extended warranty though, because any fix to the car will be costly.

3) Not sure about the noise level comparison, but SL is certainly more comfortable in terms of leg room, and delivers more luxurious feeling.

LJ12530

I just went down the road you are considering. Some thoughts. First, I personally would not buy a NEW car due to the rapid deprecation. A 2014 SL 550 new, heavily optioned, listed for about $125K. That car today sells for $60K.

I've owned a 2009 SLK 300 and most recently a 2013 SLK 350. I also have a BMW 328i coupe. I looked into what options I had if I wanted to downsize to 1 vehicle yet keep the qualities I liked in each car. I am not a "spirited" driver. I like a car that is both sporty and comfortable on long trips. Last year I took a solo 13K mile trip through the west in the 350 and had no problems, but a bit more space and a few less jolts would have been nice.

I started reading and discovered the SL 550. I kept doing research and came to the conclusion that it might be the car to replace my SLK and BMW. So........I started looking into what was available. I discovered that there are a lot of them for sale, but most seem to be black on black. I had a Mars Red SLK 350 and a mineral white metallic BMW. While looking I considered only a red or white SL. I stumbled upon a CPOed cardinal red metallic 2014 with 34K miles and a lot of options. FLIR, split screen, active body control, etc. The car was built in 5/2014 and with the CPO it is warranted through 5/2019 with unlimited miles!! The dealer gave me what I considered a good offer. I had looked at a 2013 Mars red with abut 22K miles that had fewer options. The difference in the out the door price was $10K LESS for the 1 year newer car. 13K miles less, but a year older, and less optioned is not worth $10K to me. Especially with the CPO through 5/2019.

So..........I bought the cardinal red SL 550. It is just what I was looking for. It is a blend of the qualities from the SLK and the BMW that I was looking for. More comfortable ride, steering less vague, smoother over bumps (19 inch tires), tons of bells and whistles, etc. I drove the car about 400 miles from Miami to home and it hits the sweet spot for me. BTW with the air off and on cruise control on I-75 the engine delivered 27 mpg at 70, 28.5 mpg at 65, and 30 mpg at 60.

The cardinal red metallic.....just beautiful.....classier looking than the mars red. The diamond white metallic also looks great to me.

One last thought. The out the door price with my 2013 SLK 350 trade was $30K. Brand new tires, brake pads, etc ......

Green_Hornet

Actually, I don’t have a “price point” in mind. I just don’t want to pay for options that I don’t consider to be value added. There was a time when I had to have the biggest engine option, fastest model, etc. If I felt 577hp was important, I’d get it. But I think I can have just as much fun with 450hp. It does sound like ABC is definitely the option to have...it’ll just require me to be very diligent about the upkeep. But my SLK has a V-6, so going to an SL450...another V-6...just doesn't seem like enough of a step up to me.

Oh definitely...used car all the way and CPO if possible. Years ago, I traded in a Grand Sport Corvette for another vehicle and lost $20,000 after two years. Never again. I see the appeal of a brand new car, but someone else can finance the depreciation, thankyouverymuch! My SLK is a CPO and I saved $20,000 over the price of new. And the only time someone knows I didn't buy new is when I tell them.

You have a stunning car BTW. I’m a Steel Grey fan myself but Black, White or Red would all work for me (my SLK is Polar White which I think is very classy).

LJ12530

FLIR is a nice option for me. Its also a nice fwd looking camera. Split screen
..only if you carry pax on a long trip.

Wolfman

Very few SL's have ABC because it went from a free option in the R230 to a $4k+ option in the R231 and many dealers felt that they customers were subject to sticker shock. The R231 SL550 on springs was already more expensive than the prior model with ABC.

That said, ABC has evolved over the 15 years it has been in MB's and I found it to be rock-solid.

The SL550 has also been under-rated in output and performance. 0-60 is likely in the 4 sec. range than the stated 4.5. Tests have shown that. Plus it put the power down nicely whereas the SL63 burns up the tires. Either way, the SL its dramatically faster then our S550 with the same engine. Weight has its penalties

Buying a SL400 used would make no sense as the depreciation makes the SL550 the more attractive car.

The night vision implementation on the SL has been less than ideal and MB already pulled the plug on that option and the split screen after 2 years.

Get Nappa leather or designo. In CPO form this greatly improves the luxurious feel of the car for really no additional cost.

LJ12530

the split screen is not something I will ever use, but it came with the car. It was a $1K option I believe.

Regarding the FLIR. I like the fact that I have a forward facing camera, which also happens to work at night. Could you tell me why the option was pulled. Perhaps due to the price, and the low demand?

Wolfman

Low demand.

Green_Hornet

Thanks for the feedback!

I'll be looking for a car with Driver Assistance and Sport Wheel packages, Magic Sky and Nappa Leather at minimum. ABC, Designo, Soft-Close Doors and Night Vision are all "nice to haves" depending on how my search goes. Really don't care too much about the B&O Audio and Splitview Entertainment.

I was asking about ABC because, if you search the forums, there are a LOT of horror stories about people selling off their children so they can raise money to repair the ABC system ( ). From what you are saying, it seems MB now has improved it to the point where it can be considered reliable. Given that, would you say that one would still do themselves a favor to perform high-end preventative maintenance on the system? And how would you rate the difference in the ride between the springs vs. ABC?

Xcelr8n

I just recently picked up a 2013 SL Designo. The car had 9500 miles on it. Here is the sticker info: 799 Diamond White, PO1 Premium Package, SPC Special Order, U25 Illumiminated door sills, W26 Designo Natural Bamboo Trim, X10 Designo Sand Leather, Y73 Designo Leather Headliner-black, 11R 19" Multispoke Wheels, 152,168 and 173 Factory code, 246 Analog clock on dash, 266 Driver assistance package Distronic, 412 Magic Sky Control, 811 B&O sound system, 833 soft close doors. Window sticker was $134,050 and I paid $66 with remainder of stock warranty and the CPO 1 year warranty. The car has springs and even though I can't compare it to an ABC suspension, it rides fine. I recently had a Renntech tune and filters installed and the car hauls butt. At 66, I still drive aggressive at times. Love love the car. I'm getting ready to put Michelin Pilot Super Sports on the car , 255/35/19 and 295/30/19. They will be here in Calif. tomorrow. I think you'll like the car and the point of posting my info is because I looked for some time until I found what I wanted. They are out there, you just need to be patient and get what you want. Don't overthink it 😉

Steinhart

sounds very nice! pic?

LJ12530

I've had the car for several months and just completed a road trip of about 4K miles. Some things I've learned so far. For the record.....I am a very conservative driver. I don't accelerate rapidly, do not corner aggressively, and of course brake gently.

comfortable road cruiser

about 24 mpg over the entire trip....not much top down driving

I can't imagine why you would even want the Magic Sky. The car has a sunshade that slides into position. Even with that in the stowed position the sun is just not a problem.

This car EATS tires and wheels. The car came with unworn tires all around. After about 6K on them the front started cupping/feathering. Talked to several dealers, and even Tire Rack and was told this is normal but usually starts showing up at about 12K miles. During the trip we only hit 1 pothole that was even notable, and it certainly wasn't a bad one. Woke up one day with a flat front right tire....tire replaced, went down about 200 miles later.....discovered a hairline crack in the rim. It was able to be repaired. FWIW the front tires are about $450 each from the dealer, and the rim is over $1,300 new.

Was driving around slowly in Bismarck, SD when all of a sudden I started hearing a sound from the front left of the engine bay. Went to a dealer in Sioux Falls that diagnosed the problem as the nitrogen charged accumulator that attaches to the ABC pump. They didn't have the part but told me it was driveable so I took it to a dealer a couple hundred miles away that had the part. The noise just kept getting louder and louder. During that fix they also discovered that the front right strut needed replaced. All under warranty, but would have cost $4K. I was told that if I had kept driving the car back to Florida with the bad accumulator the ABC pump would have failed.

During the trip I noted a slight "bouncing" coming from the suspension/wheels. I replaced the front left tire that was cupped/feathered after only about 7K miles. That helped some, but I took it to the dealer and got a 4 wheel balance. Back left tire needed a bit over 2oz of correction. Bouncing is much less notable.

I'm not sure what type of driver would benefit from ABC. I suspect it's for the aggressive drivers. I see it as a nice "doo dad", but not worth the initial cost or the potential repairs.

My experience with tires/rims on an SLK 300, SLK 350 and SL 550 have been horrible. Anytime I hit a small pothole I figure I'm going to bend a rim. I've had 3 bent rims and 2 tires destroyed while driving at 60-70 on interstates.

My car came with Split Screen, but it wouldn't work. As soon as I put the car in D the screen gave me a warning saying it wouldn't work while the car is moving. Turns out that the original dealer never activated the system in software. They turned it on and it works as advertised.

I'm trying to find out where I can get the "kit" that will do a temporary fix to a flat tire. A friends Lexus does not come with a spare but comes with a bottle of gook and an air compressor. Tire Rack told me that I would get a lot more miles out of the car if I went to a non-run flat. They recommended a Continental non-run flat model.I had good luck with Michelin pilot sport AS/3 on other cars, but a tire guy at a dealer told me that he just replaced 4 of them because the SL "ate them up". He wasn't trying to sell me tires so I would put some credence in what he told me.

Wolfman

Getting rid of run-flats is almost a requirement IMO. I had a 20" Pirelli blow out on a small pothole that would have been fine with regular tires. A quick $500 lesson. For all-seasons, the Continentals are decent; personally I prefer performance tires and Michelins are my pick (Pilot Super Sports or similar).

Re. SL's eating up tires, especially the rears is a known fact but can be easily avoided by inflating the tire pressure above their stated air pressure. Something like 4PSI. It's safe, tire wear will be normal. This also eliminates most bent rims as the damage almost always happens on the inner rim.
Since then zero issues on rims/tires.

Anytime there is an ABC issue, it is safe to say that you shouldn't drive the car. This is a high pressure suspension system (2600psi), so I think this was bad advice from the dealer.