94sl500

I want one of the 3

- What car is more reliable?
- What car is faster?
- What car is the best bang for the buck?

What car is the best answer for these 3 questions?

What's is the poo poo about the 5speed tranny? Isn't it suppose to be "bullet proof"?

Please help I'm a serious buyer.. Want an 2005 - 2009 ish

tandan

Cannot comment on the SL63, but i owned an SL600 for 10 years. I purchased a SL65 about 3 months ago. I loved the 600 and it was reliable. It was smooth and fast. I thought i would keep it another 10 years. A lady popped me in a von's parking lot an caused me to start looking. Hence the 65. The ride is different, it feels more solid, even though the 600 had no noticeable negatives to it. I was surprised at the extra response and power. I was going to tune the 600 if i kept it, but the 65 (for now) makes me think that might not be necessary. Long and short, the 600 is a great car, and if you get a good one, reliability will not be an issue. With that said, i now know why they charge $60,000 more for the 65 new. It is the greatest luxury hot rod (drop top hard top) on the road.

okbarnett

a 09 is updated quiet a bit, the 7 speed is a big plus for performance, any v12 is going to cost more, probibly not as responsive as a v8

94sl500

What year did they change the 65 to 7speed?

Why is the 7speed better? Don't you get more power out of each gear with the 5speed?

How can you say the 12 isn't as responsive as the 8? From what I've seen is the 8s can't hang with the 600s & 65s..

tandan

I suppose it has a great deal to do with your personal preferences. I have only test driven an SL63 once. It is a great car. When i punched it, I had the impression it was louder than fast. I'm used to an '05 SL600. When i purchased the 600 new, these cars were like gold. Almost impossible to find and tough to get a good deal on. My research convinced me a 12 cylinder for such a heavy car was the best long term decision. Time has shown the 8's hold up well. Having driven the 12 cylinder for 10 years, i'm afraid i'm spoiled. The way it delivers the power and speed is unique, but i was seriously thinking about a SL63 because of all the good things said about them on this forum and elsewhere. The 12 is my cup of tea, but if you're not already tweaked like me, I'll bet you'll love the 8 cylinder.

94sl500

How many miles do these cars last for?

BlownV8

Depends on how long you want to keep throwing money at it.

94sl500

I honestly think I want an sl600 or sl65.. Rule of thumb, how many miles does the engine/transmission last?

I'm probably buying one with around 30-50k miles.

94sl500

This will be my daily driver :-/<br/><br/>The new sl will be weekend, nice dinners, & impressing people for work related meetings too I guess every once in a while.

PrecisionEngine

I wouldn't use mileage as a hard attractor or deterrent. How the car has been kept, maintained, treated, etc. should be your biggest concern.

Make sure you look at the VMI and quantify the car's condition from a holistic approach.

94sl500

Let's say a well maintained sl600 & sl65.

30-50k miles... What's a "steal/good" price for each 2005-08ish?
Also I understand that it depends on how they are maintained.. My question was more of an average life span on the motor/tranny.

abiazis

a steal for an 05 would be 35K and for an 08.....40K

BlownV8

I've seen sub 50K mile 2005 SL65's sell in the high $20's and very low $30k range. I would consider a 2008 with low mileage a steal for $38k and a very good price would be $40k.

tandan

My SL600 (2005) had 86,000 miles. The motor and trans were as solid as the day i bought the car. Standard maintenance, 2 coil paks at about 70.000 miles, and one radiator (my own fault, put the wrong coolant in it. From what i've experienced and read on this forum the trans and motor will last well into the hundreds(thousand) if properly maintained. I bought my SL65 for the fifty's but got about 10 grand extra on my 600. The 65 had 34.000 mi. and every option available.

94sl500

If the engine/tranny hold up I don't mind spending $ on maintaining it.. I know they can be expensive to maintain I just don't want to have to replace the Engine/tranny... So the consensus is the 65 is the way to go? Honestly I like both But if I'm going to take the plunge I prefer the faster of the two and status :-/

If I find a 600 for a great price I may buy it I guess.

Anyone recommend a NY or Florida MB technician that wouldn't mind checking some out with me in the next few months (towards the end of winter) (Florida or Tristate area is where I will prob by the car from)

carguyshu

where are SL65s selling in the $20k range? Finding even an SL55 anywhere near me (Kansas) for under $25k was difficult (I bought my 2003 with 74k on it for $20k earlier this year)

94sl500

I appreciate any tips and advise from anyone who has time to help. Any good dealers who usually handle these models or mb technicians who can help me find a good one

Thanks guys

tandan

Live in SoCal. Can't help you with recommendations. Just to reiterate. I owned the 600 for 10 years and loved it. I thought i would own it another 10 years, but having made the jump to the 65, I get a smile on my face everyday. The 65 does have status, but it is earned.

BlownV8

South Florida around the Miami area. Used high end cars do not retain value in that market. Everyone wants the latest and greatest model and change cars as often as you would a pair of running shoes.

94sl500

Yea

I just thought about doing my homework on a cts-v please someone talk me out of it.

I saw almost new ones for the same price.

Save me from myself

carlsturm

Many CTS-V owners complain that their retractable hardtop doesn't work.

cal1

Keep in mind the reliability issues are more related to the R230 than to the different drive trains.

aeroman

LOL Where? I paid $49K for a 26K 2007 with 40K of Renntech goodies on it. when I got it back to Seattle the dealer told me it would be on their lot for $90K and would sell in a week. this was a year ago. Granted cars are priced higher here cause everyone has cash but.......

94sl500

So what's faster and by how much

sl600 vs. cts-v
&
cts-v vs. sl65

This is the only other car I can probably see myself in at this stage.. And how do you feel an s600 & s65 would match up agains it?

I love the sl's.. I just have a thing for corvette engines too

PrecisionEngine

To aeroman's point - Car condition is as much a subjective topic as objective. you could have 10 appraisers come look at a car and get 10 different numbers.

With that being said: I still think a solid 2006-2007 SL65 is in the $45-60K range. Not raped, scraped, dinged, or abused. The problem is finding one in that condition. Usually when I ask to see the VMI report its 25 pages long. Granted, that could be good or bad. Most of the time its the latter.