Doug DeMuro Drove a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG to Figure Out Why It’s Still Close to Its Original Price
When it comes to cars, the typical logic is that they’re bad investments. “They start depreciating the second you drive them off the lot” is a phrase we’ve all either heard or experienced at least once in our lives. According to Youtuber Doug DeMuro’s research, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is largely an exception to that rule.
When the front mid-engine Mercedes hit the market early this decade, it started at roughly $185,000, according to DeMuro. Since then, the average asking price of a 2011 model on Autotrader has only slipped by $1,000. True, the value has dropped, but like a pebble, not a rock.
Could the SLS’s value be so stable because of its cool gullwing doors? The SLS’s successor, the AMG GT, doesn’t have them. However, it takes a lot more than cool doors to keep resale values high.
Maybe it’s because the SLS AMG is a rare car. That depends on your definition. We searched Autotrader and found nearly two dozen 2011 models and 124 SLSs, regardless of model year, for sale.
The SLS certainly hasn’t stayed near its original base price for the quality of its interior plastics, if you were to ask DeMuro.
The reasons the SLS still commands the prices it commands are numerous. There’s the sound of its naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, which we call a mech-amphetamine. DeMuro’s eyes open wide from the ecstasy his ears experience. One listen means instant addiction. DeMuro marvels at the precise handling, impressive brakes, and nearly alarming quickness. Despite being six years old, the car feels like a true modern exotic car, not a grand tourer of yesteryear. It seems the secondary marketplace – at least on Autotrader – would agree…
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
