PHSWOOD

I have mentioned in a previous post that I will be purchasing a 2020 SL 450 next year. In the meantime, I have a few questions about order dates and pricing.

1. It appears from the 2020 DOG (thank you allfortheunion) that MB will launch the 2020 SL in Q3 of this year. My question is when does MB stop taking orders for MY 2020?
2. The DOG indicates that a few options are "Limited Production Capacity." As I am interested in two such options (designo Diamond White paint and Active Body Control) should I be concerned?
3. The dealer from whom I purchased my current car gave me, and has offered to give me again, a 12.5% discount from MSRP. I thought this a good deal at the time and still do as I have no basis for comparison. However, if any of you can offer pointers on how to get a better deal or know dealers who might offer a better deal, I am all ears.

Many thanks!

Wolfman

1. Too many variables. Hard to tell as it depends on the intro date of the R232...
2. You should be concerned. This typically indicates lack of availability and may limit the ability to build the car. Similar to HUD's in other cars. They will either omit or delay the build for months...
3. 12.5% is a decent discount for a custom build. You can always try for more but unless there is trunk money, this is triple net. Couple that a discounted MF and decent residual, it will be a nice deal (provided it's a lease).

PHSWOOD

Now, I am concerned. I was planning on ordering next spring (March) for delivery in the summer. My current lease is up the end of Sept. so I don't mind waiting as long as I can get what I want.
What is "trunk money?"
My intention is to buy and hold as I don't think I'm going to like the R232.

Wolfman

Trunk money is money that Mercedes provides as incentive for particular models. Triple net is typically the point where the dealer makes no money without additional incentives from MB.
Dealers make the most money on service and trade-ins, not new cars...

If the MY20 is truly the last year of the R231, I personally wouldn't wait that long. MY21 will get delivered in August unless held back by certification or large R231 inventories.

Streamliner

I was in a similar situation. In late 2016, when the 2017's had been out for several months, I was planning on waiting until the following year, to order a new 2018 SL450. I wanted Mars Red. Well, half way through MY17, MR dropped the Mars Red color. I immediately tried to find a dealer with an order in place that could be changed to get the Mars Red color and other options I wanted, but it was impossible. The color was available one day and gone the next, so I missed my chance. If the color and ABC are important to you, I would not wait. Place your order now.

bob55

Be glad you didn't get the Mars Red as it was discontinued because the MB clearcoat wouldn't adhere to that color properly. Numerous complaints of clearcoat peeling were being reported from all MB models with Mars Red paint including the 231 SL.

The issues with Mars Red Paint and clearcoat adherence soon became too much for MB to handle. Warranty claims had customers demanding their cars be stripped and repainted, but that very expensive 'fix' was refused by MB. A number of law suits were filed over the matter, so don't expect anymore Mars Red painted cars from MB.

You can verify this information with your Dealer. There are MB Tech Bulletins about the Mars Red problems that should be available from your local MB Dealer Service Advisor.

Bottom LIne: Streamliner, you actually 'dodged a bullet' by not being able to find a SL450 in Mars Red!

Streamliner

I had a 2004 SL500 in Mars Red that I ordered new and kept for 12 years. The day I sold it, it looked as good as the day I took delivery. I then had a 2013 SL550 in Mars Red that I bought CPO and it was perfect as well. It would appear that a bad batch of Mars Red paint had been used for a brief time, resulting in a spat of problems and complaints. Anyone thinking clearly and logically would know that in such a situation, you purge all the bad paint from the system, get a new batch of paint and move on. However, in somewhat typical, bull-headed fashion, some idiot at MB just dropped the color completely and threw the baby out with the bath water! MB also uses Jupiter Red, and for the life of me, I cannot see the difference in that color and Mars Red. They could have very easily switched to that color for the SL, but didn’t do that either.

The SL is a sporting car. A bright, solid RED is virtually synonymous with sporting cars, and such a color has been an option on most all SL’s since the first 300SL’s were built back in 1955. For MB to just drop the color like they did, was just another, idiotic, lazy *** way of dealing with an issue on the R231’s, which is further evidence of just how little attention was given to these cars since they were launched. Can you even imagine what would have been done if the bad batch of paint had been Black??? Or, better yet, if Ferrari had a bad batch of Rosso Corsa??? The problem would have been solved in one day and black MB’s & red Ferraris would continue to be built without so much as a hiccup.

I have had seven SL’s since 1972, all RED. I wanted another red one, but some idiot, who had his or her head up their ***, decided that a nice, bright red was no longer needed on their 2-door, luxury, sporty, convertible. How stupid and lazy can one be?

Wolfman

It’s obviously easy to reformulate paints. MB clearly applied a cost/benefit analysis, looked at cars sold and decided not to bother.

I know that they use Jupiter Red for other models which is very similar to Mars Red

Streamliner

Exactly! I can hear them now: "It's only the poor, old, tired, ugly step-sister SL. It's not like it is the G Wagen! Nobody will care."

PHSWOOD

Ahhh. New term for me. Thanks! I am, however, familiar with the concept of "trunk money." The three dealers I know and have worked with in the past have all told me that they make their money on new cars through meeting sales quotas and targets AND the markup between the manufacturer's price (which the public never sees) and the invoice price. And, no, they wouldn't share the manufacturer to dealer price with me.

Wolfman

I don't recall for SL's but the invoice is likely at 6% below sticker. Holdback can go up to another 6%. That's the backend money from MB. If MB has other incentives to move models. That could be $1k to $10k at the high end (not SL's). Money is made on financing and leasing by receiving a markup on the interest or MF (called Dealer Reserve Money Factor)
If a car doesn't move, often dealers will punch the car (mark it as sold without selling it to grab all manufacturers incentives) and then sell the car as a used car.

allfortheunion

I was told by a salesman that 12% discount on an SL is “near triple net”. And I confirmed that you can order one with ABC right now that will be built in June. If you really wanted ABC I also would not wait very long.

Streamliner

Was he offering the 12% on a special order?

allfortheunion

He didn’t offer that, just made that statement, and then said 11% was probably doable. But this was still in the talking stage and not a committment. And yes, he was reconfiguring a car they already had on order. This was on a 550.

Streamliner

I have a confirmed offer of an 8.5% discount on my special order, but am hoping to squeeze a bit more when the car comes in.