Hi, I am living in Montreal and I am first time buyer of Mercedes SL 450, I found one in a pristine condition with only 18000 KM from a private seller on Autotrader Canada. I went to see the car, it is white with brown nappa leather, premium package, exclusive package, magic sky.. but still has original tire, batterie. the price is 57 000 canadian $. There is NO Carfax.

Unfortunately, some problems let me suspicious: the old lady even though respectable, did not let me to do a test drive, she wants to know what is my offer at first!! I find it too early and said as I am missing a lot of information, maintenance history, Carfax, then PPI. She continues to reply that she is the first and only owner, no accident or repair. Based on her, the car has been serviced but not every year as she yearly does a car storage in winter and barely drive it.

She insist to know my offer first so I said based on the unclear history, for now I can offer 50 000 but I can adjust it once I do the test drive and the PPI. She asked for PPI before the test drive and she will look for the history maintenance and send it to me.

I left the place very uncomfortable but still like this car that I only sit in check around and turn the engine on and uncover the sky hard top that work perfectly.

Once back home, I purchased a Carfax, the car is clean no accident, no stole but find first owner in mai 5 2017 then New owner in Mai 25. I did not understand what does mean two owners in only 20 days interval. Moreover, found only two maintenances over 8 years !!!! one in 2023 and the second in last April before announcing the car for sale.

Anyway, I still love this car, but I need to be rational, if the missing maintenance is real with no other independent maintenance, which is most likely, should I keep going for asking ppi and test drive or I just have avoid it and look elsewhere?

Your help will be very appreciated.

 

A lot of folks with high end cars are very apprehensive about letting prospective buyers test drive their cars, only to then receive a lowball offer or a “I’ll think about it.” Being an older woman, if living by herself, she might feel very uncomfortable going for a test drive with a stranger, especially a man. Ask her for the service records. If she can’t produce them, you need to figure that the services were not done. If you still want to pursue this car, ask her to bring it to your PPI shop. Make her feel comfortable. If you are married, bring your wife. Sounds like a nice car at a fair price. Best of luck to you.

 

Given the VIN, any Mercedes dealership can print for you a summary VMI (vehicle maintenance information), if you ask nicely. If she had it serviced at all she probably went back to the dealership where she bought it. I suggest asking at the dealership you might use if you buy the car.

I would be very concerned about the maintenance. It's very possible that it hasn't had much. And we all know that it's not good for these cars, or any car for that matter, to sit unused for long periods of time.

 

That is really low mileage. Have you looked at comparable cars for sale to determine price is fair? I wouldn’t walk away from it just yet. Definitely get a PPI done by a reputable shop that knows and services Mercedes, as suggested by @Streamliner .

My concern with the low mileage is that:

(1) Some critical maintenance items, such as brake fluid, transmission service, engine oil, etc., have time-based maintenance as well as mileage-based maintenance. Were they done?

(2) Tires are generally good for about 6 years. After that, check them for cracks and rot, especially the side facing the inside of the chassis that are not easily visible.

(3) The battery may be good enough to start the car now, but the State of Health (SoH) may indicate a replacement is needed. These cars are VERY temperamental when it comes to electronics and electrical stability.

(4) Very low mileage on a car is actually NOT good. Seals dry out, lubrication dries out, rubber bushings crack, etc.

And that brings up a very important point. Get yourself a Mercedes-specific scanner, such as the LAUNCH X431 Creader Elite 2.0 Benz. Scan for codes and check when any codes were last cleared. This may indicate a serious red flag. Getting this tool is a MUST if you are going to own any Mercedes. Even if you don’t get this car, you will need it if you decide to get another one. Here is a good source, but I don’t know if they ship to Canada: https://kingbolentool.com/products/2...-bidirectional

Lastly, why is she selling it? Did she not like the car? Driving less than 4 miles per day for 10 years makes me wonder. Even if stored for 6 months out of the year, that is about 8 miles per day.

Make sure there is no lien against it. Make sure it has a clear title. That would likely show up when you go to register the car in your name. But it’s kinda late at that point.

 

One more thing, get a copy of the maintenance schedule for that car. There are additional maintenance items no one talks much about, such as the fuel filter that should be changed every 10 years.

 

Here is a copy of the Service Booklet for 2017 cars.

 

Here’s another great post about the dangers of ultra low mileage cars. Admittedly, the car probably didn’t spend its life in hot and dry environments, but he principle is still the same.

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...m_content=post

 

based on the CAEFAX i purchased it , it shows only one oil change in 2023, 6 year after buying the car. she also told me the oil change is good for 15000 km. and when i said it is either 15K or once a year which ever occurs first, his hasbund reply that now they use full synthetic that is good for long term. i am wondering if they really dont know what they are talking about or they realized that they did the bad thing during these years and they are trying to convince me... .. they keep repeating the car is as brand news and it needs nothing.

i am still confused if i let go and look for another one or go for ppi. FOR SURE they did not follow any manufactur maintenance...

 

Well, there are some nice ones out there. Maybe let this one go and just keep looking.

 

I personally wouldn't rule out buying the car, especially if it's exactly what you're looking for and you get a good price. Since the car spent most of its time sitting, I would pass on it if it wasn't garage kept.

There are some caveats with a low mileage car. The engine oil is probably the least of the problems. When a car sits seals can dry out. This can cause problems with the engine and transmission, but more so with the hydraulic system for the roof and trunk. I don't know offhand whether the SL450 had an option for ABC hydraulic suspension. If it has that then that's another potential trouble point. I would adjust my offer to them to allow for the cost of some of these potential problems. You definitely want to see the roof open and close.

For sure if you buy this car you would want to replace both batteries and have the brake system flushed. It could very likely need a new set of tires as well.

 

the roof and air deflector working properly, it doses not have ABC, i checked the original purchasereceipt. but yes definitly it needs new batteries and may be new set of tires, il still has its original continental

 

Perhaps the husband would go with you to have a PPI at a local MB dealer or a reputable indi.