StephenK

What would you consider a reasonable deposit to put down for an 06 SL600. I want to build a new one to my specs, but cannot get anything guaranteed, the deposit would be to hope to get one of the initial slots. I have been told that there will be about 50 available the first two months they are released in the US. The small number suprises me, it seems there are a lot of them out there.

lorinserbenz

I wouldnt give them more than $500 for a deposit.. Its not like people are lining up to buy Sl's anymore. Have you contacted MB of Tampa?.. I bet they wouldn't even ask for a deposit if your are trading your SL in.

StephenK

They actually asked for a $5,000 deposit with no idea if they could get a slot for an early build.

SL55406

hrm, i better get my @ss over to the MB dealership. I want a 06 SL55, built to order as well.

CASL55

Never bought an SL that way. I put down $2K for my E500, and $1K for my (yet to be delivered) M6. Both of those were refundable, and with today's low interest rates, it doesn't hurt much to put fown more if you trust the dealer to hand over the cash if you want out.

Jim

Juice it

I don't think a deposit is needed. It will only limit you to one dealer when the time comes. 06's will not be an all "new" car so I don't think there will be any great demand when 06's are released. I would just give your info to a few dealers and when the first call comes in, order it up.

RadSteve

I put down a $5000 deposit December 3 2004 and still don't have my 05 SL600...although it's supposedly in production now. Has been a very long wait. Whatever you put down, it should be refundable. Suggest a timeline to them if they want it nonrefundable; if it's late, it should be refundable, as an incentive to them to move things along. What color?

LovinMercedes

In Florida there is a network of brokers that trade slots nationally. If your dealer can not get a slot he can always trade for one or pay a premium. You either buy the slots or you trade them. If your dealer gets a SL55 slot, that can be traded even money for a SL600.

I have always gotten cars in the beginning of the year and this has never been a problem.

I think your dealer is BSing you or just not willing to put you high enough on the list.

Florida is a huge market for SL's. Can't understand why this would ever be a problem there.

StephenK

They actually asked for a $5,000 deposit with no idea if they could get a slot for an early build.

lorinserbenz

Whom did you speak with at MB of Tampa?

StephenK

Some lady named Edana Sidline.

lorinserbenz

Sent you a PM.. I forgot Gary is off today, if you want to call today ask for Jason Good.

StephenK

Personally I am not sure how I feel about MB of Tampa, this gal that called me today, said as a follow up to my email and phone message I left her, "You are interested in an 06 SL500", I said no an 06 SL600, slight difference, she then said only around 50 will be available in the US in the first two months of release, no guarantee they could get one, but I could give her a credit card over the phone today for $5,000 so she can take an order on it. Don't get me wrong the $$$$ is not a big deal, but it seems somewhat nervy to me that a salesperson would say I am not sure I can deliver what you are looking for but give me $5,000. The last SL600 I bought this past year, I basically had to force the dealer to take some money from me and all they wanted was $1,000. This gal really turned me off to the dealership. As a person who also sells property for a living, I hate sleezy sounding sales tactics. If I deal with them it won't be with her, that is for sure.

StephenK

I got this email today from this guy, what a waste of time.

Stephen,

We have spoken before via private messages regarding an sl 600. If you are having problems finding a dealer that will give you a slot, I can help. I have connections with mercedes-benz dealers all over the country. i can get you an early 06 sl 600 for a few thousand off mrsp, ordered to your specification from an authorized mercedes-benz dealer with few hassles. If you are interested give me a call 404-822-5247 or email amil@career.com. thanks

infiniteexoticcars@hotmail.com

THIS GUY THINKS HE IS THE MAN!!!!!!

LovinMercedes

I totally understand your feelings. If that is her attitude about an SL600 that wouldn't be the dealership for me. Sounds more like a factory to me and in some cases as with lorinserbenz, that mentality paid off.

What colors are you thinking about ordering?

RadSteve

stay away, stay far away....

StephenK

I am not sure about the new colors, I really like the black and stone combination and I get a lot of compliments on it, but I just don't know. I am hoping to go somewhere and see several SL's in various colors and make a decision. It is hard to look at a chart or to see the color on another model and know if you are going to like it or not.

Black it tough, it looks great clean, but like yesterday, it sprinkled outside for about 10 minutes and this time of year we have a lot of pollen. I came out of the office, the car is totally spotted and with the pollen it looked terrible. This morning I used this product called quick whipe by Mercedes and after a quick go around the car about 15 minutes it looked great again. Anyone every try it, it works great.

If anyone knows a great place to see a lot of them, let me know.

StephenK

I can't stand people like this clown that emailed me about a deal with "FEW HASSLES".

Juice it

Are you looking at an 06 just for the color change? The car should be the same as your 05. If you are trading in be prepared for a large hit. I like your color combo personally but since I too have black cars I know how you feel about keeping them clean!

WIldcat465

Are SL600s hard to get? When I bought mine in December, the dealer had two readily available.

Also, another local dealer wants $1k deposit (100% refundable) for any car. $5k seems excessive.

Why trade an '05 for and '06? Cosmetic changes are minor and you'll take a huge depreciation hit. Black over stone is stunning, but you;re right about the upkeep. It's almost as nice as Mars Red over Stone