mjr24

I have a CL now, but am looking to get rid of it because I only have about 20k more miles on the warranty (which for me, is about 8 months of driving). Plus, I wanted to wait until after the winter, it would suck to drive in the snow with a new car. Finally, alot of SL's are getting into the under 70k range now...and I believe by spring they will be in the upper 50s and lowers 60s. If I had waited one year to get my CL...I probably could have picked 1 up with similar miles for $10-15k less....and cut my payments down 20% per month. A few questions...
1-How is the build quality of the 03-04? My CL has had numerous little problems...nothing real major...but annoying. I will be going for the 500 and not 600 b/c I drive too much and the 600 just is not practical for that.
2-The panoramic roof....was that a pretty common option in the 03/04? How about the Sport package...seems a high majority of SL's have the Sport package it seems.
3-Are the Sport packages on both the 500 and 600 the same in terms of the body styling?

StephenK

Sport packages are identical on the 500 and 600's.
Mixed opinions on the pano roof, several felt it was cheap looking on the inside.
03 some quality complaints and a lot of negatives about the CD based navigation and the newer models are DVD based.

The 600's are a lot plusher than the 500's, alcantara headliner, leather dash, etc...

vraa

Avoid the 500 if you can, the extra things that come in the 600/55/65's are worth the money.

sillydriver

I've owned both an 03 and an 04. I had lots of problems with the 03 but none so far with the 04.

shoes

I had a very early 2003 and it gave me lots of grief- brakes noises (squeals and chirps), ticking sounds from the fuel pump (they replaced the fuel tank and it did not go help), transmission lethargy, lots of noises from the top. I had an early SL55 and it had the same problems except no lethargy. I had a 2004 SL500 with the 7 speed transmission- this really made the car feel more lively, but when cold, it was clunky in the lower gears. The top and the brakes still gave me problems and the ticking noise was still there albeit quieter.

I now have a 2005 SL600. The top and the brakes still make noises, but I have finally learned to tune them out. The engine and transmission are Germany's gift to mankind.

I have also had the CL500, CL600 and CL65. I think the build quality on the CL is superior to the SL, mostly having to do with body integrity. I am sure the retractable hardtop has something to do with it but the offsetting benefit is the ability to let the sun shine in.

lkirchner

I have both a CL and an SL. I think the build quality of the 2 are but equal but the CL is much more luxurious. The top issue on the SL is really not an issue if you have a qualified and capable dealer. I had a few creaks and groans but the dealer took care of them in one visit.

They are 2 totally different cars. I think that the CL is one of the most beautiful cars MB has ever built. The SL is one of the most solid open cars that I have owned; next to no cowl shake and in its own right also quite an eye catcher. I would agree with the earlier post that the 600, 55 or 65 is the way to go. There is no comparison with the 500 vs these three.

Good luck in your search.

Chris 45971

Wow! That's some MB loyalty Shoes.

Except for a drip in the trunk, my 2005 500 has been magnificent. I would tell the dealer to fix the roof and break problem. There is no way you should have to put up with anything like that in a new car, first year production or otherwise.

WIldcat465

I have an 04 CL500 and an 05 SL600. The CL is more comfortable and a better daily driver--it's more practical; however, the feeling I get when I'm driving the SL down the coast is hard to beat. I'd buy another CL. I don't know if I'd buy another SL.

I'd avoid pre-'05 SLs if only becuase the old Nav sucks.

They're both beautiful cars, I'm glad that I have the opportunity to be able to drive them both.

Overclocked412

I have one the early 2003's (not launch edition) and have never had a problem so far. Its more or less just getting lucky in getting a 'good' one. It would be a bit better to go for a 2004 however. If you can find one at a decent price.

As far as pricing on SL500's. There are at least ten 03 (maybe 04 too?) on ebay right now in the mid 60's.

And about the 'CD' navigation, personally I dont understand what people are griping about. Are there mechanical failures with it? If they mean using it, I havent had any issues. Personally, You just have to have the will to learn something new. Being the tech savy person I am, I had no problems picking it up. Justs takes a little time to get used to it.

lorinserbenz

Everything you can get on 600/55/65 is available on the 500 except the motor.
What you do get on the 600/55/65 is a MAJOR hit in depreciation .
2005 Sl 600s are fetching $105-99 at auction... thats 30 grand lost in one year.
I paid $84000 for my car... chances are it will retail at 79 next year before the 2007 debuts... So I lose a whopping 5grand..
A 500 is always going to be the easiest to sell and cost less over the long term to maintain.

WIldcat465

What the 500 does not give you is the smoothness that you get with a 12 cyl. The difference between the 500 and the 600 is huge. It's a completely different experience so much so that I will never own a 500 again. I say if you can afford a new 600 get a used one and don't even consider the 500.

For me, it's not about the depreciation. I knew going in that it would be bad, but the experience of driving the car far outweighs the depreciation hit.

StephenK

I know personally when I bought my car, depreciation was the last thing on my mind, actually it wasn't on my mind at all, I didn't even think about it. I wanted the car - PERIOD.

As far as 500 to 600, it's night and day. You will never be happy in a 500 after driving a 600.

I have an SL320, an S500 and a SL600, I pretty well have a good spread on engines and I can assure you the 600 is the way to go.

vraa

I didn't even think about depreciation.

And I'm talking about mainly the motor, but the smaller details as well that come standard.

Or if you're thinking about SL55, the Alacantra headliners and what not.

lorinserbenz

You are right the 600 is very smooth in comparison to the 55 and 500.
I test drove all three and the 600 is on the one I liked the most. I just couldnt deal with losing so much in depreciation in the first year.
On the used market the 600 is a steal, if I had a choice between a new 500 and a used 600 Id get the 600.

ShervSL500AMG

I completely agree with Overclocked, 03 or 04 for me makes no difference since the car itself is so beautiful in every way. The navi may be different, but almost everything else is the same. I love SL's

Wolfman

I loved our CL500, but it was always standing in the garage while the SL was being driven. Finally got rid of it after 2 1/2 years with onlt 12500 miles on it while the SL was driven 20k miles a year...

If you get a SL55/SL600 the interior is equally luxurious or better (leather quality and alcantara headliner). I would definitely get the pano roof, especially if you have some bad weather or are a bit taller. Looks very classy with the alcantara headliner...

Otherwise I agree with all comments made re. the 55/600 vs the 500. Strangely enough, I had more issues with the CL. Nothing major, but many small nuissance problems, like window seals (wind noise), window regulators, seat memory and ABC leveling...

Wolfman