navfaz08

Hey guys just got my '03 sl500 for my birthday

black/beige Parktronic, Keyless Go, Distronic, Integrated Phone, AMG Sport Package, 18inch chrome AMG rims, Bi-Xenon Headlights.......here are some exterior pics:

blazinginder

congrats and happy birthday...glad to have a new SL owner on the board..the car's a blast...ENJOY

seattlecarfreak

and to think.. i thought getting a pair of socks was special for my birthday..

spnslc

This car is so much fun and is such a thrill to drive! I wish you many happy miles and Happy Birthday!

________________________
Sue’s 2006 SL500
European Delivery February 2006

navfaz08

hahah yeah it was from my parents they thought i deserved it.....believe me i was in shock too... it was my dream car ever since my dad had one

StephenK

Why in the world would you buy that color combination???

navfaz08

haha...by the way i love your color combination too

WOOCHOW

sorry for the sour grapes, but receiving an SL for your 16th birthday is a bit over the top from my point of view. It's a nice car and you must be quite happy to be so blessed as to have a family with the means to do something like that. I just got my SL a few weeks ago and it took everything I had and then some for me to swing the purchase, but I feel that I accomplished something in working and yes, sacrificing, to be able to finally able to get a car I have always longed for. Maybe I'm just bitter, and a bit jealous, but I find it more satisfying to buy something like this on your own, it tends to build character. What do you get when you're eighteen, a McLaren? Please understand this is not meant to be personal and I wish you all the best with your car, there is just something wrong with this from my point of view. Be safe! Sorry for the rant....................

spnslc

When I was in high school, one of the girls in my class received a brand new baby blue SL for her 16th birthday. That was my introduction to these awesome cars and I have been "turned on" to them ever since. In my case, it took me 30 years to fulfill my dream, though. It was worth the wait and even better than I ever imagined!

________________________
Sue’s 2006 SL500
European Delivery February 2006

StephenK

I would suspect that you can get a pretty good deal on 03 SL500's at this point. Buying your son or daughter a sports car like this if the financial means are available seems like an ok thing to me. They are in one of the safest sports cars in the world, and they propably didn't end up paying much more than a new sports car of lesser quality and safety.

navfaz08

I can see where u guys are coming in from but its not someting that I am taking and rubbing it in someone's face and i do appreciate what my parents got me.....and i will certainly not be getting a mclaren by the time im 18 bc i will have this car for awhile it is a car that i drive a long with my dad because he use to have one and misses it so he drives it every once on awhile. We were fortunate to find this beautiful car for a price we could not refuse. I am not one of those kids who turn 16 anf get a good car but not appreciate it.
y parents had to work hard to get this for me.

Keng1

If you got an SL for your birthday, thats great. Wish I got one when I turned 16. I dont think its over the top. Its all about perspective isnt it. I bet if someone bought their kid a brand new toyota, they'd still get someone making a comment about spoiling their kid.

ShervSL500AMG

Hey Woochow, don't hate when it is a time to celebrate. I got an SL just like that for my 17th birthday. I think you should be happy for him instead of a downer. Congrats man!

Vik888

I remember a kid in my high school whose parents apparently own half of San Juan Capistrano's commercial real estate, bought him a Ferrari for his 18th bday/graduation.

Anyway, to each his own. Lets not judge and just be happy for the guy. He's going to be given a hard time by a lot of people that are part of his 'real life' as it is ..

congrats!

seattlecarfreak

I have to agree that one shouldn't criticize him for getting one..

How many of you would turn down a car like that on your birthday?
Hell I wouldn't. Besides, it is a very nice, safe car, and not too ridiculously fast. (sl500)

If anything, I think the duty lies in the parents. IMHO they didn't make the best choice. I think all of us can look back now and thank that our parents bought us what we had back in high school, as it gave us much more ambition to work harder to achieve our dream cars as time transpired. When you are simply given your dream car immediately, it does kinda ruin the internal momentum to achieve.. etc.. and among various other reasons, yes it probably wasn't the best choice by the parents.. and i can't fathom why any successful parent would do such a thing, but they did, and it is a great car...
don't blame him.. enjoy it.. it's a great car and you'll love it

jmrdmd

Happy Birthday and congrats on the car!
Jan

navfaz08

HAHAH thanks a lot for the help there guys and so far i LOVE it

S23O5C15

A 2003 SL500 would cost similar to that of something like an M3, which is a fairly typical upscale car for 16-18 year olds in some parts of the country.

If you're going to spend that sort of money on your kid, a used SL500 is not a bad choice. A better choice than an M3, for sure: it's safe, forgiving to drive, and (most importantly) slow.

Vik888

You're a riot .. " have to agree that one shouldn't criticize him for getting one.."

then you go head and write a huge paragraph with your critique .. hah.

seattlecarfreak

Correct..As I said, one should't criticize "him" for getting one.. it's not his fault, and no kid in their right mind would turn down a free sl500.

as i further continued to say, my opinion is that the only fault lies within their parents for making such a choice to provide him with such a vehicle this early in his life.
Learn to read before you respond next time. Thanks.

WOOCHOW

I must be living under a rock. An M3 is a "typical" car for 16 to 18 year olds in some parts of the country? I'm not saying that the statement is untrue, I just have a hard time accepting it. I know I'm starting to sound like my father who said, "in my day I had to walk to school 10 miles each way and it was all uphill coming and going." In my youth, I couldn't get a car until I could afford to buy one or make payments, pay for insurance, and pay for gas and maintenance. I rode a Honda SL350 (my first SL) through most of college until I bought a Vega because the boss at my job wasn't pleased with me showing up for work soaking wet whenever the weather was bad-and motorcycles are a pain to ride when it snows. I guess I'm old fashioned or maybe just old and out of touch or maybe just "poor white trash" but I can't accept the notion of these lavish gifts for no reason other than you managed to stay alive and out of trouble for a period of time. You need to work for what you get; it is the only way you come to appreciate the value of material things and is a way to build character and virtue so that you treat
others in a kind and fair way. You can't have everything handed to you. Someone in a previous reply insinuated that I should stop my hate. I don't hate the young gentleman who received the car for his birthday. He must be a "good" kid to be on the receiving end of such a gift. I just disagree with the pretense of such a gift. I guess it is just a part of my upbringing and to some, a character flaw. I will now step off the soapbox and try to return to automotive related posts-but this topic really got my attention. Sorry for the way I feel.

GMBALL

Well! Congrats on your new car! That can only happen in US! In Europe even the richest kids get a Mercedes C240 or a BMW 320d or cars like that for their 18 birthday. I gave a 2000 Grand Cherokee to my son and he still cant believe that he has such a car.

seattlecarfreak

it's not typical.. but most upper class communities have their fair share of kids that receive $50k+ cars... in my school we had atleast 13 kids with brand new bmw m3s.. one kid got a new sl500 as well (and a viper, and one of those bmw m3s above)

sometimes parents are never there for their kids and try to buy their affection, some are so stuck on looking good infront of their peers that they have the.. "look what i can afford to buy my kid" type of ego.. some want their house to look picture perfect, with nothing but expensive cars parked outside, some use the car as a matter of power, to control their kid.. ("act this way and you get the car.. keep acting this way and you can keep it.."), etc..

it's really not the kids fault.. think back when you were that age.. would you turn down your dream car? it's the parents that I wonder about..

Keng1

Good lord, this post certainly has struck a lot of interest.

I am still puzzled why there are sweeping statements that judge the parents or the kids. As far as I am concerned, parents are doing a great job if their kids are not doing crime, drugs or causing harm to others. If thats what it takes, I vote for buying affection or whatever else you call it.

Of course all of us probably have our share of similar comments as well...

'how can you spend so much money on a car'
'overcompensating for something?'

Cheers

djamer

Congrats on your new wheels.. No bitterness or jealous here. If your parents have the means to buy you such a nice car, enjoy it and be humble about it.

Just remember always to respect your parents, treat em' w/ kindness and graditute because I think alot of times especially in America, rich kids get all the perks and never truly appreciate what their parents are providing for them.

Cheers!
Amer