J1013

I'm in the market for a new SL with possible Europeon Delivery. Is the SL550 a night and day difference from the SL500 and how does the SL550 compare with the SL55? Any help is appreciated.

blazinginder

SL55 = 493hp
SL550 = 388hp
SL500 = 302hp


Personally I wouldnt purchase a new SL550 but rather a 2005 SL55 with low miles for the same price if not less. The SL550 though a good improvement over the 500, cant compare to power and performance of the 55.

If you're looking for an excellent dealer, I highly recommend going to Ray Catena Mercedes Benz in Edison NJ, I sent you a PM with more information

prsmith777

2007 SL55 = 510hp

blazinginder

haha smith is right the 2007 SL55 is 510hp, I was refering to pre 2007 models because you'd be better of buying a 2005 SL65 if u were looking at a new 07 55.

MercedesFTW

My dad is also looking for a SL. He doesn't care about horsepower or AMG performance, despite me trying to educate him on such important matters.

I thought I read somewhere new SL500s can be bought for...really cheap?

meegle

Check eBay as they have quite a few new 2006 SL500's selling for 80-82K, most of them are from a dealer in SC.

elbowyeish

i would agree in saying to get a used SL55 AMG. if you plan on driving a SL550 for a long while, then MAYBE, just maybe you can purchase it, but most of us want to ride it for a few years, have our fun, then get into another MB. if you lease the SL550 that's one thing but if you buy it, you will take a HUGE hit when you want to sell it or trade it in. the used SL55 will probaby be sold at a fair market price and the huge depreciation hit will already be suffered by its first owner. and you can NOT compare the SL500 nor the SL550 to the SL55. i had a '03 SL500 and it's night and day difference with my current SL55. i test drove the 550 as well, but it still falls short of the 55. the slight cosmetic difference is not enough to give up the performance of the 55 from the 550. so i would say get a used SL55 with low miles, unless you do like the above mentioned and get a used SL65. trust me, you'll feel a lot prouder having a 55 badge on your rear than a 500 or 550 (no offense to anyone who drives a 500 or 550. both are excellent cars, but i'm just trying to give my opinion).

to MercedesFTW: my advice would be the same to you and your father in terms of the price hit you will encounter when you try to get rid of the SL500. unless you drive that car to the ground, you will take a HUGE depreciation hit when you try to sell it or trade it in considering the new SL550, 55, and 65's are out. i took a more than $15,000 hit when i got rid of my SL500. dealers will most likely give you auction prices and not kelley blue book prices. try to lease a CPO SL55, ride it for a few years, then turn that in for the newest SL that's out. haha

MercedesFTW

Thanks for the advice elbowyeish. My father is really against getting used cars, I have no idea why. There are a couple nice *barely* used SL55s here, but he won't even consider them. But I'll tell him about the depreciation! Thanks.

BTW that is an awsome color combo on the SL!

J1013

After hearing the opinions it probably is better to pick up a 2005 SL55 and use it till the next model change. Where is the best place to look for a used one and what price should they be? Am I better off posting this on the SL55 forums? Thanks for the responses.

elbowyeish

thanks for the compliment! if you father is against used cars and has the money to dish out, why not get a new one! hahaha. but seriously he will take a HUGE hit when he tries to get rid of it. does your father care much about performance or engines or does he just want a nice cruiser? if he cares about performance, then definitely get him into a SL55. like you said, there is a night and day difference between the SL500 and SL55. the SL550 is somewhere in between but still falls short of the 55 IMO.

MercedesFTW

He is a very..frugal man. He likes to save a penny whenever he can. So to him a "new" 06 Sl500 is a better deal than an 07 Sl550. I told him about the 55, but he still isn't convinced that its worth 130K for just a bigger engine.

I'll try harder to convince him.

elbowyeish

haha i'm telling you. a used SL55 from a dealer will be almost new! they do all the touch ups, auto detailing, etc. the first SL500 i bought was a CPO with low miles. the first owner took a HUGE hit of about $20,000 when he traded it in. he originally bought it for around $105,000 and i bought it for $69,000. he only had the car for 2 1/2 years. trust me, none of us will drive the SL long enough to build positive equity on the car. i say we'll drive it max 2 years until the next generation comes out. especially the '06 SL500 will depreciate even MORE because the '07 550's are out. why do you think the dealers are trying so hard to get rid of them so fast? human nature is one that always wants the newest and latest things that's out there. that includes cars. but if your father doesn't care about the performance and engine, then i guess you can get into a 500. but if that's the case, definitely definitely just lease a CPO SL500. they are dropping at about $1000-$1200 a month for depreciation!

Vik888

Great minds think alike

I'm the same way. Its like buying used clothing for me. I buy all my cars new and plan to buy an 07 55 later this year .. heck, maybe next week if the deal on my plane closes.

I keep my cars 7-10 yrs as well .. so that may have a lot to do with it.

boylston

Have you decided on a color yet, Vik?

Vik888

I'd like one in each color I like

Initially I thought I'd like Diamond Silver, but each time I see the car close up, all I see is Blue .. BABY BLUE .. ugh.

So I'm down to Silver, Black and maybe Mystic White however, I already own a white car now and want something different.

It will probably be Silver or Black ..

Interior .. wood looks so classy, but that carbon fiber looks so sporty. I guess I need to make up my mind .. sporty or classy. Same with interior color .. black/charcoal (or whatever they're offering) versus light grey on Silver exterior or camel brown or whatever they're calling it now on the Black.

Lastly, I'm in the process of selling my plane, so once thats done, I'll go down to the dealership and spend a lot more time test driving and deciding on a color/interior option.

meegle

My wife had her mind set on black...until she saw a storm red version at a show.
You may want to look at the seat colors in person as the closest that they offer to tan is the stone seating. I do wish that they offered the darker version like savanna/cashmere as in the S550 because the difference between the two is night and day.

Sorry to say, but you have your hands full on which combo to choose.

Good luck!

bltserv

Get Dad to go with the AMG. I shopped around for a year.
The Used SL55 vs the New SL500. Drive them both.
The AMG will win every time. It may have something to do
with that extra 200Hp. Unless you are going whole hog on
a new SL550 w/Sport. SL55 used would be a great choice.
I found a used 2005 SL55 I purchased in June for $86K.
It had a few miles, 22K. But beats new by $50K.

Vik888

I've seen your car and its beautiful! I've already got an 89 420SEL in a similiar color, which is why I'm leaning towards black or silver, but, you never know. I might end up getting it again.

I love your tint as well. I have yet to see anyone elses car on here with tint that was such a perfect match for my taste.