gocargo

Had my blk/grey amg pkg '03 SL500 for almost 2 years now and getting the itch to upgrade. Want to stay around 100-grand. Should I go pre-owned SL55, SL600 or new SL550?

Thanks, Brett

born2mod

I pondered that same question for the past couple of months. For me, the choice was the 600. I purchased one with a couple of miles and had the renntech ecu and tcu upgrades done, and threw on the monolite rims. I am way under 100k. The car doesn't have many factory options, but that is just something else that could possibly go wrong with the car. It's all in what you want with the vehicle. The 04 600's are going for 75k to 85k, depending on the options and miles. The 04 55's were a little higher. I bought my car with the sole intentions of modding it and to get the most horsepower with the least amount of money. Everyone has different reasons for buying what they buy. The question is, what do you want to do with car? If you are going to mod it go with the 600, if you are leaving it stock, the 55 looks better. Good Luck!

Mrdredd

SL55 AMG will retain better value due to being AMG and the public's perception of it.
I have a 2004 SL55 that I'm looking to sell, PM me if you are interested

If you want to mod, easiest to do so is SL600 but the suspension and weight ratio is no where near the SL55, plus there goes your warranty.

Out of all 3 I wouldn't even consider the 550 as it isn't FI and it will be less torquey and be worthless to modify.

CY

MrDredd: What are you getting???


Also Gocargo: get a 600 if modding...55 if keeping stock....55 will have slightly better resale but thats usually not an issue with 600 owners.

Mrdredd

55 isn't that bad for modding, you can still get HP out of it ... you can just get more out of a 600 but you suffer from the lacking suspension and weight ratio

I am trying to upgrade to either an SL65 or a CL65

CY

What color SL65? I recently saw a white one on black rims, limo tinted and slammed.....hardest sh*t Ive seen in a while....most people get black or silver on those.

roccoriley

Drive them both and see which you prefer.

I did, and the 600 was the best choice for me. Torque= Fantastic

BiTurboBenz

When the SL55 came out in 2002 I thought it was my dream car. Then I learned of this new V12 Benz was developing for the $375,000 Maybach. I thought to myself "what if they dropped that into the SL?" Well, they did and this new SL600 became my dream car. The only thing better would be the SL65, but I can barely stomach the depreciation on my 600 let alone the 65 . Get the 600, they are bargains on the used market. Every class of Benz from C to E to S etc. gets the ///AMG badge, how many V12 badges are there out there?

PS - sit in the SL55 seats and then sit in the SL600 seats, 9 out of 10 people will tell you that the 600 seats are waaaayyyy more comfy. And thats what I am looking for in a GT: comfort + power!

jmf003

+1

Definitely take each of the SL55 and SL600 on a long test drive. Both great cars but slightly different personalities.

GMBALL

SL600. Power, Torque.

55User

In any form the SL is a great car and I can't imagine anyone having buyer's remorse after owning one, in either 600 or 55 form its basically supercar powerful and is very practical, for a two seater at least. The 600 is more of a tourer and has a smoother ride, but the 55 is I think the perfect blend of sport and luxury. You can't go wrong either way.

BrabusTrojanSL

I would get the 55 for handling and the sportiness, but when I see 600 it just means that guy paid a little more for the engine. Even the 500 has torque, but when you roll in a 55 it means you are driving a super car. The 600 may be able to upgraded, but at the end of the day a 55 would take a 600, maybe not a straight away, but for sure on a canyon run. My 500 is already too much everything for me, I say get whichever car you enjoy driving more because both are awesome cars! 550's are garbage, congrats!

CY

550's are Garbage....????

meegle

And yet you love your SL500?

bltserv

As always this discussion continues.

Got the cash. Get the SL65. No question. Its the best.
Want a AMG. Already Modded and more of a Canyon Car. Get the SL55.
Want a V12 Cheaper and Mod it. SL600.
Want a BFN SL. SL550. Remember its only 350 HP.

So yes. I know a SL550 owner who goes ape in my SL55.
"I could have got a AMG SL55" Just a little buyers regret.
That extra power turns a regular SL into the beast that it can be.
A SL550 and SL500 are not in the same discussion with the
AMG`s and the V12 when it comes to raw power.

As mentioned. DRIVE ALL OF THEM. Decide what is best for you
and your pocketbook. And try to think about warranty and resale
potential. A moded V12 is only good for a very narrow few on the
resale world. Where a Pristine Stock SL55 has a better shot at resale $$$ down the road. My choice. Pre-owned SL55. For $ 100k a low mile 2006.
For that price make it CPO. A little more $$ and you can SL65.

DFW01E55

A little mo' money and you can DB9.
A little mo' money and you can Bentley GT.
A little mo' money and you can 911 Turbo.
A little mo' money and you can Gallardo.
A little mo' money and you can F430.
A little mo' money and you can Murcielago.
A little mo' money and you can Carrera GT.
A little mo' money and you can ... make me stop!

ItalianStallion

mo' money mo' problems. Its true, the more money you spend on a car the more headaches you get lol.

BrabusTrojanSL

Didn't mean garbage in the sense of actual garbage, but a comparison of price and car, I would rather buy a 500 than a 550, plain and simple.
By the way, whats up with the 550 owners taking off the 0? Lol.

CY

Thats what I thought you meant....and what can you do: if it isnt a 550 with an AMG badge then its a 550 with no 0 and without an AMG engine...either way badge wars are part of our MB heritage...LOL

GOODENUF

I believe the horsepower in the 06 SL500 is 302 and in the 07 SL550 it is 382. That is not AMG power but still is quite an increase. Either way IMHO any SL is a blast to drive/own.

gocargo

I've driven both the SL55 and SL600 (the SL65 is above my price range), although I prefer the 600's comfort and interior refinements plus live near the Panoz-Renntech folks I'm leaning towards the SL55 due to it being quick enough for my driving and equipped with some of the cosmetic features I like out of the box. I'll upgrade to the SL65 in a couple years once either the price falls or my disposable income improves.

Thank you all for your assistance!

-Brett

Energy34108

The above is mostly true, but after looking at 4 of the cars you listed above we realized they are not practical daily drivers and the Sl 600 Renntech worked best for us.