EdJohnson70

Hello,

I am new to the forum and this will be my first Mercedes. I am torn between a used 05 E500 or a 03 SL500. I live in San Diego and this will be my daily driver although I have a 4Runner to haul things. THe SL has more miles and less options but has the convertible, the wow factor and I can drive it all year round. The E500 is newer, lower miles and more options and is probably more practical. The SL500 has approximately 38,000 miles and is a few thousand more. The E500 has around 14,000 miles. Your thoughts.

Ed

crb49

Great choices to have, Ed. Even though I'm partial to the the SL and the wow factor...which it certainly has, I've had an '04 and now an '07 E class and love them both.

Practicality says buy the newest, lowest milage car you can afford. Emotion says, SPORTS CAR! Although the E500 is pretty darn close.
The other main factor would be overall condition and known history of either car.

The '05 211 had a couple of years to sort out a few quirks while the '03 was the first year of the 230 with a few relatively minor issues if I remember correctly. Search the forum and you'll find all sorts of owner info on both cars and years.

Extended warranty is a reasonable way to keep things from getting stupid, especially for the SL. I would look at a third party such as warrantydirect.com. Other than that, I don't know if there is a wrong choice here.

Keep us posted and welcome to the forum. You'll find great stuff here and at benzworld.org.

xtianpel

Hi Ed,

Welcome to the forum.

Over the years I've had an E class, an S class and now I have an SL.

There is no choice. Get the SL.

You see, in my humble opinion, even though they're all Mercedes and I loved them, I have never loved a car more than my SL.

I mean no disrespect, but the other cars, even though they were wonderful, were just cars. The SL is an adventure every time you drive it.

The "new car" emotional effect of the other cars wore off eventually. I've owned my SL for 3 1/2 years now and I still feel I'm getting into a new car each and every time. Perhaps it's because I still can't believe I drive such a gorgeous car, but whatever the case owning an SL is a very different experience.

Whatever your decision, enjoy it!

johnny5

They are both excellent cars no doubt about it! It really depends on you as the driver and owner. If you like roadsters, two seaters, convertible and hardtop when needed than SL. If you like luxury and able to take friends, families, etc. on trips and for anything than e-class. Personally I have had 4 doors, 2 doors, convertible, roadsters, etc....but when I got the SL there was no comparison with anything but thats me. I still do have a 4 door and a 2 door coupe so I kind of have the best of all worlds.

I dont know if I helped in your decision but anyways Good Luck with everything.

lontong

No way, Go SL

ToughSuccess

Couldn't have put it any better

djamer

Get the SL. I recommend getting an extented warranty since most 03' models warranties have expire or will expire very shortly.

NbyNW

We have an 04 E class and the electrohydraulic brakes are really weird. *Really weird!* We got a letter from MB NA saying the warranty was extended to 10 years for the brakes. They were a big mistake for MB. The E is my wife's car and after four years I'm still not used to them. I have a BMW and the brake feel is incredible compared to the E. I've driven a number of SL's hoping to buy one, but the seat just isn't right for me so I keep passing on them (most recently a beautiful Capri Blue/Stone) and the brakes have a far better feel than the E (still electrohydraulic). Obviously they are two completely different cars... practicality go E, fun go SL.

TimsSL65

I have both an E Class (06') and an SL Class (05'). I must admit, I rarely drive the E Class. The SL class is much more fun, especially top down in sunny Southern California. Go with the SL and an extended warranty!

Tim

CHRISSS

You should consider an SL55.

But SL500 is much nicer than the E. Go with the SL!

allminesl550

Did the sl's you tried have the multi-adjustable seats? With massage pulse and side bolsters and this and that in and out and up and down? I thought they could suite anybody.
Note that the AMG seats are slightly different, these may suite you better than the base model.
Curious which car has the best seat in your opinion?

lkirchner

I have an'05 SL55 and my wife has an '06 E55. The seats in the E with the dirve dynamic seats are much better than the SL seats in my opinion.

allminesl550

I believe you, but can you say in what way are they better?
Do you mean more options/positions/range,
Or better for long rides,
or firmer,
or softer,
or wider and best for larger people,
or quieter cooling fans,
or??
what

NbyNW

The SL's I've driven have only had the base seat. I think they are too flat, and from my experience Mercedes has always had flat seats. AMG seats are fine for me - different padding, seat back, more adjustments?? Especially the E AMG. MB seats are getting much better - the new S and the GL seats seem very nice.

Overall I like BMW seats. My previous 540, M5, and current 330... the seats are just about perfect. Even the base seat. Add the 20-way multi-contour for a great seat, yet not really needed.

lkirchner

The drive dynamic feature is great the SL does not offer this. The seats at the shoulder level are wider and
more comfortable than the narrow top of the seats in the SL. The bottom cushion in the E has a great adjustment for length and firmness under your thighs whereas the SL does not. The cooling fans in both cars are totally worthless. The massage function in the E is quite good in the SL it is very faint.

GOODENUF

As a daily driver you will want to pay attention to the lower front hitting curb stops. It is not very pretty once it gets smacked.
Had an 01 E320 that I was very happy with, the 500 should be even nicer.
But the SL is always a blast to drive. Enjoy either choice.

Dragoncoach

Well, I vote for the SL. Puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. You also have to assess your needs and purpose for purchasing a particular vehicle as well as your family status. We had 2 sedans and a suv so buying the SL was a very easy choice. Our next purchase will be for the wife and will probably be an E500 or 550 in about a year. You can also sell the 4Runner and get an E500 as well! Good Luck!