DeLorean00

Well my car will be paid off in 4 years, so what do you think they will be worth then? Right now a 2003-5 SL500 seem to sell for around $30k. So in four years what do you think they will be worth, $20k, $10k? I am only considering the cars still in excellent shape.

I know right now you can get some edgy late 90's R129 for under $10k. But it seems that the clean ones still fetch around $15-20k.

Do you think the R230 will hold their value better then the R129? Or will we all own $10k cars?

If my car is only worth $10k in four years I think I will just keep it and wait until its a classic.

mlandis

This is all speculation, of course, but I think it'll hold up better, if anything because of the design. The 2003-08 R230 design is something I've yet seen paralleled. The R129 and R107 reflect the styling of the times, being boxier and rounder, respectively. The R230 could fit any number of eras, with curves and lines neither too minimal nor extreme. It's pretty timeless, from my perspective.

I think the demand for the R230 will be greater than the R129, keeping its price elevated. Of course, they're so popular that there may be a better supply, but as you say, the maintenance makes all the difference. I'd imagine that poorly maintained R230's will be junk, and given the care they require, there may be fewer in excellent condition than there are excellent R129's.

Of course, gas may stop flowing in 2 years for all we know, so it may become a moot point. But it's a fun exercise!

Artyi

Mm... You know, I guess it will we worth around $15-20k, but it seems that the owners of R230 will keep them for future in they garage until it is classic.
I made my decision few months ago and decided to keep my SL as a sporty car for summer weekends.
I already invested lots of money into it and it went done in price for $20k in few years...
I still don't know what I can have instead of this beauty, so that's the best choice to have
Keep it!

mlandis

+1 -- I'd bet a lot of people will just hang on to them because they are so damn beautiful, driving up the price.

DeLorean00

I have no intentions of selling mine in four years, and I really won't consider it for $10-15k. In my opinion the SL is far better off in my garage then $10-15K in my bank.

biophase

I think that a 2003 SL500 will be worth about $15k in 4 years. I think the SL at 15k would still be an incredible cruising around convertible. If people want a convertible, they would be choosing from the SL vs the Sky, Miatas, Crossfire... which would you choose? However, if the roof has issues and it still costs $4k to fix, people would shy away from buying it due to maintenance.

Artyi

I choose SL, I will earn those $10k, but SL will always fit my garage with it's beauty which is priceless.

I don't know, but for me R230 is such a beautiful car, that half a year ago I was thinking about selling it and you know what... I stayed with it, because I didn't fine a car I would like have instead of it.

SpainSL500

Well, it's tough to say with the current market conditions. I agree with one of the above posts, these cars are gorgeous and the design timeless. Whether it's woeth 10k or 20k it will be in my garage rather than those extra few dollars in the bank.

blueSL

I have one of the first SL55s - September 2002 - only done 12500 miles - but there's an identical car for sale here for 30% of what I paid then, 70% depreciation. Mine will be worth a little more because of its low mileage but what scares people away is the maintenance cost if something goes wrong.

It's a complex car, loads of electronics, a fancy braking system which is nightmarishly expensive to fix. I persuaded MB to pay the $5500 replacement cost of my brake controller (the silver lump at the front of the engine bay) and I'm gentle with my gearbox because it was that which cost me an arm and a leg on my R129 SL600.

As for the future, the rate of depreciation can only slow and I'm putting more miles on mine (finding it much better to drive with ABC Sport on) and giving my 996TT a rest which I will be trading for a facelifted 997 TT next year, though the depreciation of the 996 is equally eye-watering.

Bam Bam

Are these R230 good at sitting around for a couple of months of not driving and then drive again? I hear problems about the battery and what not.

In 4 years, an 03 R30 will probally be about 17K. If I own an 03 R230 I would just buy the body kit and make it look like an 09 R230.

teeth

Mine will be worth exactly what it says on my lease, negotiated when times were better (Oct 07). Give a tiny bit of peace of mind in this strange economy.

mlandis

Off-topic, but I'll bite. So tell me, what modern car is "good" at that? My Accord battery died after 2 months of not being driven. So did my Mini. Almost every modern car has always-live electronics on it, so if you don't drive it, it dies.

At least the R230 has two batteries, so that you can start it up after 2 months and get the convenience battery charged again. No problems there. If for some reason that didn't work, you're no worse off than you were if you had a Honda. Call AAA or TELE-AID.

blueSL

My experience is that no, they are not good. It's the battery of course and I've fitted a connector in the boot (trunk) connected directly to the battery through a 10A fuse. I then attach an intelligent battery trickle charger when the car is not being used. Neither the cigar lighter/power connector in the trunk are live when the ignition is off, so the only way to charge the battery is to make direct connections to it.

Charger (Mascot 9840) is here: http://www.mascot.no/?CatID=1192

Batteries suffer irreversible chemical changes if allowed to go completely flat; the Mercedes battery is a gel battery which is supposed to be less sensitive to deep discharge but I'm on my third in nearly 7 years.

Have to say, the car feels much better to drive through regular use. More than any car I've owned, the R230 doesn't appear to like sitting around.

neomonkey

Just buy a battery tender!

Seriously, when I don't drive my 4runner for three weeks it needs a jump. Any car you don't drive will have battery drain.

Artyi

How those battery tenders work, have never had it...
I'm planning to put my car into garage for winter season this time, and now I see that I need this thing really badly...
Also, what you think about covering car? One side tells that it's bad because car doesn't breath (paint exactly) and others say it is OK... So what is OK?

blueSL

They are just small battery chargers - when I say intelligent, they monitor the battery state and charge it appropriately, whereas a trickle charger just feeds in a small current whether the battery needs it or not.

As for covering the car in a garage, I would say just cover it with a cotton sheet to keep the dust off; I would not bother with the tailored tight fitting car covers, too likely to scratch the paintwork. Even outside, I think it's better to let the car take the weather, try to keep it away from trees and wash any bird droppings off promptly.

Artyi

Do you plug-in it to electricity?

I'll keep it in garage and definitely under cotton cover, I'll make it my self

ejsheltra

Investing in a good trickle charger for the dormant times and starting it once a month to keep the lubrication up is a good way to keep the life in our cars and avoid the dead battery battery/ dormant life issues. I cover my cars in the garage with a good quality breathable car cover fitted to it. Again cheap insurance against damage. Dad always said 'Anything worth having is also worth taking good care of.'

biophase

Yes it needs to be plugged in.

IMO, a cover isn't really necessary. It just keeps dust from accumulating on it. I've seen people do this thinking it would keep the car warmer in winter.

Back in Chicago we used to plug the exhaust holes because sometimes mice and rats would use it as a home for the winter.

BACK2DTM

I change my car once or twice a year. Lately I have been thinking about what I can get but I just can't think of one!! Although I have been eyeing an Aston Martin on AutoTrader... but I think I will still keep the SL for a while.

IngenereAMG

The SL is far too good a car to 'give away' for $10K.

What else can you buy that is this good looking, has the features these have and in my case 550+ hp and a 200mph top speed. The answer is nothing. It is a keeper!

vantage78

As a price point, I just sold my 2005 SL500 with 30.8k miles for $38250. Depreciation is absolutely horrible on these cars, even with a 15% discount off MSRP.

I do agree with the comments that the 03-08 SL's still have a gorgeous shape. Something about the new facelifted nose just doesn't sit well with me, esp. with the rear being the same as the pre-facelift cars.

mikesSL55fla

These cars are not for the faint of heart. They MUST be driven . I love the sound when you start it and when your on the highway doing 85 like nothing with the top down(bar up for those that answered that thread) and you put your foot down and the beast in it rumbles.
I had a friend brag about his vette and how much hp it had. he invites me to the dyno one weekend. Dont you know my clean 55 did 460 at the wheels ,with his only doing 375 with the juice(NOS). They had to adjust the chains twice because of the torque on the 55.
Yes maintaining these cars is not cheap but as my sunday/pleasure driver. I measure the worth as how relaxed and at peace i am going down A1A or at a black tie and the car just looks so sexy and classy.
I personally love this car and it will be well cared for .
Thanks guys and girls for all the helpful and useful info. Its nice to see people take pride in their cars.

mlandis

+1. Even with a basic SL550 I can't help but grin when I push from 85 and watch it just. keep. going.

DeLorean00

You bring up a good point. I still own a Pontiac Fiero. I bought this car years and years ago, its long since lost any value. But I still own it because its a blast to drive. I keep it stored in a garage across town. Every now and then, when the mood strikes I take it for a spin. When I jump in it, it brings me right back to being 17 years old. How can you place a value on that? So this car may have no cash value, buts its worth a ton to me.

I can see the SL being the same way in a few years.