Airmousam

Am interested in an SL 03 with 49k miles for 22,000 private sale. What are some things to look for? i know these have abc issues, just looking for tips from the experts on what to look for during pre sale inspection. Trying to decide between this and a CLK 550. Thanks all

seven_out

The transmission fluid should have been changed at around 40K miles. Check if this was done. My M-B dealer charges around $450 for this service.

Airmousam

Thank you!

COMEINPEACE

I have mentioned this before- if you are new to the car. download the manual,familiarize yourself with all the buttons and make sure ALL THE FUNCTIONS WORK..cycle the height levels, top ect....if the car has sat idle for a week, surprise attack the owner and see if it sags at any corner(the mileage indicates it sits).

COMEINPEACE

oh and to add another 2cents i think the price is a tad high-2006 with that mileage wholesale for that price
glk its a beautiful car- i LOVE MINE!

diablo2112

Personally, I would avoid the 03 and 04 R230s now that 05-08 models can be had for nearly similar prices. A couple of reasons for this. 03 and 04 models had issues with loose baffles in the gas tank which disconnect with age/mileage, this causes a very annoying rattle. The COMAND (sic) systems in these cars are CD based and TERRIBLE. (in fairness, the 05+ COMAND is only marginally better (DVD based). 05+ cars have the upgraded 7-speed transmission, a definite improvement over the 03 and 04 models. Finally, the early models had a plastic shift lock release which has a history of breaking and leaving the car unable to shift our of park. Once it breaks, its a total PITA to replace. If you're going to buy an 03 or 04, you'll want to upgrade the shift lock release to a metal part before the plastic one goes out.

Your very best bet is an 07 or 08: These have the upgraded 5.8l 32-valve engine (designated as the SL550 in the US; +80HP over the original), gen II ABC systems, retuned and faster-shifting transmissions, a bunch of other upgrades (sat radio standard, for example), and generally are mature enough in the model line to have worked out much of the growing pains. They retain the smooth styling of the original 03-06 R230s, another huge plus; the 09+ model drastically changed the front headlights, and IMHO, it didn't improve the classic looks of the original.

Of course, YMMV. Good luck. Whatever you buy, insist on seeing full service records. These cars are either Jekyl or Hyde. Some will go forever with few or no issues; others seem to need constant service to address a myriad of problems.

As much as we owners would like to think our cars are valuable, honestly, its a buyers market for the R230. This is due in-part to the high repair costs, the lapsing of warranty on the early models, and the bad reputation of the ABC system and a few other high-dollar problems. Many R230s are available for sale all over, and a buyer has his/her choice of model year, color, mileage, etc. At ridiculously low purchase prices. There are great examples to be found, and problem-free R230s do exist and are a complete joy to own and drive. You have to do your homework, and better yet, find an R230 expert to help you evaluate a car you might be considering.

seven_out

Apart from the obvious difference that '04 and later 500s have 7-speed trannies and that COMAND was revised for '05, in my view MY2003 - MY2006 cars are essentially equal with technically little to distinguish them. My personal preference would be an '03 car because for manu-matic shifting the 5-speed suits me better, and I like how the earlier COMAND is set in the dash surrounded by the wood trim of the shift console. For me the earlier COMAND has outstanding audio and the navigation is adequate.

On my SL500 there is a distinct time delay for the shift lock to disengage. I wonder if breakage occurs when the shift lever is moved too quickly for the lock to fully disengage; if so, then a broken lock can probably be avoided by simply taking care when moving the lever out of Park.

ABC was revised for MY2007. According to Car and Driver body roll in Sport mode was reduced 60% over the earlier system. I'm guessing it's possible that no revisions were made at that time to improve the reliability or longevity of the ABC.

BlownV8

It is a 5.5L (5.461L to be exact) engine not a 5.8L but it is 4 valve per cylinder.

fxrs1955

I have an 05 SL500 and it's been a joy, the only problems I've had were the ABC accumulators and the front suspension bushings, both normal problems. I strongly suggest flushing the ABC system,whatever year you buy. That being said when the right 08 SL55 or SL600 comes along I'll be a buyer.

freeschwag

Protip - don't touch the 03/04, it's the first year(s) of the model series and have been widely known to have a lot of problems.

seven_out

There is no evidence I know of to support this assertion. Several people making this claim have stated they came to this conclusion by post count on web forums. But all else being equal, there are going to be far more posts with problems from '03 and '04 cars because M-B sold more cars in these years than any other. In fact 4 out of every 10 U.S. R230s are MY2003 or MY2004.

Further, several years of Consumer Reports' buying guide have owner surveys for the R230, and in each instance the '03 car was equal to or actually better than an '05 despite being two years older. The attachment is from 2008. Later issues of the guide include the '07 model year, and that was considerably more reliable than either the '03 or '05.

The predecessor to the R230 -- the R129 -- was introduced in MY1990. That was a very complex car which debuted new technology from Mercedes, yet a 500SL from that first year is more reliable than any of the 5 model years that followed it.