Mac

A local dealer has a NEW 2001 SL600 for $85,000. It's Magma Red with tan interior. 125 miles. What do you think about the deal?

pdutta2000

I'd go for the new model style (R230). That car will lose its value extremely fast and it costs almost as much as the new model. I say no.

Doody

Mac - that is a tremendous deal on a 600. i haven't seen any deals like that at all. in fact it almost sounds too good to be true.

the car will depreciate fast, but if you start out with $30K+ off sticker you should be in a better position than pretty much any other SL600 out there come resale time.

i considered buying an SL600 preowned to tide me over until my SL55 line spot pops. didn't pan, but it's a GREAT car.

good luck. tough decision.

doody.

amg55

I wouldn't consider buying it for long term (more than 2 years) use.
I'd only consider buying it with intent to turn it over (preferably to move into an R230) before the resale potential falls much below the actual depreciated price paid.
Resale value will decline pretty quickly.

hwt1964

I think resale values for the R129 are going to bite the dust. Already, my 98 SL500 is only worth maybe $45K+/-. Lots of people (myself included) are looking to dump their R129's between now and the fall.

I remember when the new S500's came out...the old S500's looked positively ANCIENT, bloated and old. The papers were full of used ones. I suspect the same will happen for the "old" SL500s.

That being said, I will miss the old SL. It's built like 4200 pounds of solid granite.

Mac

Thanks, guys. Doody, since I really wanted the car bad, I took your advice. I went over and over the car to try to find any flaws and there just weren't any. He (Bob Alesi, sales manager at Plaza Motors in St. Louis) came down another $2500 and ate the luxury tax, so I couldn't resist. He kept mumbling about having to spread his loss over two months and I kept mumbling about not really being able to afford the car, blah, blah, blah. Like you said, I can always dump it in a couple of years when the SL55s have cooled off a little.

Doody

Congrats, Mac! A brand new SL600 for 82,500 and no lux tax is an absolute steal. Never mind that it's a tremendous vehicle.

One thing I should have mentioned before is to keep in mind that SL600s are actually incredibly rare cars. They're apparently less than 5% of production. Even today, go try to buy a used SL600 - they're very very hard to find. The owners tend to buy and hold. So I would bet that it won't depreciate quite as painfully as the SL500s, which there will be a horrendous glut of.

Enjoy! Post some pics!

Doody.

AMGBENZ

That is a great price for New R129 SL600, it is agreat car that I would love to have one day as a part of history. A engine builder told me the the SL600 engine in the R129 is one of the best built engines of all time. Congrats on your new ride!

MusFather

THATS A AWESOME deal, i would probably take it, its a classic designo

mbtech208

The 120-series 6.0 V12 is a good motor when its new, but it's far from being one of the best engines ever built. All that motor is is two 104-series inline six-cylinder blocks joined together at the crankshaft. Once it hits 50K miles, the V12 leaks like crazy, much the same as the inline-six. It has most of the same problem traits as the inline-six as well.

Mac

I'm wondering if there is any trick to taking the wheels (18" AMG 2-piece) apart for chroming. I plan to remove the tires, number imprint the rims and centers for reassembly, then send them to PLATE CORP in Orange, CA. They want $136 apiece to do the job but they won't do the disassembly themselves and Globe Tire wants $200 to disassemble the set. I just can't see that. I've got the right socket to fit the bolts (triple square) but I don't have the torque specs for them on assembly. Any help? About the leaking problem, I figure the 50,000 mile/4-yr warranty will take care of this. Am I wrong?

mbtech208

The warranty will take care of it, but if you plan on keeping your V12 longer than the warranty period, be prepared to spend some high dollars.

bugfighter

Congrats! That was a great deal!