I’ve admired the R230 for a while, and standing 6’4, having a sports car I can fit into is a nice thing. So I did my first test drive in a beautiful one today, and I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Oh, a lot of it I loved, and it’s soooo pretty to look at. But the one I drove had the following:

- Drivers Side PW button broken. No big deal.
- Brake pedal was VERY soft. Seemed to need 80% of the travel before anything happened. It did stop ok but it sure felt spooky. - Salesman said “they all feel like that”.
- Wind noise from the drives side rear. Felt like a window was open, but it wasn’t.
- Weird vibration that felt like it was in the driveline, not the tires. Drive shaft?
-Alignment was weird.

Suspension felt pretty stiff, but the car was sitting level. Had some pretty aggressive tires on it too.

While I Understand that it’s hard to judge the car based on my feelings and experience, I can’t imagine it’s supposed to feel the way it did.

Car had less then 50,000 miles on it.

Id appreciate anyone’s thoughts on this.

 

The M273 550 is a great balance between performance and comfort imo. A big move up from the M113 500 engine.

1. Those happen pretty commonly.
2. They do feel like that pretty much because of the SBC system (electronic braking control, think drive-by-wire for your brake pedal). This was found in the 03-06 E, 06, CLS, and 03-12 SL.
3. Could be the rubber seals are old along where the window meets the body. Was the top up or down though?
4. Could be the ABC pump pulsation damper going out. Mine felt similar and the ride felt harsher before fixing. Feels like constant vibrating.
5. Could be just alignment issue or could have to do with things such as control arms or other suspension related components.

Level is important, but you want to see the car after its been sitting for a while to make sure there is no sagging before they turn the car on (would try to see the car before they start it for the day). Also, use the raise and lowering suspension buttons and pay attention if one or more sides "lag" behind when going up.

 

Pass on it, you should not experience any of those issues

 

Thanks very much. Good to know what normal on those feels like.

The top was up. That’s why I kept checking if the window was down a bit.

I generally really liked the car, but it sure seems that it needs some love. A PPI would be definitely needed.

 

That’s a little severe, isn’t it? I expect flaws in a used car.

 

Motor mounts are likely the cause of vibrations. $300 parts plus installation or diy. Did you inspect rubber window molding for damage? Window could need realignment, no big deal. Window switch needs replacing they don’t sell the buttons only. These are really small items and imho not deal killers. PPI is what you need to get the complete picture. If you have it done at a dealer have them print the VMI. VEHICLE MASTER INVENTORY list of all parts and services completed at mb dealers. These are great cars to enjoy but they do like tlc and $$. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Thanks!
Very informative.
Seems a really great car. Intriguingly so.
The VMI is a great thing. Will look for that.

When you say tic and $$, what kind of amounts are you thinking of?

 

Why not compare with another R230, one for sale or a forum member’s car. Having a reference may boost your confidence in knowing what you’re looking at.

 

Sample another drive. Maybe in an SL65!

 

None too many in this neck of the woods. Though the more practical choice, at least from a resale value perspective, seems to the the SL63.

It really is pretty shocking how horrible the resale value is on the R230s. Hopefully, folks will grow out of the SUV craze, and start valuing beautiful 2 seat convertibles again.

 

Yeah, these cars resale value is well known to stink. It's probably the only reason I can now afford one though!

Just thought if you liked the R230 style and were still looking, I'd try and tempt you to feel the V12 power!

 

Im afraid that would be too addictive!

 

As a seasonal driver, I have put 4K miles on a 25k 2007 sl550. Paid 27k 2 yrs ago and put $1,500 in motor and tranny mounts, done by Indy, Oil change, ABC dampener anD flush DIY. I have purchased some tools and mb star system but I’m not including that. Very anecdotal but gives you some idea of depreciation and maintenance $$. I chose the 2007 model as it has improved ABC components, more HP than prior 500 Sls. These cars go plenty fast for my pleasure as I, like many, don’t trust themselves with more HP. I drove several V12s and AMG SL55s and could not justify the higher costs of repairs and insurance. Good luck and keep posted. As the saying goes “buy the lowest mileage best maintained vehicle you can afford “

 

As MBCO said, take a look at the best maintained, but lowest mileage car you can afford. If I had a choice, and I did), I would buy an '07 or '08 with the updated idler sprocket. Take a look at the stickies, and do a search for idler sprocket or for balance shaft. The V6 3.5 liter engines and the the V8 5.5 liter had an issue with the balance shaft (v6) or idler sprocket( V8), up until the middle of 2006. There is a document you can find, which spells out the engine serial number range affected. If you buy a 08 you'll get the updated version, for the 07, it depends when they were made.

Anyway, you'll want to get one of those. Additionally, MB made some improvements to the Vario roof pump and hydraulics, they also made improvements to the ABC valve blocks and the pulsation dampener (moved it to the back of the pump). And other minor fixes and changes. The new engine also got a makeover, the displacement went from 5L to 5.5L, and horse-power jumped from 302hp to 382hp. There is a marked improvement in the engine performance that can be immediately felt.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of things in these cars that can go south, and you should be aware that they can cost quite a it to fix, especially f you're not a DIYer. The ABC system if it goes south can cost a pretty penny to fix (think $2500-7000). One of the reasons some folks get rid of these cars, is because the ABC. Once they're told what it will take to fix it, they dump the car, and it's the reason why you sometimes find almost immaculate cars for very little money So if there's something wrong with the ABC to start with, pass on it.

Another big issue that comes up periodically is the SBC (Sensotronic Braking Cotrol). That pump, it turns out, is a consumable, it only last some many brake actuations, after which it needs to be replaced. Luckily, here in the US, Mercedes has extended the warranty for the SBC and related parts to 25 years, so if something happens to the SBC, they will fix it for free. Another thing that needs to be replaced periodically (about every 80K) are the engine & transmission mounts. it ill cost about $1200-1400 to have them replaced.

Vario roof can occasionally go bad, If you get a car with adjustable contour seats (the ones with built-in bladders and massage), those seem to go bad all the time, and most folks just resign themselves to leaving them non-functional (I'm one of those), because the cost of repairs. Last but not least, the 7 speed transmission can occasionally go bad due to some sensors built into the conductor plate. A replacement plate will cost somewhere in the $1200 price range.

Anyway, like most cars, the r230 has some issues, but because it's a Mercedes, if you don't do your own repairs, it carries a premium price tag. As long as you know this, buy a god clean car with a good service record and have some money set aside to take care of some repairs, You should be good. A year ago I bought a 07 SL550, and everything is working great, except for the massage seats. The SBC crapped out 6 months after I bought it, but it was taken care of by Merceds for free. The only other thing I had to do myself was the mounts.

Aside from that, it's a great, AND it's my daily commute car.

 

I just got a call from my insurance people Hagerty Classic car insurance, they tell me that the 2004 SL600 V12 in my garage, just went up in value about $4000. That's good because a year ago I had the brake fluid changed, SBC fluid changed, transmission serviced, all new coolant and intercooler hoses, ABC serviced, rear differential fluid changed, and a couple other things I can't remember, and the bill was about $4000. (I do have the records in a file). My SL is in 99% Perfect condition and yesterday it got a cleaning and polishing. My brake pedal has never felt inadequate or abnormal. The power window switches in these cars are different from every other Mercedes I've owned in that they are pretty fragile, I guess due to their design. First time I used it it came off in my hand. Once you know that, and use it gently, it's not really an issue. Maybe I should buy a spare switch just to keep around.

 

Did Mercedes improve the ABC suspension after 07 ? do you know what year they start to improve ?
Thanks.

 

I don't think any more improvements were made after 2007. As far as I know the ABC remained unchanged through MY 2016 (R231). The after that they started to offer SL cars with standard suspension and ABC as an option. That ABC (2017+) was actually "improved" with some new gadgetry from the S Class called Curve Tilting (don't ask me what it does, cause I don't know). From what I understand the 2021 models (R???) will not offer ABC at all.

As usual, MB specialists, please feel free to correct any of this if it's wrong.

 

Curve tilting is moving the car in a tilt like a bicycle. Just a little, of course.

 

So you're saying the car "leans into the turn"? That's cool. Most cars lean the wrong way, which is what the ABC attempted to correct, by keeping it flat. Now they figured out how to actually counter gravity and centrifugal forces.

The only time I saw that happening was in Cars (the Pixar movie) .

 

BMW calls it carving. After a nice day of flying a glider in turbulent skies (note call sign), you ride home by car. The first turns are a little weird! You notice how you need to actively resist an outward force. Within minutes, the effect is gone, your brain is back in the mundane earth crawling mode.