igoblue

Hi, my name is Don and I've just joined the MB community with a 2007 SL 550.

I just had it checked by the local MB shop and they came back with a list of items that need replacing/repair. Total is little over $5k to get it all done. Mainly wear and tear items, the list is attached.

The dealer from whom I purchased the car has a 250 mile/5 Day return, no questions asked, 100% return. My thoughts, and the service advisor, believe this is expected with a car this old and this many miles.

My question is, if you were in this spot would you return the car? I haven't yet spoken with the advisor on the severity of each issue and the order in which they should be repaired.

Oh, the return period ends tomorrow night. I have about 100 miles left and it's 90 to the dealer.

Thank you for any feedback.

Keon

See if you can get the dealer to fund some of the repair. Did the dealer inspect the vehicle at all? If so, it shouldn't need so many repairs.

Utopia Texas

Your choice. Return it or pay out the 5k to have it put in proper order. I don’t think this is something someone else can answer for you.
I take all used cars to my Indy to check out before I buy so there are no surprises later on. If the seller won’t let me take it too my Indy I go elsewhere.

igoblue

Yeah, they said it went through a "rigorous" inspection. I'll email them and see what can be done.

I bought it from a BMW dealer. The check was done at my local MB dealership.

Utopia Texas

In my experience most vehicles that old are sold “as is.”

igoblue

As is this one. But I'm sure the thought of having it returned may force them to make some kind of offer. We'll see. I emailed the Sales Manager and included the quote from MB. Told him I could be there before they close tonight at 9:00. We'll see how he responds.

igoblue

Talked to the service advisor at MB and he said none of what needs to be fixed is critical. The one item that is the most urgent is replacing the oil filter housing, which I'll have done next week as I'm keeping it!

Thanks for all your comments.

Keon

If it's been through a rigorous inspection, you can dispute it with the dealership or even sue for false advertising and whatever else your lawyer or you can come up with. The dealer probably won't even fight it because of the cost of the legal fees most likely as it's cheaper to just fix up the car in most cases

Streamliner

How much did you pay for the car? There are 5 & 10 year old SL’s out there with VERY low mileage—maybe under 30K—that have been dealer serviced by the book and babied by their owners. These cars are third, forth or fifth cars in a wealthy household of one or two drivers. I would return this car and look for one like that. It sounds to me like your car has not been properly maintained for sometime. Should you have problems with the ABC suspension, the Command or the retractable roof, your current repair bill will look like tune-up money. SL’s are magnificent cars, but you want to find a cream puff and they are out there. Best of luck to you.

Wolfman

At this point I expect that the older SL’s cost around $5k a year for maintenace and repairs unless you are a DIY.
If you do work yourself, it will be easy as there are lots of cheap parts and knowledge on this board.
This would likely be in addition to the initial repair cost you mentioned.

If you could swing a R231 SL (2013+), you would be much better off as they are much more reliable and the tech is mature.

Good luck!

igoblue

What I'm after, at least for now, is something I can drive when the weather is nice. I won't be using it on a daily basis, maybe 20 weekends a year, which why I went with this one. My idea was to keep this 3-4-5 years, then move up to a newer model. If I put 10k/year on this one I'd be surprised.

Streamliner

OP: After all this discussion, just to be sure, you are aware that SL models built between 2003 and 2012 are designated as R230 models, right? This forum is for R231 models. You will find a lot more help in the other forum. Lots of folks there with well used models such as yours. Again, best of luck to you.

igoblue

Yes, I realized that but saw no way to move the thread.

In any case, it's moot. I've decided to return the car. I do appreciate everyone's input. I'm still gonna get one of these, perhaps one that will be discussed in this group.

eddieo45

Wow! That was a roller coaster ride, lol!

Streamliner

Please let us know how your return works out. I have always been skeptical of these offers, but I hope yours goes smoothly.