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Found SOO much what I was looking for- so close... 2017 SL 450 Red Interior, low (12k miles) NOT certified but I will buy the MB xtended warranty AND IT HAS THE ALMIGHTY ABC! But the (almost) killer to me is it is.... white.
I really dont want white A> I live between Austin and San Antonio and EVEN on weekends it is all construction all the time- lots of rock trucks - white shows all imperfections- I WILL get this entire car Xpel'ed so it will be covered but still doesnt stop everything.
And white shows dirt quicker than other colors (other than black of course) ..But most importantly B> I am not sure that this is a the best color for the car. Its just not exciting to me. I much prefer Selenite Gray- even Blue (My daily driver is a Golf R in almost the same blue) but that wouldnt make me not buy blue- but WHITE... Not ugly of course- but the combination of SL450 and ABC is hard to find and I may have to settle... I could get it wrapped instead of Xpel LOL
Sorry Dino, but I'm not going to try to talk you into it. You're on the horns of a dilemma, but I will say that if you don't like it now, and you've not even bought it yet, you're probably not going to love it going forward. Then what? I've had 3 white Mercedes, all Cabriolets, and I loved them all, including the color. But I didn't like the way the SL looked in white, so I ordered mine in Selenite Gray, with a red interior, and love the way it looks. Good luck with your decision.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon
White shows all imperfections? Sorry, but as someone who has owned around 88 personal cars over my lifetime, of pretty much every color imaginable, I would have to strongly disagree. The lighter the color, the easier it is to keep it looking clean. A silver or a light, metallic tan or beige might show dirt a bit less than a pure white, but not by much. When it comes to minute, surface scratches, swirls and other imperfections, they are virtually imperceptible on a white car. Why do you think the vast majority of work vans & trucks are white? And, should you have a scrape or a fender bender, matching white, in both shade of color and texture, is a piece of cake, compared to pretty much any other color. If a white car gets dusty, simply dust it off. Do that to a dark colored car and you will be reminded of doing that until the next time the paint is polished.
I LOVE white cars with red interiors, but I must say that I don’t care for how MB has done their red & black interiors. I love the solid Polar White, but truly dislike the Designo Diamond White, as it can look yellow in various lighting situations. I am awaiting the delivery of an SL450 I ordered. I could have had any color, but went for Polar White, as I like it the best of all the colors offered.
Anyway, an SL450 with ABC is a VERY scarce find. If you like the car, forget about trying to keep it clean, as it will be way easier than you think. White with red, with ABC? If it is a good deal, GO FOR IT!
me: 2015 SL400 & 2015 ML400; wife: 2022 GLC Coupe kid: 2017 GLC SUV
Streamliner's white/beige post-facelift car was my ideal dream car (with black wheels) but that wasn't in my budget. Turns out the only R231's I seriously looked at were all black, and when I found the black/red one I picked up yesterday, I was smitten. My first SL doesn't have to my last, after all.
That said, I would advise the same I did to a friend trying to decide between two Porsche models: don't buy the one that will have you still looking lustily at the other.
White shows all imperfections? Sorry, but as someone who has owned around 88 personal cars over my lifetime, of pretty much every color imaginable, I would have to strongly disagree. The lighter the color, the easier it is to keep it looking clean. A silver or a light, metallic tan or beige might show dirt a bit less than a pure white, but not by much. When it comes to minute, surface scratches, swirls and other imperfections, they are virtually imperceptible on a white car. Why do you think the vast majority of work vans & trucks are white? And, should you have a scrape or a fender bender, matching white, in both shade of color and texture, is a piece of cake, compared to pretty much any other color. If a white car gets dusty, simply dust it off. Do that to a dark colored car and you will be reminded of doing that until the next time the paint is polished.
I LOVE white cars with red interiors, but I must say that I don’t care for how MB has done their red & black interiors. I love the solid Polar White, but truly dislike the Designo Diamond White, as it can look yellow in various lighting situations. I am awaiting the delivery of an SL450 I ordered. I could have had any color, but went for Polar White, as I like it the best of all the colors offered.
Anyway, an SL450 with ABC is a VERY scarce find. If you like the car, forget about trying to keep it clean, as it will be way easier than you think. White with red, with ABC? If it is a good deal, GO FOR IT!
Thank you for the post- I owned a white Audi 4000 in another lifetime ago (Great car drove it 150k miles) but that was a good 35-40 years ago- haven't had white since- not for any reason. And yes silver is the best (
of course) and thanks for your experinece with the white- I like white cars too- just not on this one- accentuates the tail lights that I am not crazy about to begin with- but it is a steal of a car thats for sure.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon
Originally Posted by Dino333
Thank you for the post- I owned a white Audi 4000 in another lifetime ago (Great car drove it 150k miles) but that was a good 35-40 years ago- haven't had white since- not for any reason. And yes silver is the best (
of course) and thanks for your experinece with the white- I like white cars too- just not on this one- accentuates the tail lights that I am not crazy about to begin with- but it is a steal of a car thats for sure.
Well, we are all different. I happen to really like the tail lights and love how they look on the white car.
Found SOO much what I was looking for- so close... 2017 SL 450 Red Interior, low (12k miles) NOT certified but I will buy the MB xtended warranty AND IT HAS THE ALMIGHTY ABC! But the (almost) killer to me is it is.... white.
I really dont want white A> I live between Austin and San Antonio and EVEN on weekends it is all construction all the time- lots of rock trucks - white shows all imperfections- I WILL get this entire car Xpel'ed so it will be covered but still doesnt stop everything.
And white shows dirt quicker than other colors (other than black of course) ..But most importantly B> I am not sure that this is a the best color for the car. Its just not exciting to me. I much prefer Selenite Gray- even Blue (My daily driver is a Golf R in almost the same blue) but that wouldnt make me not buy blue- but WHITE... Not ugly of course- but the combination of SL450 and ABC is hard to find and I may have to settle... I could get it wrapped instead of Xpel LOL
White is better than dark colours to keep looking good.
I agree with Streamliner in that White cars are much easier to keep clean than darker colored cars, with Black being the most difficult. The only issue I had with my 3 white Mercedes was that after washing and sometimes waxing them, they really didn't look much different. It always bothered me that I wasn't rewarded for my hard work, by a car that looked much better after my work than before.
I agree with Streamliner in that White cars are much easier to keep clean than darker colored cars, with Black being the most difficult. The only issue I had with my 3 white Mercedes was that after washing and sometimes waxing them, they really didn't look much different. It always bothered me that I wasn't rewarded for my hard work, by a car that looked much better after my work than before.
Certainly lighter colors are better than darker ones for not showing dirt, but the best colors for always looking clean are MB's SILVER METALLIC COLORS! I have made it a point to stay within that color range when buying MB's.
I currently own a 2006 CL 55 AMG in Brilliant Silver Metallic which is very similar to the Iridium Silver Metallic that has always been available on 231's and will continue to be offered on the SL Class through 2020, and possibly beyond. I formerly owned a 230 SL 500 that was Brilliant Silver as well before getting my 231.
My current SL 231, is a 2013 SL550 in Palladium Silver Metallic which is a darker shade of Silver than the Brilliant Silver Metallic, (and/or the iridium Silver Metallic). The Palladium Silver Metallic is very interesting because it often appears to be Pewter Metallic, (an older SL 230 color), when not seen in direct sunlight,
Palladium Silver Metallic has been my favorite MB color for quite awhile now, but unfortunately MB dropped that color for 231's after the 2015 model year.
My wife's 2010 S-Class 550 is also Palladium Silver Metallic and she also loves the color too, and especially how it appears clean even when it's really not. It's also worth noting how good that color looks with the optional S-Class Panorama Roof that her S-550 Sedan just happens to have!
Sold 06 CLS500. SL550 09. SL550 2013. Own C6 Corvette heavily customized garage queen 2005.
Originally Posted by rorywquin
Yes - very unrewarding process cleaning a white car!
Try Zaino........the vette fanatics(including myself) all use this.................. you will notice a difference...............WHITE ROCKS and stays way cleaner than any other color I have tried..................!!!
I have the pearl white, think I payed about 1K for it and certainly was worth it.
Color is really important to me. At this point in life probably a deal killer if I can't find what I want in the correct color. The wrap is intriguing for sure. If they can apply it so the finish looks as good as paint, and the cost is something you can live with, I would certainly go for it. We have been fortunate to find the cars we wanted in the correct colors. I can honestly say that after years of ownership we still look at it and smile. It is such a personal thing I would hate to have to "settle" for something less if a reasonable option existed. You only go around once. Get what gives you a smile and satisfaction.
Color is really important to me. At this point in life probably a deal killer if I can't find what I want in the correct color. The wrap is intriguing for sure. If they can apply it so the finish looks as good as paint, and the cost is something you can live with, I would certainly go for it. We have been fortunate to find the cars we wanted in the correct colors. I can honestly say that after years of ownership we still look at it and smile. It is such a personal thing I would hate to have to "settle" for something less if a reasonable option existed. You only go around once. Get what gives you a smile and satisfaction.
Those of you wondering what the Hell this is. Another senior moment and posted in the wrong thread.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon
Originally Posted by Sunbeltgolfer11
Color is really important to me. At this point in life probably a deal killer if I can't find what I want in the correct color. The wrap is intriguing for sure. If they can apply it so the finish looks as good as paint, and the cost is something you can live with, I would certainly go for it. We have been fortunate to find the cars we wanted in the correct colors. I can honestly say that after years of ownership we still look at it and smile. It is such a personal thing I would hate to have to "settle" for something less if a reasonable option existed. You only go around once. Get what gives you a smile and satisfaction.
I’ve looked into wraps and was not thrilled with what I found. The installers use very sharp blades to cut the wrap, while it is sitting on the car. I would be very concerned that original paint & rubber areas could become damaged in the process and one would never know until the wrap was removed. I have had several SL’s, all bright, solid color red and really wanted another, but it was unavailable, so I went with the solid color Polar White. It is very simple to maintain and I’ve come to love it!
I’ve looked into wraps and was not thrilled with what I found. The installers use very sharp blades to cut the wrap, while it is sitting on the car. I would be very concerned that original paint & rubber areas could become damaged in the process and one would never know until the wrap was removed.
I recently attended my first MBCA Houston chapter event which was a “tech session” where (among other presentations) an installer spoke about the latest technology in wraps. He stated that using blades was a thing of the past at high end wrap places and they had moved on to “knifeless cutting tape”. He demo’d that for us and it was truly impressive. Google the term to see more.
03-20-2019, 12:05 AM
