How big an upgrade is a 2013 over a 2011? I bought a 2011 in January of this year and LOVE the car. But I crave the extra power of the turbos and the more comfortable seats of the 231. So, how big of an upgrade is it? It will cost me around 12 to 14 thousand in addition to trading mine in on a 13 or 14. I know I need to test drive one and ultimately decide for myself. But before I do that, I would love to hear opinions of owners who have made the jump. I've been through this before. I had a 13 Boss 302 and traded it on a 12 Shelby GT500 (100 more horsepower but much heavier) and regretted it almost instantly. I kept the GT500 for 3 months and sold it and ended up in a 12 Boss 302 Laguna Seca which I kept 3 years before trading it for my 2011 SL550. During that time I also bought and sold a 2015 Shelby GT350. While it was an upgrade in every measurable, it wasn't a great car to me, so I sold it and kept my Boss. I certainly don't want to make that mistake again. So, what say you?

 

you've had the car 3 months...how much less than you paid are they offering you? you definitely have to drive one or more. I was only interested in R231's, but decided between a 2013 SL550 and a 2015 SL400 for close to the same price. drove only one of each but glad I did (and glad with my choice, for me).

 

I had a 2004 SL550 for 12 years. Loved that car, but fearing problems down the road, I sold it. I wanted a new 2017, but when they dropped Mars Red, I bought a CPO, 2013 SL550 with 11,000 miles on it. IMO, everything about the 2013 was better, with the following exceptions:

1. With ABC standard on my 2004, it rode WAY better than my non-ABC equipped 2013. Missed ABC SO much, I sold the 2013 and now have a new SL450 with ABC on order.
2. The sound system in the 2013 is garbage compared to the earlier car.
3. The 2013 comes with run flat tires and NO SPARE, with NO PLACE to put one.
4. The R231 front end styling is objectionable to me, compared to the beautiful R230’s.

 

To answer more of your questions, the 2013 SL550 was very fast. That said, without ABC, I experienced wheel hop under hard acceleration. A $100K car should not do this. The absence of ABC, I feel, will nullify the better seats. I know that most folks here poo-poo ABC, mostly because they don’t have it and dealers and others have told them it is problematic and expensive to repair. However, if you value ride quality, drive your current car over a course that has bumps, deep dips, parking lot aprons, etc. and then a non-ABC R-231. I believe that you will easily notice the difference. ABC has been refined and upgraded over the years and the later systems in R231 models, IF properly maintained, should be very reliable. Since ABC was made a $4,000.00+ option in the USA, starting in 2013, it is quite difficult to find an SL550 with it and just about impossible to find a 400 or 450 with it. Obviously, I have made the decision that I will not own another SL without it Please let us know what you end up doing and good luck!

 

^^^ wisdom right there ^^^

 

I had a 2004 R230 that I really enjoyed. I now have a 2013 R231 that I enjoy just as much, but for different reasons.

The torque is amazing, the cabin is a really nice place to be, I enjoy the technology and so far it hasn't missed a beat.

I do miss ABC and I thought the earlier R230 styling was hard to beat.

But I wouldn't go back. Take a test drive and I think you will pretty quickly know if it's the right move for you.

Gary

 

Pretty much my sentiments also with regard to the 230/231 model comparison. However, like many others, I did have a very expensive ABC repair with my (2003) 230, although that wasn't the worst thing that happened with it! (Read on)..

After owning the 2003 SL 500 for 15 years, in April of 2018, it caught fire due to an electrical short within the BCM, (Battery Control Module). The BCM is now a 'known fire hazard' issue with SL 230's!

The 230's Trunk Fire, (which unfortunately occurred inside my garage), totaled my 2003 SL 500 and might even have burned my house down had I not caught it in time. .

The good news is that the resulting insurance settlement became the down payment on my current 2013 SL 550 (CPO) which I am enjoying very much indeed!

I was quite lucky to have found such a beautiful SL 550: Palladium Silver Metallic with Ginger Beige/Expresso Brown Nappa Interior and Burl Wood Trim, (including a Burl wood Steering Wheel). Remarkably it had just 15K miles on the odometer and all the options I wanted: Premium 1 Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg, Magic Sky, Illuminated Sills, etc. I don;t think I could have 'custom ordered' one back in 2013 any better suited for me than this one is!

I've now had my SL 550 since October 2018, and thus far there's been no need for any kind of Dealer service! It seems to be a solid and very reliable car. Don't see how I could possibly be any more pleased with this purchase...Looks and drives 'as new', yet I only paid about 1/3 of it's original list price!

So, obviously, I don't miss 'anything' about the 230! While my current SL 550 does lack both the B&O Sound System and ABC, the HK sound system and the ride comfort seem just fine to me.

Full Disclosure: The comfort of my SL 550 was enhanced by the choice of 18-inch wheels and Michelin Pilot A/S 3+, (Ultra High Performance). non-run flat, Tires...I also keep the suspension's setting in 'Comfort Mode'..

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm just going to have to test drive one at some point to really know the right way to go.

 

My experience is very similar to bob55. Had a 2007 SL550 (R230). Despite careful maintenance, had 2 ABC pumps fail, as well as couple ABC accumulators. Lived in constant fear of a major ABC failure so, despite the very real benefits of ABC, was happy to go without it on the R231.

Ultimately, it was a trunk fire resulting from a short in the BCM that resulted in my purchase of an R231. Car was in sittingcokd in the garage and I didn’t even realize there was a fire until after the fact. Apparently, with the trunk and roof closed, there wasn’t enough air for the fire to do more than smolder. Mercedes said it would cost ~$20k to repair, if it could be repaired. The single wiring harness that handles all electronics in the R230 needed to be replaced but was no longer available. Insurance totaled the car giving me a down payment for the R231.

 

I like the looks of the R230 more than the R231. But in my experience an older car will have more maintenance, even if it has low mileage. And maintenance on a Mercedes is not cheap.

So I went with the R231. My first was a 2013 SL550, no ABC. I got to test drive two SLs at the time. One with 18-in wheels and one with 19 inch wheels. I chose the one with 18-in wheels. Neither had ABC or run flats.

My latest is a 2014 SL65, which has ABC standard. Even though it has 19/20 inch wheels it rides at least as good as the SL550. It's now 10 years old and it is starting to give me some annoying, though not yet major, problems.

My recommendation is to go with as new an SL as you can afford. I think the potentially huge maintenance costs on these cars is why they depreciate so fast. With tech labor at $200+ per hour you can save a huge amount by doing some of the work yourself. If you're not inclined to do that then definitely get one with a CPO warranty.

There's one interesting difference between the R230 and R231 that I don't see mentioned often. The R231 has an all aluminum body.

Good luck!

 

Which is great for avoiding body rust and reducing weight. However, removing dents and dings is nearly impossible. Aluminum does not have "memory" like steel and therefore the process is much more difficult.

 

To each his own but, having owned a 2002 C230 coupe, a 2003 C320 sedan, a 2006 CLK350 and a 2009 CLK550 the R230 nose (and cockpit) is far too familiar to me and seems dated compared to the R231.

 

LOL! It IS dated. I prefer the R231, too. But the R230 is a classic design.

 

I must agree, that's true....

 

I just cannot unsee the nose of the R231. It was blunted to meet Euro pedestrian crash regs and doesn't have the sleek lines of the R230. No question the interior is superior on the R231 but for me at least, I'd prefer the wail of the NA M273 or M156 (R230) to the biturbo motors in the R231. I have the M157 biturbo in the S63 and it's powerful no doubt, but it lacks something in the sound/feel space compared to the NA motors that came before it. The M273 is proving to be a very reliable motor over time as well.

 

Well the R231's sounds better than any R230 besides the SL55/63 variants. The facelift SL's sound more aggressive yet via additional sound input at startup.
That said, the original edgy R231 design wasn't for everyone and much more jarring compared to the curvy lines MB's had on their other models when launched. Now the design actually feels more mainstream than in 2012. But I also was no big fan of the nose even though we had a couple 1st gen R231's. It was just a much better car technically than the R230 and the facelift in 2016 really improved the look when MB tried to model it after the AMG GT.