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Just returned home after an almost 1000 mile road trip in our SL. Trunk was packed to the max but was able to hold everything we needed for 10 days. Car performed very well. Comfortable while cruising at 80 mph while delivering 30+ mpg, No issues. Very pleased.
Good to hear of the successful drive. I am a bit jealous. Due to my wife’s health problems and time constraints drives over a few hours are out of my reach......
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
As much as I love my SL, the thought of driving it any distance much more than maybe a 100 mile round trip, is not appealing to me. Of course, part of that has to do with simply getting out of town, which requires venturing onto our insane freeways here in Southern California. I certainly do drive the freeways, but I save those ventures for my big, comfy sedan. I feel as though I have a fighting chance in my big S560, equipped with all the latest safety features and there is plenty of room for everything. In addition, I am babying the SL, not wishing to subject it to driving behind and alongside 18 wheelers at 80mph.
I usually do two 1,000+ mile trips each year and come away from them all just amazed at how the SL provides all that you need for that type of trip. It really is a Grand Touring vehicle IMO; delivering performance, relative economy, comfort and all the amenities you need for two. Not to mention miles and miles of smiles, some punctuated with triple digit bursts that are just so easy to do. Headed out to the mountains of East Tennessee / Western North Carolina on Wednesday for a few days of driving, and really looking forward to it. My goal this trip is no interstates; stay tuned and glad you are enjoying the SL!
This behind the seats bag goes far to free up additional trunk space. Its pretty well made and sized to fit r231 exactly - holds a surprising amount of clothes. Available on Amazon also.
Last edited by allfortheunion; Oct 14, 2019 at 01:20 PM.
I used to feel that way and was always hopeful that it would improve resale later on when I sold the car. For me that never happened . Now that I am older, I want to enjoy the car more and so far, I am loving it being my everyday driver (as opposed to only being a weekend driver )
I used to feel that way and was always hopeful that it would improve resale later on when I sold the car. For me that never happened . Now that I am older, I want to enjoy the car more and so far, I am loving it being my everyday driver (as opposed to only being a weekend driver )
I feel the same way you do and will no longer worry about mileage on my ‘2019 SL. On the ‘2008 SL and ‘2017 SL I have traded in the initial trade in prices were a joke. I keep all my cars pristine, always garage kept, spotlessly washed and waxed at all times. When they drove the ‘2019 out to the front of the dealership next to my ‘2017, same color, the ‘2019 looked like the used car and my ‘2017 looked like it was right off the production line. Even the higher priced leather interior on the ‘2019 was bone dry from sitting in the sun. I made them take the ‘2019 back to the make ready department and I went to lunch.
I will always take excellent care of my cars but if you think it will get you a premium at trade in time I believe you are wrong. I am going to rack up as many fun miles as I can on my ‘2019 and not worry about the catastrophic depreciation these cars take especially in the first 2-3 years. Life is too short!
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Utopia Texas
I feel the same way you do and will no longer worry about mileage on my ‘2019 SL. On the ‘2008 SL and ‘2017 SL I have traded in the initial trade in prices were a joke. I keep all my cars pristine, always garage kept, spotlessly washed and waxed at all times. When they drove the ‘2019 out to the front of the dealership next to my ‘2017, same color, the ‘2019 looked like the used car and my ‘2017 looked like it was right off the production line. Even the higher priced leather interior on the ‘2019 was bone dry from sitting in the sun. I made them take the ‘2019 back to the make ready department and I went to lunch.
I will always take excellent care of my cars but if you think it will get you a premium at trade in time I believe you are wrong. I am going to rack up as many fun miles as I can on my ‘2019 and not worry about the catastrophic depreciation these cars take especially in the first 2-3 years. Life is too short!
Well, I must disagree, just a bit. SL's are "dream cars" for many folks and new ones are out of reach for many of them. That said, a pristine SL can sell for well over what the "book" or what the dealers will offer on a trade. Case in point: My 2004 SL500 with 22,000 miles on it, STILL riding on the original tires, if you can believe it. After 12 years, everyone said it was worth no more than $15K. It took awhile and I turned down a lot of offers, but one day, I guy came over, took one look at it and peeled off $25K in cash. He is local here and I see him driving the car every now and then. He wanted a new one, but could not afford one. My car, to him, was the next best thing. AND, this was in 2016, well after the R231's were considered "old" cars. These photos were for the ad I ran when I sold it.
I feel the same way you do and will no longer worry about mileage on my ‘2019 SL. On the ‘2008 SL and ‘2017 SL I have traded in the initial trade in prices were a joke. I keep all my cars pristine, always garage kept, spotlessly washed and waxed at all times. When they drove the ‘2019 out to the front of the dealership next to my ‘2017, same color, the ‘2019 looked like the used car and my ‘2017 looked like it was right off the production line. Even the higher priced leather interior on the ‘2019 was bone dry from sitting in the sun. I made them take the ‘2019 back to the make ready department and I went to lunch.
I will always take excellent care of my cars but if you think it will get you a premium at trade in time I believe you are wrong. I am going to rack up as many fun miles as I can on my ‘2019 and not worry about the catastrophic depreciation these cars take especially in the first 2-3 years. Life is too short!
When I picked up my three year old (then), 15K mile SL550, the dealer mechanic came out to go over the car with me. When we were finished, he asked what I intended to do with the car and I replied that my goal was to put 250K miles on the vehicle. He just smiled and said 'thank you, that is what they are built for'. So I am off tomorrow to put some more miles on the car in the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina; and some more smiles on my face. While I maintain my cars better than book recommendations, I also drive them as they were intended. Road? Oh I hear your call.
When I picked up my three year old (then), 15K mile SL550, the dealer mechanic came out to go over the car with me. When we were finished, he asked what I intended to do with the car and I replied that my goal was to put 250K miles on the vehicle. He just smiled and said 'thank you, that is what they are built for'. So I am off tomorrow to put some more miles on the car in the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina; and some more smiles on my face. While I maintain my cars better than book recommendations, I also drive them as they were intended. Road? Oh I hear your call.
Have you ever driven the Natchez Trace? I have read that it is a most beautiful drive with no commercial vehicles allowed but with extremely slow speed limits......
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
My SL is a toy for this old guy and I like my toys “Like New in Their Original Box.” I know, these cars were made to be driven and I like to drive my car, but I also like to just look at it, all pristine & perfect, sitting in my garage. I don’t care if I don’t get my money’s worth driving it, I get a lot of pleasure just looking at it. If I put 2,000 miles a year on my SL, that will be fine with me, as everyone of those miles will be very enjoyable. I know that this philosophy flies in the face of most folks here, but that’s how I feel. I have a S560 sedan that I drive everywhere. It gets dirty, my grandkids eat hamburgers in the back seat and I could not care less, as I’ll get a new one in a year or two when the lease is up. The SL, on the other hand, is somewhat irreplaceable, and I plan on babying it, and enjoying it, for many years to come.
Hell, @Streamliner I'd *still* give you $25K for that '04. Gorgeous, gorgeous car.
Honestly, with two whole weeks of SL ownership under my belt, I'm still not sure which side of this argument I come down on. While I can definitely see the appeal of getting as much driving enjoyment as you can, I think I'd be a lot more inclined to adopt that approach if I lived in Germany, where roads are smooth and beautiful and always in perfect repair. Here in Dallas, it's like Grand Theft Auto trying to avoid the giant potholes and sinkholes, any one of which could immediately doom both wheel and tire — while simultaneously trying to steer clear of the trucks crusted in mud that are throwing off rocks and gravel like rice at a wedding while they fly down the freeway. Car was just built for the autobahn, I guess....
Hell, @Streamliner I'd *still* give you $25K for that '04. Gorgeous, gorgeous car.
Honestly, with two whole weeks of SL ownership under my belt, I'm still not sure which side of this argument I come down on. While I can definitely see the appeal of getting as much driving enjoyment as you can, I think I'd be a lot more inclined to adopt that approach if I lived in Germany, where roads are smooth and beautiful and always in perfect repair. Here in Dallas, it's like Grand Theft Auto trying to avoid the giant potholes and sinkholes, any one of which could immediately doom both wheel and tire — while simultaneously trying to steer clear of the trucks crusted in mud that are throwing off rocks and gravel like rice at a wedding while they fly down the freeway. Car was just built for the autobahn, I guess....
John, Might I recommend some weekend drives to the East Texas Piney Woods. Beautiful, historic part of Texas and with the upcoming Holidays many of the larger logging towns have home tours and downtown events! There are also East Texas Fall foliage tours and Steam Train tours.
Last edited by Utopia Texas; Oct 15, 2019 at 07:24 AM.
Have you ever driven the Natchez Trace? I have read that it is a most beautiful drive with no commercial vehicles allowed but with extremely slow speed limits......
I drive the Trace every chance I get. It's about ten miles from my house, and I have three access points in that radius. It is a US National Park, and the road is as smooth as glass, built to very high standards, with plenty of curves, elevation changes and vistas. Down side? 50 mph speed limit, but as open as it in most areas, you can drive a more comfortable pace. One has to be mindful of the numerous bicyclist on the weekends, but it is a road that is favored by many motorcyclist and driving enthusiasts. You can get on just outside of Nashville and travel all the way to Natchez if you desire; but there a many towns just off the trace. The only road that comes to mind in a similar fashion is the Blue Ridge Parkway, also a great drive.
Well, I must disagree, just a bit. SL's are "dream cars" for many folks and new ones are out of reach for many of them. That said, a pristine SL can sell for well over what the "book" or what the dealers will offer on a trade. Case in point: My 2004 SL500 with 22,000 miles on it, STILL riding on the original tires, if you can believe it. After 12 years, everyone said it was worth no more than $15K. It took awhile and I turned down a lot of offers, but one day, I guy came over, took one look at it and peeled off $25K in cash. He is local here and I see him driving the car every now and then. He wanted a new one, but could not afford one. My car, to him, was the next best thing. AND, this was in 2016, well after the R231's were considered "old" cars. These photos were for the ad I ran when I sold it.
You were extremely lucky and the guy either did not know too much about this kind of cars or he was impatient... there are a tons on SL's out there and a lot in very good condition for not such a high price, obviously somebody need to take ther time searching and eventually fly over to buy it. My 2005 was very close to your car condition and it went for a lot less, well, it got sold in two days only...
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