Hello everyone!

I am a new owner of a 2019 SL 450. I have been visiting this forum as a visitor for the last year and I have learned so much from all of the regular contributors. I wanted to figure out what I wanted vs. what I needed to be happy with, and this forum gave me the answers. I take my time deciding and when I buy something, I keep it for many years of happy ownership. As an example, I am upgrading my daily driver from a 2001 Mazda Miata, which I bought new in 2001 to the 2019 SL 450. The Miata still looks and runs like new and has been loved for the last 19 years Now I need to find a good home for the Miata. I am 70 years old now and I decided that I deserve to treat myself to something nice. The CD rates are pathetic right now, so I told the wife "what the heck, we might as well put some of this money to good use"! We won't even miss it in the end.

I purchased a 2019 "Brass Hat" model with 5,200 miles. It is titled as a new car, but it only has 3 years left on the warranty. The car is Polar White and is fully loaded including the B & O sound system and Magic Sky. I am in Washington State and the car is being shipped from Florida (3,000 miles) by enclosed transport. I should receive it on Saturday the 8th, but who really knows. I will probably drive this car about 7,500 miles a year, so it should last me a long time at that rate.

I want to thank everyone who contributes to this forum. It is amazing how much knowledge you can gain by sharing your experiences and it is entertaining as well. The SL is a rare low production vehicle, but the forum members here have shed considerable light on the care and feeding of this unicorn of a vehicle. I hope I can add something positive after I get up and running.

 

Huge congratulations from Texas! You will find with the top down the SL is the quietest convertible ever. And stepping up to the V6 with 9 speed transmission from the Miata will feel like a rocket ship. Best wishes to you. I believe you will have a grin on your face from now on....😊

 

Congratulations on your new car and welcome to the forum!
You will love the car as Utopia stated; they are just a pleasure to drive and own. Looking forward to some pictures and enjoy in good health...

 

K7MMU, welcome to our wonderful addiction! It is a great one. Send pics when you get the chance! And just remember, more smiles per mile! That's the SL.

 

Welcome to the forum. My SL is my first Mercedes and this forum has proven to be a great source of information and advice. Enjoy your SL in good health. Post pics when you can.

 

Congrats on your new ride! I am sure you will have many miles of smiles

 

Sir, you have impeccable taste, if I do say so myself! Polar White with the Mighty Mouse V6! From Orange County, California, wishing you many thousands of safe, enjoyable miles.

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new ride. This is the best time of year to enjoy SLs around here.

 

Congratulations! Polar White 450s are awesome...as are the other colors. Now...enjoy!

 

Congrats on your purchase. I have owned several Miatas and loved them all. You will find the SL450 to be a lot different, more refined and less of a sports car but still a joy to drive. Top down, nothing else that I have ever driven compares. The trunk is actually quite spacious compared to other two seaters and the features offered are mind boggling. I am still struggling to figure everything out, but learning is part of the fun. I'll bet you can hardly wait until it arrives!

 

Congrats - good decision on the 450 unless you only like straight line speed. The lower weight on the front end gives an improved weight distribution with a much better turn-in and handling vs the heavy nose of the V8 - enjoy! The face lift V6 engine has a very steep rising and flat (over a broad rev range) torque curve and it still surprises me that it will happily sit in 9th gear at low speeds (25-30mph).

 

When my CPO warranty expires and if I keep the car I'm going to look into a tune for my V6. I understand you can get close to 400 HP.

 

It is a strange thing. I've never felt that my car is underpowered and yet I find myself looking at tuning shop websites..........Mine is just out of warranty.

 

Having just left a car with over 400 HP that rarely was called upon, I personally would not bother. I typically enjoy driving our SL400 in a relaxed manner and find the power quite adequate. I had thought earlier that I would never buy the SL400, and instead would spend an extra $10k to get a SL450. In looking at the stats though, the SL400 only gives up two tenths of a second from zero to sixty. The SL400 has 7 gears which work well, so the two more gears in the SL450 also were not a game breaker for me either. So it turns out I am feeling pretty good about our SL400 and am not even missing the 437 HP Corvette much, except for the NPP exhaust with the mild to wild switch. Increases in power usually come at a cost of some sort. The Engineers at MB designed the car as they did for good reasons, and while our cars are not quite perfect, they come pretty close in most respects. Still I understand your wanting a little more power.

 

And with this extra power you are going to do what?

 

It was a facetious post. Power I have is more than adequate.
I traded a C7 Corvette for the SL so I know more HP doesn't equate to more enjoyable motoring.

 

Yeah, me too! I’ve had some pretty powerful cars over the years but these days, I merely want enough power to give me smooth, effortless propulsion.

 

That depends! There is nothing wrong with more power The SL550 was more fun for me than the 450, primarily because the enjoy more torque, especially in the lower end. Remember that there are two groups of SL owners; the ones that like the V6 for its lighter weight, the way it drives and its better value and those who enjoy the extra power and torque of the V8 (especially the later model years with increased HP).

Neither side is wrong...

 

I plan to check out a C8 convertible in a couple years. Depending on how it drives I might trade the SL. I also need to "coordinate" with my better half since she did not enjoy our C7 Corvette.

 

Good Luck!

 

Thanks. I will need it.

 

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to the pampered ride with all of the upscale options and modern safety features. Years ago I wouldn't have thought about crash ratings and safety features. Now I find that I drive very conservatively and value the smooth ride much more then I used to. I still like precise steering and decent handling, but not race car spec handling. Most of my driving will consist of driving at 55 MPH or less and enjoying the spectacular views on Whidbey Island. I have previously owned a Mercedes, a BMW and a Porsche and I have had a great experience every time. I have toured all three factories in Germany and I think that those visits gave me a better appreciation of their corporate mindsets.

I am getting excited to take delivery of my car. It was supposed to be picked up yesterday in Florida, ahead of the storm, but I don't have any details yet if it did ship. I will post some pictures as soon as I can and I imagine that I will be in the learning mode for a while. I have loved seeing everyone else on here enjoying their cars and hope to join you shortly. Stay healthy and stay tuned.

 

Speaking of safety, my daughter in law and grandsons (1 and 3 years) were a major collision last week. Both sides of the motorway closed for several hours. A VW Golf pulled in front of her from a side road and stalled. She was doing 70mph in a 2019 Audi Q7. Occupants of the Golf had to be cut out and airlifted to hospital. Daughter in Law and grandkids opened the doors and stepped out of the car. The police and emergency services were there vey quickly - the cops told my son that the SOS system in the car had automatically called them. She and the eldest boy have a mark from the seatbelts but otherwise no injuries at all. The kids were in top end safety seats. Both cars will probably be written off but as my son says, "it is just metal and plastic".

I'm amazed at how well safety systems in cars work these days. Both the passive and active safety systems are amazing. 30 years ago I was a volunteer cop and went to the scenes of many gruesome accidents which would have been very different in our modern cars.

The other thing is that I will be installing a dashcam. The police reviewed her footage and say that the footage completely exonerates her and shows how she took evasive action. She will not even need to go for an interview with the cops (normal procedure here in a serious accident).

 

While you're trying to convince her, whatever you do don't let her sit in a C8 on the passenger side. I've never seen a car that said "screw you" to the passenger as loudly as the C8.