I am scheduled to pick up my new (to me) CPO SL in a little over a week and just sold the BMW today - first time I have been carless in decades! So since I am trying to get all my ducks in a row, I happened to be going through the Carfax on the car I've done my deposit on. It turns out there were a couple of things that made me nervous. I saw that in the three year lease term, the interior trim had been repaired or replaced four times, the electrical system in for repairs twice, the computer once, and the windshield wiper blades replaced three times (in drought-ridden Southern California, that is!) So now both my spouse and I are a little gunshy over this car. I know it is only a CPO, but it is still a nearly 70K investment. It is certified but those seem like repetitive issues and I am not looking to get a lemon. I am contemplating asking the salesman if I can see the service records for the vehicle (like is it the exact same trim piece repaired or replaced four times?). If he is unwilling to show them, or even if he is and they are concerning, I'm contemplating pulling out of this deal and looking for another car. I hate to do it as I really wanted the Magic Sky - which is harder to find than a needle in a haystack, but I'm not looking to take on a world of problems.

If you guys saw a Carfax like that, would you be concerned or would you plow ahead with the deal to get a feature you had your heart set on that was really tough to find (for you non Magic Sky folks pretend it is Active Body Control or something equally rare)?

 

I also bought a CPO, 3 year lease out of Florida. Carfax was clean. If you're spending $70k I would expect the selling dealer to be upfront and share the details of the service history. Was it a Mercedes buyback? Was it a lemon? If they refuse and you have a relationship with another dealer and have the VIN, they can pull the history.

 

I just bought a 2013 the carfax was very clean great service history no repeating problems if I had the carfax your describing at the price your paying there are plenty of used SL's out there I would keep shopping.

 

That should be the CarFax summary for 50 SL’s. 😊

 

I would take a step back and think about what the repairs mean. First the wipers, many people buy the service plan and with the plan you get wipers replaced every year for free. So I don't see that as being any issue. Electrical system repairs can often mean software update- any BCM updates would typically marked this way, such as they were having a radio issue/recall etc or any other update. The computer repair could have been an engine software update. 98 times out of 100 when you see electrical/computer issues it comes down to software updates. Keep an iPhone up to date on its software and you will see a dozen updates over 2 years. I don't have any idea what the trim issue could be but my brand new car had one of the back pieces of top trim slightly off and they adjusted it while getting it ready for delivery. That would be one on your score. I would also use caution with the accuracy on carfaxes- they are great for accidents and floods but when it comes to service they get wonky. I would get the service records pulled- that will be far more accurate.

 

In the collector car world, they use the term “No Stories.” It means that the car is exactly what it appears to be. A story is like “Yeah, I’m the original owner. I got it from my sister-in-law’s brother who works for a Mercedes dealer in Houston. He got it when the dealership sold off all their loaners after Hurricane Harvey.........and the big flood........, but THIS car was not involved in that, because it was in the garage of the dealership general manager at the time.......before they had to evacuate. But yeah, I’m the original owner and everything is 100% original, except the paint and interior......and it has a BRAND NEW engine! Yep, she’s ALL ORIGINAL and I’m the original owner.”

The car that the OP is looking at has STORIES! I would forget that car and find one with a 100% clean CarFax. You know, there are still some really nice, new, 2020’s around.

 

I would agree if we say it had engine, transmission work etc. But to find a car that hasn’t had wipers replaced? Granted that’s not everything that’s been done but I think seeing the service records could change the whole story.

 

Whippers, etc. are usually part of service and it should be like that on every Carfax report, I would not buy any car that have repairs done showing in the Carfax report, definitely the dealer records would show the whole story if you can have that. Try to find a dealer who agree to give you the service records based on the VIN, the rule is that they're not allowed to do it unless you are the owner, but some of them that may do it, I would talk to the one close to where you intend to service the car, good luck !

 

I bought a 2014 SL 550 five months ago and it had a totally clean CarFax. To be fair, the car only had 18,000 miles on it so I wasn't expecting to see issues. Your report would worry me. Others here have mentioned asking for service history from the dealer and I agree. We had an E350 a few years ago that had interior trim issues. The wood was starting to come off in two places. I went to the dealer and got a quote. Turns out you can't replace just one piece, you have to replace all of it or it wouldn't match. I don't recall the price but if memory serves it was a couple grand. I took the car to my indy and he glued it back temporarily. I traded the car right after that. Good luck and if those service records show more than simply updates, I'd bail on the car.

 

I want to thank all of you so much for the advice. I asked the dealer yesterday for the service records and he said he will work on getting them to me. If he claims he can’t or the reports come back worrisome, then I will bail on the car. I already tried to get another dealership to look up the VIN and they wouldn’t. I’m hoping it turns out to be really minor as I loved the features on this car but I admit, I’m nervous. I really appreciate you guys chiming in, if helps a lot to see differing viewpoints and experiences.

 

If you're nervous do not buy the car, there shouldn't be ANY red flags when buying a car like this, everything, negotiating the price, taking possession and driving the car from the dealership lot should bring a smile on your face, keep in mind that, when you have the money, you're in the driver seat, there are nice, clean cars out there waiting for you but it may take a little of patience, I would not rush !
Good luck !

 

Well stated. Just know that even on perfect appearing cars, the quality of the dealer in the background matters too.

I recently bought an out of state SL63 with a few more miles than I wanted (23K) but as a CPO through a reputable high volume East Coast dealer. The dealer not only provided the CarFax, but also the complete CPO service list, the pricing and parts lists from all of the CPO service, and a complete service history from their dealer records - without any prompting from me. When i did see a couple of odd entries, they even contacted the original servicing dealer and had the invoices sent over for the work that was done under warranty.

Ironically - despite all of that, and a PPI, the car arrived safely but within 3 days developed a concerning fault code related to the distronic sensor on the nose. I took the new to me SL into my local MB Dealer, had the item fully inspected and corrected (damaged distronic mounting bracket that had been previously repaired, but not replaced) and sent the bill to the East Coast dealer that promptly paid for the service. Knock on wood - the car has since been without issue, and we have already added nearly 5K miles in 6 months. It's everything I had hoped.

I have bought a lot of cars from a lot of dealers (and individuals) over the years, and know that no car and no seller is ever perfect. But you should walk away from every single purchase comfortable with your choice and confident that you got the best value for your dollar and know exactly what you are buying. If you don't feel that way when you are ready to sign, just walk away.

 

So I talked to the dealer on the phone yesterday and he said he could not give me the service records after all, as this was a "privacy issue." So...after minutes of high pressure and arguing from him, I just wanted to get off the phone and told him we would discuss it last night. Needless to say, we are cancelling the transaction. I didn't want to tell him over the phone as he was so high pressure with me, so I sent an email (also as written proof for the credit card company should he hassle us over getting the refund of our deposit). I have apologized for any inconvenience (even though I think it is shady to not share the records - you could black out the customer info - with a deposited buyer) and thanked him for his time. I told him to please refund our deposit. I don't want to advertise the dealership, but did learn a headache of a lesson - study the Carfax before anything else. I agree they can miss a lot, but when there is smoke there, there actually could well be fire.

 

Sounds like you made the right call.

I have to laugh about his answer about privacy (not that I don't take the concept seriously) - after I bought my car, I signed into mbrace and all the other online stuff, and after entering my VIN, was presented with a screen that had the previous owner's name, address, email and cell phone number.

So some people at MB take it more seriously than others I guess!

 

I think you made the right call. That's the most idiotic answer I've heard from a dealer- past oil changes are private and not disclosable? Do we have HIPAA for cars now? For pete's sake it's a car, not your girlfriend's plastic surgeon...

 

Turns out all's well that ends well. After I decided to cancel the one I had on deposit, I was searching for another option. My daily routine had been to check the inventory of all the CA dealerships. Lo and behold, my holy grail car popped up at Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach. White, beige nappa leather, Magic Sky, wood steering wheel and illuminated door sills. And with only a little over 6,000 miles to boot. It was polar white, not diamond, and a 550 and not a 450. Also as a 2017, the original warranty had expired. But it was so close to perfect for me that I could not resist and bought it today. My spouse was at work so they are coming to our house on Saturday to finalize the paperwork, but I put down $30K today to make it mine. I'll do another $10K on Saturday. I did decide to tack on the extra two years of warranty. Even though it only has 6k miles, I want to make sure the top and Magic Sky and Distronic don't go bad on my dime for at least three years.

The only thing I didn't like was there was a scuff on the beige trim near the driver footwell that was worn down (maybe the prior owner wore stilettos?) and it had chrome wheels. They are replacing that part on the driver side and de-chroming the wheels. They offered to deliver it to my house next Wednesday after the wheels are finished on Tuesday but I told the salesman I would rather take delivery in-store. Mainly because on the test drive it didn't have the keyless button, and I know it has wheel locks, etc. so I want to make sure everything is in place when I take ownership next week. It felt weird signing purchase paperwork and not driving home in the car, but it is well worth it to get my dream vehicle and have them take care of the wheels for me now.

So all's well that ends well. I look forward to getting my new (to me) baby next week and want to thank all of you again for all your support.

I guess I can't officially say I have joined the SL club until it is in my possession, but I'm happy the search is over and I am getting my dream car - with a clean Carfax report to boot!

 

A previous owner that wore stilettos. The stories your SL could tell!😊

 

Welcome to your next obsession - consider us your pushers. 🤪🤪

 

Congrats on your new vehicle! What kind of warranty. Was the car CPO'd? If not, it normally is easy to have the dealer CPO it (normally part of the negotiation though)...
Please post pics when you have it...

 

For preowned you need to be 100% "in". if you have any doubts walk.

 

Thank you. Yes, it was certified. It is a 2017 but was initially purchased in 2016 so the original warranty was up even though it only has 6k miles. So it came with the one year certified and I bought two more years added on.

My sales rep said the wheels should be done by Tuesday then they will replace the footwell piece. So he said I should have it Wednesday. Pics and a post will definitely follow when I do.

 

All's well that ends Well - Great to hear the good news - Congrats !! Wednesday won't come fast enough I suspect.

 

Polar White is excellent! You're going to love this car...

 

I agree. I have an Alpine white BMW X5 and it is a nicer color than my Diamond White SL IMO. I like a pure white better than the metallic or pearl effect.
Enjoy in good health.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth!