Hello all,

Since MB has done away with our hardtop convertible SL and went with the soft top R232 do you think its a wrap and the hard top SL is never coming back, or do you feel it is possible that in 5,10 or 20 years MB will make another hardtop SL? Sometimes these guys wait a period and start doing something again to build interest and hype.(whats old is new kinda thing)

Lastly, do you feel that our hardtops will become classics in the future since they are not made anymore causing the value to shoot up, or do you think that there might be subtle dips up, or down in the price but in general the price will remain what ever the market at the time dictates?

 

Everything will be so different in 5, 10, or 20 years. Cars will have a force field that acts as a top but be completely transparent/invisible. Or, the world will have come to an end by then.

 

lol. I guess we also could have the flying cars like in The 5th Element. I don’t know if 20 years is long enough to have developed and perfected that tech, while also making them common enough that the regular Joe has one. Dunno.

 

I also think 20 years from now I probably shouldn't be driving.

 

That’s where self driving/flying comes into play.

 

Very little chance, and if anything we'd be lucky to see another new generation of SL in the next 10 years given the lack of interest in convertibles and decline in sales.

 

I believe that the values for low mileage, well equipped, pristine examples of the R231’s will start to firm up and stop declining. Let’s face it, warts & all, these are fantastic cars and compared to much of anything else out there, are true bargains. I happen to think that the cars were bargains when the last new 2020’s were sold. The new SL’s—which leave me absolutely cold—are horrendously more expensive, not nearly as luxurious in my opinion, and what is the attraction? That they are new & faster? Big deal!

Not everyone out there has a lust for ridiculously quick & overly fast cars. If I was offered a brand new SL63 in exchange for my 2019 SL450 and it was stipulated that I had to keep the car for five years before selling it, I’d turn it down flat. To me, the “new SL” is a cookie-cutter design, with a rag top, useless rear seats, a wind deflector that you need to install & remove MANUALLY and an iPad hot glued to the center stack. Thanks but NO THANKS!

Isn’t this a pretty car?

 

I can't imagine the hard top coming back. Although I have no inside info on why decisions are made at MB, the decision to do away with the retractable hardtop had to be influenced heavily by cost reduction. Going to the soft top probably allowed a little weight reduction and lowering of the center of gravity. As I browse through this site it seems the brand is degrading under the current management,. My opinion only, you may feel differently. Those of us that appreciate the R231 are obviously not the demographic MB is reaching out to.

 

We hear so often that convertibles are falling out of fashion. Why? Are younger people too used to sitting cooped up playing video games all day that they have no desire for fresh air and the wind in their hair? AND, if convertibles are losing out to fixed roof vehicles, wouldn't you think that a retractable hardtop would be the logical, "sweet spot" compromise? On my way to my office just now, I passed an S560 cabriolet with a beige soft top. The top was looking tired, with dark, ugly crease marks in the rear where it all folds away. This was a $150K car brand new and now, after just a few years, it looks crummy, while most every R231 top looks like brand new.

 

The R232 is now a car that's built to rival the 911 with its 2+2 seats bulbous rear arches and soft top roof and 4 wheel drive
Must say wish my R231 per-facelift had 4 wheel drive!
In another thread there is how many registered in the UK https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicl..._sl63_amg_auto
If you look at MY 2015 and 2016 there are only 53 cars and the R231 per-facelift should have started January 2015 but maybe there were some late 2014
That makes it a very rare car in the UK if you ignore the facelift cars and personally I bought per-facelift in preference to the later car
BUT to be a classic it means others see it as a must have car and its never had that reputation but may acquire it. Lots do not like the front not matching the rear but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder
It might become like the Austin Healey 3000 in the late 60's nobody wanted one as it had worm and peg steering rather than rack and pinion now a near mint ones fetch £150k and they still have worse handling than our cars

Did that effect me buying the car a January 2015 model in 2021 Yes as it was already rumored that it was to be 2+2 seats and a soft top but not OTT so ............
I looked a a lot of other cars after deciding to stop squeezing into my roofless Caterham 7 before buying the SL63 but I am far from small of frame and did not fit in the Audi R8 spyder or a TVR both have really small cockpits so the R231 was a later choice

The fact the cars great for long drives to the South of France and Spain one a year, this year is to be past Naples, and its mileage at 15,400 effected the choice and being my sunnyday /holiday car

I think it will be a car that regains its current price rather than goes up. In 20 years well buying petrol might be as rare as electric car charging points are now given after 2030 no more petrol or diesel cars
10 years later most smaller petrol cars will be scrap just as they have worn out,
Then it will be what happens to classic cars do they get taxed off the road for not complying with latest emissions. That is far more likely in the UK and Europe than anywhere else. Lets face it your never going to get a car charged in the middle of the Amazon or in remote parts Canada or China or Africa ever 230miles(GRIN)

Would I buy a R232 in say 5 years yes if the cockpit still fits me and the price has dropped but I do like my current R231 its just the handling hate
I wonder how many R232will be made before there is hybrid or all electric versions

 

I'm not sure of the logic as most of the people you describe have at least a sun or panorama roof on these cars. Maybe they never open it, I don't know. We were out two days ago in Eastern TN with the top down and had two people stop at traffic lights and compliment on us on the car. Happens everywhere we go. I drive my new E63s and only occasionally get a thumbs up from an enthusiast. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We would have been buyers if the new model suited our eye. It did not so we will keep what we have and are very happy with the decision.

 

The reason NOBODY outside of Ferrari is building hardtop convertibles is that they are very heavy and very complex. Due to EPA requirements, and EU requirements regarding average fuel economy those had to go away.
I think the SL's values will continue to erode slowly. Especially as the older folks who gravitate to that car exit the car buying market.

 

You want the truth? Chinese market has no real use for convertibles. China is the #1 market for luxury cars. US market has less use than before. Young people prefer a sportier ride and handling than the boulevard cruiser SL.

 

I am on the highway twice a day for an hour each trip. Daily I see cars with the sunroof angled up, or on newer type cars with that long panoramic type roof I see plenty of them slid back during warm weather events. I think plenty of people still like sunroofs and convertibles, however for the price of an SL I think younger people gravitate to something they feel is just as, or almost as nice as the SL, but not as much. Certain BMW, Audi, Acura, etc.

I can’t say if I would have purchased an SL if it wasn’t my dream car for over 35 years now. I am so bias that I couldn’t imagine not getting it. If the SL wasn’t my dream car I would likely have been in a different model MB, or likely a Tesla by now.

 

Even sunroofs are becoming a thing of the past. Look at the amount of new cars coming out with fixed glass roofs that don't open.

 

Will the hard top come back? Probably not. Will the car become a collectors item? Again, probably not.
When I went looking for a convertible a year ago, I was open to any and all brands and years and almost bought an SLK55 after weeding out the other brands.
Then I took a drive in my SL550 and I had to have it. The overall design, including the nose, interior space and finish, is in my opinion, perfect. Understated, classical and timeless. Perfect combination of handling (ABC) and power just sang to me in a way that no other car ever has. I'll be keeping it for a very long time.

 

I get the whole “youth must be served” idea, but many here make it sound as though there is this one group, with one foot in the grave and everyone else is young. Obviously, there is a constant mix of all ages in the marketplace. When did driving with no top over your head become an “old people” thing and go out of fashion? Makes zero sense to me.

 

I think people just can't afford having convertibles anymore. They are seen as luxuries or third/extra-vehicles nowadays, and most people can only get one do everything vehicle which ends up being an SUV. Especially since space, ride height, and SUV's are all the rave, people can't excuse the impracticality of a vert. These are just my thoughts btw, but I have a feeling that this is tied into the drop in convertible popularity.

Remember the days of affordable convertibles? Toyota Solara, VW Cabrio, Eos, and Beetle, Honda S2000, Chrysler Sebring and PT Cruiser, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Camaro, etc. Now the only cheap cabs left are the Mustang, Miata and maybe the Mini, otherwise, its only luxury.

 

Convertibles aren’t enjoyable in traffic or in hot/cold/inclement weather. This rules out the majority of driving.

And 2 seat or 2+2 configurations rule out convertibles from a primary transport role in most households.

I owned a convertible. It was fun with the top down a handful of times per year. Otherwise the noise from traffic, or hot/cold/inclement weather made top up driving required.

Top up driving in a convertible is inferior to driving in a fixed roof due to more noise and worse insulation from the elements, be they hot or cold.

The convertible is a toy. Car companies are in business to make money, and toys don’t generate sufficient revenue and profit. It’s just business.

In my view there is no difference in soft top vs retractable hard top, they are both convertibles and suffer the same deficiencies vs fixed roof and 4-door cars.

 

No different than the station wagon market. Mostly older people who buy them. Guess what? Hardly any wagons in the market. Older people buy fewer cars. The business case has to exist. For boulevard cruisers it doesn't anymore.

 

Tell that to Porsche & Ferrari, they must not have gotten the memo.

 

Huge difference. My 2019 SL450 is absolutely solid & quiet with the retractable hardtop up.

 

Porsche builds soft tops lol. Plus you would HATE the ride in a 911. Not sure how this is a relevant example when you are pushing for the cruiser model. Ferrari charges astronomical $$ for a tiny handful of cars.

 

Sorry? Please say again.

 

I agree. I think there is a night and day difference between the hard and soft top too, with the hard top being a better choice.