Hi all! New member here. Im very thankful for all the information shared on these forums.

Im finding myself in a position to purchase an R231. Well, I should say Ive been tempted by both the R129 and R130 but it seems to me I should go for a R231 and probably a V6 option as they are more affordable. The 9 speed transmission on the 2017+ models seems even more compelling. Trying to keep my budget under $40k means I'll need a higher miles version. I cant seem to find any glaring issue with the R231 at this point other than the possible addition of the ABC suspension as an option and avoiding or looking out for Mars Red color option.

What should I as a new buyer of Mercedes expect? Ive been told countless times that I should expect higher maintenance costs which I'm prepared to allocate for. As well as premium fuel costs. How are insurance rates? Im assuming a premium over something like a Kia haha. My previous cars have been a Toyota Camry and a Ford F-150. I work a summer seasonal life in Alaska and dont require a daily driver. During the winters I'm elsewhere between Oregon, Ohio and Arizona which I intend to drive between and enjoy these States. Ever since I was a teenager Ive had my eye on an SL and Im so excited to pick one up.
Anyone with any general advice for me I'll be grateful for.

 

Congrats on making a decision to fulfill a life-long desire. I was first attracted to the 450SL when I started driving at 16 (yes, back then you could get your learners at 15 and license at 16). I can't speak to the R129 and R130, but the R231 with the V6 is a smart choice. Both the engine and transmission are bulletproof if the car has been well maintained. I would avoid the R230 since they are now getting old. Generally, they are great cars, but the roof and suspension can become problematic (R230).

Premium gas is a must, but so it is for 95% of modern turbo cars. Insurance is of course more because you have a premium automobile but should be less with the V6. Change the oil every 3k-5k miles with a Mercedes approved oil, either 0W-40 or 5W-40. (Don't believe the crap about 10k oil changes!) The oil also needs to be API SP approved. (Search for LSPI on YouTube to see why.) Learn to do your own maintenance, as much as you can within your skills and abilities, otherwise maintenance and repairs can be expensive. These engines are very temperamental when it comes to sparkplugs and their installation. Changing them is relatively easy on the M276 turbo V6 but must be done correctly and the right plugs used. Best to go with Mercedes plugs.

1. Get the service records, if you can. A dealer should be able to give them to you. Check for when the last tranny service was done. It should be every ~60k miles or seven years for the 7-speed.
2. Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI). Search for PPI services unless you have a trusted mechanic that knows Mercedes. There are some YouTube videos that will help. I'm not endorsing these folks, but here is a company that I recently saw on YouTube: Lemon Squad.
3. Find good online sources for parts, such as www.fcpeuro.com, www.pelicanparts.com, www.autohausaz.com, www.rmeuropean.com, www.eeuroparts.com, www.ecstuning.com, and others.

 

As Jetta said, keeping up with the maintenance is the big thing. This forum is also very helpful. I think you'll find the engines, both the six and the eight, are very reliable, as is the vario-roof. Electronic gremlins rear their ugly heads from time to time but they are often related to convenience items not things that are operationally critical. For forty grand you should be able to find a nice mid-mileage SL450 that will put a smile on your face every time you drive it.

Jetta is also correct that a PPI is important. How you treat the car going forward is important, but how the previous owner(s) treated the car is critical.

Now comes the fun part...finding the right r231 for you. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Now that I am a little more awake, I have a 2015 SL400 (tuned) and love the car. According to what is published, the SL400 is 0.2 seconds faster than the SL450 in 0-60. Not sure why because the SL450 has ~10% more hp and the 9-speed tranny. But I doubt you'll notice 4.9 seconds versus 4.7 seconds. So, find the car you want in the price you want.

Here's a few more important notes:

1. Get yourself a Mercedes-specific scanner! There are good, inexpensive ones such as the LAUNCH Creader Elite 2.0 BENZ or BlueDriver. Keep it in the storage box behind the driver's seat. The quickest way to identify (and potentially solve) a problem is to scan the vehicle and check for codes. Actually, it would be good to get it now because in addition to the PPI, you will want to first scan any potential car yourself. Not all codes will turn on a warning light on the dash.
2. Join the BenzNinja Club (he's a sponsor and advertiser on these forums). It's a little more of an investment but pays for itself in quick order if you have a problem. Two benefits are custom configuration of features that may not be stock in the US or enabling features normally reserved for AMG cars. The other important benefit is that you'll get full copies of factory software used by the dealer to diagnose and repair your car (XENTRY--diagnostic/configuration software, WIS--digital shop manual, EPC--electronic parts catalog, and others). You will also need to acquire cloned versions of the C4 multiplexer that interfaces with the car and a Windows laptop.
3. Check any Mercedes's VIN on www.lastvin.com to see how the car was configured from the factory. Mercedes likes to call their really cool features something with MAGIC in the name, such as MAGIC VISION (wipers) or MAGIC SKY CONTROL (electrically dimming Vario roof). Or they add Plus to other features like Distronic Plus (automated distance cruise control) or 7G-Plus (latest version of the 7-speed tranny).
4. Some of the online merchants that I mentioned before offer lifetime replacement of parts they sell, including brake pads, rotors, wiper blades, and even motor oil. FCP Euro I think was the first to offer that. Very important to keeping your car affordable since the MAGIC VISION wiper blades are about $150 a set.

 

You'll want to work your way through this thread, but @kevm14 has done a great job summarizing the key points in his first posting. Oil pump solenoids - MBWorld.org Forums

This is also a good video about some preventative maintenance you can do.

 

Since the printed pandemic money has dried out, tons of great deals on SL450’s on Autotrader!

Not sure where you’re located but:
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz/sl-450/

Run carfax and get the cleanest, lowest mileage, SL in your budget.


Good Luck!

 

Thanks for all these useful tips! I'll hopefully be buying it this winter and with any luck snag a deal. Im really looking forward to cruising all over America in it.

 

Wow. Thanks for this post. Last time I looked they were no where near this price.

 

I don't know if I love you nor hate you for sharing that search!! Very tempting facelift cars!!

 

Haha, you know what they say about a bird in the hand?
Sometimes with used cars, if a car is treating you well, trading it for an unknown can be dicey.
But overall those are pretty discounted.

But the salvage titles don’t really count

 

Well, I just did the same type of sort as I did when shopping for my ML: just show me the white ones, lowest to highest price. The first one checks all my boxes: Diamond White Metallic + Buckskin Nappa + all the stuff I already have and can't live without. Back of the envelope calcs look like it's $10K + my car and sadly that doesn't seem especially prudent right now, but at least I've solved the mystery of why some R231 parts diagrams say the hood badge goes on the bumper!



The one-owner Carfax seems to show the owner never did any maintenance, just vehicle inspections!