MD750

I've been looking at 04 SL55 for a few months now (mostly on ebay) and I have yet to see one, more matter what the mileage, go for more than $75k (actually not many over $70k either)...even though kbb say around ~$90k. of course i know kbb means nothing, but i was wondering if anyone else seen the same trend. my question is, what's the ABSOLUTE most should i be paying for a 04 SL55 (keyless go, parktronic/distronic, bi-xenon, active seats)?

thanks in advance

pinoyamg

A Million bucks if you ask me! Though I'm not that lucky. I've seen some posted for 70- 75K with 25k-35k miles on it. Great car to have if you find one that hasn't been abused. Make sure to check service history. It seems to me that members either have cars that seem to be lemons or built by a German technician coming back from happy hour, or like others who have never seen anything other than the usual SBC recall. So make sure your not getting a former lemon. Happy hunting!

MD750

So I should expect to pay between $70-75k? if that's the case, someone need to tell some of the people i've contacted already because for some strange reason they think they are going to get between $88-92k. i want one, but not to pay that much for one...

NOTA4RE

I just bought a loaded 05 with 8k miles for 90K from a Mercedes dealer. You should be able to get a like kind 04 for 80k or less. The SL seems to depreciate ~10k a year. I would not buy a high milage car or one that has no warranty. You may get a good deal on the car but you will end up paying the savings out in repairs.

MD750

i guess i need to wait another 6mths because i'm not paying more than $75k for one. i would think that places are trying to get them off the lot at this point since it's almost winter...but i guess not. private seller ok, but i'm alomost positive that SL's are not going $75k at auction

blazinginder

70-80 MAX...75k would be a good price...in dealer auctions they go for much less than 90k...so private seller cant ask for anything close to dealer

bltserv

I shopped for almost 6 months.
Got my 05 SL55 22K Miles single owner $ 86K.
That was back in June

The dealer originally had it on the lot for $ 105K. Lowered to $ 93K
But it sat for too long and they finally caved and took my offer.
It was at an Audi dealer of all places to find a SL55.

I think a 2004 should go for at least $10-15K less.

Take your time and test drive a bunch of them.
Try to get Keyless and Parktronic at least.

As someone mentioned. Get the VIN # to a Benz SA and have the
service history in your hand before you purchase. The more warranty
the better the deal. So low miles and a 05 would be the way to go.

It is a great car to own. But tires and brakes are consumables.
So make sure you can afford your new baby and you will
enjoy it that much more !

MD750

thanks for the advice bltserv. i've just began my serious search for one, but i'm not budging off the $75k. i'm sure the inventory in CA is plentiful, but out here in MD SL's are pretty rare and AMG's are pretty much non-existent. i'll double check the dealers to see if i can find an AMG to test drive. regarding the brake, i'm sure jobs like that will be all me....i do a lot of stuff like that on my bimmer as well. parktronic & keyless go are on my "must have" list

MD750

that's what i'm thinking, but some of these sellers are not seeing it that way. i was emailing a seller today and pretty much he wants me to pay for the $40k in mods that HE got installed! news flash to sellers...mods does not make a vehicle appreciate in value. if anything it's the exact opposite. i'll keep searching, but thanks for confirming that i'm on the right track for pricing.

SuperDave

Agreed,
I just bought mine earlier this month.........a Black 05 with 4,096 miles on it....SmartKey/Phone.....also 1 owner.......I paid a premium 91.5K but the car was and is absolutely pristine.......still have 2 1/2 years on the warranty. I would assume an 04 would be in the mid-70's.

SuperDave

bltserv

I tried like 6-7 private sellers when I was shopping. Some were really very
upset when I told them what I thought their car was really going to sell for.
This one guy paid like $ 145K for his 2004 new. It was real nice. 30K miles
Brabus goodies. All the bells and whistles. But he was pissed when I told him
his car was maybe worth $ 75-80K. He was going to get at least $ 95K.
Those Mods cost extra !
"And I was insulting him with my offer". Last I heard he still had that thing on
autotrader and the only place the price is going is down.

Out here in Cali
SL`s and AMG`s are plentiful. And with all the Real Estate money drying up
it seems like more of them are on the lots. The local dealer had a radio commercial saying $ 30K off selected models. Turns out it was for a couple
CL65`s that have been sitting for a year on the lot. The top end car business is soft. Hell the whole car business is in the tank right now.
So dont think for a minute that they wont take a lowball offer.
Haggle. Go get a great deal !!! Then you will enjoy the car even more.
Half the fun is to find the right deal and car. "Patience Grasshopper"

NOTA4RE

Yep. That is one of the reasons why I pulled the trigger on my purchase. The price the dealer was offering to sell me the SL55 was the same price the SL55's were doing at the auction. Couple that together with me only losing 3700 dollars on my trade-in, a car that I drove for a year and it only cost me 3700, the deal was a no brainer.

MD750

dude...we may have talked to the same cat! this cat seemed to think that because he had put all this money into the car, that he was just adding to the value of the car. oh had to edit for this...he also TOLD ME the dealer and a wholesaler offered him ~$75k, but i he would sell it to me for $83k. why would he tell me that?

well, i really have my eye on this designo edition with this killer color combo...have NEVER seem this combo before. it's a shame that he won't just accept my offer cause i REALLY like it!

i am really happy that you guys all agree with the pricing...i was starting to think i was the crazy one! maybe i should send them a link to this thread

MD750

ok...how much weight should a MB warranty carry? i rarely see a bmw shop right now since i do a lot of my own maintenance, but this guy i talked to today said that once they got the trade-in (from a guy getting a bentley...so i can't imagine him have to do THAT much stuff to it), they spent another $3500 after the fact getting the warranty. actually that seems pretty dumb to me, why buy a car and immediately put $3500 into it, just to turn around to sell it?

DFW01E55

Don't go to the bank on this but, he may be referring to Starmarking the car, which extends the warranty to 100k - I think.

It certainly doesn't cost 3,500, it's just the cost of the inspection plus any items they must correct.

MD750

i think that's what it is too. it just doen't make good business sense to put so much money into a vehicle that you are just going to sell. he also said that if it wasn't sold in 6mths, it would drop to $83,500. i think i may just have to rule out dealers and get find a motivated and realistic private seller

MD750

well, i just drove my first sl55 today. ummm...yeah, that's what i want...nuff said. it was an 05 for $82k (pano, keyless-go), but right away i did noticed that the keyless-go didn't work. so like many have said already...you get what you pay for. i will be really careful about is purchasing from a used car dealer...he never even mentioned that the keyless-go didn't work.

Juice it

That car should still be under warranty. That is an awesome price if it is a legit car. What was the mileage?

bltserv

Couple of things on Keyless.

1. I have 2 Keys. Only one supports the Keyless option.
2. You need to have a good fresh Battery for it to Sync
with the car. Battery in the correct Key that is.
3. Need to put foot on brake first. Then push the Start button.
4. Dash should respond with error if a No Start.
Key Not Found. Key Battery Low.
5. As long as the shifter has the start button. Its keyless.
Just got to get get items 1-3 fixed.

Keep driving them and learning. Knowledge is power and confidence.
Just keep in mind getting the VIN#. Do a Carfax. Find a dealer and make friends. Get him to run the service history report before you talk price.
Make sure no roof rattles. Cycle the top a few times and listen.

Look for any damage under the front air dam.
I mean really get under there and do a HARD detailed look.
You can tell more about a SL55 from that air dam and its condition than anywhere else. Scratches and crunches show abuse.

Keep in mind tires too. If they 50% + worn. There is $ 1500.00
Also look for abuse in the rear wheel wells. Reach in there. If tons of
crusty rubber scum that peels off.
Someone turned the ESP off and had some fun. More abuse.

Warranty:
The car will have the 4 year 50K mile warranty which is fully transferable.
Used auto dealer is fine. But get the VIN and go to a MBZ dealer and verify
the condition and warranty transfer just to be sure. A real dealer will want
your service business. Dont be shy. Hell. Owning a SL55 means you are never shy !!!!

The more patience you show the more money you will save
and the happier you will be with your purchase.
Enjoy finding one fastest and best cars you will ever drive.

MD750

sorry...no idea. i didn't even pay any attention since i knew i wasn't going to get an 05.

MD750

great advice man...i'm going to print this off start myself a list of things to inspect! i do recall that i didn't have my foot on the brake, but it also said there was an error. would it have the error if i didn't press the brake before?

bzliteyear

i know this is an 03, but it's pretty clean and i thot you might like to see it as a reference:

http://www.gkautos.com/03sl55.htm

ja1031

Here's one for you. Original owner 2005 SL 55, Keyless, Xenon, Brilliant Silver / Charcoal. As clean as you can find, never abused and stored in A/C garage. Less than 13,000 miles, three oil changes since new. KBB $98K, wholesale $75K yours for $80K firm.

MD750

you have mail sir!

ja1031

I received your email but it relates to a "Where did you get the money" thread on the E forum. Try ja1031@aol.com
Jeff Arnold