proform

What do you think..all comments welcome..I am on the fence on this deal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...68935504QQrdZ1

david_101

i'd check public records of the seller and seller's listed contact to learn whether there are civil and/ or criminal cases associated with them.

i'd also get an MB printout of services performed on that VIN, as well as anything you could get from BRABUS.

lastly, i'd prove both MB and BRABUS warranties.

and i'd do all of that well before physically inspecting the car.

it's difficult enough attempting to purchase a car via ebay, let alone purchasing a modded one.

i once had a very reputable guy -- who appeared on TV because his business was featured in a piece -- try to pull what i thought was a quick one on me when i first considered getting an SL AMG. never again.

DFW01E55

Aren't all of the performance car ads required to say, "Never been raced"?

Have you seen the car?

You're sure saving time by buying it already modded.

I'm really surprised by the amount of time left on the warranty, Sept '07 on an '03? That's really a late model '03, you could check that with your MB dealer and see if they've black flagged it for mods.

Price wise it seems to be decent - another 3 to 5k discount would be nice.

Juice it

Like they said, check the vin with a benz dealer to see the history. Also, no matter what the seller tells you the Brabus mods void your warranty. Some Mercedes dealers sell Renntech and other tuners stuff and will agree to warranty the cars because they sell the products but any other dealer would void the warranty especially if anything major were to happen. Also, I wouldn't buy the car on ebay, if you like it and it checks out buy it offline so you aren't rushed into a transaction you may not want.

proform

Thanks Guys....I Aprreciate The Input....What About The Price...$68k-$70k Seem Fair?

proform

Looks Like A Dead Deal If The Warranty Is Toast.....

AdamG@NorCal

CPO for the SL 55 is a must especially on the earlier models. 03 is a problematic year especially with ABC and SRS. Be very careful when purchasing non CPO SLs. You might live to regret the costs of repair. The best bet is purchasing a CPO SL from dealerships. Try checking with Vadim for any used SL.

bltserv

When I shopped for my SL55 it took 6 months.

Do yourself a big big favor. Get a 2005 or 2006.
My SA at my local Benz dealer is a Service Manager now.
He warned me about the 03 and suggested I get the latest
model I could afford. So I went 05. Take his advice.

I think you could find a single owner 05 or maybe 06 for a great
price. I paid 86 for mine back in June. Get a virgin and Mod it yourself.

sprins

I actually have a 2002 (MY 2003) SL55. The service record of the car is 8 pages long. Everything you can think of was done to the car. Fortunately almost all of the service was done by the previous owner (poor sod). I bought the car with a 1 year Daimler Chrysler warranty from an official Mercedes-Benz Niederlassung in Germany. The only real problem I've had in the 2 years of ownership is that at 1 year and 3 months (D'oh!) the left front ABC strut started giving errors (without actually malfunctioning). Had it replaced for €1.500 and that was that (for now, knock on wood).

So even if I'm a pretty happy camper, you can shoot yourself in the foot big time with a 02-03 model. Or not, but that gamble is only worth taking with proper Mercedes-Benz warranty.

proform

This is why I asked the forum....Great advise...Deal Is Dead..Thanks!!

IngenereAMG

I am not sure what you guys are talking about with '03s. I have had an '03 since new. It's been bullit proof....and the car has done 30K miles, track days, trips....blah, blah, blah.

ja1031

Anyone interested in a 2005 SL 55? 13,000 miles, Kleemann K2 dynos at 562 hp / 605 ft lbs, also limited slip. Silver and charcoal, keyless, tire pressure and bi-xenon. Clean as you'll find anywhere, original tires are good. $80,000 should do it.
Jeff
ja1031@aol.com

sprins

Well, congratulations to you then. You are a lucky man. I just (3 minutes ago) got the notice that during service B they found the fourth ABC strut to be leaking. Has to be replaced as well.

So all four struts will have been replaced. Two under warranty, two S.O.L.