kalantar

Car is being resold by a dealer and I plan on buying extended 3 year warranty. (03, 25k miles, 2 owner). Car fax is clean.

Should I get the car inspected by an independent 3rd party or all MBZ dealers honest caring individuals who would never sell me a damaged vehicle ?

I have the service history in front of me, cant really tell much about it. Went to another local dealer and they said bring in the car, we will charge $600 to give it a full inspection.. blah, blah,blah... He didnt even want to look at the service records, I had the impression his first priority was to charge me.. Maybe I am wrong.

Thanks again for all the advice and tips... Hopefully I will be driving my new toy by the end of this week....

rbtronnie5

the mb dealer should be fine....is the car cpo'd or they said they will sell you an extended warranty? either way as long as you have an extended warranty...

lorinserbenz

The MB dealer "inspections" are a COMPLETE JOKE.. They do not check squat! I have know several techs and they all have said they give the the cars a brief once over and thats it.

Id avoid a 2003, they are problematic... With SL prices dropping faster than Paris Hiltons panties I am sure that you can find 2005 for close to what your dealer wants for the 03.

whoover

If the car is a Starmark (CPO) and you're buying the extended Starmark warranty (7 years from original delivery / 100k miles) you should be ok at least until the warranty is up. (That could be mid 2009, so make sure you know when the car was delivered.) The inspection quality varies, but the Starmark warranty is what you're paying for, so you can relax.

If it's not a Starmark, but some random used car with a third-party warranty, I'd pass. As has been pointed out, 2003s are not the most trouble-free.

WSH

Extended warranties are for suckers....

SLs were not a particularly reliable platform, esp from an electricals standpoint, even when new.....doubt they improve w/age....

New SLs are being sold at massive discts as not selling; economy softening; and revised-again SL?63 due in few mths....

Suspect anyone who "needs" to obtain an SL ASAP would simply $0-down, 2-3 yr lease a new SL55.....far more efficient use of capital/sales tx/value-at-risk (lease gap insurance), etc......and protection of lemon laws and full factory warranty.....and far more pleasurable to enjoy a pristine, new car than some gang-raped or mildly molested used/elderly car of any sort.....this is a discretionary car, right????....if short of funds, would rather lease a new C Class and earn/save/invest to be able to lease new car of choice than any used car...but to each his own.....

SL2003driver

If it is a certified pre-owned then that gives you 1 year and or 100K miles of coverage. For another $3995 you can extend the CPO coverage an additional 2 years which will give you a total of 3 years and or 100K miles of coverage. It is the same bumper to bumper warranty that you get with a new MB auto. If it is CPO they will provide you with a list of things they did to the car to make it meet CPO status. Like fluid changes, etc. they are also suppose to check about 160 things, that is only as good as the tech that checked them. My dealer also provides a loaner car for any future repairs or service. Here is the deal, you buy a 2003 SL where someone else took the hit for the major depreciation. You now drive a car that looks like a new one and is fully covered for any problems you might have. Just plan on selling it when you run out of warranty because the things that can go wrong can be expensive and these are very complex vehicles. If you read about problems on this board, you will see more problems with the AMG vehicles then the SL500's. Most of the 2003's have already had any major problems taken care of. That does not mean you won't have a strut go out ($1200) or a window motor fail or the top have a problem but with the CPO warranty you are covered and you will have a loaner. You can buy a new SL and pay $1200+ a month for a lease for 3 years and end up with nothing at the end or you can by a 2003 and end up with a car to trade at the end of 3 years and pay a lot less per month to own it and 99.9% of the people can't tell a 2008 form a 2003. JMHO Good luck.