iguess

Nice car man. I'm not an expert on how cars retain their value, but maybe its because a ferrari is so desired, it's price wont drop so rapidly. Like someone else said before A SL55 is baller status. Hey, I'm happy with my CLK350. A hot car is a hot car. Just forget about the guy in the ferrari. You drive a very nice looking vehicle, its fast, and i'm sure it does get some stares.

Tgor

I also get the occasional stare with my old SL however its badged as a 500. It truely depends on where you live. Most don't even now how old my car is or that I paid less for it than they did for their SUV's. LOL

NOTA4RE

Thats why I got rid of my SL55 for the 360. It really is too bad the Mercedes doesn't hold it's value, and I really mean that statement too. Because the benz cars used are worth a whole bunch more then they sell for especially the AMG models. If you wait for them to be at Max depreciation then you get hit with zillion dollar repair bills because they are out of warranty. Its is a no win situation for anyone but benz. The best part for benz is that few people even drive the damn car anyways. I see so many SL's with 5k miles on them and just about ready to go out of warranty. Mercedes must love that.

Even with that being said I was at the Mercedes dealer yesterday looking at a S63. I know better and won't buy the car, although I want too. Man that thing is a rocket!

bigred

i think its because mercedes cranks out so many SL's ; if they limited the number they put out they might hold their value better

NOTA4RE

yeah like the SLR does You know the rarest AMG model.....R63, that is really sad when the rarest model is the one no one wants.

iguess

if they limit the number of SL's, 1/2 of the people on this forum may not be able to get their hands on one. theres definitely a demand for high end mercedes vehicles, so that wouldnt work out. its a double edged losing sword.

WSH

Really depends upon where one lives/works.....and whether one cares re: what unwashed masses think....

Even lowly dentists in SF daily-commute via 599s...

Some well-known SiliconValley tech billionaires drive '07 SL55 as only car; others drive Prius; many drive various new S/CL550/600/63/65; mysteriously, new 599/430 aren't very common cars among the >>$100MM net worth crowd in SiliconValley....

Many hedge fund/PE billionaires in Manhattan are driven around in a scuffed-up S550 (not 600/65).....

Reality is most wealthy don't really care about cars....and those who enjoy cars tend to drive cars that interest them, not the masses (everyone that matters in their world knows what their rough net worth is anyway).....

Cars are aspirational mobile advertising for most.....so cars poorly correlate w/income/net worth....choice of private plane reveals more re: wealth than any trivial car....in fact, would argue some who casually fly via the largest, >G550 private planes often drive the shabbiest cars (incl Prius and older, more plebeian MBs).....

absent

When you fly your G550 you are not sorrounded by masses of Chevys,Toyotas and pick up trucks looking at you with envy like it happens when you drive one of these $100k+ cars.
You can pretend that you are just like everyone else and drive a Prius on the way to the Private Terminal where the "masses" are not present.
That's why truly wealthy do not care much about the cars they drive /ride daily.(For fun or weekend is a different story to some)

SL2003driver

I think you are right about this. The best way to buy a SL, Bang for the buck is to get a 2003 SL that the dealer CPOed and extend the warranty for the total 3 year 100K coverage. That way the dealer has to repair it for free over the next 3 years and you drive a SL that looks like a new one but costs the same as a normal car. JMHO

NOTA4RE

I really wish I could enjoy driving a cheap car but the experience is just so dull and numb. On the other hand I also wish I could get the same enjoyment from a car that does not attract so much attention. I for one don't like all the attention a high end cars brings. I parked the Ferrari for a couple of days waiting to have the windows tinted before I drove it again.

NOTA4RE

BMW is running a pretty cool program IMO. They have pre owned 04-05 7 series with the warranty extended to 100k miles and another 4 years. If you buy a 04 they are now offering 3.9% and BMW makes the first two payments for you. This works really well with the 7 series because people tend to take really good care of them. As well if you are trying to sell your BMW private party who is gonna buy it from you if they can get one from BMW for the same price with a warranty? As well BMW gets the current owner to trade in their car for a new BMW and the cycle continues. really good strategy IMO.

iguess

i can agree with some of your statement WSH, except i dont think of dentist as "low". i'm know some dentist, and i'm sure they pull in a lot of money

absent

It has to be a hell of a dental practice to be able to be a long standing ,loyal Ferrari customer ,to have the pull to buy a 599 at "lowly"sticker of $340k+.
Even better practice to buy one at the market ($480-500k)

iguess

i agree it would be pretty hard for an average dentist to buy a 599. it would be pretty hard for 98% of people. i still wouldnt consider a dentist "lowly", but i guess he may be when you compare him to the guy who gets a 20 million dollar bonus at the end of the year

absent

Just to clarify,I would not call any dentists "lowly" just repeated someone else's post here to make a point.
It was meant as a sarcasm...

NOTA4RE

...and pretty much in a nutshell why the Ferrari gets all the looks.

It use to be all you needed was money to buy a Ferrari. Not true anymore. you have to be a long time customer, bought a few Ferrari's, and then wait in line sometimes for years.

Mercedes, well just about anyone can buy a Mercedes. It is also easy to finance or lease a Mercedes as well.

A SL55 new is still only 1/3 the cost of a new 430 spider so you really can't compair the two.