sumanchaudhuri

I am considering buying a 2003/2004 SL55/600 in a few months. I wanted your thoughts on color choices between black and silver. I have an S55 AMG in black and I think that the black color is best suited (IMO) on that car cos it just gives it a sense of class.

However, not having seen an S55/600 in both those colors, I am not sure which one will look better on the car. I know that the black will be hard to keep clean (I know from my S55), but I also think that the silver would bring out the lines on the S55.

However, many people I talk to say get the SL600 cos of the smooth power and torque and in that case, I'm not sure how much more the silver would do for the 600 vs. the black since the 600 does not have the more aggressive AMG body style.

So if anyone here has either a black/silver 55/600, can you please share your thoughts and opinions with me?

Thanks!

SC

Havoc

Welcome!
Even though silver is a very common color on the SL's, I like silver cause it looks more racier and brighter. Black stands out with a great pair of wheels though.
The SL600 is a powerful beast, but it's not AMG. Sorry, but I'm all about AMG Performance, Looks, and Upgrades when it comes to the SL Roadster.
Good luck with your search!

phonetics

ur threat is kinda confusing.. sometimes u talk about S55/600 and sometimes talk about SL55/600... anyway.... u can't go wrong with either color since 99.99% of SL out there are silver or black...

if u want to see.... go to ebay or stand at the corner of a busy street...... especailly SL has launched since 2003... there would be like tons of silver and black SL everywhere already... so i am sure many will pass by and then u can decide after seeing for yourself..

jmf003

I personally like darker colors on the R230 body style.

Mine is Tectite Gray, a color MB stopped producing in 2004 when they switched to ceramic paint. Here's a link to a larger picture of my car: http://www.dragtimes.com/2003-Merced...res-13186.html

Another guy in southeast Michigan, BMS, drives a black SL55. Here's a link to a larger picture of his car: http://www.dragtimes.com/2004-Merced...res-13767.html.

damian155

my choice - sl55 over the 600 I stayed at the Borgata Hotel Casino is AC over the holday weekend , valet time I pulled up in my silver sl55 and simulaneously the same color 600 pulled up and guess who got all the attention (me waving)

sumanchaudhuri

Thanks guys....I guess I'm still undecided, but I'll stop by the dealerships and see some of them in person of course before I decide.

As for the whole SL55 vs. SL600 thing, I'm still not sure which way to go - I have an S55, so I know what it means to drive an AMG, but many people say the power in the SL600 is much smoother and the extra torque is great. Yes, it's not AMG, but they seem to say the SL600 is nicer. I also get the same response from the AMG folks, so it does not make things easier :-)

Anyways, I sometimes look at the "dilemmas" that we face (black vs. silver) and feel stupid given all the other hardships people have in this world. I'm very lucky and so is everyone else on this forum...don't know why I felt like writing this paragraph, but I did, so there you go :-)

Thanks for all the input.

SC

kokanee

If its a daily driver the 600 is well suited. The AMG kit can give you much of the SL55 looks and 19's will help the handling considerably. Chip it and you've got an sub 12 second 1/4 mile rocket. I highly recommend the LSD. I added the quaife to mine as traction is really an issue without it. The ability of the SL600 is so far above what most of us require in real world driving that I doubt you would be needing more. Hold your foot down for a few seconds when merging and you are over 100 mph. The 55 will sound better and stop a few feet better. It will also go through the slalom a tic faster. Either way you are guaranteed to be happy. I find grunt from a roll very rewarding. You can also use it a lot without getting into to much trouble. My AMG is definitely more aggressive than the 600. But I could drive the 600 forever and never want to get out. Need a comfortable ride? Set the height to max and the suspension to Soft and tranny to C. Just drove a friend home this way after disc replacement surgery in his neck and it was much like an S class. Put it to the lowest setting and sport and its a different car. The only thing I may do when the brakes are shot is replace them with some better ones more like the 55's. The 600 stock rims are not so nice IMO. Good luck with your choice.

sumanchaudhuri

Thanks Kokanee.

Yeah, the SL600 seems like an all-around, nice to have car - speedy when you want it, luxury when you need it.

The SL55 might feel a little sportier, not sure how much more though. And quite frankly, I won't be taking mine to the tracks, so I'm not too bothered about that. But I do like AMGs, so the SL55 is a great car to drive as well I'm sure.

A few more questions:

1) What features, if any, come standard on the SL600 that are options on the SL55?

2) I saw a few SL600 Sports on eBay with the AMG badge. What is that about? Is that just the SL600 with an AMG body kit?

3) Also, in terms of off the line quickness, which of these would BEAT an SL600 in 0-60 (let us assume model years 2000-2006 as that is what most people drive around here in MI):

- Porsche 911?
- Porsche 911 Turbo?
- BMW 6-series
- BMW M5
- Dodge Viper
- Continental GT
- Aston Martin DB9
- Maserati Quattroporte
- Lambo
- Ferrari

Thanks,
SC

kokanee

Stock the SL55 and SL600 are about the same around 4.5 seconds or perhaps a little less depending on conditions and driver. For your information the EVO mag picks the 55 as the convertible of choice. Their comment on the 600 is that it lacks driver involvement. From Evo knowledge base comes the following: SL55 is 4.6 sec and SL600 is 4.4 sec for 0-60. As far as a track goes, on the 1.8 mile technical bedford west cct the SL600 seems to be the fastest convertible they have tested at 1.29.55 and the SL55 is 1.30.05. I might add that the M5 tied the SL600 on that track. So with drivers being somewhat equal there really is no difference in the actual speed you can drive these beasts in the twisties despite what everyone tells you. But the SL55 will inspire more confidence and reward with better driver feedback, just not as much as say the 911.
The place where the 600 shines is on a normal highway when you want to pass. Thats where the 600 ft-lbs of torqe (700+ if you chip it) comes into play as acceleration doesn't stop at 100!
There was a somewhat controversial car and driver review of the 04 SL600 with the following results quote "From a standing start, the Mercedes SL600 can hurl its 4501-pound bulk to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Does that sound like a very brief interval? Clue: yes. Allow us to illustrate.The Porsche 911 GT2 we tested in March 2002—456 horsepower, 457 pound-feet of torque—required 3.8 seconds to achieve mile-a-minute velocity. The Dodge Viper we tested in November '02—500 horsepower, 525 pound-feet—took 3.9 seconds. The 911 GT3 and Ferrari Challenge Stradale in our January issue each clocked in at 4.0 seconds."
From comments I have seen it seems that the SL600 tested was chipped. Certainly your results will depend on driver, year, tires etc.

kokanee

sorry I got off on a tangent.
I'm not sure about feature differences as cars in Canada usually come with more standard features than the USA but at a higher cost.
I believe there is an AMG appearance package from the factory that gave you nicer skirts and possibly the quad tip exhaust. I had to change the exhaust to the SL55 mufflers and the AMG rear skirt to get the quad tips. That is an expensive way to do it though. Also the rear-lights (stock wheels too) in the 600 really look abysmal and should be changed to the 55 lights before it is allowed out in public! There are many here in these forums who can help with the quaife LSD and chipping etc.

phonetics

i bet he's still very much undecided even after reading ur comprehensive and informative response..

come on... he can't even decide silver or black... it will take him a decade to decide 55 or 600..

kokanee

I had a hard time with the same two questions. Black or silver, 55 or 600. I decided on the 600 but have almost finished modding it so it looks much like the 55. Side skirts are being painted. The sleeper aspect of the 600 is rather fun as there a a few embarrassed muscle cars out there now I don't think I would have been disappointed either way. I never understand buying these cars to park them. My plan is to try to reach 1000000 km's! Or die trying!
I threw this all out there for others that seem to have the same questions and to see if I could generate a little controversy too.

sumanchaudhuri

I hope that the members here can somewhat understand that buying an SL55 or 600 is not a cheap decision to make, and especially for a car fan, one that can be even harder given that they are both equally nice, yet different in their own ways (appearance, performance, etc). So I definitely appreciate any and all feedback that I get.

Thanks,
SC

Chargin55

I would buy the AMG SL55 over the 600SL. As for color I like both the Silver and Black.

Sharkster

The SL55 comes with all those nifty AMG specials: AMG badged seats, Alcantara details, aluminium interior, cool looking white/silverish dials, V8 Kompressor badge, rear AMG badges, the whole AMG bodykit and, and, and... All this stuff would be expensive, if you want to add it to a SL600.

Shake

I personally would get it in black although it is harder to maintain.

CY

I think black is the best on the SL even though I own silver....get ready for swirls though.

novabenz

Black - it's harder to keep clean, but I guess I'm partial to it. Silver's nice, but it's also much more common.
Let us know your choice!

leloz

If you haven't bought one already, mine is for sale!

https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-vehicles/253516-fs-2004-sl600-keyless-pano-sl65-wheels.html

Murtaza

Both

Nah, on the SL i prefer black or white although black is such a ***** to keep clean...

bltserv

With the black you are making a commitment to many more hours
of elbow grease to keep the car looking great.

I like the story earlier in the theread about an SL600 and an SL55
at the Valet. The Valet guys will always go for the AMG`s first.

As for putting AMG Badges on an SL600 ? Thats a Criminal Offense.
You will be issued an offical "AMG Poser Ticket" by one of us when you least expect it.

derrick_lui

I have a silver sl600....but.....get BLACK!

metalica_23

A couple people didn't, but I'm sure most will recommend the color/car they own (how novel!). I was all silvered out ('99 clk430 and '06 e55 both in silver), so I went with black. After tinting the window - 35% side, 20% rear...mostly legal - The black looks real sharp. But it really is a b$%ch to keep clean. I'm dying to put a set of chrome wheels on it and get it chipped. I'd never buy a car from here (see the ridiculous prices), but here's some good pics with tint/chrome:

http://www.8887exotic.com/detail-200...h-3045751.html

(I really liked the red too!):
http://www.8887exotic.com/detail-200...h-3123311.html

Also, a "benefit" to the SL600 (can you guess that's what I bought), is the relative cheap fashion that you can bump the HP/Tourque. For $6k you can turn 500hp into 625hp. The tourque also takes a hefty bounce. My stock SL600 is still lightning quick on the highway (as I'm sure the SL55 is as well). I actually ran with an '05 Murcielago the other day and lost 60-130mph by about 1 car length. I should have had my AC off, and the Lambo driver definitely should have been in 2nd, not 3rd, but overall a pretty even race.

Another nice feature (that makes me debate changing the wheels) is that I was horsing around with a real sharp "fire engine" red M3 convertible on the highway the other day. The kid had it tinted and had a sharp body kit on it, with a real throaty exhaust (definitely wasn't stock). A cop was hanging back a ways and guess which one of us stuck out and got pulled over. Yep, the loud, red, bright car...So, being subtle does have it's advantages, maybe just not at the valet line!

I think the basic premise is the 55 will be sportier and the 600 will have more luxury (wood steering wheel, heated steering wheel (if you go sans AMG package, which I didn't) etc.). It's really a personal decision, I feel. I think both cars are phenomenal.

cdsjklee

Black with bright wheels.

sammy1

May I suggest end of thread