BlwnBlckSL

Member opinions are welcome, I'm all set to pick my 06 SL 55 up end of month, however a 08 SL55 has become availible. it is around a $20K difference in costs. How much of a differance in the two model years and has any member actually went from one model year to the next? I love both cars, just not sure it is worth the xtra dough, I usually trade in every 2 or 3 years.
Thank You......

phonetics

i would definitely wait more as US economy is going worse and you should expect a lot of people become broke and i am sure the market will be flooded with great deal SL55 in a couple of months....

jmf003

BrwnBlck, I think the engine was tweaked to provide an extra 17 horsepower (from 493 to 510) and the front grille went from four slats to three. Not sure what else.

New Haven, huh? Boy, now I feel like heading over to Pepe's for some pizza!

BlwnBlckSL

New Haven County, I'm a town or two over from, Pepe's is mandatory Sausage Pie once a month! People just don't know, how do you?

jmf003

Which town? My wife is from Guilford and most of her family still lives there. I also went to college in New Haven, which is indirectly how I met my wife and became familiar with some of the local bars and restaurants.

BlwnBlckSL

I'm from Orange, My wife and I eat in New Haven a couple time a week ( Union League, Ibiza,and Bespoke)and our construction companies are on four or five Yale projects at this time.

Roar

Butch A. wrote up a pretty good summary of differences btw the model years... scroll down a few posts. Wrote on July 12th.

I considered an '06 a few months ago but it sold pretty quickly. I had been thinking about that one a lot - Silver, Charcoal, P30 with everything but Distronic & Parktronic. I was kicking myself for not getting it.

Now I'm glad I waited because I just bought an '07 with EVERYTHING & am super happy I passed on the '06. '07 body looks gorgeous, interior very elegant with wonderful leather & I really, really like the aluminum paddle shifters (as opposed to the little buttons on the backside of the steering wheels). Plus, the P30 front fascia has a cosmetic change as well. And yes, I definitely paid more, but to me, it was worth it.

Also, the '08 is the last of the "old" body-style, so I would imagine that could be a plus.

Any way you slice it, you're looking at an incredible piece of machinery! Post pics when you get it...

jmf003

Sure, I know Orange! With all the buildings that Yale is putting up these days, you guys must be doing great!

I've been to the Union League only once but liked it a lot. Haven't been to the other two you mention but will put them on the list of places to try. All of those restaurants were opened quite a bit after I moved out in 1981. Back then the Church Street area was trying to bounce back from Macy's and Malley's closing their doors. Its really nice area now, though.

Whichever way you go, enjoy your newer SL!

DFW01E55

Same story here, remember Jocko Sullivans? Met my wife there.

bltserv

Rule Number ONE when buying an SL55.

"Buy the latest model year you can afford".

BUTCH A

Yes BlwnBlckSL, as Roar stated above see my reply post on July 12 about 'SL differences through the years'.

I made the '05 to '07 switch back in April and am so much happier and satisfied! Even my wife noticed the differences in improved quality so that says a lot!

I figured a difference of almost 30 large for my trade but well worth it for a nearly showroom fresh 07! Former owner also had an F430, Bentley GT and E55 (daily driver) in his stable so the SL55 was driven very sparingly (only 2940 mi in 20 months).

I also failed to mention that one other option available in 07-08 that was not offered in earlier models is the automatic trunk closer feature. At first it may seem like a useless option but if you do not savor placing dirty sweaty palms on a newly polished surface to close the trunk lid, you'll want this feature!

metalica_23

FWIW, I have an '06 E55 with the auto trunk option, and I'm a fan. Having said that, my '06 SL600 doesn't have it, but I still never touch my exterior because I use the handle on the inside of the trunk to shut it.

metalica_23

BTW, I also meant to mention that I don't really understand this topic. I think $$ aside, EVERYONE would pick the '08, no? The whole reason to even debate an '06 vs. an '08 is the loot, right? I guess some people may be able to debate '08 vs. '09 because of styling, but I'd think '08 vs. and '06 isn't even a debate, if you exclude the $$ consideration...