GTBNYC

Has anyone had experience with both of these cars? I'm looking to buy either but I can't make up my mind.

What do you guys think ?

Fantasm

drove one a few weeks ago, wasn't my cup of tea honestly.
weird shifter position (the manual tranny i mean)

GTBNYC

I'm going with the tiptronic if I get the Porsche.

dave3191

Porsche is a great car, had one myself years ago, but personally I'm stuck on AMG's and have been for many years now! Currently I have two, a SL55 and S55 and if you have driven both the SL63 and the 911-T you can certainly feel the all around difference between the two! So my vote would be for the SL63.... But it's all up to you!!!

photonut

i just got a new sl63 last week. black/black/carbon fiber trim. i have only 100 miles on it and i would like to trade it for a 911 turbo cab. the sl63 is a great car, but i had an sl55 for 5 years and i am ready for a change! i would be willing to sell the SL63 for $120,000.00

dave3191

Hey guy, what happened? Why didn't you just go after the 911-T??? You trade in your SL63 now, you're going to take a big hit on it!!! Well good luck with it and I hope you don't get hit to hard $$$$$$....

photonut

i got the car on a "trade". i am the first owner. pm me for the details if you are interested in the car.

Xeron

I despise my SL63. Has a rattle in the floorboards that Mercedes says is normal. My Porsche is a tank.

carcommander

The Porsche is more sports car (I own an 08TT) and the SL is more GT car. (I own an 06 SL65)

sound 8

I disagree, the SL63 is every bit a sports car as is the Porsche. The Porsche
will be slightly quicker, but the 63 will be as good handling, gear change,
better looking and better sounding. And more comfortable.
I drove the 997 S, I know it's not the Turbo but it didn't come close to the
63, also is the Turbo more money than the 63?
The SL55 was less sports car, more GT.

carcommander

I guess everyone is entitled to their opionion. Go drive a turbo they are not close. For one thing the Turbo wieghts 3500 pounds. I love my SL but it is a GT. The Turbo is also faster. I had a Turbo walk my SL55 at 80mph plus. Don't pull up next to any Turbo's and try them with your SL63. It will yank the paint off it.

sound 8

That statement is a little extreme!! What I am trying to get across
is the SL63 is far more like a Porsche than a SL55. As I said the Turbo
will be slightly quicker, but the 63 will keep with the Porsche on a windy
road far better than anything else from AMG except maybe the BE.
Also the 63's looks are fantastic, mine gets crowds every where I go,
and when I start it in public places everyone looks. The Porsche is looking it's age, not to say I don't like it. I find I am driving faster on long bends than I did even with the CL65, the 63 feels so well planted. Lastly there's comfort,
and whilst the 63 is firmer than the 55 it trounces the Porsche.

Sunir

SL55, 63, and 65 will all get beat by Porsche Gt-3, turbo, GT-3 RS etc...on a racetrack....Although my personal race car is a BMW E36 M3L touring car, I've driven each of the above when instructing students for PCA as well as MBCA NCC chapter.

the SL's have power but they are just too heavy, things like heavy understeering characteristics and power on oversteer make the car not as desirable in transition areas and multiple decreasing radius corners which set up for fast sections of tracks (typicly leading to esses, longer increasing radius sweepers, and straights). When corner exit speed suffers, lap times pay the price, it's that simple...this is not really a debate.

I enjoy SL cars, but they are truly autobahn cruisers and nice with the top down, have great power, and look fantastic....but they are no sports car especially compared to P-GT3, GT3RS, and turbo (believe it or not the turbo was not as good around the track as the GT3RS, although the power was fantastic...now the Gt-2, well that's another story lol! )

transferred

No problem believing the new GT3 and GT3RS outhandle the Turbo-they're lighter and have more handling oriented suspension.

Having test driven it and read many reviews, the SL63 is no sports car. Good to see MB have finally added an smg-type transmission but the car is still very heavy. The 997 Turbo is in a different league as regards speed in a straight and canyon carving ability. the SL63 makes a better dd though as it's plenty quick enough and the handling is improved over the SL55.

I owned a 996 GT3 for 8 glorious months and would love one of the new 997 GT3s but the wife would wring my neck.

edit*** Am not bashing the sl63 here btw, would love to own one some day

SL65amg

Next year (probably starting late this summer I guess?) the updated 997 turbo will come out with the updated LED lights and bumpers, interior updates and the PDK dual-clutch transmission, right? Plus I heard it might have Direct Injection added to put power up from 480 HP to around 530 HP or so. The GT3 power goes up to 435 HP and the GT2's power should then be somewhere around 580 HP with Direct Injection.

So, once again, an SL 63 with P30 package and mildly tuned (Renntech ECU, Headers, exhaust, etc..) versus a nicely optioned 2010 model Porsche 997 turbo Cabriolet with PASM, Sport Chrono Plus, PDK transmission, LSD, and ECU tuning (which should yield over 600 HP easily)?

Just based on weight and traction the porsche with AWD and more power and dual-clutch transmission should handily beat the SL 63 from 0 to almost any top speed hands down, correct? The 0 to 60 MPH times for a turbo cabriolet should drop down from the current 3.7 seconds (which is faster than the SL 63's 4.4 or 4.2 seconds) to around 3.2 seconds because of the faster dual-clutch transmission, AWD, more power, and far lighter weight as compared to the SL 63.

As far as comfort, I think the Porsche can be had with navi, parktronic, Ipod connector, Satellite radio, headed supple leather seats, etc.. A modified SL 65 would be a much better heads up match, but would still need a good deal of aftermarket weight-reducing efforts, like lighter sport seats, carbon/titanium forged wheels, carbon brakes, CF hood/trunklid/body panels, and reduced sound deadening materials... correct?

Now also don't forget that late this summer Bentley is unveiling the Continental GT Speed Convertible, which comes with 602 HP, AWD, and can be easily chip tuned with exhaust to 750 or so HP.. and also they will unveil the 2010 GT coupe Lemans edition or LM or something which has increased cooling with more open body panels, wider body, sportier everything, and increased power to up over 630 HP...

aza12345

Interesting, thread. If you go on youtube and look at top gear. (UK car enthusiast show) They have track tested a number of different 911s. Seems from their tests that the 911s are difficult to drive fast on the track and are challenges for "expert" drivers to handle at speed.

The SL's are probably slower on the track but because of the traction control are much more driver friendly at speeds. The SLR (I know a completely different car) was one of the faster cars they tested.

I will probably never have the chance to drive my car on a track, and I'm not an "expert" driver. So I think the trade off is safety for maybe a minor amount of speed.

Meanwhile I would love if the SL's were 500 or 600 pounds lighter I would gladly give up the seats for lighter ones and I'm sure many other creature comforts.

IngenereAMG

AMG's are more sports cars than you realize, and they are actually driver's cars.

I am a chief driving instructor for the FCA, and I do some instructing for other clubs for track time. Kind of 'work for food' thing!

The last time I was out on a road course in the SL55, in the instructor only group there was a Z06, a GT3 me in the SL55, and an NSX. I started from the back, and quickly caught and passed the NSX, and was doing the same thing with the GT3 when he tried braking a tad late for a corner when he was defending his position and spun off. After about 10 laps, the Z06 and I were in exactly the same spots, but my brakes began to go away. All told, the AMG cars are really very good driver's cars. While they make lack ultimate feel of a Porsche, Ferrari or BMW, they are very capable sports cars.

...... and don't get me going on what I have been able to humiliate on a windy road with the SL55. Don't sell your AMG's short.

sound 8

The original thread asks which do I buy an SL63 or a 997 Turbo.
We are now talking race times, circuit handling , we are talking about
an everday car, no one mentioned track days.
Let's not forget the SL63 is a covertible, I hate yuky soft tops, but that's
what you will get with a Porsche.
I could have bought the Porsche, but I went for the 63, WHY!
It looks better, it sounds better and it is more comfortable.
The Porsche is half a second quicker to 60 and nearly 2 seconds faster
to 100, that's it. The 63 has race start so it depends who gets there foot down first at the lights. Every car with 500 bhp is going to perform similarly
it just down to weight. In my case I want more than just acceleration,
I can buy a Dax Rush if I want that!!

speed doc

I always laugh when I see people talk about what's faster on the track. Do you drive on a track every day? The track is a whole different situation than real world driving in my opinion. I wouldn't base my ownership choice on track lap times for the cars. Drive both and see what you like. I had an 07 911tt, and traded on a sl55. It was a better fit for me. Comfortable, hard top convertible yet with enough "sports car" to embarass 99% of the cars on the road when need be. Both are great cars, it's what fits you best. Have fun.

carcommander

I love my SL65 for a lot of the reasons mentioned above. Yes driven by an expert it can leave many sports cars behind. Then it's about the driver not the car. I use my SL65 and 08TT as daily drivers. I would not pick either as a track car. I have done many drivers schools in all kinds of cars including Porsches. My favorite sports car is my F430. :-) it is not a track car either. Buy what you like. This is just bench racing.

sound 8

I'll drink to that,have fun too!!

sound 8

Please tell me what has put you off the SL63 so quickly.

alx

most folks do not understand that very few people can drive a p-car at 10/10 where it is faster than a properly sorted out 55 or 65... but at 8/10s or 9/10s or in the city or on the impromptu scrimmage on the highway the amg will be every bit as capable as the p-car...

on the same token a viper acr is as fast as anything out there on the track.. yet... driving it competitively is very very hard and few get it right.

so if you want to go faster the best tuning option is the steering wheel-to-pedals link (aka the driver)


alex
few cars

SLK55R

I don't think its all about if you can drive at 8/10s to 10/10ths. I haven't driven an SL63 but my guess is its still very similar to the SL55 or SL65 in terms of how it feels.

Totally different cars in my opinion. One is a GT one is a sports car.

Sunir

When you talk about sports cars vs. Grand tourers and the like, you are catagorizing based on purpose and performance. The later of the two can only be sorted on a track of some sort, under similar conditions, and in a controlled environment. We're not talking highways or street, that's not an accurate theater to judge performance objectively. For example, anybody can build a 1000hp Job Spetter turbo mustang with 10.5" M/T Street et's and trounce an SL-anything on a highway, that's not a test of performance is it?

This said I like my SL55 a lot, it's fast, fun, it has a hard top convertible, feels good to drive on the road and highways etc...I'm not undermining SL's, I like them, I own one!! But it is not a sportscar, plain and simple. It is a very heavy, big engine, boulevard and/or high speed highway cruiser with a cool hardtop that comes down - it does what it was meant to do very well, so it serves its purpose and it is a great car, but in terms of performance as a sportscar there are better alternatives in the same or lower price range.