I recently decided to purchase an SL55 over a Porsche 996 but I'm finding it really difficult to find a White one. I've posted a WTB on the classifieds here, searched craigslist throughout California and Nevada, autotrader nationwide, and eBay. Is there anywhere else you guys recommend looking? Thanks for all the great info you all provide here.

 

Hi,
Try doing a search on Mercedes .usa in the used section,also cars.com and of course E bay.
I have had the 996tt,and now i drive a sl55,both great cars,as an every day driver i prefer the 55,on a track or a 4 am blast,the 996 tt is awsome.
Good luck with your search,you should also look on the for sale section on this forum.

Happy motoring bc brit

 

White and red are my 2 favorite colors, and the hardest to find. but keep on searchin you'll find one!

 

Thanks guys... no luck on mbusa or cars.com either but I'll definitely keep searching a few times per day. GFEAR, I wrote you on another thread today - what kind of wheels are on your beauty?

 

White is rare indeed. I don't think I have ever seen one in person.

 

You didn't specify which year, there are two (2) white SL55's currently for sale on eBay.

 

I'm looking to spend between 30k - 40k on something with under 55k miles, so likely a 2004 or 2005 (much preferred for the command unit). There is a 2004 with 39,000 miles for $47k and the other is a 2007 for $70k.

 

Too bad you don't want red. Mine is for sale.

My wheels are iss forged

 

Jeff I found this on autotrader. Hope you find what you are looking for. If not I have a 2005 SL55 black with only 2600 miles on it.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

Seems like the White SL55's are a bit overpriced compared to other colors. Anyway, the reason I'm posting is because I encountered a scam that I want to make you all aware of.

I found a crazy price ($27,500) for a black 2005 SL55 on Autotrader and contacted the seller. I got this response:

Hello,

The car is still for sale. The asking price is $27,500. It is located in Arroyo Grande, CA and the VIN is WDBSK74F75F091054 . The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. I've attached photos and the carfax report. If you have any questions regarding the car just let me know!
I had a buyer offering $29,000 and I've lost about 2 weeks waiting for him to pay just to find out in the end that his loan wasn't approved. I've lowered the price because I'm in desperate need of cash it's either the car or the house so if you don't need a loan you can have it.
I'm currently signed up for a protection program offered by Google Checkout and I would like to close the deal through them. If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to test drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 7-day inspection period to decide whether you want to keep the car or not before they release the funds to me.

If you are still interested and have cash just send me your Google id (www.GoogleCheckout.com) and I'll ask them to fill you in with the transaction details.
I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!

Look forward hearing from you.
Michael Smith

Sounded really fake so I did a google search and I see that many people have fallen victim to this exact scam (http://www.google.com/support/forum/...9dc5236c&hl=en)

Makes me sad... careful everybody.

 

You sound exactly like me in my recent search. I was either going to purchase a black or white SL, and found the white colors to be scarce, overpriced, and 90+% with tan/ash interior (I wanted charcoal or black).

I ended up with black/charcoal (pics and build thread to follow soon). Production numbers on white are low pre 2007 (which would likely be out of the price range in the thread).

Do be careful with the google checkout scams as they are in every city under most desired models of car.

I have a 2 dealers that can search out a good example for you if you need help with the search, just PM me.

Adam

 

I too wanted white when I began my search. And like you, I found them to be scarce, and overpriced. After 6 months of searching, I settled for black/black. If you want Silver with black interior, you can throw a dart and hit one for sale, but if you want White with Berry interior, you're gonna have to pitch a tent for a while.

That said, my 2005 black/black SL600 is for sale. But it's a bit more than your budget. But, it'll also smoke 99% of SL55s out there.

 

There is an 03 White with 27,000 on OVE.

 

I was shopping for a Gallardo and found one at a killer price, and here is the response that is strangely similar....

Hello Dino ,

The car is still for sale. The asking price is $99,999. It is located in Seattle, WA and the VIN is ZHWGU43T68LA06535 . The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. I've attached you photos and the carfax report. If you have any questions regarding the car just let me know!
I had a buyer offering $105,000 and I've lost about 2 weeks waiting for him to pay just to find out in the end that his loan wasn't approved. I've lowered the price because I'm in desperate need of cash it's either the car or the house so if you don't need a loan you can have it.
I'm currently signed up for a protection program offered by Google Checkout and I would like to close the deal through them. If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to test drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 7-day inspection period to decide whether you want to keep the car or not before they release the funds to me.

If you are still interested and have cash just send me your Google id (www.GoogleCheckout.com) and I'll ask them to fill you in with the transaction details.
I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!


Look forward hearing from you.
Jeffrey Gelgisser

 

I have two identically worded emails from 2 different sellers on my shopping for an SL. Def a scam. Be warned.

 

Lots of scams out there...recently a forum member PM'd me about an SL55 that he saw for $27K I think it was with very low miles....I told him I would not feel comfortable with that deal...seems too fishy. It may have been one of these scams you guys are talking about...

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-...tic-white.html

 

Thanks GFEAR, I appreciate it... but like I said above

 

I'll add my 2 cents. I'm 6'3" tall, have a budget of $40k and have been looking for a luxury convertible for the past year. After falling in, and then out, of love with used BMW 650i's in tripple black, I decided for that much money why buy used. And the new Audi A5 vert would be the best purchase. Turns out the A5 is too small, too weak and too feminine. And of course the base model comes with zero options. During that timeframe I rode with a friend who owns a 2003 SL in white. I've been in love since.

I've done research on a few sites. And it looks like 2005 is the way to go with the dash changes and new COMMAND center. I absolutely love the upgrades in the SL55 and think it's well worth the extra bucks, especially on the used market. I've setup auto searches in both Autotrader & Cars.com looking for a white SL55 and check ebay from time to time. While I have came across a couple none seem in my price range. But Im a patient man and know the best time to buy a convertible, motorcycle or boat is in the winter.

It is odd to bump into someone else looking for the exact same thing. I've came across the exact same scammers and have reported their ads for fraud. I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope that sometime between now and umm... March of next year I find my dream car. White 2005 SL55, pano roof, red or grey interior, reasonable mileage, great service history and of course.. $40k asking price. Until then I'll keep saving my pennies and lurking forums like this and benzworld keeping myself in the know.

Nice to meet everyone, you guys have beautiful vehicles and Dr. Jeff I hope we both find what we are looking for. I will admit if the price (and features) are attractive enough, I just might get weak and pick up a tripple black SL55..

 

Hi Daekwan... there are a lot of triple blacks out there. Let me know if you find a white 2005 and we'll talk before we outbid eachother :-)

 

It's worth paying the extra money to buy an SL55 with an existing warranty.

 

Can an extended warranty be purchased on an SL55 without warranty but with no prior history?

 

yes

 

here!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Desig...item35aae3ad01

 

Dude!! If you let your '04 beauty go for $37k, that '04 is worth MUCH less than $47k!!!