tucsonbroker

After a short hiatus of about a year without an AMG (E63), I'm back and this time the fever is in full force. As a spare vehicle, I'm buying a silver, mint 2005 SL65 with about 40K miles on it, I get it next week.

SO. What are some of the first mods I should consider, exhaust, lowering, etc?

Also - does this model year support ipods?

BTW - I'm happy to be back on the mbworld forums. The guys at the bmw board just don't have the same vibe.

azbenzguy

Welcome back!!

CottRD

Every dollar you put into the car to change it from stock probably lowers the value by two dollars. You found a mint 05 SL65 and you aren't happy? After driving an SL65 I decided to buy an SL55, but I do prefer the leather interior in the SL65's which is much like my S600. Found a nice 06 SL65 for about the same price as the 07 SL55 I bought. Both are very low milage cars and I think the SL65 is still available for about 75K with 10K miles. It's the special graphite edition color combination which is very unusual to say the least.

AdrockTT

How do you figure that lowering the car, adding tint/wheels/asthetics/etc. would lower the value directly and swiftly? I think I would disagree here.

I'd say muffler delete (really sounds great after - save stockers for sale if needed), tint, adjustable lowering links (can be removed in under an hour), wheels, K&N intakes, matching HID/LED lighting, etc. Part of my big picture plans

tucsonbroker

An odd thing to say on a forum designated specifically for enthusiasts. I haven't even picked up the car yet so I can't say if I am happy or unhappy. I thought I would see what are some things I might want to consider doing to it. to at least start a dialog. I may just leave it the way it is, who knows. But if I'm like a lot of people, I may just mod the hell out of it.

sbenus

i agree. nevermind that dude. if u like, check out my build thread. i got my inspiration from others here. maybe mine will inspire you. cheers!

CottRD

Maybe it is just me but whenever I saw a modified SL55 or SL65 I just went right past the listing. Doubt that I'm alone, but if you want to mod the hell out of it go right ahead. The fewer stock cars that are left in a few years will be worth more in the long run.

But if anyone is interested Bentley Gold Coast in Chicago may still have a fully Renntech modified 2006 black/black SL65 with 24K miles that is very nice. You can buy it for less than you would have in modifying an existing car. This one seems to have been well done.

mgalster

You're not alone. When I see modified, I think problems. Lowering, ECU mods, non-stock wheels (and usually ugly) make me think the car will have problems in the future because they changed the way the car was designed to run. Check Ebay, the guys that spend all the money with mods have a very difficult time selling.

CottRD

Guess it just depends what you are into - immediate or long term gratification...................(G) My SL55 is 510 HP of smoking fast German engineering and I hardly need anything more on top of what came from the factory.

Funny you should say that about wheels specifically, because I haven't seen anything all that exciting either. Best to at least hang onto the stock rims if you feel compelled to make a change.

FLSL55

I would say do an ECU flash. That is good for another 100hp and leave the rest alone.

Sunir

modding a car will reduce the target buyer pool...but you can still get the right buyer for the car. You just need to keep records of what was done, a list of reciepts, as well as standard maintainance records. Any evidence of performance is helpful as well such as dyno charts, time slips at the local track or things like that. You need to show them that even if the car is modded it's not unreliable and can provide a fun experience better than that of a stock varient car without any headaches. If your buyer is an enthusiast, they will realize the value in a modded car and the cost of getting one already done versus having to start from stock can result in savings to this specific buyer.

tucsonbroker

Is a sprint booster needed for these cars? My E63 needed one.

James@ACG

I would say start with a tune and TCU upgrade, lower and maybe some wheels.

If you dont mind me asking, where in Tucson are you? Foothills? I will be back in the foothills for homecoming in Nov, and back for the UA SC game in Nov.

Let me know if i can help in anyway.