I just ran across this thread, so I thought I would chime in.

I've had an '03 since new and as of 10/19 it has done 90K miles and it has been a very good car. I've followed the services as recommended. In 16 years there have been a few things.

AC compressor
oil level sensor
rear trunk struts (3X)
IC Pump
Secondary air pump
console shifter
ABC Accumulators
Trans and engine mounts
Trunk latch
lower control arm bushings
ball joints
valve cover gaskets
ignition switch
ABC pump

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable car. It is the first 500hp car that really started the hp wars that we still have today. The looks of original R230 is aging quite well and I believe that the SL55 will be a future classic. I can hardly believe that I have had this car 16 years. If the car has been taken care of, these are great.

 

That’s quite a list of non service items to have had replaced and the danger with these cars is that their value is so low that people start skipping anything but the essentials. You’ve obviously kept it in great condition. My SL55 was bought in 2002 so is now 17 years old and has only covered 38000 miles but is now worth 1/10 of what I paid for it, never mind the effect of inflation.

What about batteries? I’m on my 4th trunk battery and am about to replace the starter battery which I hope will fix some starting weirdness.

 

I have owned my '03 SL55 for over 5 years. Has about 57K miles on it (bought with 45k). It had three good and financially capable previous owners, and was in excellent mechanical and physical condition. I changed all fluids, including Supercharger and ABC shortly after purchase. I had one 'top flap' that failed, (replaced both), had to re-seal the soft close trunk vacuum motor (with epoxy), and that's about it other than ONE real failure - the fuel pump died on I-95. Flatbeaded to the dealer for a $1500 repair, and that has been it other than routine maintenance. I also drive a '97 BMW 840Ci, a 2009 Aston Martin DB9, a 2013 Audi A8, and every time I get in the Sl55 and drive it a few miles, my brain says 'wow, this truly is a great car'.

Gary

 

16 years and 90K miles, I don't really think that is that bad. These aren't Kia's. I paid $130K out the door, and I take care of it like one would when spending $130K. I live in the desert...... battery replacement is a service item as heat takes a huge toll on them.

If you have a mindset that, "The car is only worth X and I'm not going to spend whatever to fix or maintain it". You may as well break it up for parts, because at the end of the day, it is a very expensive and complex car that has commensurate costs associated with it. There also really isn't anything that can give you the look, feel and performance of the SL55. So, you have to decide, is it worth it. I know what I paid and I also know what the market is for them right now. I haven't lost anything...... unless I sell!

 

I have a 2005 SL55. It now has 9400 miles on it and only had to replace one rear strut. The hazard button got sticky and I replaced it.
It is still my all time favorite car.


Up date on the mileage. It turned over 10000 on the way back from the Hilton Head Concours. Still hasn’t been in the rain.

 

Bought mine new in june 2003. Done a few mods. On 40k miles on it. Slr cams, larger pulley, larger throttle body, short headers, phenolic spacers, stronger tie rods, still enjoying it.

 

Oh yes, batteries. I live in the AZ desert and batteries just don't last more than 3-4 years. That's the price we pay for 320 days of sunshine and some great driving roads!

 

The starting weirdness I mentioned was not fixed by replacing the starter battery, the starter relay and the starter motor. Turns out it starts every time with Keyless Go and sometimes but rarely using the key. The problem is that the starter motor only receives power for an instant, not enough to get the car going. When it does start on the key, it’s fine.

The Mercedes dealer looked at the stream of errors in the diagnostics and THINKS replacing the transmission lever will solve the problem but doesn’t guarantee it. It’s the next best step, they say. Trouble is, it’s a $1300 step...

Starting the car with the key involves three security coded components talking to each other - the ignition key module, the engine management unit and the transmission selector.

Anyway, I’m not prepared to pay for their educated guesswork, so now in effect, it’s a Keyless Go only car, just like my Ferrari 488 GTB and my Range Rover Sport SVR.

 

I have to keep my '03 (83k miles) off the road here in the Rockey's every winter because I can't get out of my driveway due to snow. That's typically November - March or mid-April (5+/- months). I keep it on a tender. And some years I'll warm it up. I find it difficult to decern storage gremlins from those simply due to age and don't really find and pattern of springtime frequency. My car is highly maintained and I tend to think this goes a long way.........but it's 23 year old and very complex. I'd say, if you like it, don't sell, maybe plan a few $$ for work you are likely to have to do in any case.
I just returned from a 1350 mile road trip where it really shines, no problems at all. However, about 2 months ago, I had a ABC return hose burst, no identified cause, so likely jus age.

 

I just had to replace the trunk soft closer. Took it out to dinner and am still amazed that for a 21 year old car it is still like new. It has never been in the rain a now has 11280 miles on it. I think the value of good well maintained low milage SL 55 cars will go up as they are definitely collectible modern classics. Makes no difference to me as it is still my favorite car and wouldn’t think of selling it.

 

My 2003 SL55 I bought a year and a half ago had 92K miles and needed ABC accumulators, so I bought those and new engine mounts (I almost always do those in the first month) and was wondering where to have those installed. Absolutely not at any MB dealership!! Still had to drive it a few times a week just because of what it is! Blew the high pressure hose so dealer wanted $9000 just to replace that hose, family owned indy shop wanted $5000 and I found some engineers with a car shop of their own, who would do it for $1800, including the accumulators, new fluid, and installing the mounts too. Few months later the alternator went out, apparently previous owner had installed a cheap junk part trying to save money? Only buy the parts that the car came with originally! These aren't chevys. Alternator off, we found bearings in the water pump were gravel, well at 22 years and 92K miles that can be expected. Idler pulley and crank pulley were worn out as well, so replaced all that including water pump and thermostat too - the engineers said it makes sense to always replace thermostat when doing the water pump. It's a very special engine (!!!!!!!) so it deserves to be taken care of right. Then came brake discs and pads, fluid, and new spark plugs and wires. With the mileage, the car needed those things renewed. A little more expense than I'd planned, but What a Car. There's nothing as beautiful, a real art sculpture, and few things as fast! Now has 98K miles but looks, runs and drives, like new. And the 2003 SL55 AMG is the car that Mario Andretti drove for Motor Trend at 208 MPH.... and loved it! When the traffic lights turn green, I'm often half a block away and going 65MPH before the other cars are thru the intersection! And this is without even pushing it.

 

I have the 1st delivered '03. I have had it since new. It has ~103K miles. It has been great. I have another thread on here that outlines all the services and any breakages over the last 22 years.

 

Hi,
I have a 2003 SL 55 AMG with close to 74,000 miles. I bought it with 68,000. I did the conductor plate and the connector that wicks trans fluid up to your TCU. I did new brakes and rotors, pulley and tensioner upgrade. The ABC suspension sinks down when parked for a week or so, but comes right back up and holds when I start it up. I have the leaking air latch system for the trunk going on now, but it’s an easy fix. All in all it has been a fun car that I treat like a parade float, only on nice days, garage in the winter and battery tenders for both batteries. Start it once a month in the winter and I think it’s been worth it. I will say getting one that’s been pampered from the start helps. Good luck!

 

Bought my '03 (Brill Silver over Berry) 2.5 years ago, 73k miles. It had some major ABC parts replaced but mostly was a great example of deferred maintenance. Great but super dirty interior (woman owner used lots of lotions, makeup etc.). I bought it on the cheap and have since put about $7-8k in parts in it, doing all the work (and learning with a lot of help from this Forum) myself. It's now worth about what I have in it and has 84k mi on it. (I live in snow country and can't use it in the winter). But it's in a very high state of maintenance and is about a 7-8 of 10 on the cosmetic side....mostly due to paint chips and minor flaws. The only thing it needs at the moment is headlight ballasts and sometimes they fail to ignite on the first crack. Took it on about a 2k mile round trip this summer to Yellowstone..........and it performed flawlessly. Great GT car. I love it (my wife calls it my mistress because I've spent so much time bringing it up to snuff. Cheers.

 

Find a car that's more beautiful? Good luck. Even at 22 years since made, the car still looks fantastic. People who don't know their Benzos often think it's a 2 year old car. And the SL55 is very fast, so much torque, it is a dream to drive. Whatever insurance you have, check to see what they'd give you if the car were to get totaled. I use Hagerty Classic car insurance, they give you a policy with a declared value, so in that event, there's no haggling, they already decided. They are valuing my 2003 SL55 AMG with 98K miles, at $38,500. That is really good because I'm amazed that I bought the car for about $18,000 then put in another ten grand or so (!!!!) doing all the things that needed maintained, also correcting what a previous owner did on the cheap. He used a cheap junk Duralast alternator from Autozone, which failed and melted the BCM, and that was actually great because the water pump was about to explode. All that stuff fixed, it started to idle at 4K RPM, and we replaced the gas pedal, throttle body, a few other things until finally realized the culprit was the MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor. That is what they used on this car instead of a MAF (mass airflow) sensor. The MAP is super hard to reach, I could remove it if I tried really hard but getting a new one on there, impossible. Intake manifold has to come off to reach it. Brakes were "good", but once in a while when hitting those at 75MPH the car would wanna change lanes. Try to replicate that, it would be fine, only do it when you don't expect it. The 4th time the car did that, I said remove all the brakes and put on all new stuff. Fine afterwards! After all that, I upgraded the steering wheel to one from a CLD55 AMG and added aluminum paddles and upgraded the trans controller so the paddles are live all the time. So now I have about $32K into this car. Kind of a lot, and more than it appears I could sell it for, looking on Bringatrailer examples with half the mileage go for less. But, it's "all done", and still it; cost $140K when new (has a pano roof and some other great stuff) LOL And I can't think of another car I'd like as much. My Maserati Coupe, with its Skyhook suspension is quite inferior to the ABC! But, that car is literally a musical instrument at 100+ MPH. The AMG is a space shuttle. My kid calls it the Scramjet, my wife calls it the SR71 Blackbird. I owned an SL600 (renntech), a SL550, and now this SL55. I never want to be without an R230!