Richard

My SL55 just got taken away on a trailer again ...
(same old electrical problems, 18 months old, 7000 miles, 5 times on a trailer, plus other wobblies)

So, Ive had enough of it, and will probably replace it ..... I love the SL55 (when its working) - particularly the acceleration, I dont push it hard on twisty roads though ..

*If* I replace it with a SL, should it be a SL55 or a SL600 ????

R

Bilal

SL600 is faster than the 55 BUT, its just a 500 underneath.

SL55 is a totally different animal, buy another or buy an SL65 AMG, which should be worth every penny, as all Mercedes always are...

Harris

I favor SL65 (if money is not a factor). Otherwise, twin turbo V12 SL600 should be a better choice than a Supercharged V8.

theine

Now I am getting concerned, first okhjoon190 with two blown SL55's engines, now Richard says that he had his SL55 towed to the dealer 5 times already? Am I getting into a problen here? Or are these first year SL55's and the new ones are bugged out?
My CLK430 never gave me any trouble.

bmms8

the 05's shouldnt have as many probs if any... i think you will have better luck with an 05.

RJC

Sorry youre having so much trouble. This is a sign of the times for MB poor quality. Give a call to Mr Schrempp, see if he or anyone in his company gives a hoot. BTW as I mentioned in the general forum wasn't "Schrempp" the stooge that replaced curly?

sillydriver

My SL55 had seen 7000 miles when electrical problems began to cause engine failures. That car is long gone, replaced with an SL600 that's nearing 1000 miles. No problems on the new one yet.

RJC

How do you like the 600? Is the performance better? I'd have to imagine the response must be a lot smoother. Glad to hear no problems

Richard

Sillydriver, you are the perfect person to tell me which vehicle you prefer (ignoring the reliability issues)

Please can you tell all !!

Cheers
Richard

sillydriver

I like the 600, but my advice is that you shouldn’t buy the 600 unless you test drive it first. You might like it or you might hate it. The car has a different feel than the 55: more fast GT, less sports car. Softer suspension and smoother ride. Softer leather (at least the way it’s configured in the USA) and more interior color choices. I have mine in the designo silver package, which I am very enamored with but is not available in the 55. For me, that acts as an offset to the less sporty character of the car.

The 600 is programmed with a slow throttle response at low speeds. Also, the torque converter doesn’t lock at low RPMs in the low gears. The result is that the car feels sluggish at 20 MPH on city streets. The feel is very different at high speeds with the turbos spooled up. The faster you go the faster the car feels. Once you are in third gear, meaning more than 70 MPH while accelerating flat out, the car feels faster than the 55. Below 70 MPH it feels slower, smoother and heavier.

The 600 is generally much quieter than the 55, although the noise starting the 600 engine is more interesting: higher pitched and more turbine-like. At highway cruising speed the 600 doesn’t have the engine noise that I found annoying on the 55. However at full throttle and high RPMs at high speeds the engine does produce a satisfying roar.

One final consideration is that the engine and transmission software can be changed out to make the 600 more sporty and significantly faster than the 55. I haven’t done it yet but those on this forum who have say they are very pleased.

Twinturbo

yes, if you say that you dont push your car around the corners but like the acceleration, i think you would rather the quicker but heavier SL600, and im sure you will appreciate all that low down torque.

blueSL

Richard's experience - if I recall one of the very first SL55s in the UK with a heap of electrical gremlins from the outset - shows that it pays not to be the first on the block with a new car. Mine was a month or so later and its only serious misdemeanour has been to dump the ABC hydraulic fluid all over the road one wet and windy night in January leaving me with a Christmas Tree light display and, weirdly, the SatNav taking me back where I had just come from.

I'm interested in the different nature of the SL600 at lower speeds, makes for a more languid driving experience and even more removed from the sports car I hoped the SL55 was going to be. Not for me. It may be more alive at higher speeds but how the car is at 130 is sadly academic for most of us. My interest is in how the car is at the speeds I normally drive, say 50 - 90. Putting it on a track is not the answer either. The SL is not a track car and you can have plenty more fun in a lighter sharper handling car.

I'm actually a bit bored with mine now. Haven't driven it for a couple of months (can you imagine what problems there will be when I next do drive it with the flat battery?) and it's likely to be soon for the big-E from my life. Perversely, my old SL600 - my daily slush-wagen - continues to deliver in spades - brilliant build quality and a car which does not pretend to be something it isn't. And the F355, with no adaptive anything, beats them both by a mile.

theine

Right on the nose blueSL.

sillydriver

I think that’s also one of the redeeming factors about the R230 SL600: it does not pretend to be something it isn’t. The luxury tuning seems more authentic or appropriate for the smooth, quiet and solid car it is.

AMG493

BlueSL,

Why would you drive the R129 SL600 instead of the SL55? Both can be used as daily drivers, both have 2 seats and a convertible top. Are you concerned about the miles and depreciation? I have a hard time reaching for any other keys than the SL's.....the useability factor is off the charts in my opinion.

SL65amg

Here's my two cents:

Either be patient and wait for the '05 updated SL 65 AMG, or get an SL 600, spend the $6,400 from Renntech which will give you 625 horsepower with 748 lb/ft of torque and the faster SL 65 gear changing software ..... best $6,400 ever spent on a German car for sure....
With an SL 600 Renntech like that, or the SL 65, no 55 AMG or bimmer M car will be able to catch you ......
and it's still a beautiful comfortable convertible hardtop (definitely get one with the Panorama option for sure, this is truly a "must-have" option) with virtually every luxury, convenience, and high-tech feature the world has to offer. Perfection in a german sort of way.... OR ..... get a used '99 model 360 Modena (been seeing quite a few going anywhere from between $90,000 to $110,000) or a '97 550 Maranello (been seeing alot dip into the $90,000 range) or a '91-'93 Diablo (been seeing these anywhere from $89,000 to $115,000) if you prefer the Italian way of doing things .....
OR, get a Porsche 996 twin-turbo Convertible, then drop a Tech-Art upgrade to 750 Horsepower with full body kit ... a stunner and can run with the best on the road any day and all-wheel drive with full warranty and solid German engineering ...


Any of these choices: You can't go wrong ......

Me personally: I'm gonna wait till My SL 65 I ordered comes in Next Spring, and if it's getting price gouged I'm not gonna get it, I'll just go get a Diablo Roadster with upgrades, but if it is not price gouged, i'll stick with the SL 65.

OKHJOON190

MY CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF YOUR SL55.

As you all know i lost my second one on a blown engine after 2000 miles

im sorry everyone, but after owning a total of two sl55's in a combined 2 yr period, and only being able to trive it for less than a yr in total, im completely fed up with the benz.

if it didnt have any problems it would definately be a keeper... but i just dont trust the brand right now. maybe in a couple of yrs when they get their act together i could buy another one

FYI

I placed an order on a porsche turbo cabriolet, which should be here in 2-3 months.

Twinturbo

OKHJOON, when you first recieved your car, for the wear in period, did you press the engine hard, or take it easy like it says in te manual. Apparantly, to wear the rings in properly, you should do some ful engine rev runs and decellerations. It has proven to work. If your interested, the link is on the performance page, but it is something like www.mototuneusa.com

OKHJOON190

with my first sl55 the dealer told me no need to break in the car ... "it was made to go fast and outperform right from the start" so i guess thats what led to the demise of the first one.

When i got the second one i made sure to push the car after i hit the 1000 mile mark. yet the engine blew at 3000 miles

Mr. Xristo

still waiting on photo's of the blown SL55 engines...

blueSL

I think the answer to the original question is c) neither. The manufacturer we should all be taking seriously is Aston Martin, headed by Ulrich Bez who was previously head of R&D at Porsche. What he has been able to do is inject some new design and combine with leading edge manufacturing to produce a stunning new car - the DB9.

Gorgeous to look at (IMHO, better than the SL and better than anything coming out of Maranello) with an interior which looks very special. Compare that with the low rent Boxster-derived 911 interior. Dated or what? Just look at the instrument dials on the DB9, works of art. You want wood? The Aston has it, real wood, not some piece of faux lacquered veneer you get in a Mercedes.

Aston are showing Porsche and Mercedes the way to do it. Porsche are incapable of moving away from the 911 design to produce something fresh and new. Mercedes are so hell bent on maintaining a family resemblence that all their cars look too similar. No wonder nobody looks twice at my SL, for all they know, it's just another silver Mercedes.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and a DB9 has just won a three way comparison with a 911 Turbo and a Gallardo. It's enough to send the Germans running home crying to Mutti and the Italians to Mamma.

What's most amazing of all, who would have thought that Ford, whose management seem to be made up of anally retentive accountants, would have the guts to finance the development of such a car?

SL Boy

so blueSL are you about to trade your SL55 for a DB9?

JohnH

Hope the production version of DB9 is better quality than the one they had at Geneva which was very poor quality. Outside looked great inside a disaster. Very cramped, poor quality controls, glue marks, uneven stitching, very poor booit space. Sorry but unless the interior is dramatically improved there is no way I could spend long periods of time in there!!!

blueSL

I've put a deposit down on one, long wait, so the SL55 will do more than fine until then and maybe beyond.

Tony Musgrave

You'll be Sorry........... You need to own a current 'British' car for a while to appreciate how poor they really are in terms of build quality and reliability. It's not the big things that go wrong, but the silly items that cause the grief.

Glove boxes and bonnets (hoods) that refuse to open will soon have you ranting. Rear screens that crack in the Sun will have you angry. Replacement rear screens with faulty heater elements will leave you bemused. Squeaking leather trim on the door/dash panel will infuriate you. Poor quality fit of the sat Nav surround will enrage you. Corrosion on badges and wheel centres will cause you to pull out any remaining hair from your head ! Failed Sat Nav electronics when you are lost in deepest Devon will almost be the final straw.

When your car are obliged to have an annual service, irrespective of mileage and the nearest dealer is miles away, you will think.........................I wish I had stuck with a 'Merc'.

You will enjoy owning a 'British' car,and probably won't wish to change it, but .............You'll be sorry.