m5zealot

Hello,

I finally got my 1st AMG. After unsuccessfully acquiring an '09 E63, I got my 2nd choice. Unfortunately, I got it online 70 miles away from home. I have been talking to the dealer and have received a great PPI report today. I'm picking the car up Friday.

The car has been advertised with the P30 Performance Package. However, after looking at the pictures closely, I noticed the car does not have the F1 Fascia front bumper that I thought came with this package. I don't see the side vents/gills. I tried doing some VIN decoders but can't seem to confirm it. Was this bumper (OEM on the SL65) another option and not included in the P30? I'm afraid maybe this car does not have the package at all or may have been in an accident and front bumper was replaced by a non P30 bumper. It also does not have the alcantara steering wheel. It seems to have the bigger floating front brake rotors

The Caxfax looks great but, I know it's not hard to not get an accident reported.

I'm bringing my buddy, (who is a MBZ tech) with me on Friday. I only put a $500 deposit down and have not signed anything. Thanks in advance for any advice.

VIN WDBSK72F07F129522




T

CjohnsonE550

Congrats! Beautiful SL.

When I had my PPI done they were able to generate a datacard from the diagnostic system they used to search for any saved codes. The datacard lists all the different options along with paint codes. That being said I was fortunate that I also got the original window sticker.

compaddict

iTrader: (1)

Very nice car!

latemodel21

Here is a copy of this car's Datacard. It is nicely equipped, but I do NOT see the P030 option listed. I would walk away if you can't negotiate the price down based on this.

Hope this helps,
Chris

CjohnsonE550

One other option I don't see listed that may or may not be important to you is the pano roof. Frankly when I was looking I hoped not to find the P030 package. I'm sure many want this but I really didn't like the added expense at replacement time. I do like the F1 nose thou.

PoCoAMG

...and I don't think it is a performance package car. It has the 030 rims but the functional vents ahead of the front wheels tells me it isn't. I thought it may have been in anaccident and they put the wrong front air dam on the car, but the interior without the alcantara wheel and headliner tells me it isn't. I think all 07's came with aluminum paddle shifters (the 06 didn't except for the 030. Correct me if I'm wrong). I looked for quite some time and did my research to get the correct 030 car. On that note, that SL looks beautiful. If they are asking a premium for the 030, maybe get the car for less. If not, enjoy! It's very nice!

Shaun

okbarnett

absolutely not, the wheel and shifter would have alcantra, the front bumper would be sl65 with side vents, very obvious

m5zealot

Thanks guys. Just verified it does not have the P 30 The dealer was very embarrassed and apologize. He will return my deposit but now I'm thinking since it's a 2007 and it does have the 510 hp motor. The only drawback are the brake rotors need to be replaced very soon and there is a small tear in the seat back of the driver side. The other SL I was looking at is an 06 model and definitely does have the P 30 package That dealer is asking 25,500 for the car with 70,000 miles The 2007 w/ no P30, I got down to $23,000 with the same mileage. I'm not too worried about the price difference I guess what really makes me want the 07 model is the added horse power but what good is more horsepower if you don't have a limited slip right ha ha. Please help me decide I need to do this by Friday or I'm going to spend the money on something else the 06 has a lovely pano roof too

This the 06 I also found.

Nor Cal SL55

[QUOTE=m5zealot;7106790]Thanks guys. Just verified it does not have the P 30 The dealer was very embarrassed and apologize. He will return my deposit but now I'm thinking since it's a 2007 and it does have the 510 hp motor. The only drawback are the brake rotors need to be replaced very soon and there is a small tear in the seat back of the driver side. The other SL I was looking at is an 06 model and definitely does have the P 30 package That dealer is asking 25,500 for the car with 70,000 miles The 2006 I got down to $23,000 with the same mileage and newer brakes. I'm not too worried about the price difference I guess what really makes me want the 07 model is the added horse power but what good is more horsepower if you don't have a limited slip right ha ha. Please help me decide I need to do this by Friday or I'm going to spend the money on something else the 06 has a lovely pano roof tooQUOTE]

Don't be so quick to think that it doesn't have limited slip. Most 2007' came with limited slip.

On the decoder, it shows that my car doesn't have it, but it does - from the factory. The decoder is good, but really there is only one way to know for sure...

The brakes are good too - the difference between the performance package and the non performance package is that the front rotors are 390 mm instead of 360 mm. Both are two piece. There are places where you can get complete front and rear brake parts for around $1600 with a lifetime guarantee.

okbarnett

dont be so quick to spend your money, theres plenty of good cars around. Ive seen 07 and 08 with all the options and less than 10k miles. find the perfect car

m5zealot

Oh there are some very nice low mileage ones alright. Not sure where you live but here in SoCal those cars are going for twice the price. There is a nice 2005 with 5,300 miles. Asking $38K! Anything north of that are nice high mileage SL65's. If you know of any cars you like please send me some links.

PoCoAMG

....this opens up your options. I was personally looking for a 2007 030 so that is why I have the one I have. That 06 looks beautiful. The 2007 have a small changes that bump the HP. Upgraded supercharger, bigger injectors, 80MM throttle body, and slightly different tune (correct me if I'm wrong guys). The 06 was still rated at the 493/513 vs the 2007 510/531 (hp and tq). $23,000 for an 06 with 030, epic win and great car.

Shaun

m5zealot

This is what I like to hear! Can anyone address the SBC FAILURE issues? 2007 was the year they resolved it for this chassis correct? So either 2006-2007 should not have the recall issue right? Unfortunately, the '06 with P30 package is $25,500. The '07 does have a 1/2" tear in the leather on driver's backrest.

"DaimlerChrysler AG (DCAG), the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has decided that a defect which
relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain Model Year 2003 – 2005 E-Class, 2003 – 2005 SL-Class,
and 2006 CLS-Class vehicles equipped with Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC). Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
(MBUSA) therefore has initiated a recall of these vehicles. Our records indicate that your vehicle is
included in the affected population of vehicles."

okbarnett

I live in Fl, Ive never bought a car in Fl. I buy cars where ever the car is. They ship these things all over. You just look on the internet, find the car and buy it, it comes to you. That way i always get the exact car I am looking for.

Ed954

There was no alcantara steering wheel option on r230. Only a headliner, pillars and speedometer trim. Correct me if I wrong.

okbarnett

performance pkg gets Alcantara wheel and shift knob

Ingenere

I have had my '03 since new and it has alacantara shift *** and head liner as stock.

btw..... I like the '06 w/030, but I am too neurotic for black cars anymore!

Good luck! A friend of mine just bought an '05 SL65 w/12k miles for $40K!

okbarnett

yes some of the sl55,65 have 1/2 the shift knob alcantara I think the perf pkg cars had whole shifter alcantara but definately the wheel sides grips

kbob999

I would not use the HP difference as a buying requirement. You can slap a smaller supercharger pulley on and BOOM! 50+HP for $400.
030 package is nice...for a track car. But replacing those brake rotors...OUCH! Consider that a deterrent.

I'm happy with a 'generic' SL55, and Pano roof, and nice wheels, and lowering links, and that pulley, and...

BradleyBeck

I know this car, it was on eBay. Beautiful looking and great price. Yeah, no performance package.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-Mercede...p2047675.l2557

m5zealot

Here she is gentlemen! What an amazing experience. I have traveled the world and experienced the bullet train in Japan. This was my 1st time taking Amtrak from San Diego to Irvine to collect this beauty!

There were so many amazing places along the way I never knew existed. The dealer had my SL ready for me and 10 minutes of paper work I dropped my sack of cash and took the keys! I had them do a pre-inspection and was happy to see the car was in near mint condition with many new components
There were pages of service receipts and the car recently had the ABC/SBE system replaced! New supercharger bearing/belt. New composite brakes/pads, new pump for the top and so many more. Apparently the previous owner was planning to keep this car forever but, eventually got a 911 Turbo.

The P030 performance package is truly a great deal for you get huh? The aggressive F1 fascia really give the car a more intimidating stance indeed. The paint is perfect except for a few nicks in the front bumper. The drive home on the coast was epic of course. I will not miss pushing the heavy clutch in my BMM M5 in traffic for sure. I plan to do a pulley and ECU upgrade soon. I already have lowering links standing by. I just have to buy a new floor jack that can support 3 tons!

There are a few minor items I need to troubleshoot:

1. Center armrest/compartment won’t open with central locking system.
(I can hear hissing air in there so I hope it’s just a leaking hose.

2. The passenger side rear compartment containing some fuses is also
staying locked.

3. The CD changer is showing “Device Unavailable” The salesman said
the previous owner installed a iPod system – but I can’t use it because
it’s in the locked center console!

4. My spare key (with new battery) does not activate any keyless go
functions. It will start the car when put in the ignition though but
nothing else.

5. The beautiful wheels have some curb rash and the finish is not so
shinny anymore. I’m going to refurbish them myself so stay tuned for
the thread on that process.

So just a few minor things to address. If anyone has any quick fixes to suggest I would appreciate it in here so I don’t have to spend too much time in the search field of the forum.

Thanks to all who provided feedback and those who reached out privately to add their wisdom in helping me make the decision on this particular SL55.

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PoCoAMG

Beautiful car and very good choice Enjoy that beast in sunny California!

Shaun

C280 Sport

Car is stunning! Wishing you many years of fun driving!

BradleyBeck

m5Zealot: If you could, I'd love to see the cost of the repairs. Given so much was done, it would be helpful to see the true cost of each to help set expectations for potential buyers and to know how to plan ahead.

$25k for a 2006 with those miles and most importantly service records is outstanding.

Thank you in advance!

Nor Cal SL55

Congratulations! Beautiful Car!!!