Hi all. I have read quite a bit here and thought I would seek some advice.

I am a 53 year old attorney and perhaps having a midlife crisis of sorts. For me, cars have always been a purely practical thing. But now I am intrigued by the notion of a used Mercedes SL.

I know next to nothing about cars, so the idea of fixing it myself is out. I also am not a maniac driver, but it seems like an SL55 AMG, SL 63 or SL 65 AMG would be a lot of fun. Models from 2005 to 2007 with 60 to 80,000 miles seem readily available for $25K or less. Then there are the SL 500, SL 550, and SL 600.

What I have read scares the bejesus out of me in terms of ownership costs. My Mazda never needs anything and it gets me where I want to go.

So my questions are whether the SL 55 AMG would have significantly lower costs than the 63 or 65, and whether if i was going from a Mazda, an SL 500 or SL 550 would such a big step up that I don't need any more. I guess also whether the maintenance costs of the 500 and 550 are a lot lower. I can't tell if there really is a difference between them.

I would be looking at something in the 2005-09 year range unless that is a bad idea. Just want something fun for me.

Thanks in advance for any help. I have this nagging feeling that I am thinking about something something really stupid.

--Matt

 

Hey Matt. I am not going to get into a "vs." debate because they go nowhere. I will give you my experience and you can take what you need from it. I purchased a 2007 030 SL55 AMG because I wanted a fast convertible. You can see from my signature I have had a few AMg's. I am very brand loyal and I do love them. I found a great low kilometer 2007 in Alberta when oil was down below $38 barrel (Alberta is our Texas) so I picked it up for $35,000 Cdn with 72,000 km's. I have read the forum as well and still bought it site unseen. Why? Simply because I knew it was a low mileage 2007 (wanted this) 030 (wanted this) SL55 (wanted this) which ticked all the boxes. I budgeted $10,000 to go into the car but I knew the car was a good price for a really special (030) car. Well I have had it for a year and a half and I have put 10,000 km's on it. Only thing I have done is tries (my choice), a headlight, and an oil change. Rear brakes are next. So I have put very little into it and for a site unseen (which I don't recommend) I did very well. I did enough research on the car that it had a very clean Carfax and was it spent 90% of it's life in Vancouver BC. Looking at the car in my signature, this is exactly what it looks like. Straight accident free body and it runs strong.

So getting to your dilemma, what exactly do you want? Is it just a nice convertible? A comfortable cruiser? An SL500 might be perfect for you. Solid, less temperamental motor than the High Performance motors. It will also be much less money to buy. Want this as well as some get up and go, SL600. Crazy torque and a beautiful car. Mostly fully loaded too. Like many people on this forum, we like to mod our cars for more performance. Get the 55 Supercharged or 65 twin turbo V12 (Sl600 is included here too).

I guess what I am saying is find out exactly what you want and narrow it down. This forum is an excellent resource for advice and opinions but you know what to look for.

Good luck Matt. I am currently going through my mid life at 45 but loving it.

Cheers!

Shaun

 

Buy one and enjoy it!

 

sl55 was 03-09, sl63 is 09up, Chances are you would be very satisfied with a normal SL, and would cost less. AMGs are much more performance and cost more.

 

yes, they cost more, but if they are a LOT OF FUN!!

PS: Here's a 550 for sale on 'the other site": http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r230...008-sl550.html

I saw this car about a year ago, and it was pretty nice.

 

For reliable convertible fun, I'd get a Honda S2000 or a Miata.

 

Get a dependable mid life crisis car: Corvette.

 

Thanks that was very helpful. Give that I have never had a powerful car, I suspect that a 500/550/600 would suit me fine, and it sounds from a number of sources like that would be cheaper. The 600 is intriguing, but I have heard that 12 cylinder engines are problematic. I would not mod it nor would I drive a 55/63/65 for what they can do. Thanks for the help.

 

Yeah but I wold not enjoy a $5,000 repair bill. For someone who just would not use the full capacity of a 55, would a 550 or 600 make more sense? I don't mind giving up some fun for less financial risk. Appreciate the help.

 

I was not even sure of the years. As between the 500/550/600, any thoughts in where the sweet spot is or whether it matters? There seems to be little difference in price.

 

Dang that is a lot of cars. I'll check that out now. There seem to be a ton of these from 05-08 on the market and some seemingly great prices. Think that a 550 or 600 would be so much more fun that Japanese junk that I would would be happy? Never had a speeding ticket in my life.

 

I had a Miata and drove it into the ground. Must have been a 1991. Loved that car. But I was hoping for something a bit bigger and maybe more fun to drive, although the Miata was a blast. Any idea if the 550 or 600 would be likely to have high ownership costs?

 

Any MB SL will be very expensive to own long term if driven often. You should budget $5,000 per year for maintenance and repairs. Some years will be less but some could be more. I've averaged around $5k per year on my 600 but very little of that was due to the V12.

 

Thanks, that is helpful but rather disappointing. $5,000 per year is $400 per month. It seems like MB should be able to make these rock solid. I say that as a casual observer, and I really don't appreciate the complexity of them I guess. I hope that a 550- would be a lot cheaper.

 

You are not comprehending what I'm telling you. Any SL will be very expensive to maintain and repair. The higher performance engines will add a little cost but not much. Very little of the $5k/yr I spent over the last two years has to do with the engine in my 600. If you get an SL, the only thing that makes it worthwhile is the high performance of the 55/600/65 engines.

 

I was misunderstanding you but no longer. I have to say that the people here have a wealth of information and share it very generously. Given my lack of knowledge, it seems to make sense to consider something else. I really do appreciate the help from everyone.

 

When things fail on the SL, it's related to the hydraulic top, or suspension, or electronics. Sometimes you get fluid leaks from the engines and such, but that's a smaller percentage and often cheaper. The top and ABC suspension can quickly get very expensive to repair, as most smaller shops won't work on them, it will probably have to go to a dealership, and you're looking at a big bill there even for a simple repair, sadly.

When it all works though, they are very fun. I'd say go for a 600, there's just nothing like that big v12 that's buttery smooth and an absolute monster of an engine. Effortless passing power is an understatement, and it really makes the car special.

 

I am going to have to think about this. The way people describe them when they work sounds like magic. If I had one, I would use it as my daily driver because what is the purpose of keeping it in my garage. IN an sense, the worst that could happen would be to sell if for parts. But if I got a few years of fun out of it, who cares. I mean Cars.com has a 2006 with 21,000 miles for $28,900 and another with 32,527 miles for $24,800. How many problems should it have with that few miles. There seem to be a lot of very low mile cars out there.

 

Had my 55 for almost three years now . It's an 02 Euro model . For fun , there's no equivalent . You'll be grinning all the way .
Living east , the cost of ownership is much cheaper here , and I spend $ 1K p/year on average .
If you do not need 500 horses , the SL550 of 2007/8 is the best buy , still has 380 horses and most problems sorted on it .
So it will be a good fun car . As for daily driver , I donno . They are really not meant to be driven daily . I suppose you could , but use something cheaper
to run as a DD ... Greetings from Lebanon ( east ) ....

 

Sounds like great advice. I have the sense that most people don't use these things as daily drivers, but I need to grin every day. A 2007/08 550 or maybe 600 might work. Someone suggested that the 600 might be perfect, and there are some low mileage ones out there.

 

I believe an American convertible: Corvette, Camaro, Mustang would be more in line with your expectations/$s/know-how.

 

Thanks. The problem is that I really just don't like them. The Mercedes SLS AMG coupe is to me the most beautiful car in existence. No idea why. A Dodge Cobra has some of the same look, but they apparently are a nightmare. But I probably could find an easier car that appeals to me. And to be honest back seats would be nice for the kids. I have never been a big Porsche fan, but a Panamera might make sense. I also like the Lotus Evora, but I know nothing about their reliability.

I am really torn because I am so taken with the R230 design, and this is such an easy mess to get into that it is so easy to tell myself everything will be OK. I imagine that everyone here can relate to that in part.

This whole thing has taken me to the point of wondering if I would be safe with a lower mileage 2008 or 2009 model of the 500, 550 or 600. I keep telling myself that car with 25,000 miles should be fine for a few years, and then I remember that it would be fine if it were under warranty. I have to say that I am really enjoying the education here. I have learned a lot from investigating this.

 

They are honestly much better when you actually drive them. Sitting kills these cars, things just break for no reason. Higher mileage cars that have been maintained, often give far less trouble than a car that spent most of it's life parked. It's a bit different from other brands, it's not the wear that kills them, just age/time.

 

The newer version, 09 + has alot more upgrades. The early 6.3 engines had problems, so cpo is mandatory, but the regular SL with the 5.5 probably doesnt have such trouble and it has the 7 speed trans, although not the same as the mct amg.
You should be looking at the MBUSA cpo inventory and find a car with a cpo

 

The best thing in life are your OWN personal experiences. Now that you have a basic understanding of what to expect from the different models, go out and take some test drives. Disregard price and mileage for the sake of driving and go out and see what you enjoy and feel comfortable in amonst the different models. Then from there narrow it down to find the best value, color and options you feel appeal to you as an individual. You may find no real difference in the performance if you don't have a heavy foot or you may open pandora's box and really enjoy the acceleration of the more powerful engines.

In the end, never expect one car to cover all the bases, of reliable, sporty, economical and cheap. There will always be cost involved in ownership, more than other makes, but to most of us, the good out wieghs the bad, that's why we are here.