Hello, I have been lurking the forums for a long time. I have had several Mercedes vehicles, and currently have a 2017 S550, my daughter has a 2009 G550, and my son has a E400. In the past few years, I have had no loans or mortgages left, and recently sold a few properties, as well as a Testarossa that I was able to sell for an extremely large profit to what I bought it for.

I currently have some money burning in my pocket. I know that this must be a stupid question as no one here has a crystal ball, so before I get critiqued, I want to make it clear that it won't affect how I eat or sleep at night if my speculation ends up entirely false and the car becomes worthless in 3 years. I just want to hear some opinions. My car itch has passed, and I plan on keeping this vehicle for the next 30-40 years, or however long my body has left. The vehicle in question is a 2008 SL55 AMG, Mars Red exterior, Nappa Red interior. Think of the red interior on the SL63 Silver Arrow Editions. 30k miles, always serviced at our local dealer, two local owners. I have a deposit down on it.

The question I want to ask, is should I drive the **** out of the car, or hold it and try to use it as a collector's car? The SL55 has been my favorite car since it came out, so I know I will be getting one. I just want to know before I start driving it, if you think that a 2008 SL55 with low miles, pristine shape, and a Red/Red color combo that you can probably count the production numbers on one hand is a car that may appreciate in the future.

I want a SL55 that I can drive very often, so if you think that this is a future collectors car potentially, then I want to know before I purchase it and start driving it, because in that case, I can just look for another one in more common colors with maybe a few stories or accidents on the carFax that I can get for much cheaper and just use this one as a showcar/gawk at it in my garage. I do not think I can pass on this deal, as it has all the right flags.

 

 

I'll let others who know more chime in on the rareness as I'm not sure, but it sounds like you really want this particular one in your own heart....and garage.
If you are already considering getting this one and another one to drive daily if this one turns out to be collectible then what is the problem? It doesn't sound like money is!
I say go for it and enjoy!

 

Buy it, drive it, and enjoy it. The 2003 to 2008 are some of the best looking vehicles to ever be designed. Just a classic look to them that still looks fresh 15 years later.

These cars aren't like a Ferrari or certain Porsche's that you can expect to make money on or at least break even over time. The prices have bottom out for the most part on them. But at the same time that bottom price allows way too much of the market to access these cars for them to ever appreciate at any decent rate. Many of these cars will just run there course to the point that repairs cost more than the car is even worth and year after year more and more will just be junked. Sure, like most items 30 years from now the one's running might have some ok value. But I don't think anything crazy and if that is what someone wants to do there is a lot better options than the SL to do that with.

Also these cars aren't meant to just sit. The ABC system will do nothing but cause problems for you if the car just sits over time.

 

Fine, but get a complete cpo inspection at a mb dealer and get all the factory service history, and carfax

 

Sounds like the consensus is that this car probably won't go up in value enough that I will regret driving it. I have thought about it, and it looks like I will just be getting this one vehicle and not bothering getting a second one to drive. I might as well get the enjoyment out of driving a pristine example, rather than just letting it sit. If the car does not seem like it will go up in value a whole awful lot, I will probably never make back the money from insurance/maintenance at dealer/etc and especially not if I have a second one to drive as well. I guess I'll just drive it 5-7k miles a year like I planned, and get all of the maintenance done at the dealership and keep it in tip top shape. If it does become a serious collectors item years down the road, I'm sure some miles will not hurt it too bad. I previously had a 2009 Mercedes SL63 Silver Arrow edition that I purchased new, but it had a plethora of electrical issues, so it had to go when the warranty went out. I truly do miss that car, and doubt I will ever see another Silver Arrow for sale in good shape.

I will follow up when I pick up the car with pictures and information about it. The SL55 truly is one of my favorite cars. I have had Porsche, Maserati, and Ferrari, but there has always been something to me about these SL 55s, especially the 2003-2008s. They are like a piece of artwork rather than imposing and in your face. And the smile on your face when you pop the hood and see the name of the person who hand built your engine. I plan on getting some RennTech work done to the car, but nothing too major, maybe just some of their carbon fiber components and the ECU tune. I don't want to go overboard on modifications and ruin a car that is in my eyes, one of the best built. If it was good enough for Steve Jobs to keep buying over and over again, it is plenty for me.

 

if you want something that is going to possibly go up in value and be collectible you need to purchase a black series or at the very least an SL65. from a performance perspective the carbon fiber components will do nothing (the stock air intake is very good on these cars), and it being an 08 you already have a larger 80mm TB. Renntech are usually on the leading edge of performance parts for new vehicles, but once they have been out for awhile like sl55 has there are usually better options at far lower prices.

A mild crank pulley (like a 172mm or 168mm crank pulley) or a mild supercharger pulley (83mm) plus long tube headers from MBH (lifetime guarantee that will produce far more power and be far cheaper than anything from renntech) and a tune will be pushing you near 600 hp. With the better 010 pump your car has and the larger factory heat exchanger these 2 upgrades should not give you any heat issues especially since the amount of extra boost a mild pulley will create should be offset by the greater flow of the headers.

 

 

Just wait till if/when I ever finish a complete buyers guide/common issues/yearly changes mega post on the sl55. for better or worse i've spent way too much time researching and fixing my own car and feel that someone else should probably learn from all of this experience rather than having to spend 100s of hours finding each little nugget by itself.

 

Thank you for the great advice! I have thought about a Black Series, but after having several cars, and liquidating all of them, it feels like I made the smart financial move with my kids about to go to college ($$$$, has anyone seen college tuition lately?). I have saved the information in a word document about the performance modifications. I'm not too sure if I will end up modifying this one a whole lot, but if I do, now I know what to do!

The pre-purchase inspection was done today, and it looked like everything was good, but the car needed tires and brakes soon. The current owner told the dealer to keep the car and do the brakes, out of his pocket, and I told them to put on a set of tires, and I'll pay for that. I didn't really bother negotiating with him on the price because I didn't want to lose the perfect car if someone out-bidded me by $500. But I'm sure those brakes will be expensive, so that works. Looks like everything is in order and when we go to pick it up at the dealer they will handle the paperwork for us. He has the title in hand so it saves a lot of stress. Getting excited!

 

I use my SL600 as a daily driver, commute to work is 26 miles each way. I didn't pay all this money to let it sit in the driveway and get bombarded by bird crap. I may or may not become a classic one day, but MB are ticking time bombs, enjoy it while it lasts.