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I'm shopping around for an SL55 or SL65 if budget allows, and would consider the right SL600 as well. Condition is more important than mileage or age, I'm looking for a no-stories immaculate car with a well documented history. No projects or cars with needs, I'm looking for turnkey. Tasteful upgrades are ok as well. If you're selling, please send me an email with more information at mattjessupbba at gmail.com. Thanks!
Look right under the post you just made. There is also a section for these requests.
I posted in the thread about the red P030 but $42k is crazy IMHO. I have also posted a marketplace WTB ad, but not everybody is checking the marketplace.
I sold my widebody SL600 with a bunch of go fast goodies a couple months ago. Since they stopped making the V12's, the values have gone up slightly. $42k is a bit nutty on a SL55 but hope they get it. Probably not much of a chance of that now given the market conditions.
It's tough to find a well maintained SL but you should be able to get a smoking deal now. Check Autotrader and be sure to get a PPI. Good luck. As always, buy the nicest and newest one you can afford.
Thanks, that's always good advice. Interesting market, prices seem to be all over the place right now. I'm not in a rush, just looking for the right one.
The ones that know their cars are nice and well maintained will probably keep their price high. The dealerships or individuals dropping their drawers are either having financial issues or the SL is in need of a bunch of repairs/maintenance.
I keep my eye on BaT but the prices there can be pretty staggering. Not to mention that I wouldn't pay that much for a dealer car with no history, even though it looked quite nice.
I keep my eye on BaT but the prices there can be pretty staggering. Not to mention that I wouldn't pay that much for a dealer car with no history, even though it looked quite nice.
What do you mean by no history? The car above is a confirmed 1-owner that was dealer serviced with very low mileage.
"Immaculate" R230s, especially AMG variants, carry a premium price tag over other examples and in general have held up in value much better than their W215/W220 counterparts.
What is your budget? Is it a general budget or do you have different caps for different models (55, 65, 600)?
You can also use Auto Tempest - single point of research that searches across multiple sites for listings.
My problem with buying from a dealer is that you rarely get any history. You can’t talk to the previous owner about how they maintained the car, how they drove it, or why they are selling. In this case you’re buying from a car salesman who knows nothing about the car and getting a VMI. That’s it.
The other problem you have with BaT is that you’re shopping nationally based on pictures (which can hide a LOT) and the “vetting” of some dudes on the internet who are basing their opinions on the same pictures. When you win an auction you pay a 5% buyer premium on your credit card, period. But if you show up and the car is a POS, sorry buddy but there’s no recourse with BaT. I drove to look at an SL55 and SL65 last weekend, both were described as being nice cars and looked good in pictures. In person they were both crap because pictures can hide a lot. But in the example of that BaT SL55 I would have been out $1,428 buyer’s fee plus my travel plus the premium that cars on BaT tend to carry. Long story short I think BaT is a fun place to look but a crappy place to buy, which applies to most auctions.
Hopefully it’s a moot point, I should be picking up a SL63 on Friday if it’s as described.
04-20-2020, 11:00 AM
