I am thinking of buying an '05 SL55 this week (three to choose from locally) and while researching found this site. I have been a visitor for several weeks and consumed most of the AMG posts, but need a nudge. I traded a 2003 BMW M3 Cab. SMG for a 2004 Lexus SC430 and no longer want to go for drives at night and have yet to "check" on the vehicle in my garage. Before buying the SC, I was going to get a SL500, but my neighbor "lemon lawed" his 2003 and the thought of $100K car troubles had me worried. Well, I am starting from scratch and the SL55 hits all of the nerves, but I also like the 996TT Cab., but the AMG gets the nod in my books after driving both. I have seen many negative posts about reliabilty and wondered if the problems ruin the experience or if the SL's +'s and driving experience are enough to overlook these items. My wife and I will probably split this car and our SUV as daily drivers and wanted to get some feedback. Thank you in advance.

 

no problems with mine....no car is better for overall driving experience, but then again you are posting on a fairly subjective board.

T

 

I too traded in my 03 M3 cab with SMG. Mine was for a 04 SL55. I can say that dollar for dollar the M3 was the best car I ever owned. my only complaint is with the local MB dealer in Vegas who is so incompetant that, for example, I had to take my car to Discount Tire after Mercedes tried to balance my tires on 3 seperate occasions and failed. Not to mention countless other items of incompetance regarding service.

 

The 996 and the SL55 are quite different from each other. It is likely that if you’re happy with one, you wouldn’t be with the other. I currently drive an SL55, and I have owned two 911s, including a (non-turbo) 996. The 996 is a well-appointed sports car. It is light compared to the SL, and lively. You can get a manual transmission, and it’s set up for easy heel-and-toeing. Turn-in is crisp. The brakes are a marvel, and almost impossible to overheat.

That’s the good news. The 996 is also noisy, with most of the noise coming from the tires. It has handling quirks associated with having the engine way out there behind the rear axles, even though the Porsche engineers have worked assiduously for many years to hide these behaviors. When driving the 996 at the limit, you had better be prepared for some counterintuitive moves, like keeping your foot in it when all your instincts are telling you to back off (it’s that trailing-throttle oversteer thing).

The SL55 is a GT car. It is powerful, and can cover great distances gracefully. It is quiet and cosseting. It is full of luxury features, and for the most part they are extremely well thought out. It is auto-only, albeit with nice steering-wheel-mounted controls. The handling is competent, and the traction management is tuned to let you hang things out a bit before it steps in to save you. Turn-in is leisurely, and you’ll miss apexes for a while after coming out of the Porsche. It weighs about 1200 pounds more than the 996 TT, and once you star pushing it on the back roads, you’ll feel the difference. The steering and braking feel a little isolated from the road.

Both great cars, but different animals. BTW, my SL55 has 3500 miles on it, and has been very reliable.

Jim

 

I only have 975 miles on my 2005 SL55. I traded a 911 turbo (6-spd) and a Lexus to get it. The SL is easier to drive than the turbo. It has a heavier feel and more luxury than the Porsche.

The Porsche did have great steering and was quite nimble. Sadly, I didn't drive it aggressively enough to explore its capability and limits. It sat in the garage most days. I did use the back seat for storage.

The controls are a bit overwhelming on the Mercedes. The Comand system is not easy to learn. The Lexus has better navigation/stereo controls. I am looking forward to the end of the break-in period. I have had one error code pop up twice on the SL, I am taking it for service next week. The power is quite intoxicating.

If you have any more questions, just ask.

 

Happy with mine. Extremely happy.

 

ok so my dad has both cars and as someone said before they are 2 very different machines. The sl55 is more of a grand tourer that is also a mean *** super car. It can and should be driven almost every single day. We have yet to expierence any problems with the car. In my opinion the sl55/sl65 are the ultimate cars.

Now the 996 is a completley different animal. We have a 03 996 c4 cab. it is a very nice play car. But it is just that...a play car. The ride is very harsh compared to the sl55, and it is no where near as comfortable as the sl55. I would consider the porsche to be more of an out and out sports car even though the sl55 is faster than it. But seriously if you want to do any actual driving and not just mess around with the car on a sunday then def go for the 55

 

I think you should go for the SL55. It's a fine, high performance GT which will sit well alongside your SUV which you can use for the practical side of life.

Reliability can vary and how much it affects you depends as much on the competence of the dealer to sort it out. My car, 2 years old, has left me stranded once and has been trucked in twice, but it was an early car. I think the detailed improvements since then will improve the ownership experience. Keep in mind too that these things are churned out at 150 a day + so there's many more out there than the handful (200 max?) on this site and we're a picky bunch.

I've never driven the 911 TT but I used to have an earlier Carrera 4 and the constant re-invention of the 911 bores me. It's as if Porsche are like a rabbit frozen in a car's headlights, unable to do anything. They happen to be very profitable but so unadventurous at the same time. I'm a particular fan of Ferrari in this regard who move forwards all the time with cars to fire the imagination. So, discount the Porsche.

 

Not to state the obvious, but i hope the dealer told you that the error code comes up for any little thing, such as even getting low on fuel or being low on windshield wiper fluid. Hopefully your error code is something easy like that and will go away with a fill up of either.

T

 

Well, I traded in my SC430 for a '04 SL500 last February. After 5 months, I traded the '04 SL500 for an '05 SL55. I think this pretty much sums up how happy I am with the SL!

 

I agree with you about the error codes. They're all called malfunctions and only the most severe ones are in red. When you've had a few serious ones and see a "malfunction" message, you do think "what is it NOW?", even though it turns out to be something trivial. A rather Germanic view of the world, I think.

 

I visited my local dealer and test drove three SL's last night. I ended up buying a brilliant silver/charcoal w/ black maple. It has vented seats, bi-xenon, disctronic sp??, and keyless go. I appreciate all the input and cannot wait to pick it up today. Didn't need the disctronic, but I also did not want to wait. Is it O.K. to change my username to "torquemonster" or is that one reserved for an SL65 owner? Thanks, Brian

 

Enjoy it. It's hard to keep your foot out of it during the break-in period, but if you drive it a lot, that's only a week.

Jim

 

good choice bud........i'm waiting my mine, salesperson says it'll come near mid oct, nov or mid nov, i guess it's now a matter of nov or mid nov. Damn, why can't it ever be teh earliest date. i dun think i ever got a car early like they said idealistically.
same color as urs too........but when i do see sl55 in teh streets, which is kinda rare, i see about 1 every four days, i wonder if brilliant silver looks more mature and black looks more sporty because i see more silver than blacks i tend to have a feeling it's more unique and nicer.
but anyway enjoy ur ride, hopefully i'm be joining in the elite club soon enough.

 

 

What a great machine! I would post more, but I want to go for a drive! Thank You!!!