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Good morning, I’ve set a refundable deposit down on a 06 sl55 to hold it. It currently has 89’900miles. No leaks, no dings or scratches, clean CARFAX. Every works as it should. My question with these older models. What maintenance items do you believe I’ll encounter and typical yearly costs of maintenance will one encounter. Am I buying a problem? Or should I look for a lower mileage model? It’s priced 4-5k under book (17k) one thing that peaked my concern is the car lists regular services through the first owner then was sold and went into the void for years and jumps back on with 40k miles without a notated service. Any feedback would be app
reciated
Any R230 ABC equipped MB will be problematic and expensive to repair/maintain unless you are a very strong DIYer. Taking the car to the dealer for repairs will eat your lunch. There are aftermarket suspensions available that will make it more reliable but the handling will most likely suffer.
Any R230 ABC equipped MB will be problematic and expensive to repair/maintain unless you are a very strong DIYer. Taking the car to the dealer for repairs will eat your lunch. There are aftermarket suspensions available that will make it more reliable but the handling will most likely suffer.
I appreciate the quick response. I am a DYI’er with bolt on parts and moderate level of electrical sense. As you stated, I have researched the abc issues and I’ve read conflicting reports of the available companies ride quality from other’s experiences some say great. Others weren’t impressed. Longevity of these engines? Can they be daily drivers? or are gremlins a common occurrence or is it neglect that determines this? I’ve also wondered if these cars not driven as much causes the issues? Rings, seals, gaskets , plungers and compartments deteriorate without use. Just like a homes plumbing systems deteriorates if it goes unused. Or is the comparison apples and oranges? Can these gorgeous and high performing cars be daily drivers and these engines get to 150-200k miles?
I just night my 2003 with 49k on the clock to daily.
will stuff go wrong with it yes. Can I do a lot of it myself yes and if not I’m lucky I get a smoking deal at the MB dealers that the company I work for own so that helps me out if needed.
there truly is no better deal than a SL55 when you factor the sticker and convert to todays dollars my car was 125 K new and that’s 201K today and I bought it for a fraction of that amount.
it’s such a great high performance cruiser GT can’t think of anything that beats it for under 100K
i Jeep finding myself searching tunes, pulleys HE and split cooking but then before I check out I think it’s a 20 year old car that’s plenty fast and I really don’t want to add stress to it.
from all I’ve been told and have seen the 113K and 113 are often considered to be one of if not the best and most durable MB has built ever and for sure in the last 35 years.
short answer now
buy it and enjoy!!!
the "void" is probably just the owner not bringing the car to a dealer . I was able to get 10+ pages of maintenance records from the local dealer when I bought mine, If not treated to proper maintenance the top and ABC systems will fail. Hydraulic systems need good seals for proper operation, neglect and lack of use will cause them to dry up and allow leaks. The ABC system can be rebuilt with a relatively inexpensive o ring kit, but as previously mentioned if you are not mechanically inclined it is expensive to have done. The forums have a plethora of knowledge on repairing all the common expensive issues. There are often independent shops that are significantly less expensive than the dealer. If you aren't willing to do some of the work yourself or cand afford to have a shop fix the issues, The top and /or ABC can bury you in expensive repairs. Search the forums for maintenance you can do to keep these systems up.
I appreciate the quick response. I am a DYI’er with bolt on parts and moderate level of electrical sense. As you stated, I have researched the abc issues and I’ve read conflicting reports of the available companies ride quality from other’s experiences some say great. Others weren’t impressed. Longevity of these engines? Can they be daily drivers? or are gremlins a common occurrence or is it neglect that determines this? I’ve also wondered if these cars not driven as much causes the issues? Rings, seals, gaskets , plungers and compartments deteriorate without use. Just like a homes plumbing systems deteriorates if it goes unused. Or is the comparison apples and oranges? Can these gorgeous and high performing cars be daily drivers and these engines get to 150-200k miles?
It’s really about being an 18 year old car. They don’t get better with age. The engines and transmissions are usually least problematic, but the rest of the car requires attention.
The suspension at that mileage will more than likely need control arms and ball joints, the hydraulic part is a roulette of many components, all that can and will fail. The top will probably need attention as well as the pse pump.
These really aren’t cars to own if yiu can’t do pretty much all of that work and more on your own. I would budget $5000 for DIY repairs on that car to drive it for the next couple of years.
the "void" is probably just the owner not bringing the car to a dealer . I was able to get 10+ pages of maintenance records from the local dealer when I bought mine, If not treated to proper maintenance the top and ABC systems will fail. Hydraulic systems need good seals for proper operation, neglect and lack of use will cause them to dry up and allow leaks. The ABC system can be rebuilt with a relatively inexpensive o ring kit, but as previously mentioned if you are not mechanically inclined it is expensive to have done. The forums have a plethora of knowledge on repairing all the common expensive issues. There are often independent shops that are significantly less expensive than the dealer. If you aren't willing to do some of the work yourself or cand afford to have a shop fix the issues, The top and /or ABC can bury you in expensive repairs. Search the forums for maintenance you can do to keep these systems up.
I appreciate the response. As mentioned, and when I discussing the pros and cons of this amazing ride, money isn’t the top concern. However, having said that, my original concern (I’ve owned several German autos) and my priority is preventative maintenance. Stickler for and at times over maintain (trans fluid once a year. Amsoil I’m all boxes. I guess I’ll state this plainly. Yes, I can and do enjoy DYI. if done properly, can this sweet ride be a reliable daily driver. From scant research on the engine., it’s nearly bulletproof. I haven’t Dove into the transmission reliability. That’s tonight’s homework. Has anyone seen a r230 with 150-200k?
It’s really about being an 18 year old car. They don’t get better with age. The engines and transmissions are usually least problematic, but the rest of the car requires attention.
The suspension at that mileage will more than likely need control arms and ball joints, the hydraulic part is a roulette of many components, all that can and will fail. The top will probably need attention as well as the pse pump.
These really aren’t cars to own if yiu can’t do pretty much all of that work and more on your own. I would budget $5000 for DIY repairs on that car to drive it for the next couple of years.
All that said. Can I run it like a dog if the dogs being fed with vitamin water? I’ve built and mechanically tuned 700hp/1400tq 12v diesels with sub 11 second 1/4. I’ve trained my trucks to be reliable. 5th wheel behind it. I’m asking the community. Can these cars be drive across country?
Last edited by Lance0730; May 20, 2023 at 11:52 PM.
All that said. Can I run it like a dog if the dogs being fed with vitamin water? I’ve built and mechanically tuned 700hp/1400tq 12v diesels with sub 11 second 1/4. I’ve trained my trucks to be reliable. 5th wheel behind it. I’m asking the community. Can these cars be drive across country?
if you had a daughter, would you put it her in it from Indian Springs nv to Nashville?
Nevada to Tennessee? Absolutely not. I currently own 7of these era Mercedes, c32,c55,sl55,cls55,e55 and 2sl500 cars.
Only one car has over 100,000 miles, and I can tell you that on average they need repair every 3000 miles or so. The r230 cars need more attention than the others.
The sl55 has left me on the side of the road 3 times, once for the plastic park unlock pawl, once for crank sensor, and once for suspension. There are other times when the top wouldn’t go up or the window wouldn’t raise because of a bad regulator.
Getting caught in the rain with the top down would be disastrous in this car, and if I didn’t have a garage to put it in, that would have happened. This particular car has 46,000 miles on it BTW.
Regardless of what people say, these aren’t reliable or robust cars. Parts are hard to procure, expensive, and finding someone to repair them or repairing them yourself is difficult. These are in town cars for me, I have a CTSV that is for out of town.
My son drives a C32 100 miles to school, and I replaced everything I could think of to make it reliable, it has 77,000 miles on it, and is inexplicably going into limp mode randomly. He got 3000 or so miles of trouble free driving before this. So no they aren’t reliable cars, they are cars that have to be “maintained “ much more than others, and people are willing to do that.
I have owned these cars since they were a few years old, and they are getting to historic car age, which furthers the issues and repairs. There’s a reason Mercedes depreciate so much and you’re buying this car for $17,000, and it isn’t because they are rock solid reliable.
Nevada to Tennessee? Absolutely not. I currently own 7of these era Mercedes, c32,c55,sl55,cls55,e55 and 2sl500 cars.
Only one car has over 100,000 miles, and I can tell you that on average they need repair every 3000 miles or so. The r230 cars need more attention than the others.
The sl55 has left me on the side of the road 3 times, once for the plastic park unlock pawl, once for crank sensor, and once for suspension. There are other times when the top wouldn’t go up or the window wouldn’t raise because of a bad regulator.
Getting caught in the rain with the top down would be disastrous in this car, and if I didn’t have a garage to put it in, that would have happened. This particular car has 46,000 miles on it BTW.
Regardless of what people say, these aren’t reliable or robust cars. Parts are hard to procure, expensive, and finding someone to repair them or repairing them yourself is difficult. These are in town cars for me, I have a CTSV that is for out of town.
My son drives a C32 100 miles to school, and I replaced everything I could think of to make it reliable, it has 77,000 miles on it, and is inexplicably going into limp mode randomly. He got 3000 or so miles of trouble free driving before this. So no they aren’t reliable cars, they are cars that have to be “maintained “ much more than others, and people are willing to do that.
I have owned these cars since they were a few years old, and they are getting to historic car age, which furthers the issues and repairs. There’s a reason Mercedes depreciate so much and you’re buying this car for $17,000, and it isn’t because they are rock solid reliable.
my 750i has never left me on the side of the road. Road trips should be smoking and relaxing. I think a corvette is in my future. Who would have said this in ‘03
My 03 has 235,000 kms, and has never been to the dealer since I bought it in 08. Yes, experienced most of the common issues
and always some display reminder about overdue something or another, but still looks almost new and get lots of appreciative
comments at stop lights and parking lots. Goes like a bat outa hell. I love this car.
Speaking to the drivetrain, I have a '99 E55 with normally-aspirated M113 engine and 722.6 transmission that currently has 174,000 miles. My other car is an '05 E55 supercharged M113K engine and 722.6 transmission that currently has 228,000 miles. Drivetrain should not be an issue with regular maintenance. It's the other things that will cost you money (suspension, ABC, body and interior trim, etc). Heck, with 89,000 miles on that one, I'd go for it after pulling the maintenance records out of the Central Gateway (CGW) using STAR/Xentry to go with (one would assume) the previous owner's receipts for parts and fluids. I literally have dozens of pages of maintenance info on my car since I purchased it back in 2014.
I echo cdk’s thoughts. These make a wonderful weekend / toy car. I wouldn’t recommend using one as a daily driver or a long road trip no matter how “sorted” it may be. Unfortunately many of the more major failures are abrupt with little to no warning. Whether you drive it or have it parked in the garage just sitting - Things break. Stuff will go wrong. Sometimes big, sometimes little, it’s just the nature of the beast. Like most Mercedes, they are needlessly complex, difficult to work on, and finicky. I wouldn’t get too hung up on service records. Do your research so you know what to look for, especially current ABC leaks, and check the car out thoroughly in person. Don’t consider it at all if you won’t be doing your own repairs or know a very good independent shop and will be willing to spend plenty of money on labor.
I’ve had my SL 10 years and have similar mileage. Ive done all my own work since I bought it, but invested in the star/Xentry diagnostic system and am very mechanically inclined. Only one dealer repair I went for was the SBC since it was fully warrantied. (They did a pretty good job but did scratch a few things - also why I avoid dealer service) It has let me down a few times but I still love it as much now as when I first dreamt of having one. It drives wonderfully and few cars are as gorgeous and attention grabbing at such age ….even when on the back of a tow truck.
I daily my 07 55 which had 18.8k miles when I purchased it.. now at 22.4k, I love it and it puts a smile on my face everytime... BUT, things will break.. I had to replace the pulsation damper and the hydraulic roof pump.
Just sold my '11 Porsche TurboS cab for an '03 SL55!
I don't think milage alone is really the driver of repairs as much as time is. And arguably, a car that's used regularly as opposed to a 20-year-old car with 20k miles might be less prone to lingering problems. I think you would probably have the same number of problems with either. Outstanding service over the past few years would obviate a lot that though. Mine was a 76k mile '03 SL55 that had had a bunch if recent and expensive work completed, but otherwise had been neglected. I put $5k in it with me doing all the labor (paid $13k for the car) so I'm ok by the numbers and everything has been addressed and serviced except the now 6+ year old Michlin's. A really lovely cruiser......not just for weekends, I'd happily drive mine cross country, and hope too soon, but likely with new tires. I did invest in the STAR/DAS though (not inc. in the $5k), and I'd go that route if you are a decent DYI'er, forget the generic readers unless you are getting a really high-end unit, but I'm unfamiliar with those.
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