Old data. I have seen the auction cars. Generally not the nicest and usually have few to no options.

 

Read every single thread on 15 pages of this forum and the other forum

Posts/pics from actual new owners in 2015 is very wide range from $130-160K

Im actually looking for '11-'12 base, no option, car in Iridium/Blk int

Only question is, is there any benefit from buying from a M-B dealer to lock in CPO or extended Starmark 3y/100K warranty.

Called major SoCal dealers to express my interest...

 

You may have a very difficult time finding a cpo SLS. I never found one when I was looking. Asked a few dealers if they would cpo ones they were selling and they wouldn't. Also, if you're looking to purchase a 11/12 you won't be able to purchase the extended warranty because the original warranties will be out of service. You may be able to find a 12 still in service but that'll be difficult.

If the extended warranty is a must, you'll probably have to go for a 13.

 

This makes no sense but, whatever ....to each their own. Put on you negotiating panties and step up and buy one of these. They (dealers) won't CPO SLS's ...too much risk.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...ear=1981&Log=0

Post up when you actually do.

PS so you don't get burned....

There is an ELW available on the SLS, but the vehicle has to meet certain conditions and here are the details:

- A pre-owned SLS would only be eligible for an ELW only if it meets the following conditions:
o The customer purchased the vehicle privately or through a non Mercedes-Benz dealership AND
o The vehicle has not gone through a Mercedes-Benz dealer’s pre-owned inventory AND
o The vehicle is still under the new vehicle factory warranty.
----> Otherwise it would need to be a Certified Pre-Owned by the dealer and then it would be eligible for the CPO ELW.


if the dealer is unsure of the process they should call the WSG (Warranty Services Group)
William Vetter
Asst. Product Manager - AMG & Black Series
Exclusive Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz USA

 

Thanks...I'll wait till i find the car, exactly the way i want it, for the price I want.

Till then I'll focus on young ladies panties in Hollywood...

 

 

Our writer did some analysis which may be helpful...
https://mbworld.org/articles/prime-time-pounce-sls-amg/

 

I don't know a lot about a lot of things but, I do know I just agreed with my insurance company and refi bank on the value of my 2012.

 

Truecar value for a 2011 with 25k miles for $93,000!?!? Pretty sure any of us with an sls would buy a second one for that price haha well unless it was totaled. Don't think that "barn find" will be coming along anytime soon. Also don't think it can be compared to the R8...too many models, too many produced, etc. but I'm just a common consumer.

 

Appreciate the Site-Editors analysis....

However, I'm going to stick by the rule of thumb that "5yr old exotics" are in their peak depreciation phase.

EVERY exotic from the vaunted Carrera GT to Ford GT to Enzo and on and on bottomed out near that; then plateaued/rose OR sank for a minimum of 20 years.

I dont think the SLS is going to defy the laws of physics or economics

2011's, 5years out, or next year 2016-17 is my view for buy.

The 2-4yr lease runoff
The 5yr rule
Major B service, tires, deffered maintenance


2012-1014 will go thru same over next 5 years; doubt the year will matter in 2020; while condition and mileage matter more on 7-10yr old car.

Test driving two in LA this weekend; will hold out for Iridium/Black/5-spoke

 

My only concern Kayvan007 would be the number of SLS's for sale and that affect on pricing

 

I'm watching daily....

As a die-hard M-B SL fan for 35yrs, I doubt M-B will produce another SL of this collectibility ever.

If the right car comes along I have no issue pulling trigger within +/- $20,000 range over current prices.

Not going to pull it just to do so, buying right in next 12-15 mos is goal.

 

It seems like buyers are sitting on the buy trigger when the "right" SLS pops up. You're a very well informed buyer and know what you want and I'm sure you'll be finding that soon.

On another note, can you or someone else explain how truecar came up with the $93,000??

 

Not to be too cheeky but to borrow a favorite saying about Lambo scissor doors..."When the doors go up, the panties come down." The time is now for a Gullwing. Happy hunting on both fronts! :^)

 

So...finally got to see an SLS in flesh (last time was in 2011 in NYC)....

Here are my +/- impressions of '11 15K+ mile car:

This is not to be OCD, overly critical or knock the SLS; just a sober assessment as $150-175,000 is not a small sum, and once must evaluate quality, design aesthetics, and compare v. competition and collectible market standards.

Positives:

Gullwing doors; obvious presence/charisma
Elite heritage, taste, & class of model
Fit & finish of exterior, gaps, lines, and surfaces
Owning a flagship AMG-Mercedes sports cars
Details: finned wheels, Star/Wide grill; wide-stance and width

Negatives:

Seems small (even at 181")
Very truncated rear almost ovoid; bumpers are longest point tip and wheelbase edges sharply rounded
Paint-quality; not deep, orange peel; somewhat flat color
Interior; use of plastic/fibreboard on thresholds, edges, trunk interior valence; C-class quality seat switches; flimsy clicks of small storage containers, glove-box, storage areas.
Seat doesnt feel solid; rocks/squeaks when adjusts
Leather seams thin; shows wear (red esp.) and appears shiny from use
Door shuts not classic M-B solid; rather hollow sound
Visibility OK; somewhat sunken.

OK-- realize all this sounds negative and like I am talking myself out of a SLS.

Rather, I'm just looking at pros/cons; feel buying any exotic with rose-colored glasses and not focusing on things that may annoy/irritate is not realistic. I think the SLS made some compromises in being a Supercar AND GT-Grand-Tourer; some of those are materials/execution and are reflected in price.

For example; felt the interior fit/finish was not on par with an Audi R8's flawless interior execution or a top of the line 911 or even Lambo Galllardo from 2011.

Those plastic switches, interior plastic covers, thresholds, lips/valence were closer to my Vette than say an Aston, R8 or Bentley for same money.

Now, this may not be reasonable. I had in the back of my mind a FORD GT whose interior panels are ALL covered in flush fit immaculate leather, and polished magnesium and switch-gear is all metallic. Granted the GT is essentially a 'bespoke' super-car and every part was nearly custom made. The GT seat is a solid carbon fiber SPARCO race seat covered in napa leather, thats solid as a bank vault at rest or 200mph.

Never the less, the comparisons helped me to anchor my self and not get carried away into "Oh, what the heck I found the perfect SLS for $175K, I'll just buy it".

Rather, for $175K I would buy a Tungsten salvage/repaired Ford GT; thats a screaming 'value buy' v. a SLS at market.

For me, the SLS is a strong buy in the $135-150K range. Its a landmark design yes; its has shortcomings as expected for M-B to be able to produce it under $200K.

I'm still a motivated buyer; just more so, for the car I want and below a ceiling of $150K.

Note: battery died, so not test drive

 

.

 

Wait I thought it was $100K

I did see one when I started shopping 12-14 months ago. It was $99,000 with somewhere between 103-109,000 miles on it. My reality is.. if I lose $50,000 on the car in the next 5 years, I will still be very happy with it.
If it actually goes up and stays up, I will pee my pants from laughing so hard. Should I get a box of Depends?

 

IMHO, the Ford GT is not really bespoke at all. There were 4 options. You couldn't ask them to do x, y, or z to the car for you at any price.

If by "bespoke" you meant "handbuilt", the SLS is just as hand-built as the FGT. Any doubts, just watch this:

I guess it all depends on your time horizon. Mine is 10-20 years, in which case, the SLS is a strong buy, period. I'm not going to lose sleep over whether I paid $10k too much.

 

Depends on your age?!?

No one can predict prices either way....desperate sellers always exist so I'm sure $98K or $129K and $130K (sold this month) will happen again.

My take is $125-150-175K all have takers.

Threshold for expectations short/long term are different for each price point.

 

Speaking from owning an R8 as well, the interior is much better on the SLS. If you take a no optioned R8 and SLS, there's way more plastic and used parts from lower end Audi models than the SLS. I mean, the seats are the same as a TT. Same with the mirrors and pretty sure the dash is as well. Even a highly of optioned R8 with all the cf options will retain a lot of plastic. Trunk of R8 is entirely covered in plastic...if you see the plastic in the SLS trunk as a negative, you'll absolutely hate the R8's.

 

Good to know....

This was dark red car with red/black interior and CF dash/trim; worn amg leather on sills.

Somehow looked dark and tired inside; maybe contrasts or colors were off.

Remember the iridium really popping and blending well with trim, grills, glass and wheels; all black interior and aluminum dash looking all business.

 

I've noticed that the red interiors do seem to show "wear" easier than other colors on the SLS. Not sure if others with red interior can speak on the difficulty of upkeep with the red leather. Just seems from looking at pictures with red interiors, you can see crackling/wear more so than other colors with similar mileage...could just be the driver though. I have the designo light brown and just had it deep cleaned and conditioned. Looks great, just looks clean and not greasy at all. No areas of wear that I can see other than the AMG sill. The AMG leather on the door sill is very prone to wear because you pretty much have to sit on that to get in the car. Luckily they're pretty cheap to replace. Probably will replace mine when I get a new windshield.

 

For a while I was enthralled by the SLS's retro look and M-B quality. I read everything I could, watched all the YouTube reviews, etc. took a few test drives and in the end, I decided not for me. The rear end is extremely tail happy, even with all the nanny controls on, never felt like a safe car to me. There is a reason why the rear suspension is completely new on the AMG GTS. If you are looking for a boulevard cruiser or something to take on a road trip to Vegas, I'd be all in on a SLS...good luck with your purchase,

MB

 

Previous ownership, cosmetic wear/tear and mileage seem to matter more...even on a 4yr old car.

 

This is kind of fun to look at:
http://www.scottgrundfor.com/2015-mo...results-300sl/

Original MSRP in the '50s was around $10-12k USD (in '50s dollars). Not a bad ROI (potential) if you can hang on to your SLS for 60 years. I'm sure I'll be 6 feet under by then. lol.