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I'm looking at prices of the SLS and they are over the place starting in the low $100k to upwards of $400k and can't really figure out why. Obviously some will have lower miles and in better condition but still such a wide range really has me wondering why. I'm interested in one as I believe it is a good investment, plus it would look good in my garage. I have a biturbo E63 which is my nights/weekends car so i'd probably drive it once or twice a month at most. i'm sure i'll learn their values the more i look into them but for now can anyone give me a quick explanation on the prices?
Remember who the original SLS buyer is... pretty much a person with "unlimited" resources. They can sell it for whatever they want. Some are informed Sellers and some are not. Enthusiasts and collectors are buying now. Collectors will pay more for the right car. Enthusiasts will buy the car they want to drive. (I'm in that category. I'm not saving it for the next guy. I'm enjoying it). It will be a very limited market soon as the last cars are coming off "corporate" leases. There are around 120 cars for sale now (USA). By this time next year probably half that. At the 10 year mark they will climb considerably. I have enjoyed mine for 2 and a half years probably lost $15-20k off what I paid. Remember this is still a "new" car! If I can break even and put miles on it.... WINNING 😁
I have accounted for 56 cars that I know of in just 2 SoCal dealers and 1 Houston dealer that have been shipped overseas. Figure another 20-30 wrecks another 20-30 that have been over modified (rendered worthless) and thats closer to the real number left.
I'd assume the ones that are $400K are SLS "Black Series". This was a special "limited edition" souped up version designed to see how much money Mercedes could suck out of people's wallets with a special SLS. They have gone up in value since their original sales.
I’ve said it before and I think it still holds true.....very well maintained, highly optioned, low mileage cars still continue to sell fairly quickly. Smart collectors are still sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right SLS to come along. As Newport mentioned, the car has only been out of production a couple of years.
I would also be very cautious looking at those in the low 100’s...a few I’ve seen over the past couple months in that lower range don’t even have the CARFAX attached. What dealer lists a SLS and doesn’t provide the CARFAX?Whenever I see one in the lower range with under 20k miles, I immediately think accident or body work.
Not sure the prices are really that scattered. There seems to be a floor in just above $110K. The "Black Series" models can bring $300K-$400K on the market.
I also checked Manheim auctions to see if they are ending up there, didn't see that many. Maybe 4-5 over the last 12 months.
I am not sure the prices will get lower, there aren't that many examples built, once you factor cars getting totaled or "stored away" demand should hold up the values.
Black Series CLK, I think your missing one key thing here, that has been mentioned in other threads on the SLS, which is that the Gullwing/Coupe has held its value (and even appreciated in the case of those with extremely low miles) far better then the roadster. There both badass in my opinion, and have different pros/cons, however, I am personally partial to the gullwing. The price for non-drivers car, say 10,000 miles and less, is in the $165-$195+ range. Even those gull wings with 20,000 to 30,000 miles seem to be in the $140 to $160 range on various sites. I think the gullwings continue their climb in value (from the low point we had a few years ago) and the roadsters will follow suit (albeit they will still be at a discount to the gullwing).
Having purchased my coupe a little over a year ago, I know there are a lot of factors in determining the market value of an SLS. I say market value because asking and actual selling price could be significantly different.
That said, you really have to educate yourself on the differences in the models (coupe, roadster, SLS, SLS GT, Black Series, etc.) as well as the options (base vs. fully loaded can be over $50k difference in MSRP).
Also mileage makes a huge difference in the price. Low mileage "Collector Cars" can fetch a large premium, or at least ask for one.
I think determining your budget is a great way to start. That will help rule out stuff that's considerably out of your budget like a Black Series or low mileage garage queens. Then determine whether you want a coupe or roadster so you can rule out half the cars for sale(even though there were more coupes, it seems like the used market is pretty even on coupes vs. roadsters). Then you can get into the nitty gritty like year, miles, color, options, etc. As long as you're not putting a lot of miles on the car, I think they hold their value very well. More so the coupes than the roadsters, but you can get some great deals on roadsters right now. I think every owner or prospective buyer is hoping they will start appreciating soon, but other than the Black Series it hasn't happened yet. So I would buy it more to enjoy and perhaps a bonus if they actually start climbing in price. It's a wonderful car to drive and definitely gets lots of looks, so I don't think you can go wrong with purchasing one if you do your research.
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