High Mileage SL55 AMG...
Discussion
So I am considering waving goodbye to my current car- 08 Audi s3 8P with 58k on the clock, milltek and revo... very reliable never had a problem and love it but with a few extra k's an sl55, like the below, is too tempting. I have gone from doing over 15,000 miles a year to under 4,000 so I am not concerned about fuel consumption and the usual costs such as new tires being greater. I fancy something fun & impractical for a year or two whilst i can, before I raid the piggy bank and buy something more "sensible". I am not looking to spend big money buying just yet so £14-15k is the limit- please don't tell me to save up and spend £20 on a newer lesser mileage, its either swap and add 1 or 2k or stick with the s3!!
My only concern is that something important goes POP and I am left with a bill for 4k + out of the blue. I know nothing is certain and for all I know the s3 could do the same tomorrow so I am willing to take a risk to some extent! Also I would have a Warranty on the SL for 3 months and would probably extend to a year if I could- s3 currently NO warranty.
SO... WOULD YOU?!!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
My only concern is that something important goes POP and I am left with a bill for 4k + out of the blue. I know nothing is certain and for all I know the s3 could do the same tomorrow so I am willing to take a risk to some extent! Also I would have a Warranty on the SL for 3 months and would probably extend to a year if I could- s3 currently NO warranty.
SO... WOULD YOU?!!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
Ha B3ALP I like your attitude! This is very much one of those sorts of decisoins... but want to know what the risk is so I know how foolish i am being!
If I am under warranty are these big issues not negated?
Davidsc, I have considered slk but i just don't think I could pull that one off- sl is a slightly more "manly" sort of convertible in my opinion and I also far far prefer the loosk of the sl.
BJW, I hear what your saying- my thoughts are once/if i make the plunge I will just accept whatever comes my way provided i feel I gave it due diligence- a measured risk is what this is! You say why bother with the hassle- well i fancy a year or two in a mad RWD hard top convertible!!
If I am under warranty are these big issues not negated?
Davidsc, I have considered slk but i just don't think I could pull that one off- sl is a slightly more "manly" sort of convertible in my opinion and I also far far prefer the loosk of the sl.
BJW, I hear what your saying- my thoughts are once/if i make the plunge I will just accept whatever comes my way provided i feel I gave it due diligence- a measured risk is what this is! You say why bother with the hassle- well i fancy a year or two in a mad RWD hard top convertible!!
B.J.W said:
I guess it depends on whether your measured risk is based on something going wrong and you having the funds to sort it, or measured risk based on keeping your fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong - because if it does you don't have the spare cash to fix it?
I could probably find the funds within reason... but would obviously rather not have to so if its likely would avoid the purchase, hence why I am asking for guidance on here as to what the odds of a big spend appearing over the next 15,000 miles/2 years is. Even if it all goes belly up and in a year I am left with an sl55 that has sadly got an issue I would be happy I had a (hopefully!) hell of a year with it and if i get £6000 back I'd view it as a success!
Chicane-UK said:
I mean, I dread to think what something like a new exhaust system might cost for example!
Perfect opportunity to put an even better sounding exhaust on! 
I have no problem with costs for routine servicing- I am solely concerned about the larger one off fixing major issues sort of costs... I will have a look to see if I can find anyon who has had one running over 100,000 miles... otherwise i guess I will be a pioneer
Considered Z4M with fewer miles etc. but hard top is a must and I agree with PHAB...
miln0039 said:
Why is hard top a must?! What's wrong with canvass? You're only doing 4k miles a year!!!
It will be parked on the road alot of the time, not in a garage and also I feel longer journeys when they do occur will be more pleasant if i can have hard top. I also prefer teh look.CliveM said:
I had a similar choice to the OP, wanted a hard top and something stupid for a year or two before getting sensible and buying an elise / boxster / hot hatch.
Thought a convertible might be a pleasant change.
Dived in and bought a 2002 SL55 with 36K miles. For what it's worth after 14K and 18 months later my conclusions are:
- servicing really isn't THAT bad. It's not great but if you do some homework and accept it's an expensive car this really isn't a problem. Personally I wouldn't rely on any warranty or dealer back-up, I'd just put the cash aside that I've saved and accept that I'll be spending it at some point.
- tyres really do cost a grand. Cheaper tyres that my car came with were generally fine but gave me a couple of scares in the middle of winter on backroads. Just not worth the saving IMHO as it affected the way I drove afterwards which spoiled things for me until I stuck new tyres on.
- check absolutely everything when you buy the car. Anything that doesn't work will cost a fortune to fix.
- having said that, I've had a couple of unexpected issues that together have cost me c1600 to fix. Painful but I remember eventually spending a grand fixing a problem with an engine on a 1.2 Punto. Now that still hurts.
- Single figure mpg inside M25, mid 20s on a motorway. About 17mpg if driven moderately briskly on motorway / open A roads. If you're doing 4000 miles a year who cares?
I don't regret getting the car for a second. On a trip to Scotland in March it gave me one of the best drives of my life - roof down and heated seats on in a national park it was blisteringly quick, secure on bumpy roads, sounded absolutely immense and comfortable enough to do 7 hours driving. Plus the air suspension means ferry ramps and sleeping policemen are no issue at all. Passengers love the air conditioned massaging seats too, not something I cared about but a bonus when you're trying to persuade someone else to take a long trip by car....
Thank you for such a detailed answer... Obvioulsy I am more prone to enjoy the positive answers (!) but to hear from someone who has done similar, albeit a far lower mileage case, is very handy. I'm more than ready for standard costs- TBH my s3 costs nearly £250 a tyre and mpg is mid 20's on motorway, sub 20's around town and that was in the days of far higher mileage so I am ready to absorb these costs adn as you say don't really give a damn about MPG for such small mileage, fuel bills will be less overall than doign 16k a year in s3! Likewise, if just one or two issues occured in the 2 years beyond the norm and I had to fork out a one off £1,000 a time I would recover and still view it a worthwhile escapade... It's just the worry of the whole lot falling to bits and before i know it i need to spend £5,000 in one go to carry on using my car!Thought a convertible might be a pleasant change.
Dived in and bought a 2002 SL55 with 36K miles. For what it's worth after 14K and 18 months later my conclusions are:
- servicing really isn't THAT bad. It's not great but if you do some homework and accept it's an expensive car this really isn't a problem. Personally I wouldn't rely on any warranty or dealer back-up, I'd just put the cash aside that I've saved and accept that I'll be spending it at some point.
- tyres really do cost a grand. Cheaper tyres that my car came with were generally fine but gave me a couple of scares in the middle of winter on backroads. Just not worth the saving IMHO as it affected the way I drove afterwards which spoiled things for me until I stuck new tyres on.
- check absolutely everything when you buy the car. Anything that doesn't work will cost a fortune to fix.
- having said that, I've had a couple of unexpected issues that together have cost me c1600 to fix. Painful but I remember eventually spending a grand fixing a problem with an engine on a 1.2 Punto. Now that still hurts.
- Single figure mpg inside M25, mid 20s on a motorway. About 17mpg if driven moderately briskly on motorway / open A roads. If you're doing 4000 miles a year who cares?
I don't regret getting the car for a second. On a trip to Scotland in March it gave me one of the best drives of my life - roof down and heated seats on in a national park it was blisteringly quick, secure on bumpy roads, sounded absolutely immense and comfortable enough to do 7 hours driving. Plus the air suspension means ferry ramps and sleeping policemen are no issue at all. Passengers love the air conditioned massaging seats too, not something I cared about but a bonus when you're trying to persuade someone else to take a long trip by car....
Out of interest CliveM, why do you say to put cash aside rather than rely on Warranty?
Sir Fergie said:
Forgive me if im way off the mark - but would a Porsche of some kind not do a lot of the SL55 type stuff.
Granted they have their issues as well - but something like a Boxster or 911 is a cool thing.
Do forgive me though - ive been taking too much notice of the white 911 that greets us all on the log in icon in the members section of this forum.
Its good to look at all potential options though.
Sir Fergie
Im afraid as mad as it may sound my priorities lie in funny places with reliability being low down the order! I'm after a lovely sound in a good looking, fast car- sure the Porsches are a great drive and great fun but I find they just dont excite me as much as they should before i've even got behind the wheel... no doubt here comes a tirade of Porsche owners telling me how wrong I am!Granted they have their issues as well - but something like a Boxster or 911 is a cool thing.
Do forgive me though - ive been taking too much notice of the white 911 that greets us all on the log in icon in the members section of this forum.
Its good to look at all potential options though.
Sir Fergie
miln0039 said:
AD77 said:
I'm after a lovely sound in a good looking, fast car- s
I agree, a Porsche is none of those things and beauty is in the eye of the beholder etc...But an SL - good looking?!?! It's smart and quite handsome indeed, but "good looking"?!?!
For some reason Romans would't budge on price at all so sadly that ones out the window. Looking at this now, they are just seeing what they can do on p/x etc. Any thoughts?:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
BigBen said:
It has distronic which seems to be quite a rare option and one well worth having IMO.
Carefully check the history for any suspension work and the ABC pump being replaced. Check the boot for wetness (they all seem to suffer from this to an extent, easy to fix but often not)
Ben
Cheers Ben, Do I want one that has had suspension work done or not? When should the ABC pump have been replaced? Yeah have heard about the wet boot issue Carefully check the history for any suspension work and the ABC pump being replaced. Check the boot for wetness (they all seem to suffer from this to an extent, easy to fix but often not)
Ben
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