SLS AMG vs 599 GTB

[sealtt]

Hi,

I am changing my cars around and am selling my M6 cabrio (2013 model) and looking for an exciting second car to have alongside a range rover sport which will be the daily driver / family car.

I would use this new car maybe 2-3 times per week, town driving generally, occasionally taking me + partner to London (2hrs away) when leaving the kid with babysitter. Some nice costal / countryside drives when able to, once or twice a month I'd guess.

I want something which looks the business, I am sure either one would turn heads which is fine, but I'd rather avoid jealous shouts of 'prick' which I know can happen. I want awesome noise, and to feel that I am driving something really special. I'd like to avoid too much depreciation.

I'd guess I can pick up an '07/'08 599 GTB for around £90k and an '11 SLS for around £100k.


SO please let me know if you have experience of these cars, there are some things I know I'll only be able to answer for myself, but other things would be great to hear from other owners about.

Thanks a lot.
RJ

[sealtt]

Well today I drove both and I loved certain things of both, but I can't say I am certain I could buy either as a head & heart decision... the SLS didn't feel quite special enough for the money, and the 599 felt a bit too hardcore. Would be great to get some owner's feedback on this.


SLS I found pretty similar to driving other cars I have at one time or another owned - M6, SL AMG, 911 Turbo, etc. in that when I was driving it normally, it felt somewhat like the manufacturer had taken a regular car and made it special by adding a big engine. However, when I pushed it a bit harder the quality of the chassis started to show through which you wouldn't get in say the SL, and it did feel like a lovely car to be driving - not mind blowing, but very nice. Best thing about the car has to be the noise, amazing.


After the SLS, I got in my M6 and drove to the 599, whilst the SLS and M6 seem to be on different ends of the sport/luxury spectrum, they still feel on the same spectrum. The 599 however felt as though it was in a totally different class of car. It felt like a true performance car and not a highly tuned regular car and that is what I at first loved, but is also perhaps a problem. I did have it in race mode most of the test drive (didn't realise until the end) but even dropping it down to 'sport', I can't imagine that if I wanted to go and grab lunch on my own I'd be bothered to go out in this car, i'd rather just go quietly in my daily driver, and I really want a car which I can use for errands no problem.


So given that where I live on the coast there is about 20 mins of 30mph zones before getting to any faster roads I had to question the 599 as I just don't know I could be bothered to drive it on many of my shorter journeys and it would end up living in the garage. As for the SLS, good though it is, it just wasn't a different enough experience vs my M6 for me to spend the money it costs.


The 599 would be worth the cash to upgrade as it is special enough, but I'm just concerned that it is too hardcore to bother using for little trips to cafes at lunch, driving to the office occasionally, sunday drives through the countryside, etc. Felt a touch all or nothing - as I'd expect a 458 to be, not much enjoyment in cruising (somewhat) sedately.

Anyway I'd love to hear some owners' opinions on this as my test drive experience was limited and maybe I got this wrong.

Edited by sealtt on Wednesday 10th September 19:41

[sealtt]

Camlet said:

You test drive a 599 GTB and wonder if it's too hardcore for errands? Or that you're not sure because you've lots of short trips at 30 mph so you'll keep the 599 in your garage?

My concern: if the 599 is too hardcore to also be used as a fun & enjoyable way to drive around the suburbs.

For me performance cars are not just about racing around a track or driving to the south of France, I also enjoy listening to the engine note and being sat inside an incredible piece of machinery whilst doing my regular things. 80% of the time that I will drive it, the point will be to add something special, a bit of excitement, to the daily routine. That's why I love & buy performance cars. I'm sure many people buy them for other, more noble reasons and it might sound odd to you, but those are my reasons which is why I wanted to hear from people who owned these cars to know about such usability.

Edited by sealtt on Wednesday 10th September 22:06

Edited by sealtt on Wednesday 10th September 22:09

[sealtt]

Thanks a lot for the input & suggestions, much appreciated.

I have looked at Aston Martin (admittedly the DB9 & Virage not DBS) & Maserati options previously, but in terms of function they are very similar to my M6, and whilst they have a bit more glamour and sex appeal, I would probably end up missing the M6 for it's power, gearbox & modern tech comforts. To make the change worthwhile (I have only had the M6 for 9 months, and I know the hit is going to be quite painful) it really needs to be a different type of car to take advantage of the fact that this will now be a second car since I bought a new car for daily duties.

Reflecting on the test drives I think that being a convertible is important, I love having the roof down for both cruising and spirited driving for the noise & overall experience, adds a lot for me. I think that played a part as to why the SLS felt more fun to me than the 599 as the SLS was the roadster version.


Whilst Lambos are a bit flashy for my tastes and I'm not really an 'r8' kind of guy (I did really enjoy driving the v10 spider, but it's just not the right image for me) a quick look around ferrari approved used & a recommendation in this thread has brought me to consider the 430 spider. I have booked a viewing & test drive this weekend for a 2006 model.

I would aim to keep this car around 1-2 years, I'd like to keep depreciation to £15k max per year so I'd hope with the Ferrari's this would be achievable even with dealer margins.

[sealtt]

Drove the 430 spider today and loved it, exactly what i was looking for and seems a pretty good buy.

I went for black on black with carbon ceramic brakes , from a main dealer so ferrari warranty should keep most things in check.

Looking forward to a new driving experience, should be fun. Thanks for the help and recommendations.

[sealtt]

ModenaGTO said:

Congratulations! A great car and I think the value will hold well the more it becomes appreciated with time! Still looks great too - hard to believe it was launched 10 years ago!
Enjoy!

Thanks very much. Yes, I always think of them as a few years old, 10 years has gone way too fast!

I didn't necessarily choose the best spec for depreciation I expect, black on black vs a classic red combo, but it's the colour scheme I preferred and either way it doesn't have to do too well to beat the £15k/£20k+ annual depreciation I've grown accustomed to with premium Mercedes/BMW!

[sealtt]

vpr said:

Maintenance costs on the SLS will be a fraction of cost for the 599....That would be enough to sway me.

Might be tight when you factor in depreciation! I think a good 599 is a pretty solid place to have your cash as far as cars go.

Wudee said:

Too late for the op, but 991 ioffers all. And clean design that will look good forever.

I personally don't find them that exciting, they are excellent cars and I always like seeing a Turbo/GT3/etc, but since I sold my 911 turbo a few years ago I've never really hankered after one again. The only other thing I'd consider than the F430 Spider would be the 458 Spider, but given the price differential the F430 it is!

[sealtt]

Paracetamol said:

I know its already a done deal but the SLS if you are using the car for daily drives and I think they will be a 'keeper' future classic. The 599 is completely awesome but the bills would be too scary and it aint pretty enough to be a classic..

Interesting you think that, personally I think both the SLS and 599 are equally fantastic looking cars and I personally would feel happier placing a bet on the 599 being more likely to be a future classic - no doubt the 599 running bills would be far higher though.

[sealtt]

vpr said:

But 599's still dropping and SLS have increased in value though marginal

Also look to see how many are for sale....Supply and demand is the key

I thought that 599s had at least levelled out by now and are generally up approx 10% since last year? No factual basis for that, just what I gathered from talking to a couple of dealers and what I noticed looking this year vs last year.

The last time I looked at the SLS was a couple of years ago so obviously it's dropped a bit since then due to being a newer car, I would have thought the roadster (which I was looking at) still has a bit to go given they are at £130k-ish.

[sealtt]

TISPKJ said:

Like I say fantastic car but dull in the supercar world.and I think most people would walk past.

I do remember having an SLS roadster a year or so ago and driving it through the centre of a small town in the Cotswolds (maybe 30k population) and I was quite shocked at how few heads it turned! However, go to a more populated area and I think that probably the SLS and certainly a 599 (in louder colours especially!) will garner more attention than all but the most insecure of egos could desire.

In any case, the most important thing is what the driver finds exciting to look at, and I really love the looks of both of them. The endless bonnet on the SLS is just magic. Though of course I didn't buy either as I found the F430 Spider the more exciting purchase proposition overall, looks included, as it is totally different to any car I've previously owned.

[sealtt]

notax said:

Interesting thread for me, I've been considering swapping my Vantage S roadster for either a F430, SLS or 599. And today I've bought an SLS roadster I collect it in a coupe of weeks (once garage door widened!) In spite of being silver it certainly turned a lot of heads on the test drive, including a couple of people getting out their phones to film it. Apparently there are only 75 in the UK so I hope values will remain firm. Time will tell, but I'll enjoy it in the meantime If anyone wants a mint, pearlescent white AMV8 S roadster at crazy PX price let me know asap.

Congrats on the purchase, an excellent choice even if for that glorious exhaust noise alone!! I think silver is probably the signature colour for it. You didn't by any chance get it from salisbury??

[sealtt]

notax said:

Thanks, yes it is the silver one in Salisbury. Seemed good value given the low mileage and nice options too. I wasn't quite sure about the colour, but with the red roof it does at least stand out and I agree that silver is the signature colour which should help come resale time...

Well I guess it's good for you that I went for the F430, because that is the SLS I was actually looking at and test drove! The red roof is perfect on it and really brings the whole thing together, makes it stand out way more. The one I had to test previously was a darker silver with a black roof and although still pretty, it wasn't nearly as exciting to look at.

Are you based in this area? I am in Sandbanks, so if you are ever passing through drop me a PM so I can hear that exhaust again!!

[sealtt]

notax said:

Small world - I hope you made the most of your test drive as I did! Poor salesman was a bit taken aback by my enthusiasm

I actually head to Sandbanks every Wednesday night for mountain biking (so sadly I won't be taking the SLS, although last week I did turn up with the bike in the back of my TVR!) I know another F430 owner in Poole so perhaps we could arrange to meet up sometime? I collect the car in a couple of weeks once I've had my garage door widened!

Sounds good! Drop me a message when you've got the car and would be convenient.

[sealtt]

Well I picked up the F430 yesterday and it's great fun!

I would think that the M6 is actually notably faster in a straight line, but with the roof down & that awesome engine screaming in your ear, the F430 feels SO much quicker. Hitting 80mph in the F430 is as exciting as doing 130mph in the M6. The actual driving experience around corners is of course in a different world as you can imagine comparing a 2 tonne GT cabrio with a focussed sportscar.

The car rides great and is very nice to be in, my only complaint is that the seat is pretty damn uncomfortable - maybe due to having done a lot of weight training a few years ago and being 100kg & 6'1" now.... I'm sure the one with daytona inserts was more spacious than the one with the left/right line inserts. Well not much I can do about that now, probably not worth changing that as I'll only have the car a year or so.


Great new car ownership experience though, and quite funny how much attention (positive) that the car attracts, it's kind of like a month of driving one of my previous cars rolled into one drive.