SL55 AMG (2003) for £18k - Any issues I should know about?
Discussion
Thinking about this car: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
...but am getting mixed signals about the running costs though. Some say they're horrendous (£1k per suspension strut) whilst others say they're comparitively cheap. Obviously I'm not talking about petrol here cos a 5.4L will drink the stuff.
So, anyone got any tips/advice to help me come to a sensible decision? Anything I should look out for or ask about when viewing one?
Thanks in advance for any contribution you can make.
...but am getting mixed signals about the running costs though. Some say they're horrendous (£1k per suspension strut) whilst others say they're comparitively cheap. Obviously I'm not talking about petrol here cos a 5.4L will drink the stuff.
So, anyone got any tips/advice to help me come to a sensible decision? Anything I should look out for or ask about when viewing one?
Thanks in advance for any contribution you can make.
They're cheap to run compared to anything that offers similar performance (which is not very much).
They're expensive to run compared to a Mondeo.
Supercharge pulley bearings and suspension (indeed, £1,000 a strut) are the only predictable headaches. Electrical glitches caused by neglectful users failing to clear body drains and seals are a bit boring. And the brakes are expensive but last a fair while. It is all as you'd expect, really.
If the vendor is serious about this one's condition, maybe they'll give you a warranty that covers some of these things and also give you a written representation about pad and disc wear. The wheels are not stock; nor is the centre brake light. The sign of an enthusiast? or an idiot? Who knows. An enthusiast or a thorough vendor would have polished the tail pipe trims, though, it's only 15minutes work but along with quality tyres it marks out the pretenders.
They're expensive to run compared to a Mondeo.
Supercharge pulley bearings and suspension (indeed, £1,000 a strut) are the only predictable headaches. Electrical glitches caused by neglectful users failing to clear body drains and seals are a bit boring. And the brakes are expensive but last a fair while. It is all as you'd expect, really.
If the vendor is serious about this one's condition, maybe they'll give you a warranty that covers some of these things and also give you a written representation about pad and disc wear. The wheels are not stock; nor is the centre brake light. The sign of an enthusiast? or an idiot? Who knows. An enthusiast or a thorough vendor would have polished the tail pipe trims, though, it's only 15minutes work but along with quality tyres it marks out the pretenders.
Looks like the wheels maybe from a later model which have 19" instead of 18".
Things that have been replaced on my car (common failures) and that you may want to enquire about (have they been replaced) are:
ABC pump/power steering pump.
ABC struts.
Fuel tank.
Charge cooler pump.
Others can probably list more common failures including certain ball joints. Some can leak water into the boot from the rear window rubber seal, and may have a few annoying squeaks if not lubricated.
Also, it has fly by wire brakes, and the pump (SBC pump) has to be replaced after a certain number of activations.
Look for signs of rust around the rear arches and slight crazing spots on the roof.
I get around 17mpg on average, servicing is every 10k miles, you'll probably get less than 10k miles from a set of rear tyres which are over 500 quid per pair.
Great car to drive
Things that have been replaced on my car (common failures) and that you may want to enquire about (have they been replaced) are:
ABC pump/power steering pump.
ABC struts.
Fuel tank.
Charge cooler pump.
Others can probably list more common failures including certain ball joints. Some can leak water into the boot from the rear window rubber seal, and may have a few annoying squeaks if not lubricated.
Also, it has fly by wire brakes, and the pump (SBC pump) has to be replaced after a certain number of activations.
Look for signs of rust around the rear arches and slight crazing spots on the roof.
I get around 17mpg on average, servicing is every 10k miles, you'll probably get less than 10k miles from a set of rear tyres which are over 500 quid per pair.
Great car to drive
As others have said the ABC pump and suspension struts are the main things to look out for as well as water in the boot. If there is any sign of damp in the boot then walk away, can lead to all sorts of hood motor related trouble and very big bills.
You can source suspension struts from the US for about £600 and those come with a lifetime guarantee (which I don't think is valid outside the US, but shows the confidence they have in the product).
I bought mind for that kind of money earlier in the year and I love it.
Ben
You can source suspension struts from the US for about £600 and those come with a lifetime guarantee (which I don't think is valid outside the US, but shows the confidence they have in the product).
I bought mind for that kind of money earlier in the year and I love it.
Ben
Thought of buying one myself as I would like to try a hard folding convertible... however reading through that it is more expensive (and more faults to look for) compared to my current GTR!
deeps said:
Looks like the wheels maybe from a later model which have 19" instead of 18".
Things that have been replaced on my car (common failures) and that you may want to enquire about (have they been replaced) are:
ABC pump/power steering pump.
ABC struts.
Fuel tank.
Charge cooler pump.
Others can probably list more common failures including certain ball joints. Some can leak water into the boot from the rear window rubber seal, and may have a few annoying squeaks if not lubricated.
Also, it has fly by wire brakes, and the pump (SBC pump) has to be replaced after a certain number of activations.
Look for signs of rust around the rear arches and slight crazing spots on the roof.
I get around 17mpg on average, servicing is every 10k miles, you'll probably get less than 10k miles from a set of rear tyres which are over 500 quid per pair.
Great car to drive
Things that have been replaced on my car (common failures) and that you may want to enquire about (have they been replaced) are:
ABC pump/power steering pump.
ABC struts.
Fuel tank.
Charge cooler pump.
Others can probably list more common failures including certain ball joints. Some can leak water into the boot from the rear window rubber seal, and may have a few annoying squeaks if not lubricated.
Also, it has fly by wire brakes, and the pump (SBC pump) has to be replaced after a certain number of activations.
Look for signs of rust around the rear arches and slight crazing spots on the roof.
I get around 17mpg on average, servicing is every 10k miles, you'll probably get less than 10k miles from a set of rear tyres which are over 500 quid per pair.
Great car to drive
ninjacost said:
Had mine for 2 weeks just had remap by dms with pully upgrade i persnally thought performance was a little sluggish as standard , centre resonator delete too now its a different beast , had to change crank sensor due to start problem when hot easy fix
Where did you get the resonator delete done?powerflow agent in leek staffordshire he did a great job only took about 1 hr and sounds so much better well worth doing :-)
BigBen said:
ninjacost said:
Had mine for 2 weeks just had remap by dms with pully upgrade i persnally thought performance was a little sluggish as standard , centre resonator delete too now its a different beast , had to change crank sensor due to start problem when hot easy fix
Where did you get the resonator delete done?ninjacost said:
powerflow agent in leek staffordshire he did a great job only took about 1 hr and sounds so much better well worth doing :-)
Excellent, tried my local agent but no email reply, that was a few months ago might try a good old fashioned 'phone call.BigBen said:
ninjacost said:
Had mine for 2 weeks just had remap by dms with pully upgrade i persnally thought performance was a little sluggish as standard , centre resonator delete too now its a different beast , had to change crank sensor due to start problem when hot easy fix
Where did you get the resonator delete done?could be the way forward ;-)
BigBen said:
ninjacost said:
powerflow agent in leek staffordshire he did a great job only took about 1 hr and sounds so much better well worth doing :-)
Excellent, tried my local agent but no email reply, that was a few months ago might try a good old fashioned 'phone call.BigBen said:
ninjacost said:
Had mine for 2 weeks just had remap by dms with pully upgrade i persnally thought performance was a little sluggish as standard , centre resonator delete too now its a different beast , had to change crank sensor due to start problem when hot easy fix
Where did you get the resonator delete done?£18K for a 2003 seems a bit pricey to me - I'd have thought you'd be down in the 13K region for that, no?
(For a bit of a pointer I've just sold my mint, FMBSH 2002 (admitedly only a normal) SL500 for almost 11K less than that. Is the SL55 from a (non MB) dealer worth that much more?)
(For a bit of a pointer I've just sold my mint, FMBSH 2002 (admitedly only a normal) SL500 for almost 11K less than that. Is the SL55 from a (non MB) dealer worth that much more?)
Dog Star said:
£18K for a 2003 seems a bit pricey to me - I'd have thought you'd be down in the 13K region for that, no?
(For a bit of a pointer I've just sold my mint, FMBSH 2002 (admitedly only a normal) SL500 for almost 11K less than that. Is the SL55 from a (non MB) dealer worth that much more?)
I don't think you can get a 55 for £13k, when I was looking round earlier this year I suspect the traders were able to buy in higher mileage cars at around £14-15k so sold for a few grand more. (For a bit of a pointer I've just sold my mint, FMBSH 2002 (admitedly only a normal) SL500 for almost 11K less than that. Is the SL55 from a (non MB) dealer worth that much more?)
Did not look at 500s but assume they are worth quite a lot less because of the missing horse power
Ben
Average price for a good 2003 car appears to be around 17-19k. 2002 cars appear to be holding around 16k still. Cheapest advertised price I've seen is on ebay at the mo at 14k, but obviously the car could have dings, original ABC etc, even worn tyres would knock a grand off the price.
I had my ABC fluid and filter changed recently as a preventative measure as I had a few codes which led the tech to conclude a fluid change was needed. Seeing as it is a 2003 car and I have no idea of whether it has been done before I was happy to agree to it. It is power steering fluid after all which does age.
They are awesome cars and an excellent GT it is that some of the systems when if they fail can be ridiculously expensive to deal with.
They are awesome cars and an excellent GT it is that some of the systems when if they fail can be ridiculously expensive to deal with.
Crikey, I was thinking of viewing a 2005 SL55 AMG advertised at £29,995. (Nick Whale) Mileage is mid 30s. Does that mean as soon as I drive off the forecourt I lose £10 grand ? Gulp. I'm not sure I want that. Prepare to be shafted Oh ye innocents... Any views ? I don't classify this as a thread hijack, because it is very close to the OPs question.
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