Discussion
A colleague of mine has decided he would like to get into an SL63, with a budget of @65/70k. He questioned whether there were any comparable motors out there he should be considering, so I mentioned the SL65 which he hadn't really heard of......
They appear to me to be comparable on price (ish), for say an SL65 with the facelift headlights (2007?), but are they comparable on driving/experience/maintenance? Anyone had both?
TIA
They appear to me to be comparable on price (ish), for say an SL65 with the facelift headlights (2007?), but are they comparable on driving/experience/maintenance? Anyone had both?
TIA
Thanks guys, he's now convinced a 63 is the way to go 
However the bigger problem now is that after looking at the 65's...... I really want one! Was changing the Q7 for an older RR, and was going for a 2nd hand Maserati GT for occasional work trips - not so sure now, those 65's @£40k look really good value for money.
What would be the best way to budget one of these per annum? Proper warranty and say £3k per year maintenance?
However the bigger problem now is that after looking at the 65's...... I really want one! Was changing the Q7 for an older RR, and was going for a 2nd hand Maserati GT for occasional work trips - not so sure now, those 65's @£40k look really good value for money.
What would be the best way to budget one of these per annum? Proper warranty and say £3k per year maintenance?
OdramaSwimLaden said:
Shocks, batteries and electrical problems per chance!!?
I'm a bit of an obsessive with stuff and having it right, but you are correct. The suspension was an absolute utter nightmare.If you want to know what went wrong with my car (it was an easy peasy £500/month just on repairs, not including servicing and tyres) then what you do is go onto internet forums and ask "what goes wrong with R230s".
When you get the answers back then add them all together.
That'll be what went wrong with my car. And some other stuff too. I wouldn't touch one again (except for the SL350) with a bargepole.
Andiroo said:
Seriously? A good warranty plus £6k per year?
Did someone see you coming, or are these things that expensive to maintain?
Do it properly and yes, they are that expensive to maintain. It was perfect when I sold it but I'd become totally disenchanted with the whole thingDid someone see you coming, or are these things that expensive to maintain?
.....
Note that it didn't sell - you really don't want to know what I let it go for - especially if you own one
Edited by Dog Star on Tuesday 11th September 17:20
Eh, the same old 'don't buy pre 2004'. I'm fairly sure SL65s came post 2004 anyway. Just to balance out those who are rubbishing pre 04 cars I have just completed a second 3000 mile trip round Europe with visits to the Stelvio Pass and Nurburgring in my 2002 SL55. The car was almost faultless, it had a single hissy fit with keyless go which cured itself after using the normal key fob.
I also had the pleasure to visit the AMG factory, and even met the gentleman who made my engine. He is now running the V12 production line, and commented that the 55 engine was a truly great engine.
These cars are absolutely fantastic, and when I come to sell it'll be very difficult to replace (mayble SL65). Dogstar was very unfortunate with his 500 and I'm not sure his experiences are par for the course.
I have driven an SL63 at the MB world in brooklands for about an hour, the instructor was raving about how much better the drivetrain is than the 55 but in truth it was lost on me during the time. It felt it was usually in the wrong gear, or even had too many. Handling felt similar to the 55, engine revved nicely though and torque wasn't lacking.
I also had the pleasure to visit the AMG factory, and even met the gentleman who made my engine. He is now running the V12 production line, and commented that the 55 engine was a truly great engine.
These cars are absolutely fantastic, and when I come to sell it'll be very difficult to replace (mayble SL65). Dogstar was very unfortunate with his 500 and I'm not sure his experiences are par for the course.
I have driven an SL63 at the MB world in brooklands for about an hour, the instructor was raving about how much better the drivetrain is than the 55 but in truth it was lost on me during the time. It felt it was usually in the wrong gear, or even had too many. Handling felt similar to the 55, engine revved nicely though and torque wasn't lacking.
I'm not "rubbishing" the car, Gouki. I've done four or five long (south Spain and Italy trips) and the car was fantastic. The only things I've had go wrong in tens of thousands of euro-roadtrip miles have been the boot soft-close stopped working in Spain and the front wheel bearing totally collapsed in Normandy (but a wheel bearing could go on anything).
I am merely pointing out that to look after one of these things properly and without a top-line, cast iron warranty needs very deep pockets indeed. Sure, you might run around for a while with no big bills but sooner or later it will bite you on your bum. For example both you and I would have been in the region of £3000 poorer if you hadn't discovered the ball joint restoration place. That's a lot of cash in anyone's book - and that's down to very poor design
I am merely pointing out that to look after one of these things properly and without a top-line, cast iron warranty needs very deep pockets indeed. Sure, you might run around for a while with no big bills but sooner or later it will bite you on your bum. For example both you and I would have been in the region of £3000 poorer if you hadn't discovered the ball joint restoration place. That's a lot of cash in anyone's book - and that's down to very poor design
Gouki said:
Eh, the same old 'don't buy pre 2004'. I'm fairly sure SL65s came post 2004 anyway. Just to balance out those who are rubbishing pre 04 cars I have just completed a second 3000 mile trip round Europe with visits to the Stelvio Pass and Nurburgring in my 2002 SL55. The car was almost faultless, it had a single hissy fit with keyless go which cured itself after using the normal key fob.
I also had the pleasure to visit the AMG factory, and even met the gentleman who made my engine. He is now running the V12 production line, and commented that the 55 engine was a truly great engine.
These cars are absolutely fantastic, and when I come to sell it'll be very difficult to replace (mayble SL65). Dogstar was very unfortunate with his 500 and I'm not sure his experiences are par for the course.
I have driven an SL63 at the MB world in brooklands for about an hour, the instructor was raving about how much better the drivetrain is than the 55 but in truth it was lost on me during the time. It felt it was usually in the wrong gear, or even had too many. Handling felt similar to the 55, engine revved nicely though and torque wasn't lacking.
As its one of *my* golden rules and is well expounded by all that know me on ph, then yes it is "same old" and there is a reason for that...its absolutely bloody concretely been prooven time and time and time again. You may take 5 mins or 5 hrs of research into this and the results are the same. Just so we are clear on this...Im not some anti-Merc raving loony, I run 2 of the things and I like them both. I am though very very picky about where I shove my several thousand pounds worth of hard earned. My rule of post '04 is to protect my wallet. All others are free to gamble as they see fit.I also had the pleasure to visit the AMG factory, and even met the gentleman who made my engine. He is now running the V12 production line, and commented that the 55 engine was a truly great engine.
These cars are absolutely fantastic, and when I come to sell it'll be very difficult to replace (mayble SL65). Dogstar was very unfortunate with his 500 and I'm not sure his experiences are par for the course.
I have driven an SL63 at the MB world in brooklands for about an hour, the instructor was raving about how much better the drivetrain is than the 55 but in truth it was lost on me during the time. It felt it was usually in the wrong gear, or even had too many. Handling felt similar to the 55, engine revved nicely though and torque wasn't lacking.
DJRC said:
As its one of *my* golden rules and is well expounded by all that know me on ph, then yes it is "same old" and there is a reason for that...its absolutely bloody concretely been prooven time and time and time again. You may take 5 mins or 5 hrs of research into this and the results are the same. Just so we are clear on this...Im not some anti-Merc raving loony, I run 2 of the things and I like them both. I am though very very picky about where I shove my several thousand pounds worth of hard earned. My rule of post '04 is to protect my wallet. All others are free to gamble as they see fit.
DJRC, that's a hell of a lot of posts you hav therefore, I bow down to you and your PH buddies knowledge. As far as I know and please correct me if I'm wrong but all pre 2007 SL R230 use the same ABC struts and SBC units which are the common failure points on these cars. So what makes 04 such a special year, did they sack everyone at Bremen and re staff accordingly?When I drove the 2011 SL63 there wasn't much different in regard to fit and feel of the interior when driven back to back with the 2002 model and this in my mind is a testament to how well built the all are.
Hmmm, SL65s ARE looking rather tempting now at the £33K mark.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4187206.htm
Gouki said:
DJRC said:
Its quite simply the overall build quality of ALL Mercs increased post 2004. The bork quotient diminished significantly.
That's quite scientific, proven and well researched /sarcasm off. So what year did the Mercedes build quality fall off a cliff? Gassing Station | Mercedes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff