SL500?

Big Janner

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I am an ex SLK owner who defected to Porsche, however, I am now in the market for an SL500
Car age; 2005 to 2010
What should I look out for?
Are there any gremlins that I need to be specifically aware of?

Many thanks in advance

John
 

McDonald

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It'll steal your heart, I love mine.
 

John Laidlaw

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Welcome John
Where to start?
Maybe do a search on here first as it’s been covered a lot
Hope that doesn’t come over as unhelpful it’s not the intent so much as saving you time waiting around for answers but piece
Summarised though they are fabulous cars but do extra due diligence before deciding on ‘the one’
Hope that helps and good luck, once you see some you like post up the links and we can help more
 
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Big Janner

Big Janner

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Welcome John
Where to start?
Maybe do a search on here first as it’s been covered a lot
Hope that doesn’t come over as unhelpful it’s not the intent so much as saving you time waiting around for answers but piece
Summarised though they are fabulous cars but do extra due diligence before deciding on ‘the one’
Hope that helps and good luck, once you see some you like post up the links and we can help more

John
Thanks, I will do a search
I have looked at some dogs and one which was great, but, the colour . . . . . Light gold!
SWMBO wasn't impressed!


Although a little older than planned, these 2 popped up today

https://www.marcus-james-used-cars-suffolk.co.uk/our-cars

John
 

LostKiwi

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'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
There are five main areas to look out for.
1. ABC or active body control. This is an oleo-pneumatic suspension system similar to that used in Citroen's but with electronic control. This is a complex system that can be very expensive to sort (especially at main dealer prices). List prices for struts are £1100 each though third party ones are available for £400 or so per corner. The hydraulic pump is at least £700.
2. Water leaks into the boot are common. The water can destroy the PSE pump which is around £1000.
3. Battery issues are common. The car has 2 batteries - one for starting the car (that rarely gives trouble) and one for consumer items (roof pump, central locking, electric seat heaters and so on). It's not unusual for the second battery to keep going flat due to battery drains. These can be very difficult to find.
4. SBC braking. The SL uses SBC fly by wire brakes. The high pressure pump will eventually fail leaving you with very poor brakes (sometimes with little warning). Budget £500 for s pump.
5. Rust on rear wheel arches can because problem.

All these prices are parts only.

The good news is the engine is very robust. Crank position sensor failure is moderately common but cheap to fix at £50-100 for a sensor and the crank pulley can delaminate (£100).

All of that said these are great Grand Tourers and superb when the sun's out. They corner as if on rails and are very refined and comfortable.
 

00slk

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Hi John, we are ex SLK owners that upgraded to SL's great cars bur fairly costly to maintain. If you are near us your quite welcome to look at our 05 car to give you an idea of what to look for on these models? There are many pigs out there, and cheap, but there cheap for a reason :shock:
 

Wighty

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2005-2010 crosses the March 2006 tax rates change from £300 to £500+ (ish) .
Also look for gearbox oil and filter change history , ideally every 40k miles
 

Wighty

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And ABC fluid and filter change every 2 years
Nice to dream about , doubt it's ever been done though . MB never do it as part of their service schedule , only those in the know .
 

sl500amgsport

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If you are looking for reliability stretch to the R231 model from 2012 all above issues resolved but a trade off in looks...

Mercedes SL500 R231
 

Wighty

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If you are looking for reliability stretch to the R231 model from 2012 all above issues resolved but a trade off in looks...

Mercedes SL500 R231
Interesting , have they resolved "ABC" stuff ? I know what you mean about looks , they are not quite as nice .
 

ajlsl600

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a grand car.
2 main reasons,grand to look at ,and a lot of repairs are around a grand! seriously, good looking ,great drive, and handle really well. however if you want to remove 3k+ of hassles think on sl 350, at least look at it.. if you can ,at least for first 6 months budget 4k for big dramas go for a sl500/600 ,maybe you wont need to spend it !!. there are a number of these cars about invest time/cash in looking at 5/6 min.,if it seems cheap it will likely will be a bit of a headache.
in my view a risk,to much if its yr main run about. mine spends 5 months a yr as a hanger queen.! cant face the 2 days to clean it up if covered in mud/dirt. spring/summer only.
 

John Laidlaw

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^ think most has now been covered without the need for a search now John! Makes me feel lazy now!
Depending on your location maybe someone on here could give your ‘final choice’ car the once over before you commit
Due diligence as I stated is the key - I spent near 7k in mine in a year of ownership and that was what I thought was a well sorted FL 2008 example
 

ajlsl600

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there you go, reckon just about everything r230 covered good luck
 
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Big Janner

Big Janner

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Here you go - this is the thread from when I was looking for one...
I found the advice and insights really useful and some of the members gave me a run-down/opinion on specific cars when I found a few to look at.
Hope it helps.

Cheers

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/thinking-of-getting-a-sl.156831/

It does help thanks
I have some reading to do.

Must admit, I am looking at the 500 because I just love ths V8 burble
I see that the 350 is very much, the lower maintenance cost, option and this is a consideration I need to take seriously
SWMBO likes to hear that my maintenance costs are low!

John
 

sl500amgsport

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Interesting , have they resolved "ABC" stuff ? I know what you mean about looks , they are not quite as nice .
No ABC in the R231 unless you buy the SL63 so no such issues, it made me take that route, also the R230 is beginning to look dated now even the SLK has changed so even with a personalised plate the car will appear dated..

Try a test drive the R231 SL500 is a lot more powerful than the R230 SL500.

Mercedes SL500 R231
 

flowrider

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so worse looks (in some opinions) or a reliable car ..... ;-) I know what I'd choose!
I think it depends on how the car is used. Second car use then a nicer design wins it for me but if my car was used as a daily then reliability would win.
 


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