2014 SL350

[Hotspur]

Learned friends,

I am looking at picking up a 2014 SL350 AMG Sport - I do not know a great deal about this model so any advice and thoughts about this particular model and year would be appreciated.

Car has 55K miles with a FSH.

All advice and warnings welcome.

Thanks.

 

[SL63 Mark]

Do the usual checks, bodywork, HPI, make sure the roof works, loads of electrics, so check it all works, if not it may be a bargaining point.

Lovely cars, I am waiting for the prices to come down a bit.

 

[Hotspur]

Do the usual checks, bodywork, HPI, make sure the roof works, loads of electrics, so check it all works, if not it may be a bargaining point.

Lovely cars, I am waiting for the prices to come down a bit.

The seller is a franchised MB dealership and the price is circa 1.5K higher than others on AutoTrader - but I imagine it will be 'cleaner' in terms of history and come with a 1yr MB warranty so thinking it would worth the extra, unless people think the model / year is very troublesome?

I should add, I intend to daily it...so does that give a different complexion on the proposition?

 

[JBell]

The seller is a franchised MB dealership and the price is circa 1.5K higher than others on AutoTrader - but I imagine it will be 'cleaner' in terms of history and come with a 1yr MB warranty so thinking it would worth the extra, unless people think the model / year is very troublesome?

Do your due diligence, don't assume because it's from MB it will be better than any other out there and ask why is it £1500 more, probably a deal to be done

 

[Blobcat]

The seller is a franchised MB dealership and the price is circa 1.5K higher than others on AutoTrader - but I imagine it will be 'cleaner' in terms of history and come with a 1yr MB warranty so thinking it would worth the extra, unless people think the model / year is very troublesome?

I should add, I intend to daily it...so does that give a different complexion on the proposition?

Cars like being used so using it as a daily is a good thing. R230's are complex - although the V6 is a lot less complex than the V8's
I daily a R171 SLK V6 as it's a lot less trouble than an R230

 

[Hotspur]

Cars like being used so using it as a daily is a good thing. R230's are complex - although the V6 is a lot less complex than the V8's
I daily a R171 SLK V6 as it's a lot less trouble than an R230

Forgive me Blobcat, I believe this is a R231 - does that change your opinion in terms of trouble?

 

[sl500amgsport]

Cars like being used so using it as a daily is a good thing. R230's are complex - although the V6 is a lot less complex than the V8's
I daily a R171 SLK V6 as it's a lot less trouble than an R230

2014 it would be a R231 so much less troublesome....

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[sl500amgsport]

I use an R231 SL500 as a daily no issues at all in 5 years and that is in V8 guise so the V6 SL350 should be fine.

At that age, you should check service history and make sure it has had the transmission oil changed and 2x new batteries have been fitted as they would be due a swap around now.

The SL350 transitioned into the SL400 around 2013/2014 and the model changed from R230 to R231 from 2012 so make sure it is an R231 model and not a facelifted R230.

The R231 would be more expensive than a R230....



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[peterws1957]

Do your due diligence, don't assume because it's from MB it will be better than any other out there and ask why is it £1500 more, probably a deal to be done

This exactly. Regard an MB dealer like any other used car seller. The advantage is the warranty and possibly a bigger target if things go wrong.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

MB tend to keep the best cars with with a good service history and mechanically sound (why wouldn’t they) the rest go to a trade auction. You will benefit from a rock solid one year guarantee and the choice to extend so I’d certainly be keen to do a deal on the franchise car but do check the bodywork for paint repair etc

 

[Blobcat]

Forgive me Blobcat, I believe this is a R231 - does that change your opinion in terms of trouble?

It does, I hadn't looked at the dates.

 

[NJS5]

Check the spec from the VIN - which engine is it?

NJSS

 

[00slk]

Learned friends,

I am looking at picking up a 2014 SL350 AMG Sport - I do not know a great deal about this model so any advice and thoughts about this particular model and year would be appreciated.

Car has 55K miles with a FSH.

All advice and warnings welcome.

Thanks.

I have a friend who bought a 2014 SL350 AMG Sport a wee while ago. It is used as a daily without any issues. It is a very nice car The r231's have been well sorted after the r230 so I would go for it if the price fits your budget and it has all the right options.

 

[Frontstep]

MB tend to keep the best cars with with a good service history and mechanically sound (why wouldn’t they) the rest go to a trade auction. You will benefit from a rock solid one year guarantee and the choice to extend so I’d certainly be keen to do a deal on the franchise car but do check the bodywork for paint repair etc

If only, when I was last dragged out to look on a MB forecourt there was a mix of cars some were terrible.

Many of the sales staff wouldn't know a decent straight car if it ran over their foot.

They just assume "it will get sorted" by someone if it really needs it.

Don't assume the few that do will have been anywhere near your potential car.

 

[rorywquin]

Learned friends,

I am looking at picking up a 2014 SL350 AMG Sport - I do not know a great deal about this model so any advice and thoughts about this particular model and year would be appreciated.

Car has 55K miles with a FSH.

All advice and warnings welcome.

Thanks.

I assume that you realise that it is not a AMG? May impact what you want to pay.

I follow several forums and groups and with the R231s now 10 years old I’ve read very few complaints about them.

 

[Hotspur]

Do you realise that it is not a proper AMG? May impact what you want to pay.

Oh yes I know it is just a marketing thing with some go faster stripes and big wheels and a slightly prettier frock - just like the M Sport cars and S-Line from the other Germans - I already have a fully fledged M car so don't need another performance car, just a nice cruiser and with the option of taking the roof off when the sun is out.

 

[sausage]

Subjective waffle that borders on "not relevant", but thought i would add a few comments:

Starting a relationship with a main dealer by buying from a main dealer is not a bad place to start, as long as the main dealer is a good one and the excess costs are not going to outweigh the benefits.

Exclusions and so on are always part of a used car warranty, you will probably get a bit more out of an MB warranty than another after market warranty. A lot of used car dealers only offer the mandatory three months these days claiming to include a warranty. The 3 months mandatory warranty can be a mixed blessing, but a MB 1 yr warranty should be reasonable peace of mind - just make sure you abuse it and get every niggle addressed whilst you still have the warranty. MB are likely to be in a better position to fix any complex issues than a non MB car dealer. Your warranty will possibly be valid at other MB main dealers, whereas that mandatory 3 month warranty can sometimes mean going back to the selling dealer. How does that work out? I bought my Range Rover 60 miles away, and was a real pain to take the car back (taxi, 3 trains, a bus and another taxi) and leave it with the selling dealer who refused to pay for anyone else to look at the issues present on the car.

As for the SL350 - I bought one in July, although an older 2009 R230, as a daily driver and think it does that job very well. No complaints at all and it does a mix of short and long trips with and without luggage. It is less tiring than a 911 to drive long distances, but not so relaxing as a Range Rover. I thought it was a nice middle ground between the two.

Wheel size affects ride quality. Many here are not fans of the 19" wheels due to ride quality. Having come from a 911 I find the ride of mine with 19s comparable to the 911. If that is too firm, you might prefer smaller wheels.

 

[rorywquin]

Oh yes I know it is just a marketing thing with some go faster stripes and big wheels and a slightly prettier frock - just like the M Sport cars and S-Line from the other Germans - I already have a fully fledged M car so don't need another performance car, just a nice cruiser and with the option of taking the roof off when the sun is out.

They are awesome cars. With the roof closed it is like driving a luxury coupe and with it open it is a proper luxury roadster. Like owning two different cars. Make sure that it is equipped with the ‘airscarf’ - not sure if it is standard on SLs but is a must have. If it has ABC, that is a big plus.

Go fo it.

 

[Blobcat]

Subjective waffle that borders on "not relevant", but thought i would add a few comments:

Starting a relationship with a main dealer by buying from a main dealer is not a bad place to start, as long as the main dealer is a good one and the excess costs are not going to outweigh the benefits.

Exclusions and so on are always part of a used car warranty, you will probably get a bit more out of an MB warranty than another after market warranty. A lot of used car dealers only offer the mandatory three months these days claiming to include a warranty. The 3 months mandatory warranty can be a mixed blessing, but a MB 1 yr warranty should be reasonable peace of mind - just make sure you abuse it and get every niggle addressed whilst you still have the warranty. MB are likely to be in a better position to fix any complex issues than a non MB car dealer. Your warranty will possibly be valid at other MB main dealers, whereas that mandatory 3 month warranty can sometimes mean going back to the selling dealer. How does that work out? I bought my Range Rover 60 miles away, and was a real pain to take the car back (taxi, 3 trains, a bus and another taxi) and leave it with the selling dealer who refused to pay for anyone else to look at the issues present on the car.

As for the SL350 - I bought one in July, although an older 2009 R230, as a daily driver and think it does that job very well. No complaints at all and it does a mix of short and long trips with and without luggage. It is less tiring than a 911 to drive long distances, but not so relaxing as a Range Rover. I thought it was a nice middle ground between the two.

Wheel size affects ride quality. Many here are not fans of the 19" wheels due to ride quality. Having come from a 911 I find the ride of mine with 19s comparable to the 911. If that is too firm, you might prefer smaller wheels.

I find my 911 on 19”’s very comfortable, it has the very optional sport comfort memory seats and very nice suspension...

V6 SL’s tend to have conventional suspension so they’re not as comfortable on large alloys as the V8’s - (they’re very good).

My SLK is great on 16”’s, they’re horrible on 18”’s

 

[sl500amgsport]

The ABC suspension on the R230 was one of the major issues so avoided by many R231 owners, it was an optional extra on all SL models apart from the SL63 and SL65.

Having said that it gives a superior ride and there does not seem to be as many issues reported with it on the R231 as on the older R230.

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