I can't stop thinking about the R230 SL 500 - and now I want one!

[flowrider]

The cheaper car has 17" skinny wheels on it whereas the more expensive car has 18" mixed size wheels and tyres.

 

[flowrider]

Something to look out for is a car with the AMG body kit, they're not common but worth having IMO.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I’ll have a better look later when I’ve more time Conor but if you’re hell bent on the 500...
Extras I had (2008 230 FL)
Red leather
Brushed al trim
Distronic
HK upgrade
AMG body kit
Panoramic roof
Air scarf
Keyless go
From those I wasn’t fussed about the Distronic or KG the rest were really good. I don’t think earlier models will give you air scarf which is a great pity - loved it

 

[LostKiwi]

Ours (Malcolm's) has:
AMG body kit
19" AMG Split Rims
Comand
Bose
Distronic
Parktronic
Massage seats
Heated/Cooled seats
TV
Phone prep
Linguatronic
Keyless go
Xenon HID lights

On top of that Malcolm added DAB, custom grille, chrome bonnet and wing gills, rear spoiler, gloss black trim, gloss black/leather steering wheel and a digital TV tuner (which I've yet to find).

 

[JonnyCJ]

Yup, stay away from AMG’s, unless you want one.
Addictive is what they are, no going back from there.

Now that we are on that topic, you may as well go down that route, you’ll no doubt end up there anyway.
Good luck in finding that car, SL 55 was it ??
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Trouble is that when you see a 55 on the road and you don’t have twin exhausts you’ll always think “if only I’d .....”

It’ll eat away at you, you’ll start to fall out of love with your 500 and before you know it, you’ll be looking at eBay, Autotrader etc etc.

 

[LostKiwi]

Or you could go the other way and think "Damn I wish I'd gone for the 4 extra cylinders and had a real sleeper" (having experienced Ajlsl600's SL600 I can definitely see the attraction in that route).

 

[Conor]

Funny that you mention 12 cylinders.. I keep viewing this one...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906189133682

Seems pricey though.

 

[LostKiwi]

Does seem overpriced. Ajlsl600 sold his (with less miles) and immaculate condition for a lot less than that.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Truly over priced

 

[Conor]

Morning folks,

Let me play devils advocate for a moment while i'm stuck here in London traffic on the bus...

Quick question.. I agree with the sentiment of two posters when they say things like, there are many a sorry story about buying a cheap SL and most being overpriced with the far cheaper one being nearly right. These seem like competing arguments, albeit both with some validity.

How does one go about finding a bit of value and an example that has been well looked after? i.e. a good one? In my limited experience it is usually worth paying a bit more up front if what you have eyes on seems like a decent example, where some might say it was overpriced.

What if I went down the cheaper route, knowing there might be issues and armed with potential costs etc and me being a DIY'er. It might actually provide a bit more certainty on the whole.

For example, if a car looks decent on the face (body/interior) but had some obvious suspension issues, perhaps one could build repair into the price offered and bargain down?

I still have no idea of costs for various repairs on this thing. I know the components are expensive, but is there a lot of labour also? I would have a stab at doing this myself in one of those self service garages with lift etc.

So i'm just curious about the alternate approach of potentially buying something that is clearly in need of a bit of TLC. Strategy could be to pick something that has been listed a lot longer on try and haggle from there.

Controversial I know.

EDIT: What are the juicy parts in the ABC system and how much to buy retail OEM? Aftermarket? Struts, tandem pump, valve block? I know there is a lot more to the system but are they the only big tickets?

 

[LostKiwi]

MB pricing:
Struts c£800 each.
Pump c£1200
Valve Blocks c£1500 EA
All plus labour.

Third party struts are available for £300 each upwards.
Craig is running Chinese ones on his CL at the moment and so far he hasn't reported any issues.

A cheap one us one that's £4000 or less (they do exist on eBay).

The general rule of thumb is to look at usage history via MOTs. If they have a period of non use immediately before sale it should set alarms ringing.

The worst failure is a pump failure as it sends metal shavings through the system which will then take out other components. The system needs to be fully flushed through after a pump failure.

 

[peterws1957]

Morning folks,

Let me play devils advocate for a moment while i'm stuck here in London traffic on the bus...

Quick question.. I agree with the sentiment of two posters when they say things like, there are many a sorry story about buying a cheap SL and most being overpriced with the far cheaper one being nearly right. These seem like competing arguments, albeit both with some validity.

How does one go about finding a bit of value and an example that has been well looked after? i.e. a good one? In my limited experience it is usually worth paying a bit more up front if what you have eyes on seems like a decent example, where some might say it was overpriced.

What if I went down the cheaper route, knowing there might be issues and armed with potential costs etc and me being a DIY'er. It might actually provide a bit more certainty on the whole.

For example, if a car looks decent on the face (body/interior) but had some obvious suspension issues, perhaps one could build repair into the price offered and bargain down?

I still have no idea of costs for various repairs on this thing. I know the components are expensive, but is there a lot of labour also? I would have a stab at doing this myself in one of those self service garages with lift etc.

So i'm just curious about the alternate approach of potentially buying something that is clearly in need of a bit of TLC. Strategy could be to pick something that has been listed a lot longer on try and haggle from there.

Controversial I know.

EDIT: What are the juicy parts in the ABC system and how much to buy retail OEM? Aftermarket? Struts, tandem pump, valve block? I know there is a lot more to the system but are they the only big tickets?

Unless you really want a project, I would steer well clear of one of these requiring work. The costs can escalate eye wateringly as some on here can verify. My advice for what it's worth would be to go have a look at a few and talk to the owners about maintenance etc. In this way I've found that a good one with the right history will stand out by a mile from the poor neglected ones which are still out there. Good luck the right one will turn up with a bit of patience.

 

[flowrider]

Trouble is that when you see a 55 on the road and you don’t have twin exhausts you’ll always think “if only I’d .....”

It’ll eat away at you, you’ll start to fall out of love with your 500 and before you know it, you’ll be looking at eBay, Autotrader etc etc.

Maybe a strange viewpoint but I'm not a fan of the quad exhausts. I have them on my S5 and looked at replacing them but the cost wasn't worth it.

 

[flowrider]

Funny that you mention 12 cylinders.. I keep viewing this one...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906189133682

Seems pricey though.

Massively pricey

 

[Conor]

MB pricing:
Struts c£800 each.
Pump c£1200
Valve Blocks c£1500 EA
All plus labour.

Third party struts are available for £300 each upwards.
Craig is running Chinese ones on his CL at the moment and so far he hasn't reported any issues.

A cheap one us one that's £4000 or less (they do exist on eBay).

The general rule of thumb is to look at usage history via MOTs. If they have a period of non use immediately before sale it should set alarms ringing.

The worst failure is a pump failure as it sends metal shavings through the system which will then take out other components. The system needs to be fully flushed through after a pump failure.

Woah, I remember reading a price of £10k for system replacement before....

Maybe I am looking for a project. To be honest, I got a real buzz out of replacing the rear air bags on the S212. And considering this is a second car, I can do without for weeks/months.

I understand the costs can be eye watering but.. if the ABC is such a problematic beast, then you are effectively gambling on any but purchase, probably with the exception of an expensive one with components already replaced.

I think that the fixer upper element could be a huge bargaining chip.

I see that there are many businesses out there offering kits/services to refurb the various components.

 

[flowrider]

Woah, I remember reading a price of £10k for system replacement before....

Maybe I am looking for a project. To be honest, I got a real buzz out of replacing the rear air bags on the S212. And considering this is a second car, I can do without for weeks/months.

I understand the costs can be eye watering but.. if the ABC is such a problematic beast, then you are effectively gambling on any but purchase, probably with the exception of an expensive one with components already replaced.

I think that the fixer upper element could be a huge bargaining chip.

I see that there are many businesses out there offering kits/services to refurb the various components.

At the end of the day if you had a catastrophic ABC failure you could replace the whole lot with a coilover conversion for less than £3k if you fit it yourself. Admittadly the ride won't be as good but then you will have no more worries. Bear in mind that forums generally don't have owners coming on to say how great their cars are performing so can give a biased view.

 

[flowrider]

Woah, I remember reading a price of £10k for system replacement before....

Maybe I am looking for a project. To be honest, I got a real buzz out of replacing the rear air bags on the S212. And considering this is a second car, I can do without for weeks/months.

I understand the costs can be eye watering but.. if the ABC is such a problematic beast, then you are effectively gambling on any but purchase, probably with the exception of an expensive one with components already replaced.

I think that the fixer upper element could be a huge bargaining chip.

I see that there are many businesses out there offering kits/services to refurb the various components.

If you want a project then avoid the AMG, costs for nearly everything are much higher.

 

[Conor]

If you want a project then avoid the AMG, costs for nearly everything are much higher.

Agreed, as per one of my points above. I have decided to avoid AMG as I believe everything is amped up and I think once I get a V8 rumble, I shall be satisfied. Oh the simple life I lead with only basic requirements for happiness..

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

The options you have are:

Buy cheap and repair - but this could end up being a bottomless pit pouring money into something that won’t have added value due to poor body work or high mileage (or both)

Find the best example you can with copious amounts of history from a knowledgeable owner (like the chap in the video I posted) - this would be my preferred choice and any work you did/had done would add to value. There is a case for keeping a car like this for some years and I’m sure it will appreciate in value but ideally it would need to be garaged

 

[flowrider]

Agreed, as per one of my points above. I have decided to avoid AMG as I believe everything is amped up and I think once I get a V8 rumble, I shall be satisfied. Oh the simple life I lead with only basic requirements for happiness..

The 500's benefit from a secondary CAT delete to get the best sound from the V8, don't delete the rear silencers as, IMO, the car is too loud. The SL is a cruiser not a sports car.