sl500 buying advice please

[Clkrichard]

Nick, ST4 has a bit of a thing about the 7g box so dont be unduly put off ! ( no offence meant Steve !)
Mine is fine and suffers no snatching or jerking.
One thing about forums is that most posts tend to be about bad news. No one comes on here to voluntarily say their 7g box is the bees knees so you can end up with a distorted view. I am sure the vast majority of 5g and 7g boxes are just fine.

 

[nick7nick7]

thanks guys your very helpful, sound like you have all kept your cars for a while. I will of course be taking a auto mechanic with me, i only do 4000 a year, so hopefully i wont be getting to omany problems. the 2002 car i am seeing is 80k on the clock.

 

[Clkrichard]

Good luck Nick - keep us posted on progress.
Your mechanic cant check the pumps but do thoroughly explore for water ingress in the boot and footwells and check the front legs and their ball joints. Make sure everything electrical is working as it should.

 

[SL63 Mark]

I agree with everything above, having recently gone through the purchase of an R230 (albeit the kompressor version).

Some really sensible comments, which just about cover all the bases. I would just reiterate the bit about getting it inspected - they are very complex cars, and a potential money pit. But, a real joy if you get a good 'un.

I think the 5 speed box is monumental - the engine has so much torque 7g is a waste of time. Maybe worthwhile on a smaller engine ?

Just mho.

 

[nick7nick7]

i will dont worry, im a sparky by trade, so that side im covered. Just hope i dont end up owing my mate too many favours!

 

[nick7nick7]

I agree with everything above, having recently gone through the purchase of an R230 (albeit the kompressor version).

Some really sensible comments, which just about cover all the bases. I would just reiterate the bit about getting it inspected - they are very complex cars, and a potential money pit. But, a real joy if you get a good 'un.

I think the 5 speed box is monumental - the engine has so much torque 7g is a waste of time. Maybe worthwhile on a smaller engine ?

Just mho.

im not too fussed on engine size, just seems more 500's for sale in my price range

 

[st4]

Nick, ST4 has a bit of a thing about the 7g box so dont be unduly put off ! ( no offence meant Steve !)
Mine is fine and suffers no snatching or jerking.
One thing about forums is that most posts tend to be about bad news. No one comes on here to voluntarily say their 7g box is the bees knees so you can end up with a distorted view. I am sure the vast majority of 5g and 7g boxes are just fine.

Plenty do post about their good ones. I'm going with experiences based on 7 5g cars I've driven and 5 7g cars I've driven.

I'd personally find a 5g one and the valve body fault in 7g is expensive.

Anyone mentioned ensuring the boot carpets are dry and the seals don't leak. It's an expensive fix is the rear SAM unit gets water in?

 

[SL63 Mark]

im not too fussed on engine size, just seems more 500's for sale in my price range

Sorry I didn't explain that too well. What I meant was, the 7 speed gearbox may be worth having on a busy smaller engined car, e.g. a 2 litre E class. On a big lazy, torquey engine like the V8 500, a five speed box would be fine, in my view.

The purpose of having the extra two gears is to match revs to road speed more precisely to ensure you always remain in the power band, and to ensure a smoother ride. This is not necessary when you have a very wide power band, like the V8s do. My 'box spends most of it's time in 5th gear pootling along at just above idle speed, even at 60 mph !

 

[st4]

^^^
Also the OP is buying into the first if the 7gs but into the later 5gs.

Older proven techs often safer.

Gearboxes aside ABC struts, boot seals, SBC brakes are all bigger worries than the box.

 

[orb the Impaler]

The lowest prices on Pistonheads seem to be around £10k for a 2002 with 100k+ miles.

My 2002 sold this time last year for...... £7500. That was the most I could get. 102K, FMBSH, bills for EVERYTHING, mint condition, every extra.

However (here we go) - to the OP: I would only consider an early R230 SL500 if it were free (ie. no money). That would leave your £8K free for repairs. You'll need it.

£8K for the car and a couple of grand as a repair budget is IMO not enough. You are in for a very serious shock when you see the parts prices and complexity of one of these things. May I suggest something a bit less ruinous - R171 maybe? If you MUST go for a R230 then IMO you should avoid the 500 and get the 350.

 

[fozzymandeus]

I can't objectively comment on the respective reliability of the 500 over the 350, but my 350 has been good enough that I'd recommend one.

Parts prices are high for these cars though, don't ignore that. Consumables like tyres/brake parts etc. are enough to mean you need a good disposable income in order to keep one on the road. I'd be very wary of a cheap R230. In fact I wouldn't buy one - a beautiful car that won't behave itself is a very sad state of affairs for the owner.

Buy the very best you can afford, with the most comprehensive service history, preferably from a respectable private owner or a specialist you have confidence in.

The R171 and the R230 are not really the same kind of car in my opinion. A better alternative to an R230 would be a Jaguar XK8 - and they have their own issues!

Finally, the roof seals WILL leak. Good ones will leak a tolerable amount, bad ones - you might as well just leave the roof down in the rain.

Edit: £8000 for one of these? A set of suspension dampers for a 500 is three quarters of that! You could easily spend the entire amount in repairs if you buy an abused pup.

 

[The Pan Man]

My favourite piece of advice, You can't run a V8 Mercedes on Ford Mondeo money.

 

[Gkinghorn]

My favourite piece of advice, You can't run a V8 Mercedes on Ford Mondeo money.

very very very true.....

 

[Roy Gardiner]

I, too, am researching the SL500

The R171 and the R230 are not really the same kind of car in my opinion. A better alternative to an R230 would be a Jaguar XK8 - and they have their own issues!

First to demonstrate my ignorance, would someone kindly provide a link to a list of code numbers and the model names they refer to?

(Edit: Oh wait putting the numbers into Google seems to get me to a Wikipedia entry, no bother)

Finally, the roof seals WILL leak. Good ones will leak a tolerable amount, bad ones - you might as well just leave the roof down in the rain.

Really? The car is not watertight? That would come under the heading of 'useless' wouldn't it?


The 500 and the 55 AMG seem to be at similar prices when you get under £20k, or am I missing something? Would one be better off concentrating on the higher spec AMG model?

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Hmm I edited my note but now the edit feature is gone, is it time-limited?

Anyway as you were on the code numbers they're here http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=92596 as any fule kno.

 

[fozzymandeus]

The car is not watertight? That would come under the heading of 'useless' wouldn't it?

OK You (by implication) asked for expansion on that statement, originally meant only as brief advice.

The roof design on the R230 (and all vario roof designs that I've checked out, including the R231 and R171) uses a network of panel overlaps that serve to force the rubber seals away from their mounting points. This occurs at the C-Pillar to bootlid mounting.

Over time they will pull free of their original placing and allow water to pass behind them, into the boot. This needs to be fixed by choosing a more substantial method of adhesion. Not easy.

Effects can be mitigated by: making sure all drainage routes are clear (there are two main channels on the R230 at this point) and parking the vehicle on level ground so the drains can work with gravity at the designed angles.

As these vehicles get older I would strongly recommend against running them in a situation where they cannot be stored under cover.

So, to precis, yes. They are useless.

55s should be more valuable than 500s and 350s. Typically 350s and 500s have little to seperate them as the trade is less scared of the V6.

 

[Clkrichard]

The leaks can be "cured" via a number of different routes ranging from a full MB seal replace at a cost of thousands down to a diy job costing a few pounds.
A former member on here "Television" has detailed the diy method in a thread that you should be able to find by searching.

 

[drmw]

Having had two R230s - an SL500 for 3 years followed immediately by an SL55 for another 3 I don't think there is any potential financial penalty (fuel bills aside ) in the more powerful 55.

The weak and or expensive points of both are the same.

ABC suspension is absolutely brilliant, but suspension legs are c£1200 per corner. Look for any leaks/misting around the strut leg - if there is any, walk away.

The pump that drives the system is about the same money.

Having said that, failures are uncommon, but they do happen (as with any part on any car).

Engines and 5 speed boxes are bombproof.

Boot leaks are easily fixed. The PSE pump (c£750, plug & play) lives in lowest point of the boot & operates central locking & comfort seats. If it's broken, the roof will not lower. If the boot is dry, then the pump should be ok.

The SBC brake pump will expire. It is based on a pre-programmed number of cycles, so failure is a statistical certainty at some point, but no means of saying when - depends on the type of miles the car has done, rather than the number. It costs about £1200 and the manufacturers are playing hardball now in terms of contribution towards replacement.

Beyond that, with only a sprinkling of rust issues (rear wheel arches, easy to fix) they are superb cars, so don't be put off by tales of gloom and doom on forums because people will only post when they have a problem, so "it's broken" posts can easily get completely out of proportion.

The electronics are complicated and often not DIY as the car needs to be linked to Star, which is MB's diagnostic system, but again, keep that in perspective.

Mileage within reason is almost academic - FSH is not, so double check anything you see that you like.

If you see any advertised that fit your criteria, post a link - there are plenty here (many with first hand experience of this model) only too happy to offer opinion. Some are even worth heeding !!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Excellent advice everyone, thank you. Any more relevant points on these cars well received.

It looks like absolutely standard wisdom; buy the best car you can find with perfect service history.

Having had two R230s - an SL500 for 3 years followed immediately by an SL55 for another 3 I don't think there is any potential financial penalty (fuel bills aside ) in the more powerful 55.

OK, which did you prefer (if you don't mind me trawling for more info). Any particular technical points/features you liked/disliked?

 

[Roy Gardiner]

Also:

If I go for the AMG, is it always fully loaded or are there options I should look out for? Link to a list would be good if the answer is 'loads'.

Any cyclists here:

Wheels-out, does a bike (no mudbuards) go behind the seats? Is there a boot-mounted rack available?