SL55 from Mercedes or Auction?

[ninjamagic]

Hi all. My obsession with Mercedes SLs deepens. I've been looking at newer, older and different possibilities (IE. Facelifted SL500) but I keep coming back to the good old SL55.

I've seen that Mercedes Benz themselves have an SL55 for sale in Brentford. 2007 model 44k on the clock. Glass vario roof.

£23k.

Now -- Is that a good price? How much can you knock them down to? What are the advantages from dealing with them? Can I expect it to be a better quality car?

Also -- I did visit my local Manheim to witness an SL350 (not sell for £10k cos it didn't hit the reserve of 9500 + their commission) to get an idea of how much cheaper these cars go for in auction. I wasn't able to go on the days they had a 2010 SL500 but I will next time.

Is auction a bad idea? since I guess you'd have no way of knowing if the usual problems had been dealt with.

 

[John Laidlaw]

That’s a decent buy if it’s genuine and in good order

 

[JBell]

At least buying from a dealer you will get a Tier 1 Warranty for 12 months, the SL can be a bit costly to repair (ABC)

 

[ajlsl600]

nothing wrong with well vetted auction sl, but only if you see it as 4k plus off the money as that could easily be yr post purchase exposure with these cars. really look it over well and see all warnings ect .you could get a great deal , if you dont have to spend the 4k great . take into account ,are you going to do any work yrself or not, makes huge difference as to how far yr repairs budget can go. remember the best of SL's are likely to sell themselfs and probrably dont reach the auctions

 

[houseboss2]

Might be worthwhile to check this one out at CCA Auctions in Warwickshire.

https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/mercedes-sl55-amg-kompressor

I always attend this auction and see some great cars as well as some not so great!!

Michael

 

[L John]

Now -- Is that a good price? How much can you knock them down to?

I found the main dealers pretty tight at knocking anything off but they pushed hard on added value extras like a special coating on the paint.
If you get the extras they are more likely to give a discount but you end up paying more than you intended.
Without accepting any up sales I'd not expect them to take more than £500 off the screen price and even that would take hard bargaining and an end of month sale to enable the salesman to meet his months sales targets.
If they feel they have you on the hook they wont budge an inch but will resort to the old standard, if you don't put a deposit down it could be gone before you return.

 

[ninjamagic]

So in terms of mileage. What's acceptable for an SL? That 2002 model has 125000 on the clock. How does that translate into the cost and maintenance of the car?

 

[flowrider]

Mileage isn't necessarily an issue, it all depends on how the SL has been maintained. Having said that my 2004 has only done 52k miles.

 

[houseboss2]

So in terms of mileage. What's acceptable for an SL? That 2002 model has 125000 on the clock. How does that translate into the cost and maintenance of the car?

The auction house office will give details of available service history etc.

You can see any available documentation prior to auction on the day.

Michael

 

[98Dynaglide]

Wow, £23,000 is expensive for an SL55 with that mileage - no wonder they call them 'Main Stealers'.

Similar SL500's are under £10,000, same age/year - is the '55' really worth a £13,000 premium?

The underrated SL600 bi-turbo might be a better choice - if you could find one.

Even better value are CL600 bi-turbos.

Had both as a daily driver and the CL was easier to live with, and better built with more toys.

Maybe it's an age thing, hard to get in the SL's these days...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Submariner1]

I think you would have to be awfully savvy to pick a good one at the auctions!
Its so fast and furious! You cant jack it up, you cant plug in an MBII!
At BCA you only hear it run for a few minutes driving to the podium!

Boy you could drive off and find a shed load of issues.

Personally I would look for a Dealer sale, or a private seller and take it to an Indy like MBS to go over it with a fine toothcomb.

Buying mine which was a genuine full serviced good one, I identified £1,500 of issues. And another £500 being picky to get her perfect.
I probably looked at her for a good solid hour!

As for the 112K miles .... on an SL 230 ... sorry you must be mad! Unless it is dirt cheap.
You "could" be staring at £10Ks worth of refurbishment.

But what do I know ... I've only had 4 from new!

 

[LostKiwi]

As for the 112K miles .... on an SL 230 ... sorry you must be mad! Unless it is dirt cheap.
You "could" be staring at £10Ks worth of refurbishment.

But what do I know ... I've only had 4 from new!

But you've also never owned them past the first flush of youth.
Aside from ABC and SBC the rest of the car should be fine. Budget those costs and I don't see an issue with high mileages.

 

[Submariner1]

But you've also never owned them past the first flush of youth.
Aside from ABC and SBC the rest of the car should be fine. Budget those costs and I don't see an issue with high mileages.

You are right on that point.
And yes if maintained properly and you budget for these costs then I guess its OK, for the seasoned eye!
I just felt the auction was so quick, its not for the novice.

Are they a bargain?. When I went more than 3 traders explained what is going on.
Namely lots of unemployed are trading, happy to make £200 on a trade. But if anything goes wrong they vanish.
They said this is driving up the bid price to near private sale value.
Plus the restrictive practices of BCA. Apparently they own "we buy any car".
And are building the biggest car auction site on the planet.
All the good cars will be retailed there, all the dregs will go to auction.
And be pushed hard.
Iwent 3 times in a row and watched a CL500 with a cracked rear screen go through 3 times ...
I met one trader, who bought it , and found oodles of issues and had a massive fight to get BCA to take it back.
It was pushed through 2 more times until it made £15,500 which is what they told me they wanted for it ( er thats what the trader said we buy any car paid for it ).

Its a seriously concerning domination of the 2nd hand market, and IMO not for the faint hearted or the novice buyer.

Just not for me. Anyway

 

[houseboss2]

.
Plus the restrictive practices of BCA.

Peter

I agree with you as regards trade auctions. BCA,, Mannheim etc.

The one I referred to earlier was CCA Classic Car Auctions which are held approx every 3 months.

It is always interesting and many owners are selling cars they have owned forever, with many years history.

I assume they have tried to sell privately and have been discouraged, many give up and will sell via an auction with commission
just to sort their individual situation. Some vehicles come from estates and others with unbelievable low mileages.

It is always interesting, even if not bidding!

Michael

 

[Submariner1]

Thats sounds much better.
But after seeing the fabulous deal you got on your perfect CL500 Micheal ... I shall initially go and see what the main dealers can do for me, especially if the 2 year full amg warranty is available

 

[samannan]

Hi NinjaMagic

I test drove the SL55 at Brentford earlier today.. best one I've seen for a long while, but sadly I will not be buying it... the grey reminds my wife of her grand-mother's hospital room

Dealer did not budge much on the price, but did offer me 2 years full warranty
P.S. don't walk past the R231 SL63!

 

[Frontstep]

Looking for a car for the youth and main agents haven't been a great place so many with faults that should have been fixed before selling.
Auction might be next, might as well accept it will need work and budget for it.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Wow, £23,000 is expensive for an SL55 with that mileage - no wonder they call them 'Main Stealers'.

Similar SL500's are under £10,000, same age/year - is the '55' really worth a £13,000 premium?

The underrated SL600 bi-turbo might be a better choice - if you could find one.

Even better value are CL600 bi-turbos.

Had both as a daily driver and the CL was easier to live with, and better built with more toys.

Maybe it's an age thing, hard to get in the SL's these days...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

SL600 s are like hens teeth!

 

[ajlsl600]

So in terms of mileage. What's acceptable for an SL? That 2002 model has 125000 on the clock. How does that translate into the cost and maintenance of the car?

if you are going to do any work yourself and have the kit, experience and time to do so i would take high miles over a tatty body all day, but at 125k miles i would expect to be nicking the car. i never buy a tat bodied car . if it had very good service history i might be prepared to pay for that .but as previously said ,these cars can very easily eat 3k if poor service history and you have to cover labour costs .

 

[ninjamagic]

Blimey! I was away in the USA and missed all the recent replies to this!