Test drove SL55 today! Question...

ninjamagic

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So today I took out a beautiful 2004 SL55 for the first time. I experienced the thrust and rumble of the V8 and discovered a few quirks of handling (wheels lose a bit of traction when rapidly accelerating)

As it was a test drive I did a bit of sharp braking, and some sharp acceleration (who wouldn't) and did some quick lane changes too see how she worked at speed.

The dealer seemed to imply that if I drove like that in real life -- that the car wouldn't last very long.

Now I didn't do anything do anything dangerous or reckless and as far as I could tell(!) I just wanted to see how she worked.

But it does make me wonder. When I drive my BMW e90 or SLK R170, I like to accelerate fast, often as fast as the car will let me -- which, to be fair, isn't close to the power of the SL55 -- and I've never had a problem.

(Its worth mentioning that a while back my brother in law let me drive his 911 turbo and in his words "it's a car meant to be driven" so its totally meant to go fast which suited my driving)

SO -- My question.

Was the dealer exaggerating? Is a 14 year old SL55 supposed to be driven lightly? Can it take a lot of acceleration in a straight line? Because I want to drive my car. That's the whole point of me getting one of these.

I don't want to race it. I'm not talking donoughts or drifting. I just want to let it rip as often as I can. I live out in Essex with a lot of country lanes and A roads so the opportunity is ample.

Thanks.
 

Damian Davis

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E63 AMG Saloon 2007
So today I took out a beautiful 2004 SL55 for the first time. I experienced the thrust and rumble of the V8 and discovered a few quirks of handling (wheels lose a bit of traction when rapidly accelerating)

As it was a test drive I did a bit of sharp braking, and some sharp acceleration (who wouldn't) and did some quick lane changes too see how she worked at speed.

The dealer seemed to imply that if I drove like that in real life -- that the car wouldn't last very long.

Now I didn't do anything do anything dangerous or reckless and as far as I could tell(!) I just wanted to see how she worked.

But it does make me wonder. When I drive my BMW e90 or SLK R170, I like to accelerate fast, often as fast as the car will let me -- which, to be fair, isn't close to the power of the SL55 -- and I've never had a problem.

(Its worth mentioning that a while back my brother in law let me drive his 911 turbo and in his words "it's a car meant to be driven" so its totally meant to go fast which suited my driving)

SO -- My question.

Was the dealer exaggerating? Is a 14 year old SL55 supposed to be driven lightly? Can it take a lot of acceleration in a straight line? Because I want to drive my car. That's the whole point of me getting one of these.

I don't want to race it. I'm not talking donoughts or drifting. I just want to let it rip as often as I can. I live out in Essex with a lot of country lanes and A roads so the opportunity is ample.

Thanks.

It’s an AMG. It’s built to be driven and the engine and drivetrain are strong . Was the dealer generalising or was their something about that 55 to note. As long as the car has reached oil temp it’s fair play for fun.


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ninjamagic

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He was generalising. What's that about reaching oil temp? How long does that take?
 

Damian Davis

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takes around that in mine - I choose to go a bit further on a short ride to get to temp and then let rip
 

John Laidlaw

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As said, it’s an AMG, designed t be driven hard and fast, even at 14 years old!You’ll never stress that big V8!
 
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ninjamagic

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What about the other parts? ABC? Wheels? Brakes?

I do feel the guy was being precious. But it made me a little worried that this isn't the car for me.
 

Damian Davis

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The SBC has a finite number of brake activations and then is a pricy replace . The upside is the discs aren’t as expensive as those without SBC for instance on my 07 E63. No real weak spots just wear and tear items . The 55’s engine is considered more bulletproof than the 63 (early ones) check for leaks , tyre tread , exhaust condition etc and then go for it.


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John Laidlaw

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What about the other parts? ABC? Wheels? Brakes?

I do feel the guy was being precious. But it made me a little worried that this isn't the car for me.
If the ABC components are already on the way out maybe yes hard driving, braking cornering would cause a failure, but then better find out on a test drive!
Wheels no- brakes..? Well that is an area you need to be prepared to spend on anyway if you buy an AMG.
Lots of members on here with 55’s and I don’t believe they’re all wrapped in cotton wool
 
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ninjamagic

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When the time comes. I am gonna need a Mercedes SL55 wizard to have a looksie, since I am too much of a noob. Is there anybody in the Essex/wider* area who can offer this service?

*I don't actually know where I am gonna buy this car from.
 

gramey

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What about the other parts? ABC? Wheels? Brakes?

I do feel the guy was being precious. But it made me a little worried that this isn't the car for me.

Accelerating hard in a straight line, braking hard and swapping lanes isn't really driving, have you considered a Mustang. :)
 
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ninjamagic

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Accelerating hard in a straight line, braking hard and swapping lanes isn't really driving, have you considered a Mustang. :)

Ha! That's my point! I didn't think I'd done anything "wrong" -- I kept it pretty sensible.
 

Lord_Lucan

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Probably just salesman trash talk. More than likely he thinks you're just wanting to test drive with no intention of buying it me he's probably worried you'll cause something to fail; ergo he's thinking about himself.
 

ajlsl600

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maybe he knew something about the car... and did not really want you to expose that on an aggresive run.in my view that occasion is ,EXACTLY the time for such a run .to give you an idea of what you may be getting into. when i got mine the pre purchase run WAS as aggresive as its ever been and never since.
 

daibevan

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I took my wife with me when we test drove our W203, as we were just starting to see what was out there and it was our first day of the year we'd given ourselves to find one. She was not happy with the way I drove it. The car has a C/S button & I have a W/NW button.:D:D
 

flowrider

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I have just bought another car and the dealer encouraged me to test it's performance, we even went on a motorway to give the car a blast.
 


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