About to buy an SL55...wish me luck!

[BaldGuy]

Like many on here I've done the rounds with various AMG's etc and have just bought a "project" 2003 SL55 with 76k miles and reasonable history... Since February I've spent a small fortune on the ABC and other bits, the cost of which would get me a decent hatchback... I knew what I was getting into and this one will stay with me as I have other cars. They are great but a badly maintained one can cost you 1000's...

 

[flowrider]

SL prices for good examples are creeping up at the moment. Personally I'm not a fan of the black/red combo but we are all different. The 55's are no different to any R230 and will need all the usual checks. A bit of a red flag for me is that the owner states no expense spared yet there is a suspension issue, why hasn't he fixed it? One other thing, Colin Montgomery once owned it, so what!

 

[MrGreedy]

A bit of a red flag for me is that the owner states no expense spared yet there is a suspension issue, why hasn't he fixed it?

Yes! good point!
A bit of a red flag that the owner is potentially talking rubbish and telling porky pies!

 

[Dickster]

No expense spared? Be your own judge of that. Check the car out and all the documentation. As I said the car should be without fault.

The ABC fluid is difficult to check. New stuff is almost translucent - I looked at mine and thought it looked good until I bought some! Ask for proof that it’s been changed. With regular maintenance the struts rarely fail.

 

[ToeKnee]

I found the easiest way to check Tyne abc fluid is to wipe the dipstick on a piece of white kitchen roll, you'll soon see what colour the fluid is. As said, should be green not any shade of brown.

 

[Continental]

Good luck - it looks lovely - love that shape SL.

 

[Celicasaur]

So.

I spoke to the chap and he said he's had the valve block rebuilt about 6 months ago, along with fresh fluid.

I've explained my (and clearly all of yours! hehe) concerns about the ride height and frankly told him that while it looks like a very pretty car, the vast majority of buyers are going to run and not bother, because of the potential bills at large. I said he can keep the 18" alphard wheels and ebay them and I'd be interested at £15.5k which builds in a reasonable buffer for me to plough £2-3k back into the car to make the suspension lovely and thus worth me asking for the same strong money because it will actually be worth it this time. He said £15.5k is too low and he wont deal, but if I come to view the car, we can talk.

Now I just need to decide if I want to have a £19k SL55 with fresh suspension... (guessing 16 for the car and spending 3k on the suspension...is that enough? i'm assuming it should be fine especially seeing as the fronts have had arnotts and the valve block has been done).

 

[BaldGuy]

So.

I spoke to the chap and he said he's had the valve block rebuilt about 6 months ago, along with fresh fluid.

I've explained my (and clearly all of yours! hehe) concerns about the ride height and frankly told him that while it looks like a very pretty car, the vast majority of buyers are going to run and not bother, because of the potential bills at large. I said he can keep the 18" alphard wheels and ebay them and I'd be interested at £15.5k which builds in a reasonable buffer for me to plough £2-3k back into the car to make the suspension lovely and thus worth me asking for the same strong money because it will actually be worth it this time. He said £15.5k is too low and he wont deal, but if I come to view the car, we can talk.

Now I just need to decide if I want to have a £19k SL55 with fresh suspension... (guessing 16 for the car and spending 3k on the suspension...is that enough? i'm assuming it should be fine especially seeing as the fronts have had arnotts and the valve block has been done).

If the fronts have already been done with a rebuilt valve body and receipts to prove, then the backs will be 1k each ..... also the Tandem Pump is about £1200 and then you have one last rear valve block too.... all prices quoted are MB Parts that you get 2 years warranty with.... also factor in worn ABC pipes/unions that may need replacing - I know all this from recent experience with my money pit!!

 

[Celicasaur]

...^ which takes me nicely onto: I've decided that this one isn't the right SL55 for me

I called him back and said that I'm sure I'll like it in person as it looks great in the pics and i'm in a position to buy. However, it's a 90-100 minute drive to East London and there's no point in me making the journey if he's going to insist on a price that I know I'll never agree with. I stuck with £15.5k - he said he wouldn't budge from £17k. We both agreed to part ways.

Pity as there was a black/red in Leicester last week at a trader dealer place. I made the mistake of sending a message to part ex my W124 cab and wait for the response. 2 days later it was gone. There's a guy on eBay selling a freshly refurbished set of those 19" wheels, so I just really need to find a solid example first and then add luxuries like the wheels later. If you guys are selling up soon or manage to find one before I do, please post here and let me know.

 

[flowrider]

Keep an eye on the ad and wait for the price to come down.

 

[BaldGuy]

...^ which takes me nicely onto: I've decided that this one isn't the right SL55 for me

I called him back and said that I'm sure I'll like it in person as it looks great in the pics and i'm in a position to buy. However, it's a 90-100 minute drive to East London and there's no point in me making the journey if he's going to insist on a price that I know I'll never agree with. I stuck with £15.5k - he said he wouldn't budge from £17k. We both agreed to part ways.

Pity as there was a black/red in Leicester last week at a trader dealer place. I made the mistake of sending a message to part ex my W124 cab and wait for the response. 2 days later it was gone. There's a guy on eBay selling a freshly refurbished set of those 19" wheels, so I just really need to find a solid example first and then add luxuries like the wheels later. If you guys are selling up soon or manage to find one before I do, please post here and let me know.

Those wheels have been advertised for quite a few months....

 

[Dickster]

How quickly are SL55’s moving ? When I bought mine I watched cars for sale for months - that was two years ago. They do appear to be slightly more expensive now but are they selling?

Shame that’s so far away as it’s worth seeing it so you’ve got something to compare to. I looked at one described as fantastic for £12k and it was rubbish. Very grubby interior, rust issues and no history.

some people are deluded.

not ideal when the car is further away, but I would always negotiate face to face. And I’ve often travelled miles to view cars - when I bought a 911 20 years ago it involved three overnight trips!

 

[Dickster]

Looking on eBay they do seem to be slightly higher priced than two years ago. They were generally £10-£15k, but now they all seem to be around the £20k mark. At least the ones with similar or higher mileage than mine - 69k miles.

 

[Celicasaur]

Yeah, I did say that I'll keep an eye on his ad and wait for the price to come down, as there won't be many like me who are willing to buy a car with issues that will cost around 3k to put right. I'd have gone to view and make an increased offer of £16k in person, but the way he was talking over the phone "come take a look and it you like it, then great" - I knew it was going to be a case of being told in person that it'll be £17k please or lump it. So I saved myself the trek to East London (only 20 odd miles or so but it's a 90 minute+ drive) and I went to the gym instead

@BaldGuy those wheels on eBay....I take it that they're no good then, by the way you wrote that? How much should I budget for a mint set of those then? I of course don't want to pay 3.5 - 4k for them from Germany.

And yeah, SL55's are definitely more than what they used to be a few years ago and close to 20k does seem to be the figure for a nice ~60k miler and owned by a nice chap called Steven from Reading.

It's ok, this set back just gives me a bit of time to prep my A124 for sale. I'll be sure to update the thread when I find another potential car. Definitely grateful for the insight from all of you - collectively saved me from buying that car yesterday tbh

 

[W1ghty]

Yeah, I did say that I'll keep an eye on his ad and wait for the price to come down, as there won't be many like me who are willing to buy a car with issues that will cost around 3k to put right. I'd have gone to view and make an increased offer of £16k in person, but the way he was talking over the phone "come take a look and it you like it, then great" - I knew it was going to be a case of being told in person that it'll be £17k please or lump it. So I saved myself the trek to East London (only 20 odd miles or so but it's a 90 minute+ drive) and I went to the gym instead

@BaldGuy those wheels on eBay....I take it that they're no good then, by the way you wrote that? How much should I budget for a mint set of those then? I of course don't want to pay 3.5 - 4k for them from Germany.

And yeah, SL55's are definitely more than what they used to be a few years ago and close to 20k does seem to be the figure for a nice ~60k miler and owned by a nice chap called Steven from Reading.

It's ok, this set back just gives me a bit of time to prep my A124 for sale. I'll be sure to update the thread when I find another potential car. Definitely grateful for the insight from all of you - collectively saved me from buying that car yesterday tbh

You certainly sound like you know A LOT MORE about SL’s and their suspension now . Looking forward to your future purchase buddy

 

[BaldGuy]

Well.....I bought or should i say stole these for 1k with tyres and I've just got them back from being refurbed.. centres in Mercedes Himalayan Grey as per the new OEM centre caps I've bought with diamond cut edges

Those ones listed I personally think are too dear as they don't have tyres

 

[Will]

Was going to reply the other day - a nice enough looking car, and the colour combo/wheels etc are appealing

But if you close your eyes and forget about the wheels for a moment you have a 6 owner 18 year old SL55 with 86k miles.

If I was buying one I think I would try and hold out for one with lower miles, ideally a facelift and if a 030/PP car came up then that would be perfect (you’d get the split rims plus also upgraded brakes, LSD, raised limiter and a few other bits ) Depends on budget and what’s out there of course.

I do agree with others that it seemed priced quite strong for a private sale at that age/mileage, but then I’m not in the market for one either. If it’s especially tidy and you like the colour/spec/condition and are able to agree on a price then go and see it. I wouldn’t be too happy as a seller if someone was trying to suggest my car needed £3k worth of work and knocked the price down without viewing - in my experience they tend to be the same people who try and knock the price down on the phone, and try again when they come to view also. Not saying that was your intention, but you can’t say the car needs £3k of work without viewing either!

I wouldn’t read too much into the ride height until you’ve seen it in the flesh. Was it parked level for those photos? Seemed to be parked sideways, on an unusual road leading to an old building - could just be the road surface to be fair? I’d be more worried about it sinking when parked up or fluid leaks and stuff like that. A thorough inspection at a MB specialist, appraisal of the current system and a STAR diagnostics report would probably tell far more than internet guesswork!

I remember R230s were generally considered quite complex and expensive cars to maintain even when quite new. I expect that the passing of time would not have changed that situation much especially for parts likely to have aged/perished and with typically greater mileage now.

Have another think about it, maybe see what others come up for sale and see how the seller is in a week or two. IMHO worth a viewing - it’s not that far to travel for a ~ £20k car - my last three ‘55s (1x CLK55 and 2x E55K) were from between 170-250+ miles away each! After viewing if you don’t like it or can’t work a deal at least you’ve seen one and can use it as a benchmark

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Was going to reply the other day - a nice enough looking car, and the colour combo/wheels etc are appealing

But if you close your eyes and forget about the wheels for a moment you have a 6 owner 18 year old SL55 with 86k miles.

If I was buying one I think I would try and hold out for one with lower miles, ideally a facelift and if a 030/PP car came up then that would be perfect (you’d get the split rims plus also upgraded brakes, LSD, raised limiter and a few other bits ) Depends on budget and what’s out there of course.

I do agree with others that it seemed priced quite strong for a private sale at that age/mileage, but then I’m not in the market for one either. If it’s especially tidy and you like the colour/spec/condition and are able to agree on a price then go and see it. I wouldn’t be too happy as a seller if someone was trying to suggest my car needed £3k worth of work and knocked the price down without viewing - in my experience they tend to be the same people who try and knock the price down on the phone, and try again when they come to view also. Not saying that was your intention, but you can’t say the car needs £3k of work without viewing either!

I wouldn’t read too much into the ride height until you’ve seen it in the flesh. Was it parked level for those photos? Seemed to be parked sideways, on an unusual road leading to an old building - could just be the road surface to be fair? I’d be more worried about it sinking when parked up or fluid leaks and stuff like that. A thorough inspection at a MB specialist, appraisal of the current system and a STAR diagnostics report would probably tell far more than internet guesswork!

I remember R230s were generally considered quite complex and expensive cars to maintain even when quite new. I expect that the passing of time would not have changed that situation much especially for parts likely to have aged/perished and with typically greater mileage now.

Have another think about it, maybe see what others come up for sale and see how the seller is in a week or two. IMHO worth a viewing - it’s not that far to travel for a ~ £20k car - my last three ‘55s (1x CLK55 and 2x E55K) were from between 170-250+ miles away each! After viewing if you don’t like it or can’t work a deal at least you’ve seen one and can use it as a benchmark

As they say in Spain: muchos wise words.

 

[Celicasaur]

To be fair though, the seller acknowledged that it's higher on one side than the other and what made me completely distrust him and aim for the worst case scenario (ie buffer for £3k of work) was the fact that he poorly tried to pass it off as being because of the 19" wheels. I was a little bemused and said c'mon bud...we both know it has nothing to do with the wheels. He insisted that on the 18 inch wheels, the issue wasn't that bad. So...he was clutching at straws and having an idea of what i'd be up against (thanks to this thread), it kind of gave me some perspective as to what level of funds I'd need to put it right. Each strut being around £850 quickly takes me not to far from the 2k mark. If you spoke to him, you'd quite quickly gauge that he is a bit of a fast talker and you'd be forgiven for making an offer with the worst in mind.

I'll definitely keep an eye out though, but maybe just from a dealer so that I can part ex my A124 and add a bit of cash on top.

 

[Dickster]

At least with a dealer you get some peace of mind too. I discovered mine had a few faults after I bought it, and I negotiated a refund of £1k.