How bad of an idea is it to buy an SL65 (R230) in 2023?

[Celicasaur]

As per the title, I'm debating treating myself to one of these, but am I going to curse my very existence with frequent repair bills? I don't know too much about the engines in these other than the coilpacks are very expensive and sold per bank to solve misfires, but apart from that, you don't really hear much about these (probably because they're low in numbers and owned by people that don't moan a lot)

Aside from the usual R230 issues to look out for like ABC suspension and all the usual interior electrical gremlins and battery control messages and (does it have SBC?) other things (gosh, hmm...) - is this generally a stout motor that will happily plod along with routine oil changes and the odd repair here n there to like...alternators, or water pumps etc? Ie, does it have big achilles heal issues like rod bearings on the bmw s85 v10, or all manner of top end issues with the m156 amg 6.2 etc?

There's a black one on autotrader that's covered 130k. I'm not bothered about mileage, as long as money has consistently been spent on a car through it's life to keep it well maintained. I would generally not be too concerned with high miles on a bmw v8/v10 that's been well maintained or even an m156.....does the same apply here?

 

[alabbasi]

I have an SL55 and CL65. They've been pretty solid but I don't drive them much. There are some high dollar items for the V12 like engine mounts, turbo o rings and coils but it's not going to be worse than any exotic

 

[Skd884]

Y O L O go buy it quickly epic cars!

 

[Celicasaur]

Ok so, I've decided to up my budget and consider this one instead:

Mercedes SL65 AMG V12 Biturbo - 45k Miles - Facelift 2007 Model - Low Owners | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mercedes SL65 AMG V12 Biturbo - 45k Miles - Facelift 2007 Model - Low Owners at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

But....it's a BIT steep at £55k. Stunning yes and semi-facelift yes and 45k miles yes.....but £55k?

I've been doing lots of research on market values and checking sale prices on Collecting Cars. Apart from that one freak designo blue one that somebody bought for £45k one year and sold it the next for £90k (damn, what a win!) they've not really sold for £55k and the closest was a 2009 full facelift with lower miles around 8 months ago.

I've spoken to the seller and he doesn't want to budge at all insisting that he's got buyers lined up etc etc. I'd pay the full price if it's a good purchase, but something tells me that I would really struggle to sell it at that price myself, so what I like to do where possible is protect myself by paying the right price.

I suppose if I can't agree terms here and I can't find another for a good price, then I'll veer off course and get a 911T.

 

[fabes]

Essentially no miles between 2018 and 2022, but also no attention or service mentioned either.

No idea if that's important on this car.
But what was done on the 2022 opening up of the car???
Are the tyres flattened or new?
Air con still good?
Oils and other fluids still good?
Battery related issues?

To the (very) untrained eye, that period may have created issues unless it was stored correctly, on trickle and had a thorough recommissioning service.

As said, bills could be runious....

It does clean and polish up well though !

 

[Dickster]

I agree, stunning car, but price appears steep. If I had a bigger budget when I bought my SL55 I’d have gone for the f1 optioned version.

On response to the original question, it’s a great idea - do it while we’re allowed to run around in big engine cars.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Ok so, I've decided to up my budget and consider this one instead:

Mercedes SL65 AMG V12 Biturbo - 45k Miles - Facelift 2007 Model - Low Owners | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mercedes SL65 AMG V12 Biturbo - 45k Miles - Facelift 2007 Model - Low Owners at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

But....it's a BIT steep at £55k. Stunning yes and semi-facelift yes and 45k miles yes.....but £55k?

I've been doing lots of research on market values and checking sale prices on Collecting Cars. Apart from that one freak designo blue one that somebody bought for £45k one year and sold it the next for £90k (damn, what a win!) they've not really sold for £55k and the closest was a 2009 full facelift with lower miles around 8 months ago.

I've spoken to the seller and he doesn't want to budge at all insisting that he's got buyers lined up etc etc. I'd pay the full price if it's a good purchase, but something tells me that I would really struggle to sell it at that price myself, so what I like to do where possible is protect myself by paying the right price.

I suppose if I can't agree terms here and I can't find another for a good price, then I'll veer off course and get a 911T.

A fundamental flaw in the Vendor’s assertion that buyers are lining up to buy it is that it hasn’t been sold. Likewise others stay in the market for months or years.

The market for the SL 65 is tiny, always has been and always will be. It will always be a connoisseurs choice, most people prefer more show with that level of go.

If it’s the car for you though, then don't be put off buying one - they’re truly wonderful machines - and a great way to convey oneself and one other to the South of France.

If getting all of your money back when selling it is important then it may not be the car for you. Using and properly maintaining it will cost a lot, so it’s not for the budget conscious.

 

[mattk1]

I would be slightly apprehensive about this car. As mentioned above the service history is not great with a recent near 4 year gap. Any car with ABC needs to be used on a regular basis otherwise all the seals & rubber hoses go hard and can deteriorate to the point of total failure very quickly. I would need to see some solid hard evidence of a very thorough recommissioning detailing all the work etc before thinking of any offer. Also, for a such a high end car approaching £200k when new in 2006 it's a relatively basic spec compared to other SL's of that era, it has no air-scarf or distronic.

KR Matt

 

[alabbasi]

I like it. It's clean and miles are right. If you're worried about maintenance costs, you should probably avoid anything with a V12 or ABC

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Y O L O go buy it quickly epic cars!

Y O D O

You Only drive One car at a time.

Which should it be?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

A fundamental flaw in the Vendor’s assertion that buyers are lining up to buy it is that it hasn’t been sold. Likewise others stay in the market for months or years.

The market for the SL 65 is tiny, always has been and always will be. It will always be a connoisseurs choice, most people prefer more show with that level of go.

If it’s the car for you though, then don't be put off buying one - they’re truly wonderful machines - and a great way to convey oneself and one other to the South of France.

If getting all of your money back when selling it is important then it may not be the car for you. Using and properly maintaining it will cost a lot, so it’s not for the budget conscious.

Amen to this.

As someone who does that South of France trip regularly the caveat I’d put is that it won’t get you there any faster than an SL350.

Great car, great engine, great exhaust note, great bits of spec, and even great fuel consumption but it’s not actually faster to drive for 14 hours in the UK and France.

People rarely drive these things to the South of France. Like most Ferraris, this car has averaged just 3,000 miles a year - the equivalent of just one Riviera tour

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Do whatever you fancy, but know that owning it will be expensive and it will be difficult to resell when something else catches your eye.

 

[oldguy57]

A fundamental flaw in the Vendor’s assertion that buyers are lining up to buy it is that it hasn’t been sold. Likewise others stay in the market for months or years.

The market for the SL 65 is tiny, always has been and always will be. It will always be a connoisseurs choice, most people prefer more show with that level of go.

If it’s the car for you though, then don't be put off buying one - they’re truly wonderful machines - and a great way to convey oneself and one other to the South of France.

If getting all of your money back when selling it is important then it may not be the car for you. Using and properly maintaining it will cost a lot, so it’s not for the budget conscious.

,Agreed. Typical dealer overpricing, and it's been for sale for months so I wonder where the queue is?. I've been looking for one for a handful of years but most have been silver with grey interior and a limited spec and or very high mileage. I found 2 early on ( one black with Berry red and one Jasper Blue with grey) and made good offers which were turned down and found out later that they had sold for less than I offered. Made me give up but I still look occasionally and they do come up. Maybe one AMG V12 is enough though?

 

[NJSS]

MikeinWimbledon was so right when he wrote:-

As someone who does that South of France trip regularly the caveat I’d put is that it won’t get you there any faster than an SL350.

I go to the South of France and also to the Pyrenees frequently. I choose my SL with those trips in mind, and am delighted with it.

NJSS

 

[chic0821]

he's got buyers lined up

If so why is he bothering with you & why is it not gone. Cos he likes you . Leave your price, name & number but emphasise that you are looking at others.
You may find the other "buyers" vanish. If not bide your time for another one

 

[Red C220]

My experince of buying low volume and exotic models.

When you're buying "It's rare sir, there are so few you're lucky to find one available and that's the price."

When you're selling "There's a reason it's rare sir, no one wants them I'm afraid we can't offer anything close to your asking price"

If residual value is of concern to you, don't buy anything with "65" in the description. You'll take a bath, either in repair costs or depreciation.

If you just want to own one and you accept your ownership is likely to cost £10k, £20K, £30k - whatever then go for it. But mentally write that money off from the day of purchase. Anything else is delusion.

 

[K80]

Just to offer a counter and different perspective, whilst I understand the appeal of big engine and special cars, one could argue it is just numbers that eat tyres and cost an absolute fortune in running costs when it really comes down to it. If I had that money and wanted a road trip to France, I'd buy an Alpine. Or even an SL600 for much less money, where you get a very similar car for the tech and spec.

I guess I am unconvinced these sorts of cars are worth the huge money gamble, especially if you are not convinced you can resell it. My worry here would be getting yourself into a headache of a car, which may spoil the fun? I can't imagine my opinion will be popular , apologies to be a bore , but just to offer another perspective in case helpful. There's lots of cars that are brilliantly enjoyable for road trips out there that are much less of a headache and gamble with money, both from a upfront purchase cost and running cost, I would think!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Just to offer a counter and different perspective, whilst I understand the appeal of big engine and special cars, one could argue it is just numbers that eat tyres and cost an absolute fortune in running costs when it really comes down to it. If I had that money and wanted a road trip to France, I'd buy an Alpine. Or even an SL600 for much less money, where you get a very similar car for the tech and spec.

I guess I am unconvinced these sorts of cars are worth the huge money gamble, especially if you are not convinced you can resell it. My worry here would be getting yourself into a headache of a car, which may spoil the fun? I can't imagine my opinion will be popular , apologies to be a bore , but just to offer another perspective in case helpful. There's lots of cars that are brilliantly enjoyable for road trips out there that are much less of a headache and gamble with money, both from an upfront purchase cost and running cost, I would think!

No need to apologise, but what you have written would not be unusual and is fundamentally why such cars donmt sel easily and depreciate rapidly. People are concerned about depreciation, maintenance and repair costs.

A different perspective might be that if this is a car which you would keep a number of years, and let’s say it would cost an average of £5k per annum in repair and depreciation costs, then it would still be less expensive than driving an almost new C-Class.

The only difference is that an even bigger bill might be around the corner once out of warranty. I would say that in reality the actual running costs would be less in practice than most people fear, but best go in with a pessimistic view in running costs.

 

[alabbasi]

It's a real problem

 

[Celicasaur]

Hey chaps, gosh this is such a faff. I really do want the car, but I refuse to overpay for it (well, so I say for the moment).

I spoke to the seller again and he insists he wont budge. I said I'll have a final think about it this weekend and let him know by Tuesday. If we can't agree a price by then, there's a nice 997 Turbo or F430 that I've got my eyes on, ironically both of which are considerably more than the SL65, but correctly priced. I literally just want something fancy and 'special' to look pretty on the driveway and occasionally take my daughter out in during the summer. For actually driving fast, I have three in the stable that I could not be happier with. This upcoming purchase is merely a 40th birthday gift to myself and to probably be the last cool car that I buy, before accepting my fate in a Vauxhall Zafira or something.

I'll keep you guys posted, but unless by some miracle the seller swallows his pride and accepts an even £50k from myself, he'll likely have to wait for that queue of other folks to stump up the cash.

Again....very annoying, because it ticks the 'special' box very well and is around £30k cheaper than one of the other options. I wonder who will swallow their pride first....him, or me.

 

[alabbasi]

What makes you think you're over paying for it?