reflexboy
MB Enthusiast
My search for an SL (R230) has been both disappointing and on the same token, fun. The SL350 just didn't do it for me, some dealers I wouldn't buy a loaf of bread from and others just didn't live up to expectations. However, I am now a proud owner (with a big cheesy grin on my face) of a 2002 SL500.The story goes like this:
Having driven a 350 and a 500, the decision was an easy one. The car is a weekend car (3K miles PA) so consumption was not an issue and the 350 just didn't give me that necessary grin! So I locate a 55 plate 500, some 80 miles away at an MB dealer, just about within budget, book a viewing and hop in the car with a mate to see it. After a murderous two and a half hour journey, we are almost there, only to follow the SL that I am due to test drive into the dealer's car park. Looks nice from a distance. As I park the dealer calls me to ask if I am still coming-I explain I'm in the car park and will be with him in seconds. He explains the 500 has just got back from a test drive, but he will get the keys and we can have a look. Immediately my mate notices both an inward and an outward dent on a front wing. The plastic in the boot is all sratched and cracked, the PSE/hood pump cover is missing and the body of the pump looks corroded (leaking seals??) I've read about that! Anyway, we have a good old chat with the salesman, whom, in comparision to my local dealer, seems a really nice genuine guy. During the chat he talks to us about a good customer of his whom buys many cars from them. He said they are always winding the guy up by telling him he must be a dealer as he is always changing his cars so frequently. (He registers the car in his name and transfers his private reg to the car too, so I'm thinking he's not a dealer) He was due to come in earlier that morning but didn't show, as he has an older (02) 500 he wants to sell back to the dealer. Apparently he is so picky about his cars he uses a paintbrush to dust the air vents. As we are chatting to the dealer this spotless 500 rolls in. Ah, that's Mr *****, the guy I was telling you about. Now our attentions are directed to this gleaming 500 sitting on 18" AMGs with polished lips. Wow-What a straight car. The dealer explains to Mr **** that I'm looking for a 500 and he tosses the salesman the key, tells hims to stick some trade plates on and take me for a drive. All goes well.....I'm liking this one. This guy is finiky- he keeps the beige overmats still in their plastic wrapping to preserve them! We have a nice long drive: A roads, town, motorway etc-hood up, hood down etc. Everything works 100%. I'm very picky, and cannont find fault except for two minute stonechips on the mirror and bonnet, which I would expect on an 8 year old car. Boot is totally dry, the ABC works spot on, no misting or oil from the hydralic struts, nothing. Oh, and the car has covered 16K miles from new, with every MOT, receipt, and full MB service to boot. Added to that the car still has 7 months Tier 1 warranty left on it too. My brain is now on overdrive, thinking about this car.....Erm, it's on an 02 plate, 5 speed gearbox, older than I really wanted, not the widescreen comand etc. The other was a 55 plate, 7G box etc, widescreen comand etc etc, but the condition was not a touch on the 02 plater and when I drove it, it creaked and rattled more than would be comfortable.
So we are now back from test drive and we're chatting away like old friends, and this guys really isn't trying to sell me his car, he knows it will sell quickly with the condition, history and mileage on MB's forecourt. The salesman comes over and he asks how we are getting on. I tell him it's nice, but I would now like to drive the 55 plate one, as that's what I originally came here for and need to compare the two differnet gearboxes. The guy whom I followed in, has only put a substantial deposit on the car and they cannot allow me to drive it as it is now sold. Grrrrrrr!! After a persuasive discussion the sales manager allows his salesman to take me out in it, but I am not allowed to drive it as it is sold. I understand and off we go. To cut a long story short, I do get to drive the 500 with the 7G box and actually prefer the 5 speed box. It seems smoother and the 7 speeder seems to constantly be changing gear which becomes annoying. As Jeremy Clarkson says 'It has two too many cogs'. I agree.
I then have a second test drive of the 02 car and whilst I'm out my mate is chatting to Mr ****, the seller. Turns out he loves old Mercs too and is looking for a runaround for his 2 mile journey to his local railway station and to take his dogs to the park. My mate shows him my 14 year old C280 and asks what I would take for it. My mate already knows what I would let it go for and upon my return I have a chat with him and he explains if I want to go ahead with the 500, he has negotiated a price for me. A good price at that an no hassle of selling privately.
So to sum up-I could get a near mint, loved car with 16K miles, FMBSH, and almost 7 months Tier 1 warranty, which looked and drove better than the MB approved used car for about £7K less and would PX my old car into the deal too.....decision made!!
The dealer has been very helpful and done a full HPI check on both cars and all is ok. The dealer explains that he would put the car on his forecourt for about £2K more than the price I had agreed with Mr*** with a 12months Tier 1 but if I want to deal with Mr**** directly then we must both understand that his dealership must have zero involvement with the deal and that it will be a private sale between me, the buyer and Mr****, the seller. The dealer then said if we need a desk and chairs to discuss anything, feel free to use the one by the coffee machine. (crap coffee-hot choc ok) What a nice guy considering he will gain nothing except for good relations from this deal. Actually, I probably took up over two hours of his salesman's time!! So we sat down, thrashed out a deal we were both happy with and pending Mr****'s private plate transfer, the car should be mine in a week or two. I picked it up last Tuesday and can honestly say, the buzz that I used to get from a car, that I haven't felt for years, returned instantly.
So I go to an MB dealer to test drive a car from them, meet a stranger selling the same car and end up buying it, with my old car chucked into the deal-Talk about fate!
Pics here: http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/members-gallery/96163-reflexboys-sl500.html
Having driven a 350 and a 500, the decision was an easy one. The car is a weekend car (3K miles PA) so consumption was not an issue and the 350 just didn't give me that necessary grin! So I locate a 55 plate 500, some 80 miles away at an MB dealer, just about within budget, book a viewing and hop in the car with a mate to see it. After a murderous two and a half hour journey, we are almost there, only to follow the SL that I am due to test drive into the dealer's car park. Looks nice from a distance. As I park the dealer calls me to ask if I am still coming-I explain I'm in the car park and will be with him in seconds. He explains the 500 has just got back from a test drive, but he will get the keys and we can have a look. Immediately my mate notices both an inward and an outward dent on a front wing. The plastic in the boot is all sratched and cracked, the PSE/hood pump cover is missing and the body of the pump looks corroded (leaking seals??) I've read about that! Anyway, we have a good old chat with the salesman, whom, in comparision to my local dealer, seems a really nice genuine guy. During the chat he talks to us about a good customer of his whom buys many cars from them. He said they are always winding the guy up by telling him he must be a dealer as he is always changing his cars so frequently. (He registers the car in his name and transfers his private reg to the car too, so I'm thinking he's not a dealer) He was due to come in earlier that morning but didn't show, as he has an older (02) 500 he wants to sell back to the dealer. Apparently he is so picky about his cars he uses a paintbrush to dust the air vents. As we are chatting to the dealer this spotless 500 rolls in. Ah, that's Mr *****, the guy I was telling you about. Now our attentions are directed to this gleaming 500 sitting on 18" AMGs with polished lips. Wow-What a straight car. The dealer explains to Mr **** that I'm looking for a 500 and he tosses the salesman the key, tells hims to stick some trade plates on and take me for a drive. All goes well.....I'm liking this one. This guy is finiky- he keeps the beige overmats still in their plastic wrapping to preserve them! We have a nice long drive: A roads, town, motorway etc-hood up, hood down etc. Everything works 100%. I'm very picky, and cannont find fault except for two minute stonechips on the mirror and bonnet, which I would expect on an 8 year old car. Boot is totally dry, the ABC works spot on, no misting or oil from the hydralic struts, nothing. Oh, and the car has covered 16K miles from new, with every MOT, receipt, and full MB service to boot. Added to that the car still has 7 months Tier 1 warranty left on it too. My brain is now on overdrive, thinking about this car.....Erm, it's on an 02 plate, 5 speed gearbox, older than I really wanted, not the widescreen comand etc. The other was a 55 plate, 7G box etc, widescreen comand etc etc, but the condition was not a touch on the 02 plater and when I drove it, it creaked and rattled more than would be comfortable.
So we are now back from test drive and we're chatting away like old friends, and this guys really isn't trying to sell me his car, he knows it will sell quickly with the condition, history and mileage on MB's forecourt. The salesman comes over and he asks how we are getting on. I tell him it's nice, but I would now like to drive the 55 plate one, as that's what I originally came here for and need to compare the two differnet gearboxes. The guy whom I followed in, has only put a substantial deposit on the car and they cannot allow me to drive it as it is now sold. Grrrrrrr!! After a persuasive discussion the sales manager allows his salesman to take me out in it, but I am not allowed to drive it as it is sold. I understand and off we go. To cut a long story short, I do get to drive the 500 with the 7G box and actually prefer the 5 speed box. It seems smoother and the 7 speeder seems to constantly be changing gear which becomes annoying. As Jeremy Clarkson says 'It has two too many cogs'. I agree.
I then have a second test drive of the 02 car and whilst I'm out my mate is chatting to Mr ****, the seller. Turns out he loves old Mercs too and is looking for a runaround for his 2 mile journey to his local railway station and to take his dogs to the park. My mate shows him my 14 year old C280 and asks what I would take for it. My mate already knows what I would let it go for and upon my return I have a chat with him and he explains if I want to go ahead with the 500, he has negotiated a price for me. A good price at that an no hassle of selling privately.
So to sum up-I could get a near mint, loved car with 16K miles, FMBSH, and almost 7 months Tier 1 warranty, which looked and drove better than the MB approved used car for about £7K less and would PX my old car into the deal too.....decision made!!
The dealer has been very helpful and done a full HPI check on both cars and all is ok. The dealer explains that he would put the car on his forecourt for about £2K more than the price I had agreed with Mr*** with a 12months Tier 1 but if I want to deal with Mr**** directly then we must both understand that his dealership must have zero involvement with the deal and that it will be a private sale between me, the buyer and Mr****, the seller. The dealer then said if we need a desk and chairs to discuss anything, feel free to use the one by the coffee machine. (crap coffee-hot choc ok) What a nice guy considering he will gain nothing except for good relations from this deal. Actually, I probably took up over two hours of his salesman's time!! So we sat down, thrashed out a deal we were both happy with and pending Mr****'s private plate transfer, the car should be mine in a week or two. I picked it up last Tuesday and can honestly say, the buzz that I used to get from a car, that I haven't felt for years, returned instantly.
So I go to an MB dealer to test drive a car from them, meet a stranger selling the same car and end up buying it, with my old car chucked into the deal-Talk about fate!
Pics here: http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/members-gallery/96163-reflexboys-sl500.html
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