R230 sl 2006-2008

[Sam12]

Hi,

I am currently looking to buy an SL350 between 2006 - 2008, just want to hear from a few owners about there opinion of the car and I have a few questions to ask about ownership. I am only 20 years old but with some man maths and large reductions in spending I worked out by early next year I can afford to do it.

Ideally I want to spend around 16k to get a 30k to 40k mile car.

I am not expecting great things for fuel economy but what sort of numbers do you guys get?

Im expecting the most I will ever see is about 35 mpg on a motorway run
about 25mpg on a twisty country road to work and even worse around town.

Have you guys had any expensive issues with the car? I want to steer clear of cars with ABC and as far as i am aware the roof sealing issues were fixed by 2006.

What is the stock audio system like? I really want the BOSE but not many 350's have it!

What is it like in the handling department? I'm not expecting it to drive like a 911 but a bit of sporty feel would be nice.

Any other advice for me?

Cheers,
Sam

 

[kajan]

Hi Sam

Fuel economy wise expect between 9-15mpg around town, on a motorway drive of some distance the best I have seen is 26-28 mpg, but I guess it depends on how long your drive is. I have never seen anything beginning with a 3.

The roof sealing issues were not fixed after 2006, my car is a 2007 on a 57 plate. I have had the seals done (£1200), but already leaking again, so I will try the fix suggested on here. My PSE pump went so shelled out another £750 for that. Apart from that I haven’t had other issues. It isn’t a cheap car to run, depending on your budget. If you’re really unsure then have a good look around some of the problems other members are posting and check some of the prices for fixing them.

For me the stock system is ok sound wise, but I am not a purist, again you should have a good listen to it. However there is no AUX in and no USB. There are a couple of different upgrades you can get for usb or ipod integration but they may not be cheap. I have the mCar solution which is great for ipod and will also give USB and phone integration. The Bluetooth on it is not great though. If you can find a BOSE one then sound-wise that will obviously be better but I don’t know what integration is available for that, if it is important to you.

I don’t know what a 911 drives like, I wouldn’t expect an SL to be as sporty handling as that, but is a great fun car to drive, has enough power and you can have a nice time on country roads

Plenty of info on here just have a look around

Good luck

Julian

 

[Peter T]

I've had an 09 SL350 for nearly a year now, and I would say it's a brilliant GT car.

I had an 07 SLK 280 before this. This was a sports car, fast, brilliant handling, very nimble, but small and with a firm ride. The SL bigger, more comfortable, better equiped, but still very fast and nimble.

For me the standard sound system is fine but I'm not a connoseur either. For music I just load up an SD card and let it go.

I bluetooth my phone to the system and it works fine.

 

[reflexboy]

On my SL500 I get about 11-14mpg round town. A 1200 mile jaunt to and around Scotland returned 26mpg. Going to Nottingham a few weeks ago with large sections of the motorway down to a 50mph limit gave me 30.1mpg. First time in four years I've hit 30. A run at 70-80mph will return about 26-28mpg on my V8 500. Should the 350 not be a bit better? The only way to really sort any roof/ C pillar leaks out is not by an MB dealer. Either a good indie or DIY

 

[kajan]

I've had an 09 SL350 for nearly a year now, and I would say it's a brilliant GT car.

I had an 07 SLK 280 before this. This was a sports car, fast, brilliant handling, very nimble, but small and with a firm ride. The SL bigger, more comfortable, better equiped, but still very fast and nimble.

For me the standard sound system is fine but I'm not a connoseur either. For music I just load up an SD card and let it go.

I bluetooth my phone to the system and it works fine.

Hi Peter T

what are you loading your SD Card into on the stock system?

thanks

 

[Peter T]

Hi Peter T

what are you loading your SD Card into on the stock system?

thanks

Mine has an SD card slot in the Command front panel.

I can also load music onto the hard disc, but this is a bit slow.

 

[l5foye]

With SLs, I think you can either be lucky or unlucky. I came into the latter camp. Replacements needed included front strut, 2 rear shocks and 2 PSE pumps. There were paint defects fixed under warranty; discolouration of panels at rear window and roof leaking. Some experts will tell you that roof leaks are due to the body flexing. I also had a battery drain, the cause of which was never found. I will not even mention servicing costs. All these faults were in a car with less than 60k miles and always driven gently. Would I entertain another one ?-Definitely not. I was glad to see the back of mine. Yes, they are nice to drive though the steering falls short of a BMW.

 

[Parisien]

Were there also/still issues with the M272 engine?

Mercedes-Benz M272 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


P

 

[DSB SL AMG]

What year was yours?

With SLs, I think you can either be lucky or unlucky. I came into the latter camp. Replacements needed included front strut, 2 rear shocks and 2 PSE pumps. There were paint defects fixed under warranty; discolouration of panels at rear window and roof leaking. Some experts will tell you that roof leaks are due to the body flexing. I also had a battery drain, the cause of which was never found. I will not even mention servicing costs. All these faults were in a car with less than 60k miles and always driven gently. Would I entertain another one ?-Definitely not. I was glad to see the back of mine. Yes, they are nice to drive though the steering falls short of a BMW.

 

[Bill513]

HI Guys.

Recently purchased a 07 plate 350SL and have to say Luvving it ! ;-) Fuel is around 10-12 around town and 22.0mpg on a good run with variable speeds involved. I find I don't want to drive this car fast and am happy to stick around 60mph and just enjoy the ride ! other times I like a blast Never had a convertible before but luv having the roof down most of the time more than some convertible owners I see on the road ! Its just been taken back for an MB A service and basically little else to do ! A good buy in my case and a real beauty to boot in Tanzanite Blue with Tobacco coloured leather interior ! I too had considered the 911 option but got sucked into the MB option...good engineering, bullet proof engines and good looks ...luv taking the roof down ! A work of art

 

[DSB SL AMG]

Glad your enjoying...but please check the boot for water after a down pour, the boot / c post seals leak by design and cause havoc with the electrical modules...if its dry its had the DIY repair

HI Guys.

Recently purchased a 07 plate 350SL and have to say Luvving it ! ;-) Fuel is around 10-12 around town and 22.0mpg on a good run with variable speeds involved. I find I don't want to drive this car fast and am happy to stick around 60mph and just enjoy the ride ! other times I like a blast Never had a convertible before but luv having the roof down most of the time more than some convertible owners I see on the road ! Its just been taken back for an MB A service and basically little else to do ! A good buy in my case and a real beauty to boot in Tanzanite Blue with Tobacco coloured leather interior ! I too had considered the 911 option but got sucked into the MB option...good engineering, bullet proof engines and good looks ...luv taking the roof down ! A work of art

 

[Bill513]

Thanks for your sage guidance ! I did check the vehicle thoroughly prior to purchase, however it aint been out in the rain yet, though I did hose the car down recently enough to flood it and cleaned all the drain holes some of which were partially blocked on my first thorough clean through the vehicle(No leaks so far ...fingers xd), also cleaned all crap off the seals...dust etc and treated same...hopefully all helps !

 

[Bieldside]

Sl

I have an SL500 which was £92000 new
Most options ticked inc pan roof + Bose

I paid £18500 with 40,000 miles under its belt

Mpg is poor around town at 12-15 and about 25 mpg on longer trips

I have spent about £3000 in two years fixing bits but thats me being fussy

And then £1500 on a new Pioneer Appleplay system to replace the Command system - bluetooth, iphone, etc .

Great car for the money and I doubt I would ever sell it

 

[Bill513]

Hi all,

Amazed yesterday on a run out achieved 29.8mpg, mixed conditions. Loving the top down exhaust note too ! ;-)

 

[Bill513]

Its not being fussy fella, I have just ordered 2 new number plate lenses as the current ones are cracked quite badly and yellowed ! Didn't spot that on my pre purchase inspection! but good to be replacing worn parts ! detail ! Also, strangely Mercedes was cheaper that online for an original part ! Yippee

 

[Bill513]

Good luck in your search ! Ive been through most things in my search and found an 07 350SL which Im obsessed with. V6 sounds track does it for me everytime i get in it. Fuel consumption ..Motorway 30. MPG runaround 18-20 depending...I find my right foot just won't stay still driving this thing of beauty ! It took me 2 years to find what I would call a great used one with 37K on the clock...dubious history ! but like all my cars ...it went home to MB for a major service as soon as and no problems and routine servicing done ! haven't regretted a minute of it ;-)