SL 55 - Looks Interesting, But...

[Will]

Bof,

I know you’re keen for a bargain but surely it’s so much less hassle/risk/headache to buy a regular UK SL55, with proper service history, provenance, proof of legit ownership etc?

It has all the hallmarks of one to avoid at all costs, the upside is small IMHO - remember the Bradford SL you bought the other year?

SL55s aren’t exactly rare and this isn’t even in a colour you were keen on I thought?

Just some friendly impartial advice!

 

[alabbasi]

Al, the format of the second VIN (what you guys call the Identification Number) is the same format as the UK VINs on all the (ten at last count) UK-spec Mercedes cars, the earliest a 1994 and the latest a 2014, I've had since 2013. The number is stamped into the bodywork and visible under the LHS of the screen.

Right, the vin# for US cars was standardized through legislation in 1981 so that anybody could read the vin of any car and identify make, model, year, factory etc. Prior to that, it was determined by the manufacturer as it continues to be outside the US.

If he has the first vin stamped in that spot on the windshield. I would think that it's a US car or one that has had its vin altered at one point.

I just checked my vin# and it's definitely not my car!

 

[alabbasi]

Another thing you could do if you're friendly with the guys in the parts department is to call them up and give them the vin#. They would be able to tell you everything about the car including the dealer where it was delivered. If you decide to buy it. Order a birth certificate from MB classic center and keep it with you. It will help you when you go to sell it.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Think I'd walk.

 

[E55BOF]

I quite like the red leather with the silver, but I can't think of a legitimate reason why a UK car would have a US VIN.

Unless, of course, Mercedes made a mistake at the build stage. No, I can't see it either...

For 'Oh ye of little faith' substitute 'Oh we of little faith'. I'm walkin'...

 

[clk320x]

This: 2003 03 MERCEDES-BENZ SL 5.4 SL55 AMG KOMPRESSOR AUTO 493 BHP 2DR CONVERTIBLE | eBay

It may not be all it seems, though. Never had an MoT test, seller/second owner has had it since 2016 but hasn't applied for a registration document yet, sold as seen. I wonder where it has been all its life?

Hmmmmmmmmmm....

STOP PRESS: I spoke to the owner. It was on M15 ABV until he bought it in November 2016. No service history, of course, but no BS about how he had it but lost it either. The MoT history looks OK, but until there's a V5 document ref no. it can't be checked to see if it was all in the same area/same garage. In an ideal world, it would have been serviced and looked after by a registered Mercedes indie, who would immediately recall it. (Don't laugh; my SL has a very dodgy-looking five years in a duplicate service book, but once I found out what reg it had been on, the indie concerned confirmed it was all correct).

He bought it as an investment, but now he's bought something more valuable as an investment and needs the garage space. He says he can't sell it without it being registered in his name because he's not a dealer.

Still Hmmmmm, but perhaps now with a rather different intonation.