SL55 - Looks Good

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E55BOF

Hardcore MB Enthusiast
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CLS63 SB, SLK55, Cooper S, Triumph Sprint (Bike not Dolly...),
Now this

2004 54 MERCEDES-BENZ SL 55 AMG 5.4 SL55 AMG KOMPRESSOR 2D AUTO | eBay

is nice. It's not perfect - see the driver's seat bolster - but it looks good; really nice colour combination. I don't care for the 'turbine' wheels either, but that's not a fault, just personal preference.

The thing is, my SL500 has already had the SBC and ABC pumps replaced, and two front struts, and I'd bet this SL55 hasn't. The other problem is, I'd have to find somewhere local to store it until the spring, when I could get a decent price for the SL500.

It does look very good, though...
 
I do love my SL55, the prices are tanking now. Mine still has about 67000 miles and looks like a new car. I need to drive it more.
 
Still looks good, but having read dealer reviews, caution might be advisable. I gave them a call, and I'm told the SBC and ABC have recently had new pumps (good), but based on previous experience of the M113K at that sort of mileage, the engine and gearbox mounts, primary cat welded joints with the downpipes, and the cam cover breather chambers will all need, or will soon need, attention. Add in the (probable) corroded rear brake pipes under the undertrays, the cracking rear flexible hoses, the leaking boot seals, and the failing vacuum system, and maybe I should sleep on it.

I'd need to see an awful lot of invoices for work done to think it's worth what they're asking. It is very pretty, though - or was when the pictures were taken. It has been in the hands of the trade for over a year by the look of the MoT history, so they may be a year old.
 
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Lovely colour and the grey interior is a pleasant change from the usual black of that era.
Not a fan of the turbine alloys either but they can be changed.
I agree at that age and mileage, some, if not all the possible faults mentioned could be about to occur, but none of them particularly expensive provided they all don't occur at the same time.:wallbash:
The price is a little high, £10.5k is nearer the mark IMO, but one thing........................
Are you going to need/want the extra performance the s/c engine gives over your n/a 500?

If not, I'd leave it alone and enjoy what you have, a nice sorted car you know about.
 
Lovely colour and the grey interior is a pleasant change from the usual black of that era.
Not a fan of the turbine alloys either but they can be changed.
I agree at that age and mileage, some, if not all the possible faults mentioned could be about to occur, but none of them particularly expensive provided they all don't occur at the same time.:wallbash:
The price is a little high, £10.5k is nearer the mark IMO, but one thing........................
Are you going to need/want the extra performance the s/c engine gives over your n/a 500?

If not, I'd leave it alone and enjoy what you have, a nice sorted car you know about.

I recall the second E55K I bought, a 2004 on 126,000 miles. The engine mountings, primary cat joints, cam cover breather chambers, rear brake pipes and flexible hoses, all needed doing; quite pricey, though the exhaust had to come off anyway to do the welding and the engine mountings.

Do I need/want the extra performance the s/c engine gives over the n/a 500? Want? Of course. Need? Depends how you define need...

I'm not sure I trust the sellers, judging by their reviews. Of course, even less-than-scrupulously-honest dealers (yes, even Motorhub, and their feedback is much worse) sell some decent cars, but what I'd rather not do is traipse up there and find they've been spinning me a bit of a yarn about the size of the stack of invoices the car has. If it hasn't had the SBC unit and ABC pump renewed recently, I'd not pay more than £8K; I'm sure they'd not sell for that, but rather, keep the car and find a (bigger?) mug in due course.

I'd take the iCarsoft with me and read the codes after a test drive, but it's just so pretty I might do something foolish if nothing came up. I'll sleep on it again, and perhaps send them an email putting very specific questions. It does look lovely, though, in that colour combination...

I suppose I could pay a good chunk on a credit card, then if major problems emerged and the dealer wouldn't help (as if that would ever happen...:rolleyes:) the credit card company would be jointly liable.
 
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Well what a pretty car, such a nice colour combination, a real head turner, and looks so nice in the sunshine. I looked at the old MOT's and IMHO there is nothing greatly disturbing. Perhaps after a nights sleep and dreaming of posing with this you might consider a trip to Sandy to view it, even if you view and discount it, otherwise you will always wonder " what if ".
Because I know nothing of these cars, I was curious about the gear selector being so close to the centre console, or is this normal? Perhaps it is just a camera angle. Sweet dreams ...LOL .

Steve.
 
Toolman, that gear lever angle is normal.

Well, there's no record of any SBC work or ABC pump replacement, so I'll pass unless they'll take a silly offer, and stick with my sorted 500 until another 55 in the right colour combination comes up. It's still very pretty, though...
 
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Yeah I remembering noticing the angle of the gear lever when I first spotted the insides of one parked in Maidenhead High Street in 2003.

They are all like it.

It isn't actually that steep but the illusion is created by how they have built up the centre console angle beyond it towards the bulkhead - the angle of the lever is the same as it was in my old E55K which used the same gearbox.
 
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I've heard a couple of horrors about this seller. I bought a 4200 project off an SM forum member a while back who bought it from them initially. Nearly killed him on the way home due to major suspension issues. It wasn't the best example I'd seen and took me 6 months of work just to get it reasonable.
 
Well, there's no record of any SBC work or ABC pump replacement, so I'll pass unless they'll take a silly offer, and stick with my sorted 500 until another 55 in the right colour combination comes up. It's still very pretty, though...

120,000 and no ABC replacement / renovation / repair? Wouldn’t that be a record? Isn’t the reason it’s not mentioned because by this age (14 years, and 120k miles) ALL SL’s have had this work?

Given that 55’s have always been expensive, isn’t there a reasonable chance that it has been properly maintained? Who would drive a 500bhp two seater with a dodgy suspension?




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See rockits' post. There might be more than one owner...
 

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