SL55, SL65 or SL63

[nickjonesn4]

Defintiely on the move from central London next year which will have a couple of happy consequences -

1) A house with a double garage
2) A bit of a windfall and authorisation from the boss to buy a 2 seat sports car of some description

Have narrowed it down to the 4 cars below

R230 SL55 post 2005 but pre facelift
R230 SL65 post 2005 but pre facelift
R230 SL65 2008 post facelift onwards
R231 SL63 early model

I will be getting into some serious nerding over the next few months as well as trying to test drive all three.

Just interested in any thoughts from people who have owned all or any of the cars.

My initial preference is to go for a pre facelift R230 Sl65 as I already have a car with the M113k engine.

I'm not a big fan of the looks of either the facelift R230 or the R231.

Cheers

Nick

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Pre-facelift SL65; stunning looks with sociopathic power.

Because when you've got a bi-turbo V12 on your shortlist everything else pales into insignificance.

 

[nickjonesn4]

It's definitely a better looking car pre the 2008 facelift. Same engine though right?

 

[Red C220]

Stretch the budget and buy an SLS, it has the best chance of not depreciating and a half reasonable chance of appreciating. So you can even sell the "investment" angle to the accountant.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It's definitely a better looking car pre the 2008 facelift. Same engine though right?

As far as I'm aware, yes, 6.0 V12 Bi-Turbo.

 

[nickjonesn4]

I don't like the size of the sls - not usable on British roads. Think the previous facelift Sl65 is a good investment too. Very few RHD cars.

 

[Red C220]

I don't like the size of the sls - not usable on British roads. Think the previous facelift Sl65 is a good investment too. Very few RHD cars.

SL R230 width including mirrors = 2069mm
SL R231 width including mirrors = 2099mm
SLS width including mirrors = 2075mm

Any "65" AMG will drop money as fast an an offshore powerboat. They really don't hold value.

 

[Ginger55k]

Wonder why you haven't the SL600 on your list?

 

[nickjonesn4]

SL R230 width including mirrors = 2069mm
SL R231 width including mirrors = 2099mm
SLS width including mirrors = 2075mm

Any "65" AMG will drop money as fast an an offshore powerboat. They really don't hold value.

Interesting. One of the things I don't like about the R231 is how big it feels. The R230 doesn't feel like a big car. It must be the driving position on the SLS if you drive one it feels MASSIVE the visibility of the extremities is terrible and I intend to to drive this car as much as possible!

If you look at the pre facelift 65s they have levelled off in terms of dropping in price. They are actually worth more than the facelift cars 4-5 years younger.. As indeed have the SL55s especially the F1 editions.

 

[nickjonesn4]

Wonder why you haven't the SL600 on your list?

Guess I was just looking at the AMG versions but posted on here to get input so will add to the list if it's worth it.

 

[Red C220]

Interesting. One of the things I don't like about the R231 is how big it feels. The R230 doesn't feel like a big car. It must be the driving position on the SLS if you drive one it feels MASSIVE the visibility of the extremities is terrible and I intend to to drive this car as much as possible!

If you loon at the pre facelift 65s they have levelled off in terms of dropping in price. They are actually worst more than the facelift cars 4-5 years younger.. As indeed have the SL55s especially the F1 editions.

I'm used to an E class Estate, which is as wide as an SL and about a foot longer. When we drove the R231 on test drive it felt quite normal, not large at all.

I was also very comfortable driving Range Rovers and my old 560 SEC which is also vast.

Mind you I live in Surrey not London so there's a bit more room here outside the M25 ring. The 65's are an oddity, there are so few of them that they seem to hang around a while when for sale as people seem to be terrified of the running costs. After all a new one is £180K and they still come with the running costs of a £180K motor. It's like buying a Bentley, if you can live with the huge running costs it's likely to be a lot of fun.

A 63 is more likely to be something you could live with daily.

 

[nickjonesn4]

Cheers. That's useful food for thought.

 

[Ginger55k]

I suppose the 600 is very much under the radar, most don't know what it is, take the V12 emblem off the side and it could be a 350, well apart from the tyre sizes and brakes.

Mine is very much stock but a software ECU TCU upgrade gets you towards the 65 figures, that's if you can get the power down.

Jumping from the 55 with its very low down torque grunt to the V12 OMG when the turbo's spool up is really different with unreal and comical speed the needle moves round the clock.

Good luck with your search.

 

[nickjonesn4]

I suppose the 600 is very much under the radar, most don't know what it is, take the V12 emblem off the side and it could be a 350, well apart from the tyre sizes and brakes.

Mine is very much stock but a software ECU TCU upgrade gets you towards the 65 figures, that's if you can get the power down.

Jumping from the 55 with its very low down torque grunt to the V12 OMG when the turbo's spool up is really different with unreal and comical speed the needle moves round the clock.

Good luck with your search.

T hanks that's very useful also. Will defintiely add to the list then having looked at the specs.

Is yours pre or post facelift R230?

 

[nickjonesn4]

I'd imagine this would be pretty much und riveable Mercedes-Benz SL Class BRABUS SL 600 2DR TIP AUTO BI-TURBO 6.3

 

[Ginger55k]

Mine's one of the first off the production line on an 03, an old girl with venom

 

[Ginger55k]

I'd imagine this would be pretty much und riveable Mercedes-Benz SL Class BRABUS SL 600 2DR TIP AUTO BI-TURBO 6.3

Very nice alternative to the 65

 

[Red C220]

I'd imagine this would be pretty much und riveable Mercedes-Benz SL Class BRABUS SL 600 2DR TIP AUTO BI-TURBO 6.3

Jeremy can tell you...on Film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChwrBqiw7VY

I remember watching this episode and what was cut off right at the end after he posted the time on the board, was the fact it was actually slower around the track than the unmodified car it was based on.

 

[nickjonesn4]

Haha excellent, I can vaguely remember that. Would be fun on a wet roundabout I'm sure. Does it even have a proper LSD?

Would no doubt destroy most things at santa pod but corners... forget about it.

 

[Red C220]

Haha excellent. Would be fun on a wet roundabout I'm sure. Does it even have a proper LSD?

Would no doubt destroy most things at santa pod but corners... forget about it.

It's a Vmax car, for anything other than that it's a bit absurd.

I'm not entirely sure it would be any good at Santa Pod unless it got a rolling start!