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Stepping up from a 2008 SLK 280 Auto to a 2004 SL 350 Auto.

Joined
Dec 1, 2020
Messages
47
Location
West Lancashire
Car
December 2005 C220CDI Estate Auto
Well it looks very much like I have aspired to my 3rd late life crisis car with a rather tidy mid November 2004 SL 350 Auto with a certified 109,000 miles and supported by MoT history back to the first one on 27th November 2007.
The car is the ubiquitous Silver with Black leather and for a nearly 19 years old car with 3 previous registered keepers the interior is very very clean and tidy and comes with a full book pack and leather MB wallet.

Hopefully it will be collected Wednesday or Thursday this coming week.

An early test drive or two has well convinced me that the SL 350 Auto is a far more comfortable drive than the SLK280 Auto and for aching creaky 77yrs+ bones it is a little less of a challenge getting out of the drivers seat.

Doubtless I will be updating as I begin getting used to the car but first impressions are that it is notably a larger car than the SLK 208 and the front and rear parking sensors will be of great value.
 
Check the seal at the bottom of the rear window... before it rains.. if its loose, or tired it may need replacing.. they all leak into your boot over expensive electrical consumers. Good luck with your new SL ..
 
Check the seal at the bottom of the rear window... before it rains.. if its loose, or tired it may need replacing.. they all leak into your boot over expensive electrical consumers. Good luck with your new SL ..
Hi John757. The boot is absolutely bone dry and with no evidence of ever having had water ingress.

What is the answer !! - walk away and look for a totally different manufacturers product that does not have the quirks of Mercedes;if it is not one thing then it is another.

Is the seal an easy/inexpensive replacement or is it a rear window removal exercise !!

What is the product that owners use for keeping the seals flexible and in good shape ?
 
I mentioned the seal as its a relatively easy replacement and costs around the £100 mark. I did not check mine properly and suffered water ingress.. just a heads up.. I love my SL R230 , it is elegant and classy.. and in 55 AMG guise a real supercar. I sat in an SLK and it was too small for my 6'2" height.. the SL is much roomier.. enjoy your SL you will find it a relaxing long distance GT ;)
 
I mentioned the seal as its a relatively easy replacement and costs around the £100 mark. I did not check mine properly and suffered water ingress.. just a heads up.. I love my SL R230 , it is elegant and classy.. and in 55 AMG guise a real supercar. I sat in an SLK and it was too small for my 6'2" height.. the SL is much roomier.. enjoy your SL you will find it a relaxing long distance GT ;)
Hi again John. My days of long distance driving have long gone in real terms. I am a mere 4'10" tall and weigh 68kgs wet through so the size of most cars has never been an issue and in the SLK it has definitely never been an issue.

It is rare if I drive much more than 50/60 miles these days with the return journey being the same.

My main concern at present is whether my Fixed Income and small private pension can stand the often very very unexpected and eye watering maintenance contributions to my Indy !!
 
Costs of ownership are an unknown quantity on all cars... the SL as with other convertibles have a moving roof so are naturally more complicated. Your car suspension is I assume on conventional Springs and dampers, not ABC , so considerably less expensive to repair.
Like all things prompt professional Indy servicing will hopefully prevent problems building up.. I have had my SL55 AMG 2 years and it just had a major service, including engine and gearbox mounts, engine and gearbox oil/ filters, SBC brake fluid change, spark plugs (×16) prop shaft coupling, supercharger and auxiliary belts changed.. at my local Mercedes Indy and that was about £2290 and took three days. Your V6 'should' be less to service.. and maintain.. I put a bit aside each month for maintenance.
 
Thank you to those of you that offered help/advise/guidance.
After a rather strange happening last night where my Debit card expiry date was not recognised by the sellers system with a link that he had provided.
I eventually spoke with him on the phone and then I drove 27 miles through and spoke with him Face to Face and stated that I was altogether happy with very very short test drive that he was allowing me to conduct - I wanted to be happy that the cruise control was functioning correctly - he said to me "leave it mate - just forget it" and walked off.
I was not expecting him to foot the cost of a gallon or so of fuel but he was not for listening so I drove away from his used car site.

I may keep looking and find another - who knows !!
 
Costs of ownership are an unknown quantity on all cars... the SL as with other convertibles have a moving roof so are naturally more complicated. Your car suspension is I assume on conventional Springs and dampers, not ABC , so considerably less expensive to repair.
Like all things prompt professional Indy servicing will hopefully prevent problems building up.. I have had my SL55 AMG 2 years and it just had a major service, including engine and gearbox mounts, engine and gearbox oil/ filters, SBC brake fluid change, spark plugs (×16) prop shaft coupling, supercharger and auxiliary belts changed.. at my local Mercedes Indy and that was about £2290 and took three days. Your V6 'should' be less to service.. and maintain.. I put a bit aside each month for maintenance.
Thank you again John for your words of wisdom. That is basically what I have done over all of the years of my buying cars - mostly higher end in their various manufacturers stables.

Yes but as I understand the SL 350 still has 12 spark plugs and slightly less complex servicing schedule.

For the time being I am sticking with my 2008 Jasper Blue SLK 280 Automatic that touch wood needs nothing further investing into it.
 
Thank you again John for your words of wisdom. That is basically what I have done over all of the years of my buying cars - mostly higher end in their various manufacturers stables.

Yes but as I understand the SL 350 still has 12 spark plugs and slightly less complex servicing schedule.

For the time being I am sticking with my 2008 Jasper Blue SLK 280 Automatic that touch wood needs nothing further investing into it.
I personally would stick with your devil you know SLK , I think an older SL is a backward and potentially more expensive move . Especially with your admitted low mileage .
 
Thank you to those of you that offered help/advise/guidance.
After a rather strange happening last night where my Debit card expiry date was not recognised by the sellers system with a link that he had provided.
I eventually spoke with him on the phone and then I drove 27 miles through and spoke with him Face to Face and stated that I was altogether happy with very very short test drive that he was allowing me to conduct - I wanted to be happy that the cruise control was functioning correctly - he said to me "leave it mate - just forget it" and walked off.
I was not expecting him to foot the cost of a gallon or so of fuel but he was not for listening so I drove away from his used car site.

I may keep looking and find another - who knows !!
You are welcome .
"devine intervention " your minor card issue.. and the dealer's attitude, seems like a lucky escape for you! . The right car is out there... waiting.. perhaps that SL wasn't the right one.
:cool:
 
I personally would stick with your devil you know SLK , I think an older SL is a backward and potentially more expensive move . Especially with your admitted low mileage .
Amen. I love big expensive older cars which, in my experience, have been trouble free thanks to careful maintenance by well-heeled previous owners

BUT you have to be comfortable with assessing the car, and be prepared to take a risk and potentially pick up a bill or two.

So I’m with W1ghty on this. Better to stick with the car you know and love. Give it an early summer deep clean and just enjoy your low mileage motoring. It’s the right size vehicle for you. There’s no real benefit in upsizing.

That salesman rightly lost his sale. Probably because he knew there were issues in the SL that would be found on a longer test drive.

Best wishes
 
I’ve had a similar thought process a few times. I’ve had my 2008 CLK 350 for eight years now. Bought when my children were smaller and we could use it for family days out as a second car. My eldest son will be 16 this year and the youngest is growing fast. We never use the Mercedes for family trips now. Just me on my own or me and my wife. Have considered swapping it for an SL350 or similar but ultimately stick with the CLK as I have kept it immaculate all these years and it is absolutely mint. Buying an SL is tempting but for the limited miles my CLK does, it just doesn’t seem worth the risk. So I keep the CLK! Sometimes the devil you know is a less risky option, particularly if funds are limited when it comes to maintenance.

I don’t do many miles in mine and would object now to forking out £££s to get an SL sorted out. My CLK is relatively cheap to run these days as I’ve taken care of stuff as I’ve gone along and it’s now fairly settled. Apart from a faulty parking sensor which needs fixing. But that’s the only issue on a 15 year old car. Can’t really complain!
 
Hi again to you all. Well I don't often go against what I vowed that I would never do !!

I am referring to the eyewatering VED £675.00 on a 27th September registered SLK 350 Auto.

I must confess that I have mentally steered away from a 2004/early 2006 SL 350 Auto in favour of looking again at an SLK 350 but unfortunately my eyes very quickly fell onto a 27th September 2007 registered SLK 350.
The car has just 90,000 miles on the clock and is immaculate - just as though it has come out of a dealership showroom.
It is the variant with the 'paddles' as well as the regular 7sp Automatic Triptronic gearbox.

I will be going back for a second viewing tomorrow Monday 5th June with a view to leaving a deposit

Before I set off late morning I will be wrestling with the 'should I really stay with what I have got rather than pandering to the eyewatering VED and very likely a slight increase in fuel consumption.

Does this car have the 12 sparkplug technology - it is listed as 24 valves - so 4 valves per cylinder !
 
I did some man maths on SLKs earlier in the year.
My conclusion was that a 3rd gen 2013/14 350 was the way to go with 306bhp & 273 torque, 0-60 5.6 secs, £265 road tax & claimed 39.8mpg was the was to go.
However, then I looked at SLC’s.
Not for the purist, but SLC 250CDi, 201bhp, 369 torque, 0-60 6.6 secs, £30 road tax & claimed 70.6mpg
Circumstances changed so my man maths ended up with a Porsche Macan:doh: :banana::banana::thumb:
 
Hi again to you all. Well I don't often go against what I vowed that I would never do !!
I am referring to the eyewatering VED £675.00 on a 27th September registered SLK 350 Auto.
I must confess that I have mentally steered away from a 2004/early 2006 SL 350 Auto in favour of looking again at an SLK 350 but unfortunately my eyes very quickly fell onto a 27th September 2007 registered SLK 350.
The car has just 90,000 miles on the clock and is immaculate - just as though it has come out of a dealership showroom.
It is the variant with the 'paddles' as well as the regular 7sp Automatic Triptronic gearbox.

I will be going back for a second viewing tomorrow Monday 5th June with a view to leaving a deposit
Before I set off late morning I will be wrestling with the 'should I really stay with what I have got rather than pandering to the eyewatering VED and very likely a slight increase in fuel consumption.
Does this car have the 12 sparkplug technology - it is listed as 24 valves - so 4 valves per cylinder !
Just make sure that you give it a proper test drive with your sceptical trousers on. I looked at 2007 SL500's a while back on 60k ish, and found that there were huge variations in wear / aging. It's all about how a convertible is used, maintained and stored.

Detailing is fabulous these days. For a couple of hundred they can restore lots of wear back to "showroom condition." You need to reassure yourself about how it actually drives relative to your current motor. (For £200 your current one can be restored to "showroom condition.")

"Flappy paddles?" They're the things you play with in the first week of owning the car, and then never use again.

There are loads of SLK350's out there, looking for that very small group of new owners who can afford the insurance, VED, and mpg.

Instead of paying £4,500, I'd be looking to spend £2k more for a 2 owner SLK350 on almost half the mileage and a perfect MB history.

There's no urgency, big engined cars sell slowly, and prices of convertibles soften in three months time.

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