Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe...Bargain?

i'm right there with you......

they are discontinuing production soon ?

 

Problem with AMG is they are so good that a year later , whatever is... now was ...they reinvent the wheel and the old wheels become old , quickly..
Good for the food chain though..the smaller fish get some bait afterall!

 

I drive a 2012 almost daily, up to about 11,000 miles now. Zero problems.

Matt

 

I would expect the depreciation to continue, especially once they are off warranty.

 

I have a 2011 and love, love, love it! Zero problems, sexy as hell and fast as lightning! It really is a super car. To be honest, I though it would be a beefed up SL. I was wrong!

 

It is like a properly engineered German Corvette. On crack.

They are built very solid and have a big V8 that makes a nice rumbly deep sound. Not like the screaming Italian V8s or even the German 6s. It makes oodles and gobs of power and is very flexible.

The transmission seems to work best if you leave it in auto and let the computer decide what it should do. You can switch the gearbox manually (same gearbox as the 458 Italia BTW) but it doesn't respond to paddle input nearly as quickly as the 458. This is the only disappointment. The engineers at MB worked very hard to make sure the computer knew what to do in regards to the proper gear and if you are okay letting the computer decide, it does a wonderful job. If you like a more manual approach, you will likely be disappointed by that aspect as well.

The ride is a bit firm and the big tires can make abrupt noises that seem to be transmitted through the suspension. This is more of a sports car than a GT like the SL and it shows.

The doors are sexy. The hood is impossibly long and will bring a smile to your face. Especially if you imagine that you are in a fighter jet coming in for a landing on an aircraft carrier when you are first seated in front of it. The rear boot is tiny for such a seemingly long car. It's big enough for some soft sided luggage but again, not a GT for a two week tour with your significant other. Unless the tour is along some warm coast line and your significant other wears a tiny swimsuit. Or nothing at all.

They are wrapping up production and the next car will not have the gull wing doors. I think prices will continue to drop a bit but then hit the initial plateau. I would like to think they will stabilize there as they become more appreciated and begin to appreciate.

 

Corvette...... More like viper

 

The SLS is an awesome car, but Mercedes AMG have absolutely horrid deprecation...the higher up the food chain you go, the worst it gets. Take a look at this:

2009 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class AMG North Miami Beach, Florida | Prestige Imports

If we're to assume the original owner paid MSRP and will get the asking price in this ad, not including tax/title/license/insurance/fuel, that's over $20 PER MILE in deprecation alone.

 

IMO the gullwings will fare far better in resale than the convertibles, the whole thing about the car is the doors (I know the whole car is special but that is what makes it unique). The coupe is gorgeous in every color I have seen, a rare feat for any car.

Unfortunately for bottom-feeders such as myself I also don't think the coupe will continue to drop, drop, drop like say a CL65 or SL65. You can find '05 SL65 for $40k-ish and CL65 around $30k with higher miles. The SLS will probably bottom out at $75-90k in another 5-10 years, but won't go down much from there. The car by all accounts is a swiss watch and very reliable which will in time make it the "sensible" exotic alternative to the Italians or Aston Martin.

In time fashion will change and the next big thing from AMG will make it look old for a time, then it will be timeless.

 

When your talking 100k plus, I'd have to be looking for something more exotic than MB. Each to his own.

 

thats exactly what i have been told... $150k will buy you a 599.....

 

One thing I have never liked about Mercedes is the vague steering feel on center, and over boosted. BMW, Porsche abs Ferrari are so much better in that regard.

Does the SLS have it? That and the seats are what I didn't like about my old e55.

 

Really!?

 

yeah me too...SLS or 550/575 would be a much harder decision though.

 

So you would prefer an SLS over a 599.... but it would be a harder decision for an SLS vs a 550/575?? That makes no sense.

 

Schumacher's wink killed my interest....

 

It was the latest gotta have it car for some, now that crowd has moved on to new trinkets.

 

It's a Mercedes. The only MB product that does not depreciate like a falling boulder is the Gelaendewagon. The rest of em? Well, best off waiting a couple of years to buy one. Let some other guy take the first depreciation hit.

I wouldn't want to DD one. It's too rough. Suspension is too hard. Doors are too flashy (attracts too much attention every time you get in and out). The trunk is too small. That's not to say it couldn't be DD'd if you were motivated to do so.

The 6.2 V8 is a very reliable motor, and the SLS is much cheaper to keep running than some of the MB V12 models. In other words, it won't break the bank like an S65 will.

 

i previously owned an sl55.
i currently have an sl63.
i test drove the sls 2 years ago and then decided against purchasing it (the test car did NOT have the optional "ride control" suspension).
i found the ride to be too harsh for my taste.
the sls drove more like a track car than my current sl.

 

perhaps it makes no sense to someone who only cares about the latest and 'greatest'. It's unfortunate you have this outlook as you'll likely miss out on many great cars because of it.