I'm considering buying a Mercedes for my wife.(AMG SL55) Does anyone have experience with/own one of these cars. Would you recommend this as her daily driver? Thanks, Will
I've seen huge discounts on the 07 MB SL55/63 etc.. Can't loose with such a fine automobile. If you can swing an 08 with SL63 and DSG tranny try and do so. Its a true breakthrough technology. If you decide to go for the round headlight design of the 07 I can't blame you with the 14K dollar discounts being offered. It'd be tough to pass on those huge discounts. Best of luck. Truly a beautiful design. JB
Do yourself a favor. Purchase a 2y/o certified pre owned from Merc. They have a 100k warrantee and you will save a bunch of money up front, plus you won't have to endure that horrible depreciation. My wife wanted a new car 2 years ago. So we purchased a new CLK55 convert for her. That car went from 90k to 50k in a blink of an eye. Next time I'll buy a CPO with 25k on it and save a bundle. BTW all of the friends with SL55's I know, simply love em'. Very solid and robust car, and a GREAT daily driver. Darrell.
I bought one last june, it is truly amazing for the price. I'm kicking myself a little for buying a brand new S550 for almost double what I paid a few months earlier. The 550 gets almost no run time now. The exhaust is great but have your wife drive it first, my girlfriend loves mine because its a convertible but she says its too loud and doesn't like to drive it much, she prefers the S. So check with her first because the SL550 can be had at amazing deals too and are around 400 hp themselves so they aren't slouches they're just missing the sporty feel and loud exhaust. Maintenance wise I bought a 3 year extended from chryslerservicecontracts.com i paid around 2600 or so for 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. I live in the center of townh so I've only done around 6K miles in 8 months so you may need a longer contract, no problems thus far even gas isn't that bad around $55 for a full tank.
I have a 2003 SL 55 w pano. roof, etc etc all options. 20,000 miles. No warranty. I have had the following problems; Power Steering Pump went- almost $1700 bucks. Electronic Ignition- car wouldn't start sometimes, had to try the key 5-6 times before it would. Intercooler Pump- went bad. really cheap $600 bucks installed at dealer. car would loose power when it was really hot. I bought the car with 12,000 original one owner miles, and in 6 months i have put almost 10,000 miles. Now for the good.... It was the one daily driver that can put a smile on your face! It can be docile and easy to drive around town...nail it...and you have unleashed a monster. Pure muscle. I don't know why i ever drove anything else.
CPO is the way to go with these cars. I bought an 04 with a few k on it for over 30k less then sticker. Then I moded it (alot), got bored a traded it. It is a great car if you like speed in a straight line and very little driver feedback. Just curious, would you wife be just as happy with a regular SL?
My wife's SL55 was a disaster. We sold it and she now drives an 08 Z06. The problem areas included: 1.) the top would not always close 2.) difficulty putting gas in the car 3.) transmission failure in 2 instances, once the transmission was replaced 4.) squeaks, rattles 5.) trim pieces randomly falling off When running properly, it is an ideal car for any woman who wants to leave the SUV in the garage. Hopefully, MB will get their act together in the near future.
I say find her a SL500, unless she's a speed demon and can't live with 300+hp from the V8. The SL55 is a fantastic car, but unless you want the noise and the speed, the 500 is every bit as good for a lot less money. Personally I have a SL500 and is sort of regretting not going for the 55. (then again looking at the recent fall in Benz/AMG price maybe I got lucky not buying the AMG)
Yes, I agree. The SL55 WILL KILL YOU. lol. It's that fast. Just to give you an idea. On Top Gear they tested the CLS55 (same engine as the SL55, just a bigger, heavier car). The CLS55 went faster than an Aston Martin Vanquish S, Porsche GT3, and Spyker C8. Also was only .1 of a second slower than a Ferrari 575M GTC. That shows a lot. Just imagine if it was the lighter SL55. Here's the video if you'd like to see it. It's towards the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK5Zy9CN-_Y
its an SL.. something you buy for status and supposed class... if its for your wife i would rather flatter her with something more exquisite like a 4200 spyder - just as luxurious, italian, and even more exciting... SLs and Carreras are everywhere... no longer intriging cars to even daily drive, for that cost. if you can get one within reasonable pricing (cheaper than the Maserati) then i suppose it is worth it.
one of my favotire cars ever you can't go wrong. i've driven one at 160 and it was rock solid and got to that speed effortlessly. i personally love the round headlamp design and hate the new boxy look so i'd take the discount and get the '07
How is the Maserati more exciting? You get 400HP from the Maserati and 500HP from the SL. Also the Maserati has a not so nice gearbox...
You think the lady will enjoy the car for the HP? Having driven both (and owning an even older 3200GT), I can say that the Maserati is more of a treat.. When you drive the SL you will be lucky not to see 3 either behind you or adjacent to you. SL55 is a nice car but its no longer what it used to be. If you want an SL, you should get a 63 or 65, but when it comes to the 55, i would say the Maserati is nicer overall. Sure the Merc will beat it in a drag, but I doubt this particular person will be drag racing.
I own both an SL55 and a Maserati I do like the maser more but it is a lot more engauging car to drive personally I love it as it is lighter and a lot more nimble then the SL and I love the f1 transmission now that I have adjusted to it if you want a car for the wife get the SL silky smooth and a dream to drive out on the road, plus the sound when you lay into it is great I got the first SL55 that came to my dealer when it first came out, I have had two problems first one was when I first got it one of the rubber pieces in the top mechanism was messed up and had to be replaced because the top didn't open Second was a year ago the glove box release broke (300 to fix) that is it
We have had both a Maserati and have the SL55 now. People do say the 55 does have a better exhaust note than the 65 from what I have read online, and I wouldn't doubt it. My mom has driven both our old Maserati and now our current SL55. She perfers the 55 by miles. It's bigger, it's a convertible hardtop, the power, and that its a better car than the Maserati we had. (2003 Maserati Coupe). The SL55 does beat the looks compared to the '03 Maserati Coupe we had, IMO. Our SL55 is also Silver/Red...
fair enough, The pre-facelifted Maserati coupes were highly flawed, but are only considerably *more* exciting because they are italian (and ours is 6MT, which grew to become rare.) They do feel underpowered (the 3200GT) but that is something you appreciate because you have a classic v8 purring ahead of you - sure the SL is like a phase of thunder, but the magic is only there when you slam the throttle.. Maserati seems more elegant, and for a woman, that seems best fit, no? btw, Silver on red is a good original combination.
I'm not trying to disrespect the Maserati Coupe/Spyder at all. Actually one of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. Also my dad and I test drove the new Granturismo S over the week. That car is a car you MUST drive. First Maserati that felt like a Ferrari, IMO. Being in our '03 4200, '07 QP (we own now), and testing a '08 Granturismo. The S is a different story.
