Merc SL

I'm going to need a new dd soon and I drove an 07 SL550 this afternoon. I really didn't think I'd like it, but I was wrong. Super smooth car, quiet with the top up, good power and every lux gadget you can think of. I have to admit I'm considering it now, and it sure would make my commute every day a lot less stressful. This particular car is CPO at a local dealer but I didn't like it because it came from the northeast (salt) and had a bunch of electrical issues fixed/replaced as part of the CPO program. I also didn't like the fact they turned the front rotors instead of replacing them, when they found a "brake pulsation." My experience says they will just warp again.

At any rate, the 550 was nice but an earlier 500 might be more in the budget, say an '05. I told the guy to let me know if he got a black/tan '05 in, that I really liked it a lot more than I expected. My only real concern with the earlier models is the electric braking, which I believe they got rid of in '07. Anyone have any experience with the late model SL?

 

Well the front rotors were "in spec" just pulsed, while the rear rotors were out of spec and were replaced. According to the sheet, they spent almost $4k getting it CPO'd. My question to the guy was, if you're spending that kind of change getting it perfect then why the heck wouldn't you just replace the front rotors? There were also a number of electrical issues, which just speaks to me of someone who leased it and burned through it (winter too), then turned it in. But I was still seriously impressed. If I can find a clean southern car in black/tan for a reasonable price, without all the issues, I just might do it.

Anyone familiar with the electric braking system on the '03-05 SL?