Mercedes-Benz SL and SLK (all models)

1911131415

Comments

  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    No, I am not getting the SL600 since my mental age is still under 20. To be frank, I found the SL600 to be somewhat boring. All the reflexes of the car seemed dull, even the acceleration.

    I am getting another SL500, because I was impressed by the new 7 speed tranny and the stock 18 inch wheels. The car is very lively. I am also ordering the 2005 SL 55.

    Want to be really jealous? I will be in Germany in May and I am spending the day at the AMG factory. They have already offered me a test drive in the SL 65!
  • psedrishpsedrish Member Posts: 49
    Having made the switch last week from an S Class (7 yrs of happy boredom with 3 cars that never saw the shop) to a new '04 SL500, I am feeling the need to go back to having a fulltime radar detector.
    I've always preferred a behind-the-grille custom type unit. Any advice for what to put in this car?
  • psedrishpsedrish Member Posts: 49
    One more thing: does anyone really know when the dealers will have the satellite radio modules in stock?
    Thanks!
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    Well nyah. But I'll be in Germany in May as well to stay with a college friend who now works as a designer at Audi and hopefully drive his Opel Speedster :)

    Merc1, we gotta find a way to up our my income levels... I think that's one thing that we can agree on!
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Ok, I can't stand it anymore....you're too much for me. I can't even keep track of all the cars you've owned anymore. Thats it I quit...lol.

    You're getting another SL500 and a 2005 SL55 AMG..! What about an SLR, the ultimate Mercedes-Benz? I really want to hear your thoughts on the SLR. Has the dealer confirmed anything as far as changes to the 2005 SL? I hope a SLR style nose isn't in the works. When does the SL65 arrive here? I know the CL65 is due in summer, not sure about the S65. Between the E55, CL55, CL600, SL55, SL600, S55, S600, CL65, SL65, S65 and SLR, Mercedes has enough cars with 450-600+hp! Enough!

    sphinx99,

    Agreed, you and I are far too poor to even post in this topic. I need a career change!

    M
  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    Look, I am not a rich guy- Mercedes has all my money. OK, I will admit, I have gone a little overboard on Mercedes lately.

    I have not heard confirmation on the SLR nose for the SL in 2005, but we should know in March when Mercedes tells its dealers about the next model year. I would be happy just to know if Mercedes will finally offer satellite radio in all the cars that have been prepped for it.

    No firm dates on the 65 either, but it is a fair guess that September, 2004 it will arrive. Pricing has not been announced, but I hear $175,000 is a good guess.

    The SLR? Beyond my budget unless they come up with an incredible lease deal. My dealer says they will only get one in the second year of production. Seems like the SL65 will have similar performance at half the price and with a retractable roof to boot. I don't think I want a $350,000 car with a seatback with limited adjustment.
  • chavis10chavis10 Member Posts: 166
    Did anybody see the 0-60 time for the SL600 in the lastest Car and Driver? Simply ridiculous.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I saw a magazine scan of what apparently is an upcoming E63 wagon. Shoes' next car?

    Why aren't SL55s selling for tens of thousands over sticker? I would have expected them to be runaway successes but the vanilla 911 Turbo seems to have longer legs with owners. Nobody seems to be keeping SL55s for longer than a year or so. Any idea why, or am I just off base with this impression?
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    That 3.6 sec 0-60 time reported by Car and Driver for the SL600 seems a little suspect to me. Thats just *semms* too fast for such a heavy car, even with 590lb-ft of torque.

    sphinx99,

    The SL55 has been a runaway success, but what you're seeing are probably cars that were "flipped" for an early profit.

    In the Chicagoland area this is done regularly, per the dealers that is. In all of the high-end car lots here there is also a glut of 911 Turbos too, also flipped.

    What magazine did you see something about a E63 in?

    M
  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    I think people are flipping the SL55 because the build quality on the early ones is not great. The 2004 SL500 I now own is much better than either the 2003 SL500 or the 2003 SL55 that I used to own. Problem areas were brakes and fuel pump noises.

    Mercedes has made it clear to me that they won't be bringing any AMG wagons to the US where wagons don't sell as well as in Europe.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    You owe me, this took forever to dig up from where I saw it on my favorite S2k board. I don't know what publication this came from.

    image
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Ok so thats a E55 and a SL500 "currently" in your collection right? I think they really should sell all AMG vehicles here, including the wagons, why let Audi have all the fun in the hot-rod wagon segment. MBUSA: the C55 and E55 "Estates" please.

    sphinx99,

    Ok, thanks. I'll make a note of it. An E63 wagon...gee whiz.... This must be the new generation, direct-injection 6.3L V8 that I've heard so much about over the years. This engine is supposed to deliver 600hp in the next round of AMG S, SL (current SL w/facelift) and CL cars. I didn't think they'd drop it in the E-Class too! I see the next ML gets a version too, oh my.

    That CLK with the DTM reference is pretty interesting too. Diesels???

    M
  • 600sltt600sltt Member Posts: 1
    Since the SL600 is turbocharged instead of supercharged as the SL55. The SL600 can by mildly modified to increase the power and performance (by over 100whp and 120 torque over stock). And you can do 0 - 60 in 3.6.
  • sillydriversillydriver Member Posts: 7
    I’m a bit deflated by shoes’ description of the SL600 as a car for those with a mental age over 60, since mine is supposed to show up in a couple weeks and I am well under 60. I took delivery of an SL55, which I loved, in late 2003 and sold it back to the dealer late last summer after a couple of high-speed engine failures. The fuse for the ignition system would blow without warning, causing the car to coast to a stop. The service department replaced the coil packs, which they claimed were at fault, but the engine continued to die. I put in an order for an SL600, which is about to be delivered. I agree with shoes that in the SL55 “it always seems like everyone in front of you is driving too slow.” Part of the reason for my switch to the 600 is that I ended up driving much too aggressively in the 55, which I used as my summer commuting car. I would end up doing full-throttle right lane passes of slower cars on Route 128, just so I could hear the roar of the engine. I thought the 55’s worst characteristic (other than its unreliability) was the hum or drone of the engine at highway cruising speeds. I thought that resonance was actually more annoying with the top up, since it was drowned out by highway noise when the top was down. I expect the 600 will be much quieter at speed.

    One thing that has made me think I’ve made the right decision is the CD test result for the 600: 3.6 seconds to 60 and 11.9 for the quarter mile, although I agree with others here that the times are suspect. I think the truth of the matter is revealed by a comment in the review. They talk about the transmission having three modes, the third being a manual mode like the SL55. My understanding is that the US SL600 doesn’t have a third transmission mode, just the usual two. However, you the manual mode comes with Renntech’s ECU and transmission computer upgrade, so I assume CD’s test car had been modified in that way. The test result would then be just plausible. I agree with 600sltt that the 600 is ripe for modification, and I certainly plan to add those enhancements once the car is broken in.
  • chavis10chavis10 Member Posts: 166
    Maybe MB slipped the Maybach engine in into the SL by accident?!?! They are the same just with different boost pressures and computers.
  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    Hey sillydriver, even though you ordered the SL600, doesn't mean you have to buy it. Ask the dealer to let you take it for a long test drive before plunking down the dough. I think the five speed transmission without the AMG shift point changes may be the reason the car feels sluggish. There is no question in my mind that Mercedes built the SL600 for an older audience and the SL55 for the sporty (i.e. younger) crowd. I test drove the SL600 and it almost put me to sleep. The 2004 SL500 with the new 7 speed transmission felt much more lively.

    Maybe you need to get the SL65 like me?

    Wow, your experiences with the SL55 sound pretty awful. How many miles did you have on it when you traded it back to the dealer?
  • sillydriversillydriver Member Posts: 7
    I suspect you’re absolutely right about the importance of the transmission programming to the feel of the car. One reason why I plan to go ahead and take delivery of the 600 is the availability of the upcoming SL65 transmission computer from Renntech. People who have tried it and written about it over at mbworld.org absolutely love it. If the car turns out to be excessively dull after those mods I’ll try either an SL65 a year from now or something else like a DB9. Another reason I chose the 600 is the availability of the designo silver package, which is not available on the 55. My old 55 was black with a berry red interior, so I thought I’d try something with a completely different look. Finally, buying the 600 now will give me a convertible for this spring, while the 65 requires delaying gratification for a year.

    I put about 7k miles on the car over 8 months and sold it last July. My experience was actually very good until the electrical problem struck. The dealer gave me $113k, which I think was a very good price given the recent softening of used values.
  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    I have heard that at around 6,000 miles numerous problems have appeared in the SL55 and S55 relating to the supercharged V-8. I have also heard that AMG will not be using a supercharged V8 much longer and maybe there is a connection.

    Keep us posted on how you like the SL600 after making the transmission mods.
  • billymaybillymay Member Posts: 59
    As a '98 SLK owner, I was excited to see pics of the upcoming car. The BMW Z4 seems gratuitously weird, and even the Boxster seems kind of stale, so I'm seriously interested in any first-hand accounts of the new Benz.

    I love my car, but the 3.5l engine would convince me to trade up. I've owned the SLK230 and driven the SLK320, and both are basically the same -- quick but tame.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    On the subject of SL600s, C&D measured the SL600 to have a rather extraordinary straight line performance envelope for a 4500lb vehicle:

    0-60 in 3.6s
    1/4 mile in 11.9@120
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    The SL600. I figured you'd question the validity of that number, even I did.

    Chavis10 suggested earlier that a Maybah 57 engine may have went down the wrong assembly line and wound up in a SL600.

    What do you think?

    M
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I haven't been ready to disbelieve. When you get past a couple hundred horsepower cars become traction-limited, the SL600 most definitely included. Put racing slicks on a 4500lb car with that kind of torque and it's quite possible that it could hit 60 under 4. Put skinny tires and it may have a tough time breaking the mid-5s. Perhaps they tested a car with supersticky tires on a supersticky surface.

    The other thought I had is that it's easier to goof up 0-60 times but a 1/4 mile is a 1/4 mile. Unless there was some blatant equipment failure, covering a 1/4 mile in under 12 seconds is pretty impressive.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    Now this is rather nice.

    image

    image
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    I wonder what Mercedes is going to do about Brabus. They're doing the same thing that forced Mercedes to buy AMG, building even faster cars than Mercedes dared do. Some of Brabus' creations (E V12 640hp! for instance) make AMG (E55 469hp) cars look positively pedestrian.

    The SLK definitely carries the F1 styling theme much better than the SLR.

    M
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I've always loved the SLK (more so than any other Benz - its compactness lends it a kind of athletic look that I think is appealing) so I am liking not only new the SLK but the particularly the Brabus version.

    It is odd to think of someone outdoing AMG in terms of power output.

    While I'm on a roll with vehicles from the elite Benz universe, behold the Mercedes CLS. The perfect sedan with which to park alongside your Coupe, Convertible or Sports Car.

    image

    image
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    I haven't yet accepted this MB yet, the concept held some promise and I say some, but from concept to production it seems to have lost what little appeal it had, to me anyways. I'll have to see it in person.

    M
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Hey there is no mention of the SL65 AMG at Geneva, what gives? This would have been the typical intro time for it to go on sale here later this year. Any new info?

    M
  • prattsterprattster Member Posts: 59
    image

    Don't care for the slab side styling as in the ES and the high beltline look that's in vogue now I guess. Their calling it a 4 door coupe, what the hey? I see the RX8 concept in a 4 door sports car logical, but a coupe is 2 doors and will be always be 2 doors. This is a sedan no matter what marketing is trying to put a creative spin on it.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    True, the CLS is just a sedan, but that ES is surely the uglier of the two by far.

    M
  • prattsterprattster Member Posts: 59
    Agreed, the CLS is ugly and ES is uglier. More important, which of the two is more likely to spend time in the service bay. Tough call hehehe..
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    I bought an '03 SL500 last summer because I couldn't find any SL55's that had not been driven at least 500 miles and that weren't $6K or more above MSRP. I'm a stickler for breaking in a car properly and wasn't willing to risk a car broken in by someone else. The SL500 turned out to be a great car and was surprisingly peppy for its heft, so I thought I had finally overpowered my longing for an SL55.

    But then came the first warm days in Chicago last week, and there it was again . . . that old longing to try an SL55. On Friday, I found a dealer who would let me test drive one with 1203 miles on it so that I could really get a feel for the engine. That was all she wrote. The car was astounding -- docile one moment and a roaring beast the next. So on Saturday I picked up my brand new White/Ash SL55. I only managed to get about 200 miles on the odo over the weekend, and the impatience to goose the throttle is gnawing at me. At least I've been able to play on a few curves and twisties. The AMG chassis set-up is a noticeable improvement over the already-rock-stable standard chassis set-up.

    I had a '98 Corvette (that spent more time in the shop than in my garage), and it felt like a kit car compared to this one. I had an '02 Audi S6 with build quality and engineering finesse similar to the M-B, but its engine offered only a weak foretaste of what the SL55 delivers.

    This car is amazing!
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Sounds exciting, good luck and keep us posted!

    M
  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    There is a great article in this month's issue of Automobile Magazine. The author spent more than year trying to acquire an SL55 and the article details these exploits and the car. Enjoy.
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    Anybody know what viscosity ranges the SL55 uses? I know the factory puts in Mobil 1, but the owner's manual does not disclose the viscosity. It just says consult the service technician. I asked my dealer's service shop and got three answers from the three guys who were debating each other -- 0W30, 0W40 (which is what I used in the SL500), and 5W50 (which I cannot find listed on the Mobil 1 website). I've e-mailed mbusa.com but haven't gotten an answer back.

    Thanks.
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    Thanks for the heads up on the article, Shoes. I just let my "Automobile" subscription expire about 2 months ago (I was getting 4 car mags). Now I've got to troop off to a newstand.

    I thought the late-winter market a year after the car's introduction would make it easier to find a new SL55. Not so. Almost everything I could find had mileage on it. The closest I came was a car with 70 miles on it that someone had already titled and resold to the dealer -- who wanted $7K above MSRP.

    However, I had seen a brand new white one at the dealer nearest me -- which they were selling at sticker. I've had a couple of white cars before and liked them. But sitting on the showroom floor the SL55 in white just looked too "present". The color accentuated the mass of the car and looked too stark, perhaps due to the flourescent lights in the showroom. (This is an old downtown Chicago dealership in dark, antiquated facilities.)

    Finally, in frustration at not finding anything else before spring fever sent the market soaring again, I asked the dealer to move the car from the shadowy showroom out to the street. The car was TRANSFORMED. You see black SL500's coming and going in downtown Chicago, as well as lots of silvers. I had never seen this car in white before . . . and it was a stunner! The white brings out the muscularity of the fenders and accentuates the sculpting of the sides. People occasionally glanced at my black SL55. They gawk openly at this car (maybe they think it's ugly or over the top . . . but I don't think so.)

    Anyway . . . that's my saga. 620 miles to go before I can open 'er up.
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    My black car was an SL500, not an SL55. I can only wish I had owned two of them.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Hmmmmmm are were talking about the used to be Loeber, now James Fletcher's Mercedes-Benz of Chicago????

    M
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    Yep . . . I bought both my SL's from Fletcher-Jones (aka Mercedes-Benz of Chicago). I've been seeing license plate frames with "Loeber Motors" on them and wondered who they were, since I couldn't find them in the phone book. I've only been in Chicago about a year.

    If you know Chicago dealers, you might find this interesting. The SL55 I test drove last week was at the Westmont dealership. They had two Maybach's sitting on the lot -- first ones I'd seen. It turned out they are both going to the same customer as part of an order he placed for five. One is for his Chicago home, one for his home in Florida, and one for each of his three sons.

    Mercedes reportedly waived their rule of one-Maybach-per-customer because the purchaser is the single biggest private purchaser of Mercedes in the U.S. I've been told he will even buy cars solely for his kids to take on long test drives. (That would certainly explain the surfeit of big-ticket low-mileage new/used cars the area Merc dealers have.)
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    I just found the "Automobile" article on Timothy Ferris' multi-year attempt to buy a new SL55. It's a depressingly familiar story. But it also ends by making the point why one should never buy one of these cars with mileage on them unless one doesn't care how they are broken in. After a 2-year wait, Ferris could no longer curb his enthusiasm. He met the car at the pier at 11pm one night and, climbing into it, the first thing he did was floor the accelerator and bounce the tach needle off the pins on the first three upshifts -- despite a very prominent sticker in the windshield saying to limit revs to 4500, limit top speed to 85mph, and avoid transmission kickdowns for the first 1000 miles. Maybe the factory is just bluffing . . . but I don't want someone else betting my money on it. I hope when the white smoke from his tires clears he's not finding blue smoke from his brand new oil burner.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Ok thats what I thought. I actually got a chance to meet George Loeber back in the 90's. Nice older guy, the calculationg business type. That dealership had been in their family since the 1930s. He has a brother that still (I think) owns their other store in Lincolnwood IL, north of the city on the Edens expressway, also Loeber Motors. This was the dealership I first got to see Mercedes' at when I was in high school, somewhat of a while ago.

    The dealership in Westmont - Laurel Motors is one the largest volume Mercedes dealers in the country, so that Maybach situation makes sense. Holy checkwriting...five Maybachs!!!! Gee moe netty.

    The area on and around Ogden ave in which all these dealerships and private lots have so many Mercedes' and other high-end cars for sale is amazing.

    M
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    On a different note...I'm really impressed with the new SLK.

    From it's 268hp V6, 6/7 speed trannies, mini-SLR styling, and the much better looking and higher quality interior, it seems Mercedes really put some effort into this car.

    The interior alone is a night and day difference from the old car.

    What y'all think?

    M
  • ed_scott0013ed_scott0013 Member Posts: 64
    I wasn't a fan of the new nose when I first saw it, but it's started to grow on me. It seems like one of those things that looks better and better the more you see it. :)
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    I think it looks great. Compact and athletic, which is what a performance roadster should be. I'm interested in what the resale value for the first two years' of SLKs will be like now, as the new SLK trickles into the market. 3000GT Spyders never were plentiful enough to offer much of a choice among lower-cost used hardtop convertibles, but the SLK is a higher volume offering whose first year models are just starting to move into old age.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    Get this instead.

    image
  • hgileshgiles Member Posts: 66
    I absolutely love the new SLK. With the sports suspension, 6 speed manual and 3.5 L V6 , I am hoping it will be a worthy comptetitor to the Boxster and Z4. If Mercedes can deliver on the performance potential then they will sell a lot of cars to people like me who would never have considered them otherwise.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Ahh...the CLK-GTR....ahh to be rich.

    M
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    Remember how Harold in "Harold and Maude" turned his Jaguar XKE into a hearse? The possiblities of money combined with taste are apparently endless.

    Here's a question about less-extreme mods. My SL55 has a black AMG steering wheel (the only wheel that comes on this car, and a strange design choice for a convertible). I haven't driven it with the top down yet, but I suspect the black wheel will get very hot in the summer.

    I seem to have a choice -- get a regular Mercedes SL500 wheel in light ash (and thereby lose the gearshift buttons) or try the Renntech wood and leather wheel, which retains the shift buttons. Renntech says they build their wheels on the Mercedes/AMG wheel carcass and claims they are perfect fits. (They do require that I trade them my existing wheel as part of the deal). My dealer says he has never seen or put one on, but he is willing to give it a go.

    Has anyone had experience with the Renntech steering wheels? Do they work well?
  • shoesshoes Member Posts: 131
    If you think your black steering wheel gets hot when the top is down, wait until you feel the aluminum center of your gear shift knob after it bakes in the sun. Remember the scene in "Raiders of the Lost Art" when the [non-permissible content removed] grabs the amulet that has been sitting in the fire and it sears his hand? Same thing.
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    You're right, Shoes. The shift knob on my SL500 would get hot. But at least I could grab it below the top, and I only needed to touch it a moment. I haven't yet figured out how to avoid touching the steering wheel for long.

    Right now, though, this is just worrying for worrying's sake. We're probably another month away from dropping the top in Chicago. Right now, I wouldn't mind getting my hands burned a bit.

    I did order the Renntech steering wheel, though. I saw a picture of their wheel for the S-class on mbworld.org, and it was beautiful. However, I still cannot find anyone who has tried one for an SL. And Renntech says they have just switched vendors. Don't know if that bodes ill or well.
  • lovesxmradiolovesxmradio Member Posts: 1
    Hi, Can anyone tell me if they have read anything about a Panoramic Glass Roof option available on the new second generation SLK model? I'm referring to the stationary glass panel in the retractable metal roof panel complete with sunshade much like the one available on the SL 500 series? I'm looking into buying a 2004 SLK Special Edition, but may wait if I find this Panoramic Roof option available for 2005. I've checked with Mercedes Dealers and they have no info or option lists available for 2005 SLK's. They went on to mention that dealers in California are set for early 05' allocations once stock of the 04' SLK's deplete. This could be real soon as we've had 12 days of 85-91 degree weather lately. My local MB dealer only has 3 04's left due to the unusual heat wave we're having. Any information or thoughts would be much appreciated.
Sign In or Register to comment.