I agree with you! I'd say - If you want one, go into it with your eyes open and be prepared to have some bills. It's also very sensible to have good breakdown cover. It's a cliche, but buy the best car you can, rather than a particular spec. - and keep some money for repairs. I've owned a lot of classic cars - I always make sure there is a marque specialist within travelling distance. I have one of these SLs at the moment and happy to say there are three good Mercedes specialists within a 15 mile radius of home..... :-)
To add to my comments - the valve cover gaskets, accumulators and ABC flush I did myself. Quite easy - RUclips is awesome for this type of DIY, lots of good how to videos to watch.
Hi I have had a 2003 SL 55 for around 11 years now its a Summer car only and does very little milage, I think the key to having these cars stay reliable is to keep them serviced and keep them in a dry garage like mine. i have recently had my BCM rebuilt as i was worried about the fire issue plus my axhillary battery kept going flat, my BCM was fine on inspection but had some capacitors replaced, sadly my rear battery still gets drained but i will get the drain identified eventually! the driving experience of this car is amazing and its the only car ive owned that i dont think i can better with my budget, ive had a 911 C4 S which was amazing but raw power of this Merc is just a brute that never fails to give me joy, it will eat most Porsches in a straight line.. i do have a slush fund for it., also i removed both the front active shocks myself and sent them away to have teflon injected into them and they have been great with no issues about £300 with postage. Limiter has been removed and remapped to over 500hp.If you buy cheap you will likely bankrupt yourself unless you are loaded so its important to by one thats low mileage with full history and kept in a garage IMHO ;-)
You've got the best year there 😉 They are phenomenal cars, you do need to look after them and as you say use them regularly! I pray for my BCM every night 😆
I really like this angle of "how to own an... X". It's good to get your head straight going into a car purchase and potentially tempering your expectations. I love this era of Mercs and have fond memories of them in period but now I know I simply don't have the mental bandwidth to own one. Great video, thanks, maybe I'll investigate a later 6 series next.
I have owned a 05 - SL 55 for almost 10 yrs - it had 87,000KM and now has 124,000. The brake control module went but was covered under an extended warranty. Other than that here is what I’ve fixed. Valve cover gaskets, ABC accumulators,motor mounts, tires. I’ve flushed the ABC system twice and yearly oil changes keep it running perfect. These cars are at an all time low and I don’t expect they will last at that price. Yes it will cost you more than a daily driver to maintain, however, the experience is well worth it. Keep the ABC - don’t go to coilovers unless you want to devalue the car. Also any engine mods will make it more difficult to resell. Try before you buy and you will have a difficult time turning down this torque monster. Facts - fasted production car when launched with an auto transmission. With governor off will do over 200mph! Try to buy 2005 and newer - less issues. Will be hanging on to mine for as long as I can!! 😊
Sage advice Tab. I think it’s important to enjoy these lovely cars but be realistic as to the budget to maintain them. High maintenance but high reward. Thanks again for the content.
I’ve just bought one blind😂, going into the indie next week for an inspection and we’ll see. My uncle and aunt had many Mercs back in the 1980s and 1990s and i fell in love with the 55 when I saw them as F1 pace cars. Coming from a stage 2 996 turbo, so bills happen 😢
I own best one ...560sl ...it's not too expensive 🫰 to maintain...but not cheap either. Only other one I like is 300sl gullwing 1955 but my 560sl performance is way better. New ones are not doing it for me. Boring.
I’ve still got my 2005 SL55 (with f1 pack) which I bought from new. When Clarkson showed his off on Top Gear I too was smitten, just had to have one! It was my every day runner for the first six years, by which time it had covered around 60k miles with very few issues. Right now it’s got 78k on the clock and these past 10 years only used for trips down to Spain and the continent. There have been one or two fairly big bills, exactly as you have detailed in your video series. But that said, a small price to pay for the sheer fun and enjoyment this car has given us for nearly 20 years. Mine will probably become a family heirloom one day unless someone comes along and bites my hand off, it still looks like new… Good luck with yours! 👍 ruclips.net/video/vFOfq-Cte4E/видео.htmlsi=aXWqWl0hqze5r79p
Alas when I saw his on Top Gear I reached down the back of the sofa and there just wasn't enough there 😆 Kudos to you for owning your SL for so long - it sounds like you're doing a very good job of it... Hope it continues for much longer! 👍
Ive just been offered one of these as a non runner, possible misfire, suspension low, batteries flat, rear arches corroded, what sort of price would you expect to pay for a car in this condition, the owner is wanting rid but still wants 5k, im a mechanic and am very tempted, but as you say the price of parts is a worry, its very much a case of how much do I have to put into it to potentially get it back to a good standard??, good videos by the way!
Depends if you want a project and how much time you can spend. Could be at least another 10k to pump in to a car like that. Thing is you don't know what else might be wrong with it?
Man if anyone is putting people off it’s your comments, it’s enough to make people run to the hills, I think you need to use them a lot and not just every now and then, all cars with this performance cost a lot of money to run!!
I agree with you! I'd say - If you want one, go into it with your eyes open and be prepared to have some bills. It's also very sensible to have good breakdown cover. It's a cliche, but buy the best car you can, rather than a particular spec. - and keep some money for repairs. I've owned a lot of classic cars - I always make sure there is a marque specialist within travelling distance. I have one of these SLs at the moment and happy to say there are three good Mercedes specialists within a 15 mile radius of home..... :-)
Good shout, it's very important to know some good indies! They'll keep it on the road! 👍🏻
To add to my comments - the valve cover gaskets, accumulators and ABC flush I did myself. Quite easy - RUclips is awesome for this type of DIY, lots of good how to videos to watch.
Hi I have had a 2003 SL 55 for around 11 years now its a Summer car only and does very little milage, I think the key to having these cars stay reliable is to keep them serviced and keep them in a dry garage like mine. i have recently had my BCM rebuilt as i was worried about the fire issue plus my axhillary battery kept going flat, my BCM was fine on inspection but had some capacitors replaced, sadly my rear battery still gets drained but i will get the drain identified eventually! the driving experience of this car is amazing and its the only car ive owned that i dont think i can better with my budget, ive had a 911 C4 S
which was amazing but raw power of this Merc is just a brute that never fails to give me joy, it will eat most Porsches in a straight line.. i do have a slush fund for it., also i removed both the front active shocks myself and sent them away to have teflon injected into them and they have been great with no issues about £300 with postage. Limiter has been removed and remapped to over 500hp.If you buy cheap you will likely bankrupt yourself unless you are loaded so its important to by one thats low mileage with full history and kept in a garage IMHO ;-)
You've got the best year there 😉
They are phenomenal cars, you do need to look after them and as you say use them regularly! I pray for my BCM every night 😆
Hi there,
I disconnect the rear battery after every use,it takes seconds to do and will cure your anxiey!😅@TABonTV
I really like this angle of "how to own an... X". It's good to get your head straight going into a car purchase and potentially tempering your expectations. I love this era of Mercs and have fond memories of them in period but now I know I simply don't have the mental bandwidth to own one.
Great video, thanks, maybe I'll investigate a later 6 series next.
Thanks for the comment, yep, although I think you buy with the heart for cars like this - you need some mind over matter powers too!
@@TABonTV 100%. I am a weak man ;-)
I have owned a 05 - SL 55 for almost 10 yrs - it had 87,000KM and now has 124,000. The brake control module went but was covered under an extended warranty. Other than that here is what I’ve fixed. Valve cover gaskets, ABC accumulators,motor mounts, tires. I’ve flushed the ABC system twice and yearly oil changes keep it running perfect. These cars are at an all time low and I don’t expect they will last at that price. Yes it will cost you more than a daily driver to maintain, however, the experience is well worth it. Keep the ABC - don’t go to coilovers unless you want to devalue the car. Also any engine mods will make it more difficult to resell. Try before you buy and you will have a difficult time turning down this torque monster. Facts - fasted production car when launched with an auto transmission. With governor off will do over 200mph! Try to buy 2005 and newer - less issues. Will be hanging on to mine for as long as I can!! 😊
Sounds like you're looking after your SL very well, which is what it's all about!
Sage advice Tab. I think it’s important to enjoy these lovely cars but be realistic as to the budget to maintain them. High maintenance but high reward.
Thanks again for the content.
Thanks Paul. Yes, important to keep a bit of realism about you 👍🏻
I’ve just bought one blind😂, going into the indie next week for an inspection and we’ll see. My uncle and aunt had many Mercs back in the 1980s and 1990s and i fell in love with the 55 when I saw them as F1 pace cars.
Coming from a stage 2 996 turbo, so bills happen 😢
Nice! Do let us know what the garage say about it, hope it gets a clean bill of health!
I own best one ...560sl ...it's not too expensive 🫰 to maintain...but not cheap either. Only other one I like is 300sl gullwing 1955 but my 560sl performance is way better. New ones are not doing it for me. Boring.
I’ve still got my 2005 SL55 (with f1 pack) which I bought from new. When Clarkson showed his off on Top Gear I too was smitten, just had to have one! It was my every day runner for the first six years, by which time it had covered around 60k miles with very few issues. Right now it’s got 78k on the clock and these past 10 years only used for trips down to Spain and the continent. There have been one or two fairly big bills, exactly as you have detailed in your video series. But that said, a small price to pay for the sheer fun and enjoyment this car has given us for nearly 20 years. Mine will probably become a family heirloom one day unless someone comes along and bites my hand off, it still looks like new… Good luck with yours! 👍
ruclips.net/video/vFOfq-Cte4E/видео.htmlsi=aXWqWl0hqze5r79p
Alas when I saw his on Top Gear I reached down the back of the sofa and there just wasn't enough there 😆
Kudos to you for owning your SL for so long - it sounds like you're doing a very good job of it... Hope it continues for much longer! 👍
@@TABonTV Over-engineered yes, but sadly we’ll never see the likes of it again… 😢
Ive just been offered one of these as a non runner, possible misfire, suspension low, batteries flat, rear arches corroded, what sort of price would you expect to pay for a car in this condition, the owner is wanting rid but still wants 5k, im a mechanic and am very tempted, but as you say the price of parts is a worry, its very much a case of how much do I have to put into it to potentially get it back to a good standard??, good videos by the way!
Depends if you want a project and how much time you can spend. Could be at least another 10k to pump in to a car like that. Thing is you don't know what else might be wrong with it?
Man if anyone is putting people off it’s your comments, it’s enough to make people run to the hills, I think you need to use them a lot and not just every now and then, all cars with this performance cost a lot of money to run!!
This won't put people off, trust me. Folk who want one of these will do their research. They are BRILLIANT cars.
@@TABonTV yes I have one!!
@@andrewstubbings5628 I know - saw your comments on the other videos 👍🏻
Leaving a 20 year old car to a mb dealer? Dont buy it if you can fix something yourself.
Let's not forget a good indy
Unreliable vehicles...it is a gamble
But gambling's fun, right?