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Should You Buy a MERCEDES SL55 AMG? (Test Drive & Review)
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- Опубликовано: 15 авг 2024
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You have for sale my dream car...love the red xf (s) sportbrake...can't see that being in stock long.
@@fastasfox me neither. It’s lovely isn’t it
@@HighPeakAutos I will run it past her indoors...don't hold your breath though .
I wish BTOB had something better than the 'Spot The Ball' thing. I did subscribe to them but that entry system just shit me to tears.
That sounds quite a bit like gambling or a lottery but I don't care, whatever helps your channel
Great review, I owned one for 6 years and it put a smile on my face every day I used it, On a summer day or night with the roof down it’s sublime, but the common problems which they suffer from, annoyed me (price and waiting time for parts) still the experience of owning one out weighed the annoyance!! If you have ever wanted one get one, just make sure the following have been done.. roof and boot seals, secondary air pump, ABC pump, abc shocks as the bearing fails which requires the whole shock to be changed and last but not least the baffles in the fuel tank, I waited nearly a year for this part to be delivered from Mercedes Germany
Thanks for watching! Great cars :)
Love how your channel is slowly becoming Hoovies garage except your cars aren't broken 😂
😂 Haha thanks. Don’t speak too soon though. You’ll jinx it
@@HighPeakAutos you're not like hoovie who seems to think he can lull his audience in to thinking he's broke. "oh yeah i'm completely broke lol btw here's a diablo and a countach I just bought"
@@archechme haha yeah that’s right
@@archechme nah not Matt! Hes about two new academy members away from a givenchy suit. Not scared to hide the baller status 😂😉
I was thinking that last night :P
You're such a great reviewer Matt, love the SL, thanks for the honesty with your channel, other vloggers don't come any where near..
Thanks! I appreciate that
Very true 👌
You obviously are very rich. I’ve owned both a SL 600 and the AMG and they both become wallet burglars ! The repairs just kept heaping up ...
That SL is one of the cars of my dreams, my perfect trim colour, paint, wheels the lot, it's the perfect AMG. Well done you deserve it.
Thanks!
It’s like all cars that you love and own and cost a fortune to keep but as soon as you get behind the wheel it always puts a smile on your face 👍🙏
Well said!
I've always loved the looks of this car, future classic!
When I took early retirement after 6 months got a bit bored so took a part time job with a merc dealer. Wow, drove every merc possible but my favourite was the SL V12 AMG, what a beast.
My SL journey started with test driving the 55; my heart was sold, what a joy! My head then kicked in and i bought a 16 plate 500 which I loved. The way I worked this out was that the 500 gave me 90% of the 55s good bits and gave me a better chance of hanging onto my licence and being cheaper to run. Such a nice problem to work through. Love the reviews 👍
Very nice!
I sold my 2004 SL500 last summer and bought a 2012 911 C2S and I agree with you in terms of the SL's daily usability, the 911 just has so little storage compared to the SL. One thing I didn't like about my SL500 was the sluggish feeling when you put your foot down, I'm sure the SL55 or 65 are a totally different animal, but the fact that you can get a manual in a 911 just makes it feel so much more direct and fun (I guess it's the theater created by rolling through your own gears lol). Anyway, your video certainly makes me miss my old SL, but I'm happy that it went to a nice owner, lots of memories in that car, perfect for Southern California. keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching. I totally get why you swapped the SL for a 911. In an ideal world you'd want both. I love the 911 when you really want to drive it but the SL is easier to live with. Cheers
Whenever( if ever) you want to sell this car you'll need a steward to control the queue of guys lining up to buy it. A brilliant future classic car.☺
amazing how cars haven’t aged from the last 20yrs... I have a SL400 and love it but the V8 55 is special...keep it for a long time. Really enjoy your videos, thanks very much,
yes you should. very much so. one of the few mercs i actually like. looks great.
Clarkson bought one when they were launched. The stig took it on a hot lap as a prank
The engine's addictive but those wheels! Understand why it's a keeper in that condition. Great review .
Love your honest and informative reviews, no BS just realism when it comes to costs for us car lovers.
Thumbs up again. One of the greatest engine sounds and one of my favourite cars. Sounds like a spitfire when on full bore. You do get the feeling the car's driving you not the other way around. Brucie bonus is the messaging seats.
“T Rex kicked in the nuts” ! Priceless made me chuckle
Not exactly how I want my car to sound, though 0.0
One of his finest to date.
I laughed at this was well, although... when you think about it, last time I checked dinosaurs were reptiles which lay eggs. So I doubt a T-Rex had nuts in the sense we imagine this. Still, I'm glad that no one can actually check this for sure...
I’ve been looking at these for 2 years now, I just can’t pull the trigger because of the side profile, everything else is so perfect
Beautiful car and much nicer than the newer SL. Nice design before Mercedes lost the plot and the SL design went downhill.
Ooh another tasty review, a childhood dream car of mine for sure 🤩
100%
Yep, a timeless classic in another 20+ years. Thanks for the video.
Binged watched almost all of yours vids recently. Keeping me sane during lockdown mate, keep ‘em coming!
Thanks! Glad i could help 😉
I'm glad you've reviewed the FAB SL as it's what I've had for 4 years, spotted the prices creeping up before I took the plunge ! £18k with just 37k miles, one owner & most importantly for me.....garaged from new.
I try not to buy multi owned sat outside cars EVER.
Finally sorted all the similar issues you've had myself saving a few grand I guess !
There's a few owners of these who spend days and nearly £4k deleting the ABC system which to me is sad, turning a 100k car into a basic £20k primative suspension system.
It's quicker and cheaper to fix whatever breaks in the ABC and just keep the ABC fluid and filter fresh and it will be fine.
What amazing value for money these are, 500 bhp Tin roof muscle car V8.
What more can one ask for 😎
“I will keep forever” high praise indeed 😁 that German V8 machine gun soundtrack is pure ear porn!!! Lovely 😊
Isn’t it just
Great car and great fun. I had an 2004 SL500 and loved it BUT every time I saw and heard a SL55 it made me feel I was missing out so I got myself 2003 SL55 and it’s brilliant! A previous owner has monkey’d with the exhaust (fitted a cross pipe) so it’s sounds even meaner and louder, too loud in fact so I’ll probably be looking to return it to standard at some point.
Off the dual carriageway lol, love how you held back the swearing as if you'd get in trouble with your mum 😁
Hahaha always polite
Love them.... it's on my 10 car garage lottery win list 😂
Just 10🤣
Great content again thanks do you ever sell vans I’d be interested in a van review probably only me tho
Love this car, truly lucky to have found one with such low mileage and also no knocks or other reasons why it was off the road apart from the owner not using it. Very honest review with mention of the expensive service/repairs that you have experienced and the common problems with water coming into the roof mechanism, sensors on that roof should also be mentioned. The suspension on these are often replaced when they go wrong with standard suspension. Nevertheless even with its quirks a truly brilliant showroom ready masterpiece of a car. The colour of that interior is not going to be for everyone!!
I enjoyed this review and totally agree with the 4k "rule of thumb" - I've had an SL500 in my collection for about 5 years now - when I bought it, very quickly it needed the SBC brake control unit - 2k. Then gearbox re-build due to leaking torque converter - 2k from an auto-box specialist. In my case I uncharacteristically went cheapo when buying the car and got bitten in the backside pretty hard. So far its ended up costing about 60% of its original purchase price but on the flip side its lovely to drive now its a straight car, has decent performance despite not being the 55 AMG and the looks are still so fresh that those not in the know (mostly everyone where I live in Spain and they drive Seat Leon diesel hatchbacks) think its a 40 grand car.
Love the channel, keep it up as we love your unique style.
Thanks for watching! I love the 500. There’s plenty of power there - the 55 is a bit daft
Torque and rear wheel spin - in the early 90s a late friend of mine had a friend from childhood, always out to impress. He had driven an MG Miidget for years, few miles, highly polished, in the driveway.
In 1992 he took delivery of a TVR Griffith. Parked in front of his house, we were summoned to see this beauty. He got in it and, MG Midget style, flattened the accelerator hoping to do 0 to 60 in a suburban street in 4.8 seconds.
The TVR simply spun through 90 degrees and he kerbed the nearside front wheel (badly) and steam came up from the rear tyres.
This review rather reminded me of a drive (my Dad had a mate with a car sales place in Rochdale) in a Mercedes 230 SL , as a 15 year old, in 1966. After that, nothing could ever be quite the same.
Ah the Saab night panel. Always loved mine, you knew you were on it when the rest of the speedo lit up
the noise reminds of an approaching tube train - think hard about that one Mat
I get it
Absolutely love the sl55, I have been seriously considering one. Thanks for putting me off, those maintenance bills are frightening!
Got the same one same year with upgraded cooling, smaller blower wheel and updated ECU. Zero to 100 km/h in 4,2 sec. Not bad for a 19 old car😜
Great choice!
Back when Mercedes convertibles/coupes had their own special appeal. Tbh, the E46 M3 and Bentley are a bit of you along with the Range Rover
I think STEVE JOBS had one of these back in the day. He always had SL's.
He also drove it unplated.
Love the SL, almost bought one for the summer weekend runabout plus Gary Barlow and Jackie Weaver in the same video...!!!
Have driven my families SLK55 AMG. Which also has a massive V8. Considerably smaller than the SL. Borrowed it for the weekend. The soundtrack is spectacular. The power incredible. Traction on that is actually impressive given the power you're putting down. You do need to be careful in the wet. I did feel the slk is nose heavy and feels like a muscle car. It's incredibly civilised with auto box and comfortable seats. Where it doesn't excel is in busy city traffic. You sit too low and feel vulnerable as a result. Get it on a country lane and your grin will be wide. Accelerates a bit too fast so you can't hear the soundtrack for as long as you like. SL would I suspect feel a lot more luxurious and civilised but much bigger.
I've never driven one of those. My mum had a 200 Kompressor and I always found it really cramped
@@HighPeakAutos this is the 2nd Generation model so I think it's more spacious. I have plenty of room at 5ft 10. They are quite compact with bonnet taking up a lot of the cars length
What a brilliant video. You nearly dropped the F bomb Matt!!!
Had one of these a few years ago after lusting after one for ages. As much as I loved it, I always felt it was a little bit flawed. A few electrical gremlins, such as water ingress into the front passenger footwell which made the dashboard light up like the starship enterprise, but I could live with them. The reason I sold the car, and it drove me crazy, we’re the squeaks and rattles from the steel roof - no matter what I did it I could never get it proper sorted. It just detracted from all the great things I loved with it.
Perhaps I had a duff one, I’ll never know, but when I now see one I do get the urge to dip my toe into ownership again.
Great review of a sensational vehicle.... I smile every time I drive mine, until I get the workshop bill!! But the smile soon returns as soon as I drive out and press the right foot to the floor! It’s a keeper, values here in Australia are increasing very nicely for the good ones.
The colour combo is a nod to the Gullwing
Absolutely
My Uncle has a Gullwing in exactly those colours! #stunning
Is that why it has a white headliner? I would much prefer a black headliner
1:37 So in the words of Talking Heads you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile?
Well... how did I get here?
With a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife...
Love that song
Used to know a guy that had a 1960’s Merc convertible sports car. His father was wealthy at the time and bought it as a present for him when he passed his test. He still drove it daily - 168k miles, owned from new , I asked him how much would he sell it for - silly question, he was never going to sell it, that was back in 2002, I wonder if he still has it!
Thats very cool. I'd love a 60's Pagoda SL
Has an SL owner they are not cheap especially the older ones as a class them as classic and obviously they bump up the prices severely you need to be mechanic to own one of these cars as a regular break down and you need a very very good scanner to reset the modules
Great presentation, a joy to watch.
Thanks!
Great video, brilliant cars!...it appears we have the same taste in cars, I'd have one of these over 911 at the same price point but would have a harder decision choosing between it and an XKR.
The multi-spoke wheels make them look like 15"'s visually but suit the car in a strange way, the optional 5-spoke somehow look out of place on what is a timeless car design.
Cheers,
Chris
I love the XKR too
I purchased one last year, 2004 😀SL55 f1. F1 pack includes a limited slip diff amongst other things, these cars really need this with so much power going through the rear. Every petrol head needs an AMG in their life at some point.
Absolutely top notch review.. always so watchable and absorbing... if you like cars. I just bought a 350sl 2003 - based ion Matt's advice. We love it. Just one small thing, Matt...you don't fold down the electric roof with the buttons behind the panel. they are for operations the roll bar. you pull that panel up to open the roof. Anyway, great review.
Well... if it's good enough for Dale Winton, it's good enough for me.
Bit geeky, but the articulation on that middle windscreen wiper is mesmerising... god I’ve got to get out more...
😂
You can't...
I owned an 03 Sl55 for 14 years.It was an absolute blast to drive and a beautiful car.
HOWEVER the last few years of ownership was a constant expensive nightmare.
The vaccum locks continually failed,top hydraulic issues and the ABC suspension was a constant and VERY expensive continual problem until
I gave up on and sold it with only 95k miles.
Just spent roughly the same amount on my Lexus SC 430,, ecu and roof mechanism, however I now know it will keep going for years. Can’t say that with a Merc. Unfortunate but true.
I love that interior!
Me too!
Lovely car, one of my favourites. Just surprised to see you so happy with a car that doesn't have cup holders :-)
It has one 😉
Happy to hear that. :-)
One of the major problems on all SL's is the Vacuum System which causes 2 main problems and that's the central locking and the roof , these all work on the vacuum system which is in the boot , the biggest problem that happens is always the roof first and then the soft close stops working and you can buy a new impeller repair kit (easy to repair) or the full pump £1000 = coding and fitting . Still one of the greatest sporty cruisers and defiantly the best looking car around with either it's roof up or down , some cars look good with roof up others down but not both
One of my top 5 cars of all time. People forget that when it first came out, the SL55 wiped the floor with cars that cost twice as much. Well worth all the money you spent on her.
Thats quite right. Its an awesome car
I'm going for the cheapest one on Gumtree.
You'll be sorry 😃
This Merc really is a beauty 😍😍😍
It is isn't it
Absolutely not my sort of car, but the review again made watching worthwhile :) Also - I totally agree with you. If you have cars like this, they deserve to be running well and even though the bills were hefty, if you neglected things, I can imagine that might lead to stratospheric repair bills. Cant believe you got two cars with such low mileage...another reason why they deserve to be cared for.
Great review as always , I was hoping you were going to say it was up for sale at the end , I would have been on the phone !
I’m off to autotrader to have a look 👀 now 👍🏻
This time, a very extensive review... alas, i'm still none the wiser where, and if, there are "cup holders" in that expensive hobby you have??
This vehicle though, beats a Juke any day... 😆
Under the satnav a cupholder folds out
"NO JACKIE!!" Haha, she's a tyrant if there ever was one
Watched the vid dictatorship democracy, you disagree she cuts you out of the meeting.
Gosh that brought back memories Raymond Baxter nice one.
It's all about the tyres. I bought a Jag XFR (500bhp) and it came with Dunlops on. I couldn't go near the throttle in wet weather without the car wanting to be on the magic roundabout. Dumped the Dunlops and fitted Pirelliis and even with 500bhp, it took a concerted effort to make the back step out. Worlds apart.
Long story short, if you get a car with a decent amount of power, don't scrimp on the tyres. It'll help keep you out of hedges!
Mercedes Benz SL 55 AMG has been a successful seller in general.
You have no authority here to spin the wheels! No authority at all!!! Read the wheelspin rules and understand them!! 🤣
I take charge!!
As an owner of a SL350 this video hits the spot again and what a great example. Must be the lowest mileage one in the UK and a sure fire long term investment. Regarding your bills you might have been a bit unlucky with the controller cards but £2.5k for the rest including a wheel refurb and new P7s tyres is a steal. Silver with red is straight from the original 1950s Gullwing SL and the Airfix model I had as a kid, and the AMG seats look so cool. That grunt, that sound... however on an early morning trip from back from London in my SL350 a SL55 joined me for 2 hours and guess what it was no faster, so is this super performance worth paying extra for? decisions, decisions....
I had a C 43AMG 1999 estate which was one of the first cars made at AMG factory. I kept it 12 years before buying a C 63S estate. The C 43 was fantastic, never let me down hundred percent reliable and very fast certainly the fastest estate in town until the C 63S came along. Great with you, glad your SBC breaks didn’t fail .
Great choice in cars. The C43 is a very rare car
There is no such thing as a cheap Mercedes
You built up all that credibility, then.... Radio 1 😂🤣😂
Love these cars. Fantastic choice Matt. Another great review as always! 👌🏼👌🏼
Thanks! 👍
I adore my 2007 SL 55 and to this day I talk to it and pat it on the fender whenever I go out to my garage. They are truly special cars.
I agree. I’ll keep mine forever
Raising and lowering the roof is the actual panel. The buttons underneath are for raising or lowering the roll bar.
I have a 1948 Land Rover and doing the same things to it have made so strong I haven’t been able to kill it yet. It is still a working vehicle. One day I’ll send photos as it has been featured in the Land Rover uk magazine.
I kept it for 2 years. Got it sorted and loved it every time I drive. I part exchanged with electric car. Still miss the sound. Gear box is sluggish. But keep it as automatic and enjoy as lovely GT with nice engine note
I have the exact same duo! 2003 SL 55 and a 2007 Continental GT63 Mansory. You have great taste!
I like that you talk about servicing and its costs
How could someone dislike your videos man!?! Such a normal guy! Makes literally no sense must be rival trolls!
Jealousy
@@visionist7 Definitely 👌👌
👍👍👍
I had one of these for a few years and absolutely loved it. I do miss it and this video has reminded me what an awesome car it is!
Having owned an SL55 for six years, here's my two-penny worth. If there's water getting into the boot, it's not a design fault; you need to replace the rubber seals around the boot frame. My car (a 2004) sits out in all weathers and is water tight. The manual gear change needs to be anticipated to change not instantly. If you want to change up at 4,500RPM then change at 4,000RPM. But here's the great thing about the manual change that will make you start using it all the time; unlike most automatics, the SL55 affords excellent engine breaking. When you've got the top down and can hear the exhaust, the engine overrun noise when you change down is heaven and it really does save on the brake pads. People will also think that your car is a real manual.
Thanks for the tips. This boot is dry but I’ve heard it’s a common issue
5:23 - this is why I watch this channel (and the cars), delivered so effortlessly
Thanks! Much appreciated
Definitely one to keep. These come along so rarely. In 40+ years of car ownership I have only ever brought one car, that I will keep for ever and I love it.
What was it?
I had a serious H On for one of these cars and the only thing that put me off was a common fault with the cylinder head bolts, they go through water jackets and with time the flow of the water makes them really thin and they snap , It you intend to keep it , there are new head bolts kits for those engines. Just the sound of that engine, is so sweet.
Brilliant car! I preferred the blue instrument gauge (sl500)versus sl55. prefer wood of the SL 500 as opposed to the metal. I love the red interior!! I know how much I can get out of the sl, butttt 200 more horsepower ! I would get in trouble with that car even though I have a radar detector! excellent find! thank God I don't have to pay the British prices it's much cheaper to repair in America! matt your car is incredible it looks brand-new inside and out
I had a 2003 500 sl loved it when it was right but it wasn;t right often enough but still miss it
I have owned one for 12 years and the maintenance costs are very high. And lots of things seem to fail: hydraulic shock absorbers, electric roof mechanism, exhaust system, fuel tank baffle, keyless go, front suspension, electronic throttle (very unpleasant and dangerous), the two batteries last very little, all sorts of electronic problems, etc. It has cost me thousands of Euros to run and maintain. I like the car very much, even though I hate the brake feel - especially around town.
The best looking model of the SL
Excellent review as always, but maybe if you can add a bit more footage on the practicality side of things to compliment an otherwise a comprehensive review. I like how you use simple English and your accent is easy to understand for someone whom English is not his native language like me. You have a good sense of humor too, and your delivery is always on point without trying too hard to be funny.
really enjoy your reviews, much better than the drowl on this side of the pond
Thanks
Great review.... I'm buying the very same car....similar to yours ...same year same spec...1 owner ...stood idle often....31 000 miles....just had a boot n bracers service like you had with all oils and filters changed along with spark plugs....tyres were replaced a little earlier.... I'm paying 25k.... seems high ish but there aren't many one owner vehicles out there.... you didn't mention what you paid other than the 4k repair bills??
...
Lovely
I must apologise ahead for not taking in a single word you said as I was simply ‘drinking in’ every last bit of the thunderous rumble of the supercharged V8 beast nestling under the bonnet of the 55....
MAGNIFICENT!!!!
Have long argued that the SL55 is just about the best sounding AMG ever made, and have seen nor heard no reason to change my mind!
Yeah I agree
Superb review. I have a friend who has had one since 2004. A couple of years ago we went to the Festival of Speed in it. What a day that was. Fabulous day and the drive there and back was exciting, to say the least. If you haven't been, put it at the top of your Bucket List. Keep up the great work. Cheers Pat.
Thanks for sharing!
Good shout out to Prestige Wheels, they did my SL400 wheels before Xmas for a small crack repair, Strip, Paint and Diamond cut, they do look brand new £260 absolute bargain. great service too.
Great exterior and interior colour combo - reminds me of the SLR. What has happened to the inside of the c pillar driver side? I wish I could fit into one, maybe the CL alternative?
Yeah from certain angles it is very SLR. There are no covers on the internals C pillars. All SL’s have ever been in have been the same. It looks odd
@@HighPeakAutos future classic
Neighbour had one of these and looks like she sold it last month to a young guy...how lucky is he. Saw him in it the other day, looked & sounded amazing.
Whats is worth? Well a loaded red/red 2005 SL55 like yours but with glass roof sold for $66,000 on Bring a Trailer and it had 16k miles too. So the AMG R230's are appreciating. Some reason of which is because the next SL's will regress back to archaic cloth tops. I personally prefer the V12's for the maximum road weaponry experience.
Thats interesting to hear. Cheers
What happened to the Bentley? Did you spend anything on it? Yes I try and watch every release.