2003 SL500

CapitalOne

CapitalOne

CapitalOne

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Long shot sorry all. Seen a local SL500 (2003) for pocket money. would definitely buy after a pint. Anything the hive mind knows to look out for?

We love mercs, tax, mpg and insurance no problem. It’s not airmatic (got one of those already) so I think it’s a straightforward car. What may I be missing? Checked MOT history and it’s just brakes and tires.
 
"Not airmatic" means "Has ABC" on an SL500 (but not on the V6 SL320) which is a whole new suite of issues. Leaks are common, leading to pump issues. There's also a whole range of sensors which can fail. I seem to recall these having issues with water ingress into the rear lights and the baffled fuel tank causing some small problems. The roof mechanism is completely bonkers and was ruinous to fix back in the day, not sure how that has fared with time. Water ingress into the boot was a design flaw that was rectified over time but still degrades. Aging/failing electronics like sensors seem to be a very commonplace issue.

Aftermarket parts are a minefield with regard to quality as well.

COMAND is disgracefully ancient now, really dates these cars so factor in an upgrade, which was never a cheap thing and probably still isn't.
 
DRZ said:
"Not airmatic" means "Has ABC" on an SL500 (but not on the V6 SL320) which is a whole new suite of issues. Leaks are common, leading to pump issues. There's also a whole range of sensors which can fail. I seem to recall these having issues with water ingress into the rear lights and the baffled fuel tank causing some small problems. The roof mechanism is completely bonkers and was ruinous to fix back in the day, not sure how that has fared with time. Water ingress into the boot was a design flaw that was rectified over time but still degrades. Aging/failing electronics like sensors seem to be a very commonplace issue.

Aftermarket parts are a minefield with regard to quality as well.

COMAND is disgracefully ancient now, really dates these cars so factor in an upgrade, which was never a cheap thing and probably still isn't.
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Thanks most useful. I have an 09 CLS with airmatic so assumed if it didn’t have that it would be “normal” suspension. Maybe not? Ant advice on what a motoring prat like myself could check would be appreciated….
 
Uther said:
Read DRZ's post then buy it after a session.What could possibly go wrong.
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I am absolutely buying this as a result of a session and the ad saying “yup ulez no probs” :D the amount of days it would be driven means ulez doesn’t really mean anything
 
CapitalOne said:
Thanks most useful. I have an 09 CLS with airmatic so assumed if it didn’t have that it would be “normal” suspension. Maybe not? Ant advice on what a motoring prat like myself could check would be appreciated….
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It’s not a SL500, but if you check out Legitstreetcars on YouTube he did a series troubleshooting ABC faults on a CL65 which was really interesting and gave a good explanation of how everything worked. Personally, I’m no stranger to buying complex older cars and don’t believe a lot of the horror stories you read online, but even I’d be a bit nervous about an SL500 of that generation.
 
CapitalOne said:
I am absolutely buying this as a result of a session and the ad saying “yup ulez no probs” :D the amount of days it would be driven means ulez doesn’t really mean anything
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Good man. I keep eyeing up a knackered old Porsche Boxster in a local garage, which would be a ludicrous buy but still... :p
 
geekman said:
It’s not a SL500, but if you check out Legitstreetcars on YouTube he did a series troubleshooting ABC faults on a CL65 which was really interesting and gave a good explanation of how everything worked. Personally, I’m no stranger to buying complex older cars and don’t believe a lot of the horror stories you read online, but even I’d be a bit nervous about an SL500 of that generation.
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If it does 1000 miles a year it will be well used. If it costs 1k for a big bill on ABC or whatever that is fine. If it’s scrap with a fault though that’s obviously a problem!
 
Surprised it's not killed by rust already, mercs of this vintage were terrible for build quality and corrosion. Mercedes at this time were cutting corners left right and centre.
 
sx_turbo said:
Surprised it's not killed by rust already, mercs of this vintage were terrible for build quality and corrosion. Mercedes at this time were cutting corners left right and centre.
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I guess that’s what I’m asking about….it’s a punt on some fun I just would rather it wasn’t a waste of the 5k really, if it’s scrap there is no point
 
sx_turbo said:
Surprised it's not killed by rust already, mercs of this vintage were terrible for build quality and corrosion. Mercedes at this time were cutting corners left right and centre.
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Indeed, I think this is still a year or so before they sorted the rust problem. Check the rear arches and subframe. Mechanically rock solid, but body work was terrible.
 
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