Show Us Your Motors!

tom_nieto said:
Wait - that SL55 has been written off twice?! Run for the hills!
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Yup, Once Cat C, once Cat D - described as "early in the cars life" which is even worse as these weren't cheap cars at circa £90k list before options back in 2003, or about £155k in today's money adjusting for inflation. So, £30-50k of damage done depending where on the savage depreciation curve the car was at the time.

Brave stuff.
 
@DRZ thanks for the advice. I was 60/40 in favour of not going ahead with the purchase anyway, now i'm 95/5. I'd already contacted the dealer saying i was having second thoughts (i was meant to pay the balance yesterday), he's offered me a refund of my deposit, i think i'll accept it, i'll email him at a decent hour later this morning.

The car is just too big a risk to consider. It being a damaged repaired write off doesn't bother me, it's the things that go wrong on them at this age/mileage like the ABC (10k to fix!). There's few red flags with it. It's had several owners in fairly quick succession, were they trying to offload it? It's also done only a couple of 1000 mile in the last 5 years, i've read this is no good for them. There's no proper service history. It was 1st listed on Autotrader last December, why hasn't it sold? Things are usually cheap for a reason.

Think i've dodged a bullet. Thanks again for your input.
 
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tyke_ said:
@DRZ thanks for the advice. I was 60/40 in favour of not going ahead with the purchase anyway, now i'm 95/5. I'd already contacted the dealer saying i was having second thoughts (i was meant to pay the balance yesterday), he's offered me a refund of my deposit, i think i'll accept it, i'll email him at a decent hour later this morning.

The car is just too big a risk to consider. It being a damaged repaired write off doesn't bother me, it's the things that go wrong on them at this age/mileage like the ABC (10k to fix!). There's few red flags with it. It's had several owners in fairly quick succession, were they trying to offload it? It's also done only a couple of 1000 mile in the last 5 years, i've read this is no good for them. There's no proper service history. It was 1st listed on Autotrader last December, why hasn't it sold? Things are usually cheap for a reason.

Think i've dodged a bullet. Thanks again for your input.
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The only move really, you've made the right decision. Hope the dealer plays nicely with the deposit return :)

Rilot said:
Good move. If you really want an SL, find a newer one that's had a single owner from new. They do exist.
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One owner from new R230 SL55 AMGs aren't a thing beyond perhaps the odd one in a collection. They were absolutely utterly ruinous to run out of warranty, so anyone who had one from new likely bailed as soon as either the warranty ran out or they got their first proper bill and realised it is probably cheaper to just buy another one in warranty than carry on running the one they've got. The latest R230 SL55 you can buy would be from 2007ish, so 16 years old now and they fetch around £30k or 3x what tyke was planning to spend.

TBH, if you're mechanically minded, have a lot of time and the tools to work on cars and you don't rely on it as your only car, you can DIY almost all of it. Parts prices can be steep and the quality of aftermarket parts is often shocking but there are rebuild kits for ABC valve blocks and things now but it isn't straightforward. If you can't do that stuff or don't have infinitely deep pockets it is probably best to just admire them from a distance :(
 
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Lovely meet at local pub and great nights drawing out:

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Also the Vette is back out of hibernation and treated to a good cleanse this week:

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45 years old and still looking so fresh, all seems fine too and shall be in it at Gawsworth Hall bank holiday Monday for their big annual car show of all marques. Come over and say hello if anyone attends.
 
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Cross-post with the BMW thread...

Sold my 440i MPPSK GC to cazoo, and have replaced it with an MY 2021 m550i, which is an LCI G30.

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And of course obligatory exhaust videos:



4.4l twin turbo v8, 530bhp, 0-60 c. 3.5s.

Aventurin II individual paint (very interesting paint, it can be a VERY dark maroon in dull lighting but in direct sunlight it's a fantastically vibrant red)
Comfort pack with ivory nappa comfort seats
Cerium grey grills/mirrors (NOT black like most of them have, which was a hard no!)
Tech plus pack so HUD, driving assistant professional (radar cruise, self-steering, auto lane changing etc - so far it seems far better than autopilot on my wife's Model Y performance, especially in slower moving traffic!), surround cameras, HK audio etc
adaptive LED headlights with beam splitting etc.

70 plate, 7.5k miles

I did look an m5 competition instead, but as a 6'4 ~220lb broad shouldered chap, I did not get on at all with the excessive wings on the "buckets". Didn't even bother taking it out as i was uncomfortable before i'd even moved!

Anyway, 530bhp is more than enough for a practical car....
 
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rG-tom said:
Cross-post with the BMW thread...

Sold my 440i MPPSK GC to cazoo, and have replaced it with an MY 2021 m550i, which is an LCI G30.

And of course obligatory exhaust videos:

4.4l twin turbo v8, 530bhp, 0-60 c. 3.5s.

Aventurin II individual paint (very interesting paint, it can be a VERY dark maroon in dull lighting but in direct sunlight it's a fantastically vibrant red)
Comfort pack with ivory nappa comfort seats
Cerium grey grills/mirrors (NOT black like most of them have, which was a hard no!)
Tech plus pack so HUD, driving assistant professional (radar cruise, self-steering, auto lane changing etc - so far it seems far better than autopilot on my wife's Model Y performance, especially in slower moving traffic!), surround cameras, HK audio etc
adaptive LED headlights with beam splitting etc.

70 plate, 7.5k miles

I did look an m5 competition instead, but as a 6'4 ~220lb broad shouldered chap, I did not get on at all with the excessive wings on the "buckets". Didn't even bother taking it out as i was uncomfortable before i'd even moved!

Anyway, 530bhp is more than enough for a practical car....
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Take it you didn’t look at the excessive speed thread? Or agree with it :p
 
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MrRockliffe said:
Take it you didn’t look at the excessive speed thread? Or agree with it :p
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Exactly why the m550i is the right choice over an m5 :D

It's actually a very relaxing drive, the reviews place the m550i as a car that is phenomenally quick you want it to be, but is supremely comfortable with amazing seats and is a very smooth drive. The M5C has a far more urgency, and makes you WANT to drive quickly, all of the time. Which sound dangerous. Especially as that has another 100bhp...
 
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