So I am looking at a 2005 Mercedes SL500. 114K miles for about 8K. Guy said he's the only owner been garage kept and well maintained. What am I getting myself into as far as cost for upkeep?

The R230 (02-11 SL) is only of my favorites, but I can't imagine inexpensive running costs.
If you can DIY, that helps.

Does it have regular suspension of the ABS/Airmatic suspension? I know the latter can lead to pricey repairs.
Guy on another forum I'm on had a R230 SL55, great car, but not a bargain.

2005 would be the last year before the mid-cycle facelift & power bump (5.0 [302hp] V8 to 5.5 [383hp] V8).

If you can do most of the maintenance yourself, I think you can manage costs. If the previous owner has documentation on big ticket repairs, you should be good.

My FIL picked up a 2007 SL500 about two years ago with 45K miles for $17K. IT's very clean and fast. Very smooth. I like it.

Like any high end German performance car, they're designed for routine maintenance for optimal performance. I think the challenge is determining which maintenance is required vs suggested.

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2005 Mercedes SL500

Top SL500 Issues looks like the Active suspension is the biggest issue, watched a show where they had this issue on an AMG SL, one strut on the rear failed, cost was over $1000, you cant repair them.

Link

At first I was like, 8 grand for a 2005 Benz? Then I googled it and looked at the pictures. Sweet ride!

There's a reason old Mercedes are inexpensive and it's not because they are cheap to fix or maintain. If you are not confident in being able to do pretty much any required service yourself, I'd run far and fast.

I have a 2003. Auto level suspension, liquid filled bushings, and soft close trunk lid/hard top assemblies were failure points for me. Beautiful car. I'd go ahead and buy and and just treat it like a hobby, rather than an economical mode of transportation.

I have ZERO respect for either BMW or Mercedes because replacement parts are hugely expensive. Was a time when Good Engineering meant that repairs were relatively easy and parts were priced reasonably.

I had an Uncle who was a hard core Mercedies fan and one if his cars was a 1957 190SL with THREE Concours badges in the grill. Before every one of those competitions He put the body on jack stands and removed every single part in order to clean or refinish to factory new condition. As for the engine, that was taken down to the long block and every surface renewed to factory new condition. Then it was all put together using nothing more than standard hand tools.

Try doing that today and you'll find it's not possible. As for that 2005 500SL, do you have a 2005 Television set that still works. Think about the age of every single electronic sensor, computer, or actuator. Also think about the wiring, is the insulation on the wiring Mouse Food like what Honda got into trouble with. The fact is the electronics in that are are nearing the end or their planned service life and because of this I wouldn't give 5 dollars for a Mercedes that old.

Thanks. It has the ABC active suspension. I figured maintenance would be kind of pricey but I don't plan to use it as an everyday commuter.

I live about 10 mi from where I work and typically I take a motorcycle 3 to 4 days out of the week to work.

I have a beater truck explorer sport Trac that I use for grocery shopping and whatnot.
It looks like a nice ride and is in good condition. Very good condition actually.

The only thing that gives me pause is that he said he's not sure if The radio works since he doesn't use it or perhaps doesn't know how to use it.
That may mean it has electrical trouble but I'll check that out.

The infotainment on my grandmother's 01 S430 was garbage
Her 05 S430 was much improved.

Likely not a simple Crutchfield job to upgrade the head unit, I'd think.

My brother just picked up a 2000 SL 500 with the AMG sport package with 36K mi off of our our uncle’s brother. Thing is sweet, always maintained and garaged since no winters ever. Drive like new after the tires were replaced. He paid $15K.

Don't buy a Mercedes out of warranty, let alone 17 years old, garage-kept or not, unless you are a glutton for punishment can do your own work and enjoy a challenge. I had a client who bought two, a 2004 E320, and I forget the other exactly, but it was a 2005 something-500, both with low (~50K) mileage. Two weeks after he bought the something-500, an air strut blew out - literally. Mechanically, it wasn't that hard to replace, but required a scan tool to fill it. The E320's A/C didn't work, which was eventually traced to a computer module that supplies power to the compressor with a fried circuit board. Any other car would have just blown a 50-cent fuse. These electrical bugs carry over into Daimler-Chrysler vehicles as well. (TIPM, anyone?) The other car was a S550.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

I bought a 1998 E430 about 4 years ago. Got it for $6k. Put about $10k in it over the years, but most of that was optional rejuvenation. I expect yours will need the same. The flex disc is something to watch out for. All the fluids and brakes, shocks and tires were my most expensive service items in total. Owning a V8 Mercedes that it totally tight for $16k, -- hard to argue with that!

My son drives it now. I bought a BMW X3 M40i a few months ago as a last gas car before we're all driving cordless drills.

date mileage notes
06/27/18 90,178 replaced air filter; cabin air filter
07/13/18 90,178 brake flush service, multi-point inspection; found oil pan leaks; found flex disc starting to crack
07/16/18 90,253 replaced oil filler neck (cracked)
08/04/18 90,700 replaced rear trunk panel & rubber side piece (2); various rusted screws, replaced air filter
08/14/18 90,730 shocks; flex disc; alignment; tires
10/04/18 91,250 replaced battery Bosch Premium AGM
11/06/18 91,628 transmission fluid flush; coolant flush; rear dif; new tires
05/02/19 91,861 front wheel bearings; fan clutch
05/16/19 92,401 inspection; spin balance
07/29/19 93,289 check strap; door clips; window regulator
08/06/19 93,378 rear brake light
08/28/19 93,642 repaired dash and deck lid
08/28/19 93,642 replaced windshield
08/28/19 93,642 replaced inspection sticker; new wiper blade
09/10/19 93,692 replaced side mirror, hood emblem, signature sticker
06/18/20 94,972 inspection; oil change; brake flush; brake hoses; trans fluid flush;AC charge
06/25/20 95,017 catalytic converter
08/04/20 95,692 rotors; sunroof; lower ball joint
10/28/20 96,000 sunroof
12/09/20 96,009 sunroof motor - again
04/24/21 98,000 changed passenger headlight bulb
04/30/21 98,267 replaced engine oil dipstick
05/19/21 99,780 inspection; oil change; sunroof
05/28/21 100,047 replaced fuel filter
07/25/21 102,930 replaced license plate bulbs
08/17/21 102,971 oil change; wiper blade; sunroof
11/26/21 107,050 new winter wheels
01/26/22 108,473 oil change
03/10/22 110,010 tension roller
04/03/22 110,626 rear fog light bulb
04/06/22 110,732 Passenger headlamp (Sylvania H7)
04/19/22 111,195 Inspection
04/25/22 111,650 stabilizer link bushings; checked A/C

I like mercs of that generation. I find them very easy to work on. That said, if I didn’t do my own work, I wouldn’t own them.

I love that generation SL and would love to have a sl63 but that engine has its own set of issues but sounds amazing
As stated the roof and the ABC suspension are the common failure points and the ABC system can get very expensive to fix. if it’s just a air strut, Arnott is a good aftermarket option, but id just plan on swapping the whole system out for a traditional suspension and plan on 7-8k for that. Check out the Tavarish YouTube channel to see his suspension conversion on his SL55. Check out the Legit street cars you tube channel; he has a clk65 with the ABC system and documents all the struggles he went through to fix it.

I’m not sure about the 05 SL, but it may have the SBC braking system (brake by wire) and that has
It’s own set of potential issues (my 03 and my 06 E classes have it and it can run a few grand to replace the pump although it may be under warranty for 20 years, I can’t remember)

Run away as fast as you can and don't look back.

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So I am looking at a 2005 Mercedes SL500. 114K miles for about 8K. Guy said he's the only owner been garage kept and well maintained.

Yeah, I figured it'll be costly. I'll look at it but the draw of a decent Jap car is strong.

We've had both Mercedes and BMWs. My perspective is they are fine automobiles, but not economical. You either pay heavily up front new or on the back end used. You have to look at it as more than just stylish transportation. You can get that more economically with any number of Asian imports. It has to be about love of brand and model. Then when it costs more than it's resale value, you don't mind dumping the money. There is a reason used Mercedes/BMW cars are so cheap compared to new.

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Originally posted by egregore:

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So I am looking at a 2005 Mercedes SL500. 114K miles for about 8K. Guy said he's the only owner been garage kept and well maintained.

Yeah, this is pretty succinct in its message. Been there way too many times before. And I keep doing it. Glutton for punishment, I guess. But I do get a real kick out of these sorts of Euro cars. But financially they're not the best of choices, especially if you have to take the work to a shop. I do a lot of my own maintenance work but it's getting harder as I get older. Plus there's just some things I have to hand over to a proper repair shop with all of the right gear. Those are the times that tend to REALLY hurt the wallet.

The R230 is real looker. But caution is the key. The one you're looking at has years and miles; usually a formula for lots of niggling issues and those not so little repairs that a casual DIYer will have a tough time with. Any lengthy amount of time at a Benz repair shop...true pain for the wallet.

Join the MB Club (I think it's like $50 a year) and you'll get 15% off parts at the dealer. That'll bring them near-as-makes-no-difference to aftermarket parts. Establish a relationship buying your parts there and it might payoff when it takes three tries to fix the sunroof, and they just make it all free.

There was a plastic part broken off the frame that was imperceptible but important. One of the techs had a W210 and brought his to work to compare, then they found it. All good since!