Yesterday I was poking around a car lot and came across a 2003 Mercedes SL500. I've always thought these were good looking cars so I looked a bit deeper into it.

I jumped on the first Mercedes forum I came across and looked up SL500. Holy Cow! Those owners had nothing good to say about that model and the list of problems would put Jaguar to shame. Big, expensive stuff, too - hydraulic suspension, convoluted top, electrical gremlins, mechanical failure, major brake issues, on and on.

Even allowing for the nature of forums to overstate problems I felt that the level of distress and abandonment felt by the owners was much, much higher than what I've experienced here.

Needless to say, I've scratched that one off my list....

 

I seem to remember reading that the early 2000s MB Cars have a Terrible Reputation. Supposedly, the complicated Electronic Equipment and gadgetry supplied by outsourced suppliers was very failure prone and MB would not stand behind their cars.

In some cases, MB refused to even acknowledge that a problem even existed.

However, the newer MBs have a better reputation.

 

That's pretty much the story the forum members were giving.

 

Agree! The last time I was shopping around for a car, new cars I was considering included Infiniti G37 and BMW 335. I was also considering a used XK8/XKR. Visiting as many forums for each of these cars was really invaluable. From this forum I quickly learned about the differences between the model years, the significant change at the 2003 model year, and the various quirks of these cars. From the BMW forum I discovered the problems that the turbo cars were having and from the G37 forum I discovered I would be entering ricer country.

Same this time around since we are now replacing my wife's 2000 Acura TL. I was considering a Genesis so I visited those forums and also checked out the Acura TL forums. You end up learning a lot quickly.

Doug

 

Well, I believe your XK is a better lookin' car than Mercedes SL .Mercs pouring down the quality in earlir 2000 models , thank God nowadays they're bulding up better cars as they did in the past

 

I was *this* close to adding an SL55 but the ABC power steering and suspension system, the convertible top cylinders, crazy prices for used engines(try find a used engine for less than $6k has the SC and < 100k miles and hasn't been in a fire or anything), the wireless braking system, the SC clutch issues, general electric gremlins and the easy possibility that even DIY to have a 5 digit repair bill killed that idea.

I love the way they drive, 500hp in a beautifully styled convertible with excellent road manners is something I love. I have the money for the repairs when they come, but I'd rather not spend that much in repairs on a car that will continue to depreciate significantly the entire time I owned it. As many problems as Lotus Esprit's have, I'm looking at a Turbo SE or S4 to add at one point because their parts costs are more reasonable. It's all what you can accept with a used performance car.

 

It was an SL55 that got me started looking. Nice car, big $$ exposure.

 

I worked for an auto manufacturer for many years, and have had chances to drive all kinds of cars--including the most expensive Mercedes. I never liked their oversized steering wheels, and their brakes and gas pedals had a terrible feel. At the time, I liked the BMW driving experience much better.

At one time, Mercedes was a no compromise company. An example of their corporate OCD is they forged frame cross members when a stamped steel part would work fine. That was in kinder, gentler times. All cars are now overly complicated, and Mercedes' components are simply not the best quality around. Every car's CAN/BUS with electronic modules all over them.

My Lexus dealer wholesales out virtually every Mercedes he takes on trade. He says every used Mercedes he's traded for has something wrong with it. Every repair is expensive in both parts and labor, and his local Mercedes dealership stocks very few parts.

The Lexus service dept. averages 5.5 hours repair time vs. 5.5 days at the local Mercedes dealership. Someone's got to pay for their Merc. courtesy cars. My Lexus dealer contributes much of his success to the poor quality Mercedes dealership competition (in a town of 1 million people.) I have another Merc. dealership an hour away, and their service dept. also has a terrible reputation. I know there are great Mercedes dealerships, however they're just not around here.