The idea of owning a true supercar is something many enthusiasts dream about. But that tends to stay a dream as the expense and entry price for most supercars puts them in the realm of the rich and famous.
There is a true modern-era supercar, however, that is not only affordable but also practical. The Pick of the Day is one of them, a 2008 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG.
Now, some of you might be thinking that the SL55 is not a true supercar, but I’m here to say you are dead wrong for a number of reasons.
First, the SL55 definitely had a supercar price tag when new, with a list price when introduced in 2003 of $134,200. While not insane money, definitely very expensive.
In the category of performance, the SL55 AMG holds its own with a 0-100 mph time of 9.9 seconds, just 1/10th of a second slower than the Ferrari 575M Maranello.
In the area of styling and overall quality, the Mercedes also fares well, with suitably aggressive looks and typical ultra-high-end quality, as top-level Mercedes cars have always had.
According to the Sarasota, Florida, dealer advertising the Benz on ClassicCars.com, this SL55 AMG has covered only 21,300 miles from new and has literally every option available, including the panoramic roof. The car has a clean Carfax, includes all its original books, service history and window sticker, the seller says.
Buying a used AMG Mercedes can be a bit of a crap shoot, though. Buy the wrong one and you could be looking at spending thousands of dollars in maintenance and repairs. Buy the right one, though, and it can be as easy to live with as it is fun to drive.
For the SL55, the experts say that buying a 2005 or later is the way to go. The earlier cars can have very serious, read expensive, issues and the later cars are fairly trouble free. I had a 2005 model for a few years that I used in Monterey, California, and absolutely loved it.
These cars have a bit more edge than the SL63 AMG that replaced them. With the SL55, you can get the car sideways, something not possible in the later car. The SL55 engine also sounds better and is overall more of an enthusiast’s car to drive.
This 2008 SL55 has an asking price of just $31,500. It is hard to go wrong on such a cool car that is so low mileage and well-documented, and for less than one quarter of its price when new.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Mr. Reid – again thank you again for another well written and informative article on the 2008 Mercedes SL55 on March 7th. I looked at this car earlier this year a a local car dealership but decided not to buy because I have five other cars, and my wife would not like it.
Is there any information you can provide on this mark’s cousin, the Mercedes 2004 CL 500. Just curious? Thank you again
Hey Allan I like them too. They are quite elegant, I just loved the stupid power of the SL55. They are almost a throwback car. I got from the Portola to the Lodge Sunday during Monterey week in 7 minutes in mine a few years back, much to my friend Alain Squindo from RM Sotheby’s (my passenger) great amusement.
Great Price on this car but it doesn’t have “literally every option”. I can tell from the photo it doesn’t have the P30 performance package(larger rotors and calipers, oil cooler vents, etc). It’s a looker though.
Excellent information and a superb price on a low mileage car. I sold my friend’s 2004 SL55 last November for $30,000., And it had 81,000 miles on it. It did have many custom aftermarket features.
We enjoy your “spotlighted” cars
Just recently picked up a lower mileage one owner 2005 and loving every moment behind the wheel with the exhilarating acceleration and hypnotizing exhaust note.
Hi you say this is a SL55 but the pictures clearly show this is not the SL55 Kompressor it’s just the SL500 with Amg bodykit and wheels
True. Was waiting for someone to point this out.
Actually the featured car is listed incorrectly as a SL55 AMG but is really a SL550. I’ve seen a dealer or two make this mistake in the past. Most notable from the pictures is it doesn’t have the signature AMG engine.