SL600 vs SL500 or SL***

[StephenK]

I find it interesting that so many people make the inquiry about ownership between a 600 and 500 or any other model and always ask about maintenance issues. I find the 600 engine to be very reliable and I am not babying mine at all. If there would not be a warranty I could understand concerns, but dealership repairs on any model out of warranty is most always $$$$$$...

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[m4xm1l10n]

Very good point

[five337]

I completely agree. I've only had my 600 for a year and a half, but I don't think I could break it if I tried. I treat the accelerator as an ON/OFF switch, always keep it in SPORT, ABC SPORT MODE and LOW. Traction stays off most of the time because I giggle everytime I step on the gas at 80mph and the rear end breaks loose. (eventually the little german guy inside the computer makes the triangle blink and keeps me from going too far sideways). The top goes up and down everywhere I go - 3-4 times a day.

I get 7 to 11mpg average and its worth every penny !

Buy a car to enjoy it. Buy something else if you want an investment.

Originally Posted by StephenK

I find it interesting that so many people make the inquiry about ownership between a 600 and 500 or any other model and always ask about maintenance issues. I find the 600 engine to be very reliable and I am not babying mine at all. If there would not be a warranty I could understand concerns, but dealership repairs on any model out of warranty is most always $$$$$$...

[Rook3300]

Originally Posted by StephenK

I find it interesting that so many people make the inquiry about ownership between a 600 and 500 or any other model and always ask about maintenance issues.

Speaking of maintenance, does the 6.0L V12 require more or less oil than the 5.0L V8 when changing the oil. Also, are the oil change intervals the same? I'm mostly just curious as I know a lot of guys around my area who buy diesel trucks rather than petrol ones simply because of the long-term durability and the length of time between service intervals.

Rook

// mentioning diesel in the same thread as a 6.0L V12 made my head hurt!

[mlandis]

Originally Posted by Rook3300

I'm mostly just curious as I know a lot of guys around my area who buy diesel trucks rather than petrol ones simply because of the long-term durability and the length of time between service intervals.

Rook, I'm sorry, I had to laugh when I read this -- I have this picture of a truck driver saying, "yeah, I bought this diesel because it lasts longer and I don't have to go the shop as much," and responding, "Great! Funny thing is, that's the last thing I think about when I slam the pedal to the floor in this."

[soulsearcher]

Have no experience with a stock sl600 but i will tell you that a modded sl600 is a pain in the a-- and i accept that as part of the fun. M sl600 has most every mod u can think off and spends a lot of time in the shop. Got it with 7k miles and have had it for less than 1 year. Below are the countless repairs I have had:
Rack n pinion
CELs
coil packs
some type of trans sensor
spark plug problem
control arm bushings

[Wolfman]

Originally Posted by soulsearcher

Have no experience with a stock sl600 but i will tell you that a modded sl600 is a pain in the a-- and i accept that as part of the fun. M sl600 has most every mod u can think off and spends a lot of time in the shop. Got it with 7k miles and have had it for less than 1 year. Below are the countless repairs I have had:
Rack n pinion
CELs
coil packs
some type of trans sensor
spark plug problem
control arm bushings

Interesting. Our SL600 is stock and with the last 30K+ miles I have had nothing but the scheduled service done.
This is very different than the SL55 before which had $25k in repairs (all under warranty).

[mlandis]

Seems like the roll of the dice -- I doubt it has as much to do with the model as it does just the probability of thousands of parts all seamlessly working together on an extremely complex car. Any SL model is a complex machine, the fact that it might have issues is just part of the expectation in my opinion.

[Rook3300]

Originally Posted by mlandis

Seems like the roll of the dice -- I doubt it has as much to do with the model as it does just the probability of thousands of parts all seamlessly working together on an extremely complex car. Any SL model is a complex machine, the fact that it might have issues is just part of the expectation in my opinion.

+1! It is always a roll of the dice. Hell, you could have purchased a Toyota "Reliable Beige Machine" and have the transmission grenade on you within 10,000 miles. It's about the percentages, so if you get a hold of a good one that doesn't need any work, hang on to it for as long as you can! Your next one could be a dud.

rook

[mlandis]

Originally Posted by Rook3300

Hell, you could have purchased a Toyota "Reliable Beige Machine" and have the transmission grenade on you within 10,000 miles.

Grenading -- now that's a funny picture for the head... A 2001 Camry, tooling along on some little side street at like 15 mph, suddenly bursting into a ball of shrapnel... oops!