6.3 x2 = 1,036 HP (New Car)

[onewhippedpuppy]

Yes I bought another M156 equipped Mercedes, this time a 2009 SL63 to keep my wife’s 2010 E63 company. Picked it up in MO today, made it a long day trip. This thing is freaking awesome, it’s super luxurious and amazingly well made but just gets better and better the harder you push it. A little bit faster than the E63, probably a better compromise between handling and comfort because the E63 has the P030 performance package. I previously drove an SL55 and SL65, this thing blows away the SL55 and is much more nimble (and cheaper) then the SL65.

[wdfifteen]

Sounds awesome. Enjoy!

[onewhippedpuppy]

A few clean PO pics before driving home in the rain.

[KFC911]

Cool! I was fixin' to axe if you had to mow all "that" ?

[onewhippedpuppy]

The seller had an amazing and beautiful home. Second garage for the SL63 and his Maybach, also has a G-wagen, new Platinum F150, and a BMW I didn’t see. My place is better suited to the common folk.

[911boost]

Nice!

Do those have issues with the tops? If so I can see that costing $$$$. Although, the odds of you having problems with it over the next 6 months are pretty slim.

Then it is another owners problem

[onewhippedpuppy]

Lol. Tops are pretty solid, the ABC active hydraulic suspension are the Achilles heel of the R230. Regular servicing and being attentive can reduce the overall risk by a LOT.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Thought I’d post a few follow up thoughts after having this beast for a few weeks. First of all I really love this car, it’s a really great balance between fun and practical and a great fit for my daily 37 mile highway commute. The M156 is an obvious different tune than my E63, it feels a little more biased to the top end and responsive, whereas the E63 feels like it’s more tuned to be mellow with more torque. It’s pretty well known that AMG basically put the same M156 motors in all of their different standard models and then tweaked performance and character with the ECU, and it’s pretty obvious here. Surprisingly it also feels quite a bit faster than the E despite having the same HP on paper, it’s a damn fast car. I knocked out the full tune up and it’s all been easy, access is good and everything is very well made. Speaking of which this is the nicest and best assembled car I’ve ever owned, full stop. Everything feels well made, solid, and expensive, which it was back in 2009. The ABC suspension gets a lot of crap but damn it’s really really good, the absence of roll reminds me of my neighbor’s MP4-12C, it just stays flat all the time with an excellent balance between stiff and comfort. The E with performance package is actually much stiffer especially in sport mode. I deleted the resonators and the sound is epic and perfect, no drone but an awesome staccato machine gun snarl under acceleration. No issues at all, I’ll be purchasing some variety of STAR knockoff computer system since I now have two AMGs, but no problems to report. I also want the STAR because I can use it to lower the SL, which is a bonus.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Well one year later, I'm putting the SL on the market to help fund my new boat. Despite my well deserved reputation this is a car I genuinely don't want to sell, I enjoy it that much. I could easily see another one of these in my future. Here's the ad if anyone wants a really special car: https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/d/wichita-2009-mercedes-sl63-amg/7287667336.html

[masraum]

wow, really wish I was in the market...

[pwd72s]

Evren bought a '19 AMG coupe...good looking 600 horsepower sleeper.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I LOVE those cars, congrats Matt! What are the pain points on them?

[porsche tech]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

The seller had an amazing and beautiful home. Second garage for the SL63 and his Maybach, also has a G-wagen, new Platinum F150, and a BMW I didn’t see. My place is better suited to the common folk.

The “common folk” who have two Mercedes and a lift in their garage! Looks like a fun car and nice weather ahead! Enjoy.

[porsche tech]

Oops! I just read the rest of the current posts...boats are fun too!

[JavaBrewer]

GLWS Matt. We are looking for a replacement to my wife's G37 in the next week or two. If the miles were a bit lower and any color than silver (too masculine for her) I would buy from you sight unseen.

What have you heard about the SL 600 (V12)? There is a lower mile 2006 on Ebay that is local to me. I would not buy on Ebay and would drive up to CM to see first hand and get a PPI.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-Mercedes-Benz-SL-Class/143968396890?hash=item21852f665a:g:GEQAAOSwIwlgQX5 p

We're likely going to pull the trigger on a 2 year used Q60 but so tempting to compare shop a GT car like the SL Yep understood they are inexpensive for a reason!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Thanks guys. So high level on the R230, overall they are great cars with quality befitting their price tag at well over $100k. My ad isn’t BS, I’m very impressed in the car and will look for another when able.

The biggest potential gotcha is the ABC hydraulic suspension, it’s scary good at eliminating body roll without compromising ride quality but can be temperamental if not maintained. The system is relatively simple from a mechanical standpoint, it’s basically just hoses and valves, all stuff that a decent DIY mechanic can fix. If you let a leak go and the system runs dry the pump is over $1000, but I consider that neglect. Valve blocks can start to leak which throws off the performance but they can be cheaply rebuilt with common o-rings. Struts last well over 100k and are available from Arnot at reasonable prices. Accumulators can go bad but they are affordable and easy to fix. The single biggest issue is that Mercedes considered it a sealed for life system despite the fact that it runs CHF11S which has a finite lifespan. It’s easy to change the fluid and filter, and if done about every 40k there are people with over 200k on ABC systems with minimal repairs. In 2007 they simplified the system, reducing the number of hoses and combining some components, these cars are considered to be way more reliable.

Otherwise they are pretty solid cars beyond the typical German car stuff. The tops are pretty solid, they are known for being more reliable than the R129. The air adjustments for the seats can leak but that’s just accessory stuff. The M156 up to 2011 had a small number of cars that broke head studs, and some that had cam and tappet wear especially if the oil wasn’t regularly changed. This is pretty rare but you want to avoid a car that’s consuming coolant or has a really noisy top end.

David I test drove an SL65, the TT V12 is intoxicating. The sound, the torque, the smoothness, damn I’d love to have a V12. The SL600 can be easily tuned to be faster than the SL65, and either can easily exceed the available traction. They don’t have the 7-speed Speedshift transmission because it can’t handle the torque, but with that much power I’m not sure if it matters. The engine mounts technically require engine removal for replacement and they don’t last much over 60k, but DIY folks have done it in the car. Also there are two big coil pack assemblies that can fail and are well over $1000 each, but I believe they can be rebuilt from several sources in the $500 range. The V12 models feature even higher grade materials than the V8 models, they were about the pinnacle of Mercedes of that era. Yes I’d love to have one.