The owner of this 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 parked this car somewhere but forgot where they parked it. Authorities tagged it as ‘abandoned,’ impounded it, and sold it to someone who was planning to fix it. However, the fixing stopped mid-way for some reason. Then, a YouTuber came and offered $1,500 and left home with the Merc.
Mercedes-Benz SL 500 This Is What 99% DEPRECIATION Looks Like!
The YouTuber in this story is car enthusiast Ed Bolian, who owns an impressive car collection. Now, he unveils his new purchase, a 22-year-old Mercedes-Benz SL 500, with the same level of enthusiasm he showed when he introduced his Lamborghinis.
Going into production in 2001 as an evolution of the R129, the R230 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 was a genuine sports car. In fact, the SLs have always had this amazing reputation of being sporty and light. That is what the “SL” stands for, after all. It was so rare and expensive back then that Lamborghini and Ferrari owners were trying to trade their cars for the SL. When new, this Mercedes was a $100,000 deal.
Back in the 2000s, the model was way ahead of its time. The polarizing peanut-shaped headlamp design was overshadowed by all the innovations the German automaker transplanted into the SL. It came with the Keyless Go feature, the Active Body Control (ABC) active suspension, and the Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC). The electro-hydraulic power braking system was eventually disabled through a large recall campaign because it proved to be troublesome.
Ed found the car on Facebook Marketplace. He couldn’t just walk away and call it a day. So, he offered $1,500 and went to Georgia to pick up his new Benz. He road-tripped it home against all odds, surprised that it got him to his destination.
Problems piled up on top of this Mercedes
But the good old Benz is in really poor condition. The headlights are fogged over, the bumper features several cracks, the front grille is missing, and the battery – which is not even the right size for this car – is now dead. Ed got a key from the previous owner, but the key is missing the blade.
The Mercedes must have been parked with the tailgate up and the roof down for a while, because it has every smell and dirt possible, while the dashboard shows every warning sign possible. As if it wasn’t enough, the car comes with water damage on top of all these issues.
The white leather on the seats has gone gray over the years. It is peeling off and is split open as if a rookie surgeon practiced on it. The window control panel is missing from the driver’s door, and the floor mats are soaked. The new owner uses a fist blow to fix the pocket door on the passenger’s side. Whatever works, right?
The body of the Mercedes is covered in dings and scratches, the bumpers are splintered, and the paint has surely seen better days. But that is the least of the new owner’s worries right now.
“Mechanically totaled,” the owner calls the convertible
Low on fluids without being completely dry, the Mercedes-Benz SL 500 is a complete disaster. “It’s mechanically totaled,” its new owner says. When Ed tries to fire it up again, it just makes a weird noise at first. It sounds like a call from the cars’ Valhalla. He eventually manages to start it, and he goes on a drive. The naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 roars from under the hood like it missed the road.
When this car rolled off the production line in 2003, the V8 pumped out 302 horsepower (306 metric horsepower) and 339 pound-feet (460 Newton meters) of torque. But it must have lost some over the years. A five-speed sequential gearbox puts the power down through the rear wheels.
When new, the SL 500 could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 6.3 seconds and max out at 155 mph (250 kph). The 5.0-liter V8 powered the range-topping version when the fifth generation made its debut in 2001.
Three years later, Mercedes-Benz brought the SL 65 AMG with the 6.0-liter V12 into the lineup, and in 2008, the automaker made room for the SL 63 AMG with the almighty 6.2-liter V12. North America also got the 5.5-liter V8 under the hood of the SL 55, starting in 2006.
On the move, many of the warning lights in the dashboard of Ed’s two-seater start to go out. The car is 21,400 miles past its recommended service. The odometer reads 153,866 miles. But the level of neglect is sky-high.
The tires are 12 years old but not entirely bald. To get rid of the smell, Ed opens the windows, but because the control switch was ripped off, the only way up for that window is the trick that Mercedes-Benz came up with for the convertibles in tits lineup. When air recirculation is on, the windows automatically go up.
However, the button that puts the retractable hardtop down – that’s the Vario Roof, remember? – or up is not working. The new owner checks the storage space in the center console and can’t believe (well, now he has to believe!) what he finds in there: it’s the New Testament.
Will this 22-year-old Benz make it to Ed’s car collection, or will he flip it? It all depends on how the repair procedure goes. For the moment, he owns a Mercedes that smells bad.
