SL500 4.7 455 AMG Line Premium 9G-Tronic Plus 2dr

Excellent and quite under-rated cruiser

After years of thinking about it I finally succumbed to one of these and don't regret it. I'd have preferred the 18-inch wheels on the non-AMG Line specced cars but this one was such good value I couldn't resist it (under £20K, for a car that was close to £100K new nine years before, but it is higher mileage). The 19-inch wheels don't really suit the character of the car, but of course they look nicer so people want them.

The previous owner didn't know where the bonnet catch was when I test-drove the car, but despite that warning sign, he had kept on changing the oil and replacing most things that were needed. Economy has been exceptional for the performance and size of engine, with 25mpg regularly achievable and 30 mpg on a long run.

I'd say don't buy the R230 (the previous model) - the R231 is the car to have. All-aluminium, much more rigid and with the DI engine. I'll upgrade next year (depreciation will have been minimal) to a lower-mileage non-AMG model of the same car and then that, if a good'un, will be a keeper.

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