2003 Mercedes-Benz SL55

First registered in January 2003, this lovely example of the SL55 has now covered just over 67,000 miles from new. Last serviced at the Mercedes-Benz dealers in Bedford at 66490 miles, it comes with a sheaf of old invoices, bills and paperwork, which is reassuring when you’re buying a car this complex.

With bodywork that the seller describes as “excellent” and sitting on a thousand pound’s-worth of refurbished alloy wheels and new Pirelli P-Zero tyres, this SL55 AMG is ready for its new owner and set to do sterling service for the next fifteen years.

The Brilliant Silver coachwork is in very good condition, being free of serious defects and imperfections. The flanks are free of ripples and the panel gaps and the alignment of the door, bonnet and boot are as impressive now as they were when the car left the Mercedes-Benz factory fifteen years ago. The only noticeable defects are a couple of small stone chips to the driver’s door (please see photograph). Please do make a trip to see the car in person, before auction end, to check it out – use the Contact Seller button to arrange.

The folding vario-roof, so crucial to the car’s versatility and practicality, opens and closes as it should. It also seals tightly and is completely waterproof.

The alloy wheels have been recently refurbished and powder-coated prior to being fitted with brand new Pirelli P-Zero tyres. The final bill came to four figures and while you’re probably fed up with us pointing this out, anyone who goes to the expense of fitting matching, high-quality rubber like this can generally be trusted to take care of the smaller, less visible things too.

The Anthracite leather seats are in very good condition, being completely free of rips, tears and scratches. The only sign of wear is slight creasing and gentle scuffing to the outside bolster of the driver’s seat.

As befits such an exclusive and expensive car when it was new, the SL55 AMG has a number of nice touches such as silver-faced AMG dials with red needles, extensive aluminium trim and a leather-rimmed sports steering wheel.

Equipment levels on the car are generous, to say the least. In addition to the usual stuff like electric windows and mirrors, cruise control, air conditioning and a multi-function trip computer, this example benefits from electrically adjustable and heated sports seats, a high-end Harman Kardon sound system (that is both MP3 compatible and fitted with a six-disc CD changer), and the COMAND infotainment system, which comes with an analogue TV and satellite navigation.

It also has Parktronic parking sensors, Keyless Go, Bi-Xenon headlights, and an electrically operated wind deflector.

The seller assures us that everything works as it should, which is exactly what you’d expect given that this Mercedes dates back to an era when it was still built up to a standard rather than down to a price.

The supercharged, V8 engine is in rude good health, starting and running as well now as it did when it was first fitted. Completely hand-built by a single AMG engineer, these engines have an enviable reputation for reliability if they’re looked after - and this one has been.

The Active Body Control adaptive and programmable suspension works as it should, as does the (really rather good) five-speed automatic gearbox, which features steering wheel ‘flappy paddles’ and a sports mode.

The seller tells us that: “It is just fabulous to drive, being limousine smooth at low speeds and exhilarating when accelerating hard. It really needs to be viewed and driven to appreciate just how good it is.”

The car comes with a stamped Mercedes-Benz service history booklet and the online MOT history check shows nothing untoward – and by “nothing untoward” we mean that it has gained just one single advisory point in the last twelve years - and that was for slight play in a ball joint in 2017. Bulletproof doesn’t even begin to describe these cars.

The car also comes with the original owner’s handbook pack complete with service history and extensive paperwork to support its mileage. Current MOT through to June 2019. Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing to view them for yourself.

Time has been kind to the R230 Mercedes SL55 AMG; initially viewed with suspicion by the secondhand market, they’ve moved seamlessly up through the ranks to become genuine platinum-coated, diamond-encrusted jewels, offering performance, reliability and enough everyday usability for them to be the coolest daily driver you can imagine.

All of which means that prices are on the march. While you used to be able to buy the very best cars for less than £20,000, you’ll have to pay around twice that now, which makes our guide price for this genuine and unmolested example of £14-19,000 look like outstanding value.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Coldstream on the Scottish borders (see below for transport fees); to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it (you would be looking at around £300 to move it from the seller’s address in Coldstream to Birmingham, for example), and Footman James for classic car insurance.