Finally, A Mercedes-Benz With Decent Resale Value

by Jack Baruth

Published: July 12th, 2014

finally a mercedes benz with decent resale value

When we chose the SLS AMG Black Series as runner-up in R&T’s PCOTY, we didn’t realize that we were altering the resale market for these automobiles.

If, in fact, that’s what happened. More likely, the obvious virtues of the Black Series over its more pedestrian siblings and AMG’s decision to seriously under-produce the car made more difference than any magazine award. But regardless of the reason, if you want one it will cost you. This isn’t the only Black Series out there being listed for a big number, and what we’re hearing from dealers is that the big numbers are right on point.

But the good news for SLS fans is that R&T will have another feature on the car coming soon. Perhaps this will whet your appetite:

Jack Baruth

More by Jack Baruth

Comments

Join the conversation

9 of 48 comments

DeadWeight on Jul 13, 2014

Looks/aesthetics are subjective, but this car is an exercise in overstyled vulgarity, and looks like a Hyundai Sonata & Jaguar F Type mated, and had an offspring with a defective chromosome (the garish gullwing doors).

Like Reply
- See 6 previous
- VenomV12 on Jul 13, 2014
  
  LMAO, that is a pretty good summary of what this car looks like. That was good.
  
  Like
- El scotto on Jul 13, 2014
  
  Loling on an early Sunday morning at that comment. The original gull wing was built as a sports car to show off the best Mercedes had to to offer. Oh, this generation should have all the Mercedes supreme deluxe go fast, bleeding edge technological goodies thrown in. A part of me thinks the marketing folks cynically approved this car, not the engineers. A car that cost as much as a house in flyover states? Why rich guys with penis size issues will fight each other for the right to buy this thing! In yellow? Even more penis issues! Gouge them for accessories that cost more than a Korean car. A whale foreskin leather lined glove-box indeed! There's a fine line between buying the absolute best and buying something stupidly expensive and showing what a dumbass you are.
  
  Like
- JD23 on Jul 13, 2014
  
  I have to agree that the SLS has never done anything for me. I can't imagine that the sales are particularly good compared to its competitors; I see plenty of Lambos, Ferraris, Bentleys and R8s in Dallas, but I've actually never seen an SLS.
  
  Like
- Jack Baruth on Jul 13, 2014
  
  @JD23 This thing will house most of its competitors on a racetrack, no sweat. It's stupidly easy to drive at tremendous speed. It's basically a Viper. On the negative side, my friend Kiki calls it "the Ace and Gary car".
  
  Like
- Adam on Jul 13, 2014
  
  @Jack Baruth The SLS AMG Black series coupe was used as the safety car for this year's edition of the Monaco Grand Prix. Prior to the race the driver ran a few laps to warm up the tires and it acquitted itself quite well.
  
  Like
- 05lgt on Jul 13, 2014
  
  @Jack Baruth OH damn. The Ace and Gary car. Now that Kiki said that, it will always look that way to me. Osama better stay buried at sea, or this will get him.
  
  Like
- DeadWeight on Jul 15, 2014
  
  @Jack Baruth This is soooo Ace & Gary. Vanity plate would read ACE*GARY
  
  Like
Syke on Jul 13, 2014

This got me thinking of Saturday's Richmond Cars & Coffee - for once, the guy who shows up with the McLaren (something current) got way overshadowed. Somebody else brought a perfectly restored 50's Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster. It was getting more notice than the Tesla parked next to it.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Theflyersfan The wheel and tire combo is tragic and the "M Stripe" has to go, but overall, this one is a keeper. Provided the mileage isn't 300,000 and the service records don't read like a horror novel, this could be one of the last (almost) unmodified E34s out there that isn't rotting in a barn. I can see this ad being taken down quickly due to someone taking the chance. Recently had some good finds here. Which means Monday, we'll see a 1999 Honda Civic with falling off body mods from Pep Boys, a rusted fart can, Honda Rot with bad paint, 400,000 miles, and a biohazard interior, all for the unrealistic price of $10,000.
Theflyersfan Expect a press report about an expansion of VW's Mexican plant any day now. I'm all for worker's rights to get the best (and fair) wages and benefits possible, but didn't VW, and for that matter many of the Asian and European carmaker plants in the south, already have as good of, if not better wages already? This can drive a wedge in those plants and this might be a case of be careful what you wish for.
Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?
Namesakeone I think it's the age old conundrum: Every company (or industry) wants every other one to pay its workers well; well-paid workers make great customers. But nobody wants to pay their own workers well; that would eat into profits. So instead of what Henry Ford (the first) did over a century ago, we will have a lot of companies copying Nike in the 1980s: third-world employees (with a few highly-paid celebrity athlete endorsers) selling overpriced products to upper-middle-class Americans (with a few urban street youths willing to literally kill for that product), until there are no more upper-middle-class Americans left.
ToolGuy I was challenged by Tim's incisive opinion, but thankfully Jeff's multiple vanilla truisms have set me straight. Or something. 😉