Hi all,
I'm considering purchasing a '96-'02 SL500 and I'm curious what the average yearly upkeep / repair / maintenance cost is for these model years. Just a ballpark is OK, and of course I have done my research and am looking to buy only a well-maintained car, preferably single owner or two owners max, with extremely low miles (budget is around $15k tops but would prefer to find something with 40-60k miles in the $10-$13k range).
If it matters, I live in CA in the SF Bay Area, so I do expect to end up paying more than much of the country. I'm not at all mechanically inclined, although I've heard from some that these cars are easy to work on even for complete beginners? I intend to take the car to an indy mechanic and probably not a dealer - I'm certain in this area there's plenty of specialists.
I'm considering purchasing a '96-'02 SL500 and I'm curious what the average yearly upkeep / repair / maintenance cost is for these model years. Just a ballpark is OK, and of course I have done my research and am looking to buy only a well-maintained car, preferably single owner or two owners max, with extremely low miles (budget is around $15k tops but would prefer to find something with 40-60k miles in the $10-$13k range).
If it matters, I live in CA in the SF Bay Area, so I do expect to end up paying more than much of the country. I'm not at all mechanically inclined, although I've heard from some that these cars are easy to work on even for complete beginners? I intend to take the car to an indy mechanic and probably not a dealer - I'm certain in this area there's plenty of specialists.