“ 15 Year Ownership - Low Miles - Full MB Main Dealer History ”
With an impeccable service and MoT history, excellent coachwork, a fully loaded interior, and a fastidious long-term owner, this R230 SL350 has everything going for it.

Estimate: £8,000 - £12,000

Background
The R230, the fifth generation Mercedes-Benz SL, was built between 2001 and 2008. An all-new car, it was initially only available with the five-litre V8 engine, which was no hardship given its 302bhp output and creamy smooth power delivery.

Featuring a retractable hardtop, the SL500 really did offer the discerning driver the best of all worlds, with all the fun of the open air allied to what is effectively a proper hardtop coupé for those times when the weather didn’t play ball.

Stuffed full of high-tech safety features, its most significant was perhaps Active Body Control, or ABC, which used hydraulic accumulators to regulate and vary the height and stiffness of the suspension. This system gives – again – the best of all worlds; a pillowy soft ride when you want to waft, and a hard-edged sporting bias to the handling when you want to press on.

The V12 SL600 soon joined the range, followed by an SL350. Always more of a luxurious grand touring car than a sportscar, the even the smallest engine, which is what we have here, gave it enough poke to retain its continent-bludgeoning reputation.

Overview
A 2006-model, this SL350 benefits from the new 3.5-litre V6 engine, which now produced 268bhp and 258lb.ft of torque. The modest facelift freshens up the car’s looks too while retaining its classic appeal, something many feel the 2008-refresh ruined.

Which makes this the sweet-spot in the SL350 lineup: More modern looks and a more powerful engine but without the aggression that ushered in Mercedes-Benz’s new design language.

This one is also completely standard, allowing the German firm’s design and engineering integrity to shine; while many think they can improve on the original, few do and to find one that’s been left as Mercedes-Benz intended is a welcome treat.

But then ‘HN06 XCW’ has been in the seller’s care for the past fifteen years, which tells you everything you need to know about its reliability – and how much he’s enjoyed his time with it!

He bought it as a retirement present to himself, and it’s always been his second or third car too, so has only seen gentle use when the weather’s good and the mood took him. So little use, in fact, that’s it still showing fewer than 40,000 miles on the odometer.

Despite this, it has been very well maintained with a full Mercedes-Benz dealer history and no fewer than ten stamps in the book. It’s also been kept stored in a dry garage underneath a fitted indoor cover and connected to a battery conditioner.

Tellingly, he said he’d have been very happy to sell it to any of his friends, which – again – speaks volumes about how reliable it’s been for him.

Its history file even includes the original build sheet that he estimates shows around £8,000-worth of optional extras.

Finished in Obsidian Black Metallic with 19-inch AMG alloy wheels, a Panoramic roof, and a Pebble Beige hide interior, the V5 Registration Certificate shows just three previous keepers – and it has never failed an MoT in its life.

He’s only selling it because he fancied a change – and that change is Bentley Continental GTC-shaped, which, you won’t be surprised to hear, means he’s run out of garage space.

View current price bid HERE