I got a text from the driver that the SL55 would arrive around 7:30 pm.

Since I figured they would be in a semi-tractor trailer, I suggested we meet at the nearby Lowes Home Improvement center instead of my house. While there is room on the farm for a semi, it would be hard to turn around and this would just make it easier.

At the advice of the seller, I used T&J Auto Transport and I was very happy with their service.

I had it shipped to North Carolina from California in an enclosed trailer, and as you can see from the video the car was pretty well protected during the trip. I could not convince the driver to drop off the other cars, however.

The car arrived a bit dirty, and with zero gasoline, so my first stop was to fill it up. Also, the auxiliary battery was drained, so the top wouldn’t go down, but by the time I turned on to my road it had charged enough that the last two miles were driven as a convertible. I had the same issue when I got my first SL55 but a few sessions on a CTEK charger fixed that.

Overall the car is as promised. There is a ding on the back bumper and some scrapes on the front air dam. There is also “clear bra” protection film on the front, part of the rear and behind the door handles that wasn’t noticeable on the pictures (although it was mentioned in the auction description) and I’m not sure if I’m keeping it. It isn’t up to the standards that I like to keep my cars as far as detailing, but that is part of the fun.

It is due for a Service B (based on time, not mileage) so I plan to schedule that for September.

This car has a custom exhaust, and oh my does it sound nice. I just hope we get the license plate issue sorted out so I can get it registered and start driving it.