anyone ever onwed or no much about the little SLK's ? I'm still looking for a sporty daily for my wife.
The current generation SLK's rock. But the older models are horrible. I bought one for my ex-wife(while we were married) because she wanted a convertible. It was a noisy, underpowered car with a cramped interior. I would not recommend it.
I've got a 99 SLK230 Sport. Fun little car, really looks sharp with the sports package. With prices the way they are today, if you're looking for the last gen one, you can pick up an SLK32 for a song. I'm not a huge fan of the current model's styling myself. Quality hasn't been stellar, but MB has been sliding in recent years. My porsche has been more reliable than the MB, so that says something right there.
I've test driven the '05 350. My Impressions : Superior to the previous generations, excellent handling, pretty good performance for a 260 HP V6. Good & Bad News : The Retractable Hard top. Nice Feature; however with the Top down very little access to Trunk. You CAN'T unload a set of Golf Clubs, unlike the SL500 (230) Class. The SLK55 : 360HP V8,7sp Auto is worth the Extra $$$.
the last generation bosxter and boxster s are much more of a sports car thanthe old slk, which was a cruiser....i never liked the older slks ride...chassis was not stiff, ride was choppy and handling mediocre....get the bosxter if you want a sports car with great handling and nice engine sound
Here is an Excellent Site for MB Info. http:www.Benzworld.org/Forums You are interested in the 170 Class. Good Luck with your Decision !
have a 2002.slk230k. it has been so so .. .. rather loud. problems -alarm comes on by it self.(fixed under warranty) -cylinder misfiring. (fixed under warranty) -seat height adjustment does not work. (fixed under warranty about 10 times and still not fixed) -not the most ergonomic interior. the good. - it looks real nice - it can do 120-40 mph no probs.. (with the top down too ) - stereo is decent.
I had an '05 SLK55 ///AMG that I got rid of last weekend. It was a fun car with plenty of power. If you are looking for a sports car that provides a connection between driver and machine, this is not a great car. However, if you are looking for a fast, comfortable, attention-grabbing GT with an automatic trans, this is the perfect car for you.
don't like the new mustangs, I REALLY like the new gen SLK's. But I'm not buying a brand new car ever, I'll let someone else take the deprec hit.
My wife had a '99 SLK230 Sport. In my opinion, it was noisy, underpowered, extremely cramped/uncomfortable (I'm only 5' 10") and had a stiff ride yet way too much body roll. In her opinion, it was the best thing ever. Liked it better than her current E500 Sport. As far as reliabilty, the top became stuck half-open/half-closed twice in the 4 years that she owned it. That was it. By comparison, her current MB has been a reliability nightmare.
The new one is completely new, but my '98 SLK230 was a fairly reliable car. I think I had $500 in repairs over 7 years (including 4 years of warranty), for electrical stuff (gauges). Also the usual items, like a battery. However, I may have been lucky judging by what I've read. I also had interior trim that fell apart after 5000 miles, and soft paint that chipped if you stared at it. The top, which I always worried about, never failed. It needed adjusting once, but that's normal for any power-top convertible. The R171 model - 2005 model - is a vastly superior car, though. I'm glad I sold mine early last year, because it doesn't hold a candle to the '05. The car's better looking than the SL, IMO, and definitely more exciting to drive. The base model SLK's better looking than the AMG version - and the AMG has the old 3-valve design for now anyway. 5.6 sec 0-60 is pretty sweet. I don't know that Mercedes quality is all that great, as my Lexus-owning friends liked to remind me. Maintenance is a fraction of the costs you'd get with a Ferrari, and my dealer rocked - service was amazing - but M-B cut costs on the trim. So, I had to have an upholstery shop repair both door panels, the leather seat covers needed replacing before 10,000 miles, etc. I babied the car, so this was kind of annoying. Would I recommend a new SLK? I still love my dealer, but if I were spending my money now on an everyday driver German convertible .... I'd put the $50K toward a very nice low mileage Porsche 993 cabrio. But, among new cars, the SLK350 is really tempting. The old version -- isn't. Really, the interior sucks and the performance is already obsolete. And, M-B electrical isn't reliable and isn't something you can work on yourself. Trust me. Of course, I sold my SLK and BMW to buy a Ferrari, so you know where my thought process ended up. But, my .02. J
The '05 SLK is found in the R171 forum. We ordered one in September and received it in December. VERY nice vehicle. We got the comfort package, sport suspension and lighting package in addition to the 6 speed. Color is Caspian Blue with Ash leather interior - great compliment of colors. We have had zero problems with it and it really has a lot of spunk. For us it's a fun car, not a daily driver. We also have an '04 C 320C that's one heck of a mover too. Just playing with the SLK one day going to work - I did an experiment/comparison with the C 320C. The SLK at 90+ mph in 4th gear still had about 2400 more rpm to redline and two gears remaining - my test came to a halt when I rapidly approached vehicles going my way and on coming traffic. The C 320C on the otherhand under similar circumstances was about 75 mph with 2000 more rpm and two more gears. The trunk is definitely ample for us and there is quite a bit of room (we've had it full of groceries). The roof folds down in 22 seconds to very neatly compact layers which are protected. We are taking this car to the USGP in June so we'll see how it handles a 15+ hour drive - it will be in the Mercedes Car Corral. We also got the Pirelli tires on it. In my opinion, this car is not underpowered and not cramped - John's 6' and I am 5' - thus the comfort package is very nice for us as it remembers each of our settings. It's got a nice "throaty" exhaust note - I think it may be louder sounding then our Ferrari. It also has one heck of a short turning radius and handles very well. As far as a Boxster - only you can make that decision - we entertained the idea of that or a new Corvette but obviously chose the MB. Carol Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The SLK350 with 6MT is the drivers car of the line, while the AMG appears more to be another Mercedes luxury muscle car, as shown by this post. I say get the don't waste you money on the AMG, get the 350 which is still pleanty quick for a little roadster.