in2dwww

I see what you mean... I think at some point, everyone gets a car that just continues to have problems. You must have one of those "Monday" or "Friday" cars... when it was produced on a day in the factory when the workers couldn't wait to go home, so they bang out the line as quickly as possible.

But you have a Mercedes and it's engineered to the hilt. I've also been to their factory, and a shoddy car is not what they produce. If you want to see crap, go to the BMW plant in South Carolina. That experience makes me wonder why I was even a BMW nut back in the days. Horrible assembly process... made me wonder how the Z4 could cost so much- it was all that labor involved with assembling the car. Then once you own the Z4, watch it's resale value plummet to reality. Just like all Mercedes cars, SLK is built correctly.

I have to admit that my SLK55 is very solid. But after spending some time with it, I suggested to Mercedes that the next SLK includes two important features:

1. Vented seats. On days above 85 degrees f, if I have the top down and drive around the block, the humid air can create some nasty sweat. My E350 and even the C230 loaners have perforated seats. The SLK is solid leather, and it's not pleasant on hot days. This fact alone makes me wonder if I should have forked $68k for a used non-AMG SL instead.

2, Tires... mine are Pirelli P-Zero Nero. They don't convey any confidence. It could be the lousy ice-resistant asphalt out here, but I just don't get the grip I expect. If these damn tires weren't so expensive, I'd get the Michellin P2's. The only resaon why Mercedes put the Pirelli's on the SLK is because of longer treadlife.

Beyond these two points, I'm hapy with the car. It turns heads, sounds lovely, hauls a$$, and has most of what you could want in a roadster.

If I had to make a choice of a replacement, it would be the new C-class... the C63. It will turn heads, haul a$$, and include many techno gadgets from the s-class.