Sooo what am I getting myself into here?

derekod · 04-25-2008

Alright, so I'm looking at this 5sp manual '99 230. It has 92k on the clock, but I hear these are strong running engines so I'm not that worried.
I am, however, worried about this:

The top doesn't go down and the dealer selling the car says its due to a hydraulic leak in the hose.
How much is something like this to fix?
Also want to know what some common problems for these are and what I should look out for when looking one over in person.

Thanks!

Derek

**SLKCop** · 04-25-2008

I agree with you on the mileage...as long as it's been well maintained you should enjoy many, many more miles out of the engine.

As far as the top operation, I would bet that no one could tell you a cost without diagnosing the problem further. I might be more suspicious of buying a car from a dealer who just tries to explain away a problem like that rather than fixing the problem prior to offering the vehicle for sale.

If you do buy it, I'd see if you can buy an extended warranty and make sure it covers the top.

Mike

**alroumi** · 04-25-2008

Welcome to the forum.

derekod · 04-26-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by alroumi

Welcome to the forum.

thanks man

so is there a common problem list for these cars anywhere on here???

PAPA · 04-26-2008

Are they going to fix the roof leak ?

Have a good look at the trim, The paint peels off and is a pain to fix.

Ask what hose is gone, If it one in the roof, It stains the headliner.

Make sure the int light dims out when you close the door, If not PSE could be bad ( get wet if roof drains are not kept clean ) It controls loads of stuff, Roof/locking and such.

Open the trunk, and see if the trunk stays open, The struts are quite cheap, But its heavy, It only has to hit you on the head once, To make you wish you had checked

Others will chip in with more things

**alroumi** · 04-27-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by derekod

thanks man

so is there a common problem list for these cars anywhere on here???

Mileage is no problem at all, The cars are strong and an example look at the older Mercedes cars used as Taxi's in Turkey they just re haul the engine every now and then.

derekod · 04-27-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAPA

Are they going to fix the roof leak ?

Have a good look at the trim, The paint peels off and is a pain to fix.

Ask what hose is gone, If it one in the roof, It stains the headliner.

Make sure the int light dims out when you close the door, If not PSE could be bad ( get wet if roof drains are not kept clean ) It controls loads of stuff, Roof/locking and such.

Open the trunk, and see if the trunk stays open, The struts are quite cheap, But its heavy, It only has to hit you on the head once, To make you wish you had checked

Others will chip in with more things

Well they said they would fix it for like $300. But I'm not so sure if I would trust him to fix it, because if it really is only 300 bucks to have done, why wouldn't they have just fixed it b4 selling it?? So that part seems kinda shady to me... Thats why I was asking on here how big of a deal it could be.

And which interior light do i need to be looking for to dim when I close the door and is it supposed to dim immediately or does it take a couple second or so to dim?

I'm also a little confused about what trim to look for. Is the the paint around the perimeter of the roof?

and one last thing (sorry), is it possible to see the stain in the headliner and if so, what area of the headliner should i pay attention to.

thanks soooo much guys, really appreciate all your help here!

PAPA · 04-27-2008

As per the stain yes, It will look like a coffee stain.

The painted trim is the dash, If it is a colour inside, and not black, that will be paint.

derekod · 04-27-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAPA

As per the stain yes, It will look like a coffee stain.

The painted trim is the dash, If it is a colour inside, and not black, that will be paint.

oh ok I know what your talking about. Yea its tan/black int. It seems like almost all of the ones ive looked at all have some paint peeling off. My friends boss though has one and had his interior fixed for only a couple hundred bucks. But I would almost like to know if theres a way I could just get all the paint off and just have it stay the black color thats underneath. Is there any kind of solution or solvent that you can rub onto the interior pieces to take off the paint?

PAPA · 04-27-2008

People have stripped them, But its messy and a pain, You can by the paint, And put it on yourself.

**DesignoSLK** · 04-30-2008

I removed, stripped and repainted all my Anthrite trim. It was painful and time comsuming, but well worth it to me. It looks brand new and is a much more durable coating than the original.

As for mileage, as already stated, if taken care of shouldn't be a problem. I have almost 113K miles on mine, and it runs great!

As for the top, I agree, without a proper diagnosis, you're shooting in the dark. I would use this as a big bargining chip. But if he doesn't want to negotiate heavily, I'd walk and keep looking unless the price is really good. But I'm guessing he wants top dollar whether it's worth it or not. Most used car dealers are like that.

derekod · 05-01-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesignoSLK

I removed, stripped and repainted all my Anthrite trim. It was painful and time comsuming, but well worth it to me. It looks brand new and is a much more durable coating than the original.

As for mileage, as already stated, if taken care of shouldn't be a problem. I have almost 113K miles on mine, and it runs great!

As for the top, I agree, without a proper diagnosis, you're shooting in the dark. I would use this as a big bargining chip. But if he doesn't want to negotiate heavily, I'd walk and keep looking unless the price is really good. But I'm guessing he wants top dollar whether it's worth it or not. Most used car dealers are like that.

hmm well how much do you think he should be asking for it since the top is broken?
again its a '99, 5sp manual, 92k miles, black w/tan int.

thanks

**DesignoSLK** · 05-05-2008

Well, without seeing it it's hard to say, but given you're in FL the body should be in good condition.

NADA says $13,000, but isn't very detailed in allowing description of condition and options.

Edmonds is much better for being more specific. Given what you said, it gives a price of $9,700 for your area.

You can check it out yourself here. And determine what you're willing to pay.

Good Luck!

04-25-2008	#1 (permalink)
derekod SLK World Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Altamonte Springs, Florida Posts: 5 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Sooo what am I getting myself into here? Alright, so I'm looking at this 5sp manual '99 230. It has 92k on the clock, but I hear these are strong running engines so I'm not that worried. I am, however, worried about this: The top doesn't go down and the dealer selling the car says its due to a hydraulic leak in the hose. How much is something like this to fix? Also want to know what some common problems for these are and what I should look out for when looking one over in person. Thanks! Derek

04-25-2008	#3 (permalink)
alroumi Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait Vehicle: 2006 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG Other Toys: 2007 Ebony Jaguar XKR Coupe' and 06 Black Cayenne S Posts: 6,271 Country: Thanks: 288 Thanked 231 Times in 145 Posts	Welcome to the forum. __________________ 06 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG 06 Porsche Cayenne S 07 Jaguar XKR Coupe' I use the Torque and keep the HP for my Steak Sauce!

04-30-2008	#11 (permalink)
DesignoSLK Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kaiserslautern, Germany Vehicle: 2000 Designo SLK230 Posts: 1,681 Country: Thanks: 92 Thanked 20 Times in 15 Posts	I removed, stripped and repainted all my Anthrite trim. It was painful and time comsuming, but well worth it to me. It looks brand new and is a much more durable coating than the original. As for mileage, as already stated, if taken care of shouldn't be a problem. I have almost 113K miles on mine, and it runs great! As for the top, I agree, without a proper diagnosis, you're shooting in the dark. I would use this as a big bargining chip. But if he doesn't want to negotiate heavily, I'd walk and keep looking unless the price is really good. But I'm guessing he wants top dollar whether it's worth it or not. Most used car dealers are like that. __________________ Kevin An American in Germany... To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. '00 SLK230 Designo copper, '06 Saturn Vue, Cessna 172 (pilot)

05-05-2008	#13 (permalink)
DesignoSLK Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kaiserslautern, Germany Vehicle: 2000 Designo SLK230 Posts: 1,681 Country: Thanks: 92 Thanked 20 Times in 15 Posts	Well, without seeing it it's hard to say, but given you're in FL the body should be in good condition. NADA says $13,000, but isn't very detailed in allowing description of condition and options. Edmonds is much better for being more specific. Given what you said, it gives a price of $9,700 for your area. You can check it out yourself here. And determine what you're willing to pay. Good Luck! __________________ Kevin An American in Germany... To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. '00 SLK230 Designo copper, '06 Saturn Vue, Cessna 172 (pilot)

04-25-2008	#2 (permalink)
SLKCop Click it or Ticket! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Burleson, Texas Vehicle: Black/Black 2002 SLK-230 Kompressor [6MT] Other Toys: 2007 Toyota Tundra Posts: 363 Country: Thanks: 81 Thanked 101 Times in 56 Posts	I agree with you on the mileage...as long as it's been well maintained you should enjoy many, many more miles out of the engine. As far as the top operation, I would bet that no one could tell you a cost without diagnosing the problem further. I might be more suspicious of buying a car from a dealer who just tries to explain away a problem like that rather than fixing the problem prior to offering the vehicle for sale. If you do buy it, I'd see if you can buy an extended warranty and make sure it covers the top. Mike

04-26-2008	#5 (permalink)
PAPA SLK World Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Gwent Vehicle: slk 320 Posts: 71 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Are they going to fix the roof leak ? Have a good look at the trim, The paint peels off and is a pain to fix. Ask what hose is gone, If it one in the roof, It stains the headliner. Make sure the int light dims out when you close the door, If not PSE could be bad ( get wet if roof drains are not kept clean ) It controls loads of stuff, Roof/locking and such. Open the trunk, and see if the trunk stays open, The struts are quite cheap, But its heavy, It only has to hit you on the head once, To make you wish you had checked Others will chip in with more things

04-27-2008	#8 (permalink)
PAPA SLK World Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Gwent Vehicle: slk 320 Posts: 71 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	As per the stain yes, It will look like a coffee stain. The painted trim is the dash, If it is a colour inside, and not black, that will be paint.

04-27-2008	#10 (permalink)
PAPA SLK World Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Gwent Vehicle: slk 320 Posts: 71 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	People have stripped them, But its messy and a pain, You can by the paint, And put it on yourself.

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