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Why an SLK??

Well, apart from a tiny 6 month period in 2009, I have had a company car since 1995.
That's 24 years of driving nice wheels, but being taxed a sh*tloads!!.
Very grateful too, always appreciated the priviledge of being able to choose lovely cars every three of four years.

My last one was a BMW 5 series, lovely car, automatic and effortless.

But......but.......I'm not the kind of person who 'feels' right in a big exec car......sure I had the jobs and stuff but deep down I'm a Strat playing Surfer who always- ALWAYS - wanted a Delorean or a Chevy Blazer from 1985 haha.
I used to see myself getting out of the Bimmer and inside just laughed at the idiocy of 'me' driving such a corporate beast....I felt like a fraud.

So this May sees me being made redundant after nine years and very quickly needing to 'buy'.....yes BUY my own car to allow me to get to interviews and stuff, y'know, regular driving requirements.

So off I went in search of the usual suspects for a respectable 53 year old....Audi A4, BMW3, Mondeos, etc..basically straight back to corporate responsibility, saloon exec stuff, appropriate for a job seeker in middle mgt.

Then whilst at a 2nd hand dealer near my house, this little car was giving me the come on. I ignored it and perused the row of 5 door sensible cars and focused on well, Focuses.......but this silver fox juuuuuust kept coming into my peripheral and eventually, I thought, what the hell, sure, I can walk the corp walk, talk the corp talk, but do I want to drive the corp drive? on my own dollar? Aw Hell No! so I slapped my money down and drove home in a car that until that day I had never dreamed of owning.

Two months on and I can safely say that I have not stopped grinning when I fall into the drivers seat, drop the top and wield that heavy steering wheel into submission and take it out for an interview or round to the supermarket for no real reason.

It's fun, its funky, it's cool, it's a great antidepressant, it's not very common and above all, I feel like myself in it.

Sure I like the big freeway bullets and admire a nice BMW or Audi but do I miss them? Nope. Because the weren't 'me' and they weren't really mine.
This great car is both.
Never had a Merc before but this 06 plate roadster may well be the beginning of a new love affair.
 
It's a long story

Well unbeknownst to me it all started on July 13th 1977. That was the day my Dad brought home a 1960 Mercedes Benz 190SL, I was 15 at the time, and although he had many cool and fast cars over the years the little Mercedes was one of his favorites. Dad has since past away, but 42 years later we still have that 190SL it's got 147,000 original miles, two owners and documentation from new. It's a beautiful car, and I love it.

Unfortunately, as the value has risen we take it out less and less, a car show once in a while, but mostly it sits in the temperature controlled garage we rent just for it. Last month we took it on a trip to Washington state, and had such a good time that my partner Karen insisted (very nicely of course) that we find a convertible to replace it. Well who am I to question the wisdom of my partner, so the search for a suitable replacement began, would it be a newer SL, a BMW Z3 or Z4 a Boxster? The SLK wasn't really on my radar, but there was one on Craig's list nearby so we went to check it out, immediately I knew this was the model to get, same wheelbase as the 190SL, fun to drive, love the folding hardtop, etc etc.....

Next thing I did was get on the forum and start researching the different classes and models , I was thinking a post facelift R170 230 but then this 1999 with 44,000 original miles came up on Craig's list about two hours away. We had to go look, and ended up driving it away that day.

We have a couple more car shows with the old 190SL, then we will be selling it at the end of summer, parting is sweet sorrow, but our new SLK 230 will make it much easier.

Brad Boyd
 

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Hi,
My kids are teenagers and they don't want to go with parents anymore. So, I was looking for a car that I liked to be the 3rd one in the family. I was looking at E class coupe (not a convertible) and I though it was beyond my budget. Then I came across at SLK R171 which was cheaper (but older) one. The reason I choose Mercedes Benz is: I know the mechanics near by my house and he does a very good job in maintenance the cars at a reasonable price. The cars in my country, Thailand, are quite expensive compare to US and Europe, but the maintenance and labor cost of mechanics are far less. So, having a 10-14 years old car is not a bad idea. The tax for old car is not expensive in my country.
I kept searching in Internet, FB for a month, then I got the rough price of this model. I had been testing the 4 cars before decided on this one. It is 2005 SLK 200, 1800 cc. supercharge. Only small engine is available in Thailand. The first car that I tried became my car since it was in good condition, low mileage 66,000 km. There was still a record of maintenance from the previous 2 owners. Then I told my wife that I found the one and she agreed to take it.
The day we got to Bangkok, we needed to attend the meeting of my wife family. She drove me to pick up the SLK and then I drove with my boy to the meeting at the restaurant. Other people wondered why we didn't show up together but we said nothing, just smiled at them. When the meeting was finished, we went out and the others went to see us leave. Then they saw the SLK and they kept saying that the car was so beautiful. I drove with my son to our home with happy smiling faces.
Yes, it is the oldest car I ever had. I think I will use it not so often. I need to work on her a lot. Changing all the liquid, changing tires (which is made in 2014!), change the battery (4 years old) and a lot more. But I will keep her in original as much as possible. I feel like it will be a vintage car soon, and original does look better in my point of view. I even think about finding the old NOKIA mobile phone which was once in the cradle, if it still works.
 

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Unlike many of our members, I didn't set out to buy an SLK. My wife and I were talking about the times we had when we were first married, 50 years ago. We used to take long rides up country in whatever sports car we had at the time. Last Saturday my neighbor/friend came over with a red '08 SLK280 that he was thinking of buying. He couldn't get past the red color but knew my wife loved red on a car. We had the weekend to play with it. We put on about 250 miles just driving around then went to the dealership this past Monday and made the deal. It's a car we bought not for a midlife crisis but an older age crisis trying to relive those early days in our marriage.

We didn't know about the forum at the moment but I'm sure glad I found it. It's Sunday and time to put the roof down and head out.
 

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I had a string of sport cars in my checkered past and it was time for another. The Porsches and Jags are a little rich for my blood, so it was a toss-up between the SLK and a Z4. I looked long and hard at the Z4's but most of them were rode hard and put up wet while the SLK's I looked at were in pretty good shape. I thought 'sold' as soon as I saw my Toboggan. Its been a great car and I'm not ready to trade any time soon.
 
Was out looking for a cheap 4 cylinder car to carry some of the milage load off my truck and drove to a dealership to look at a MINI Cooper Convertible (which they sold the day before). Don't blame the dealer, I just saw it online and decided to go and view it over the weekend without checking if they had sold it previously!

Anyway, I asked if they had any other convertibles? To which he pulled a cover off the SLK230, told me it was a 1999 one owner car with 20 something service records with it. I looked up the Carfax and it had an extensive list of service work done, engine mounts and transmission mounts were changed at 80,000, plus the roof hydraulics where completely redone five years ago with new headliner, not to mention it had new brakes, tires and battery. So I thought for about 2 minutes and decided to buy it take a gamble. After buying I contacted MB in Germany as I was curious how many were made in 1999 and how many of them were white, turns out there were about 108,000 produced that year, of which only 2064 were painted white. I feel really lucky to have the car.

It really is a nice car, just got to figure out the quirky alarm, plus tiny oil leak, apart from that it is in really great shape with just a couple of cosmetic issues (valve cover is a bit worn and needs replacing).
 
I think I laid this out about a year ago in another post. The SLK was more of a ticked most of the boxes kind of car. I've been a big fan of two seaters since I was a kid. When I was 19, I got a 1985 MR2 in bright red. Later in my early thirties I got a 1991 Miata. A few years after that, a BRG 1991 Miata and then a few years after that a 1999 Miata. In between, I had Jeeps, (my other car passion), a couple of 280ZXs, a Saab, pretty much anything that was an off the beaten path kind of car. I've never been much for the standard sedan. Last year, I decided I was going to give up my Wrangler, (#4) and go back to a two seater. The dream car always was and admittedly still is a Porsche. I was looking hard at the Boxsters but in the end, I knew that because of trying to get my new business started, I wasn't fully prepared for all of the maintenance that it would probably require. I started looking at the MR Spyders, newer model Miatas, the Saturn Sky, the Pontiac Solstice and the Chrysler Crossfire. In researching the Crossfire, I figured out that in many ways, it was just a re-badged R170. This put me on the path of an SLK. The MB brand has never had a magic pull for me. Nice cars but I just don't go gaga for them. The more I looked at the SLK though, the more I liked the looks and the more I realized that it was checking more of the boxes than any of the other cars I was looking at. Particularly the 350 had a nice amount of power that most of the others brands I was looking at lacked. Maintenance seemed to be good and much better than a Porsche. Once I decided on the SLK, I looked very hard in the area for a few weeks. The one I own is the third one that I test drove. One was a dog, the other was an '08 that I couldn't get to the price I wanted but this one was the right price and was in overall pretty good condition. I don't know that I'm an SLK for life driver. It's been a great car this past year and there are things that I really enjoy about it but I can't say that I'm enamored with it either. I'm still looking for that car that's going to make me feel the way I felt years ago when I got my first two seater. On the plus side, I don't know that I've ever owned a car that gets more compliments than the SLK. If you want to spend $5k to $10k and make people believe that you have a car that you spent $70k for, the SLK is the way to go. I'm almost embarrassed by the reactions people give me especially when I think they probably spent double on their asian econobox car.
 
Good question that easy to answer.... I think the SLK, that’s the 170, 171 and the 172, are amongst the most beautiful cars ever made! They are the epitome of a top down, summer roadster that can be both a gentleman and a screaming beast! You can go shopping and sightseeing one day and burn off most others on the next.....and that exhaust note from my V6 at 7000rpm!!!!!! ‘Nuff said...
 
Lived in the north where it snowed and had a 4 wheel drive Jeep for the snow. Moved to sunny SC beach area decided I wanted to replace the Jeep with a convertible. Saw an ad for a private seller of a 2001 SLK230. Did a test drive and decided to give it a try. A few years later decided I want a newer one so traded up to a 2007 SLK350.

Update on this post. Last fall decided it was time for a newer SLK and wanted a 172. Found 2013 nearby for sale so traded 2007 for 2013 250, love the newer model.
 
Back in late 1996 I was working for a car delivery company delivering new and used cars to customers. One of my first jobs was to collect a brand new Mercedes SLK 230 from Mercedes Benz UK in Milton Keynes and deliver it to a customer in central London. I was immediately impressed with the way it drove and handled and also the practicality of the Vario roof system. I vowed then that I would eventually have one. It only took me another 24 years but I achieved my goal, albeit a later R171.
 
I owned numerous Chrysler Crossfires (including some SRT-6s) starting in 2008 and finally selling my last one in 2015 (those pesky divorce lawyers want a lot of cash, but that is another story). You could say that I was starting to get a little hooked on MB with my Crossfire experiences. I used to go to the Tail of the Dragon with the Crossfire crew a few times a year and one of the members traded his SRT-6 for an SLK 55. He let me drive it through the Dragon (and I was really hooked after that). Moved to Phoenix after living in Colorado for 40 years and drove mostly boring vehicles while there. My current wife got a job opportunity in Nashville, so we moved here about two years ago. I tried a Miata ND for almost a year after we moved. Not a bad car, but just lacking in the power department. I then started to look for an SLK that wasn't too costly. I found a nice '11 SLK 350 and I had that for about year. Great car, but the V8 was calling me. My wife of course needed an SLK 55, so we found one for her in January. I couldn't go around driving a V6 while she had the V8, so I traded my SLK350 for the '09 SLK 55. Absolutely no regrets and I have smiles with every mile driven.
 
You are blessed. I have hinted about a 55, but my Lady feels that the 350 is good enough.

I must say that I am not sure that a V8 will be better than the V6. La Bête performs and handles quite well.

Nashville. My Lady's home town. My Nº 2 Son and Daughter-in-law live there. Looking to visit them in the next month or so.
 
My first SLK, my first Mercedes, my first 2 seater sports car. I've always had a car, they tend to be estates and I use them as utilitarian transport (although I have had some lovely ones).

However, for fun, all my life, I've ridden a bike, since 1984 a 1000cc Moto Guzzi. But, another prang at low speed due to an, 'idiot car driver' put paid to that. My wife doesn't like the back of the bike anymore and it's cold and wet and hard going, so I sold the bike and went looking for an MX5 because I had to have something to drive that would get the wind in my hair. Ha! I would literally have had the wind in my hair because my eye-line, even with the seat fully lowered, was at the same height as the top of the windscreen. So I talked to the guy who's been my mechanic for a long time and he said get yourself nice SLK. So here I am.

I'm 60 now... This feels like growing up.
 
You are blessed. I have hinted about a 55, but my Lady feels that the 350 is good enough.

I must say that I am not sure that a V8 will be better than the V6. La Bête performs and handles quite well.

Nashville. My Lady's home town. My Nº 2 Son and Daughter-in-law live there. Looking to visit them in the next month or so.
[off topic]I think the 350 does a little bit better in the curves with the reduced weight in front. I see that it shows you are from Lansing? I have an aunt and uncle that live there (on Pulley Hill if you are familiar with it).
[/off topic]
 
[off topic] No, I am not familiar with that location.

[on topic] The 350 handles very well. It really is a dream to drive. Sharp handling, especially in traffic. It is easy to nip and tuck through traffic.
 
I rode motorcycles for many years. 20 of those years was with a 1995 Kawaski GPz 1100. This is a big sport touring bike built for the highway but also able to handle relatively well. I used to go on long road trips with friends. I put 93K miles on that bike in 20 years. My wife got a 2005 C230 Coupe (manual) with the glass top - she bought it new. One of my riding buddies had gotten rid of his bike and got a sports car (Gen 1 Dodge Viper - a collectible classic). I did a road trip with the bike and him with the car. The next time we did that trip I asked my wife if she would mind if I took her car down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Tail of the Dragon. It was the first time I'd really ever done any sport driving in a nice rear wheel drive car that can handle well. Here's the picture to prove it:



I stopped riding in 1995 when someone totaled the bike (they knocked it down in a parking lot - it didn't take much damage to total a 20 year old motorcycle with 93K miles on it). I decided to quit riding; that the risk was too great for me to bear any more, as I'm getting older. (This ended up being GREAT because the insurance company paid double what I could have gotten used for that old bike - AND they reimbursed me for the brand new tires that had just been installed and had 300 miles on them.)

A couple years ago my wife got an E class to have a family car (we have a 2 year old). At that time the C had about 164K on the odometer. I decided I want a fun car to replace the moto so I bought the C from her when she got her E so now it's mine. The car is now 15 years old with 175K miles on it. It runs like a top still and handles great (thanks to some suspension work I had done at about 114K miles). I love that damn car I'm going to hate selling it. Somebody is going to get a great deal - that thing was always garaged, has a new clutch, and I have years of maintenance records and always maintained it impeccably.

That C Coupe has very possibly been the most reliable car I've ever owned. It also has been relatively inexpensive to maintain. Less expensive than my Subarus, MUCH less expensive than the 2000 Audi A4 2.8 that I had for a few years - that thing was outrageously expensive to maintain even when relatively new! I love Mercedes Benz cars. My wife's E is a magnificent automobile.

A couple years ago I paid off my daily driver a 2014 Subaru Outback (also a manual - are you beginning to see the trend?) A few weeks ago I started thinking what I would replace the Coupe with eventually and what it would take for me to get a new car. Would I wait until the Coupe died to get a new car? If so what would I do with the Coupe when it died? Would I want something like a newer Coupe that offers practicality (4 seats)? I love love LOVE that big panoramic roof on the Coupe - it is an absolute joy - and with the windows down and top open that car really almost feels like a convertible. I wanted something that handles well because I drive the living **** out of my cars (*lovingly - I don't abuse them I use their FULL capabilities). A BMW Coupe/Convertible? Newer C Coupe? I have the Subaru, my wife also has a family far so I don't need back seats. I want a sporty car - this is the vehicle that will replace my motorcycle. Newer Miata or BRZ or something like that? I am not a power guy, I am a handling guy. I live in northern Virginia a quick hour drive from some great twisty mountain back roads. I LOVE driving to the Tail Of The Dragon and the Blue Ridge Parkway. These are roads where power is less important than handling and I love the Gs of taking a corner fast in a rear wheel drive car - slow down a little, settle the suspension, accelerate hard out, keep the motor in a fun rev range so I can punch the hell out of it - much like when riding my motorcycle.

HOWEVER, I don't want a 'super sport' suspension. Much like my GPZ versus a hardcore sport bike, or the Coupe versus a hardcore sports car - I want to get to the destination comfortably. I've used a rental service to rent a Z4 with the sport suspension and I did not like it. I have ridden passenger side in my friend's Viper and I hate it. I understand the appeal - but it's not for me personally. I want a car that can handle the twisties and make them fun, but I also want to be able to operate in comfort on the 600 miles down the Blue Ridge Parkway to get there as well. Open top is something I really want - with the Coupe when I was really digging in to the turns I liked hearing the tires doing their work through the open top and windows. However, I also did the Cherohala Skyway in heavy rain, so I like having a closed top / hard top - NOT a ragtop convertible. NOT a removable top like the Viper and some options for other cars. I want to be like my C where I hit a button and have a nice quiet true Coupe environment.

SLK is really ideal for me for what I want and how I love Mercedes-Benz cars. Originally I was thinking about an older SL - they retain their value so poorly that used ones can be had for reasonable prices. But after watching the beginning of Doug Demuro's video about the SL I decided that I really wanted a smaller more nimble roadster with a 6 speed.

For years I've occasionally been trawling Auto Trader for 6 speed SLKs. I know they are rare as hens' teeth, but that there are some out there (A friend who used to sell Benz cars calls it a "unicorn" car - the only ones they ever saw were special order). A couple weeks ago I found a 2009 with 90K or so on the odometer for $10K. I decided it was too old/too high miles for me to consider. Then on Friday I looked again - and a local dealership had a 2014 with a 6 speed and just under 40K on the odometer. I called my insurance company, called the bank, and called the dealer and made an appointment for Saturday 1:30. The dealer replied that they have 4 people interested in the car, listed the day before, with appointments right after mine, on Monday, and someone from Arizona. I felt like it was fortunate that I was the first customer to actually come in for the car. I test drove the car, instantly loved it, and got out and said "I'll take it let's start the paperwork right now". I drove it home with a big grin on my face and the stereo jamming. I know I disappointed a few people. I have a plan to go for a Friday drive with my friend in his Viper. I can't wait to pull into the gas station where we meet in this car. Early impressions are good. My SLK is pretty much equipped exactly as I would have wanted if I had bought the car new, although I would have probably picked a different color. The only option is the "premium" package. I may have gotten the Sport package, but maybe not. The 18" wheels don't appeal to me. They don't make for a smooth ride and they make tire choices more expensive - and I GO THROUGH TIRES.
 
I purchased mine January 2020.

I've always wanted an SLK ever since I saw the R171 model dating back from when it first came out. It was absolutely sleek and beautiful. However, my financial situation then could not afford me one. But now that they're older and are priced within my affordable range (plus I have a significantly better-paying job now), I purchased one.

It was a dream come true.

I just need to spend a little bit to turn it to showroom mode.
 
Enjoy your drive, jcs012!

I bought my current SLK32 AMG some 15 years ago. Wonderful car, I've just treated it to a rejuvenation - all the wheelarch rust has been eliminated and it looks as new! Next week the alloys will be refurbished; it's also had 4 new tyres plus new front and rear brake discs and pads.

Keep your car looking good and mechanically sound and you'll never want to part with it!!
 
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