[dogbutter]

Hi all, i am new and i am doing research by reading through alot of old articles. If anyone wish to give me some advise on a purchase, please do so.

I am an American now living in Germany. I have been drving a company Merc for past 2 years, but i am thinking about buying a car. I am thinking of later model SLK230 or a porsche boxster, 2000+.

My sister in California has had a SLK230 for about 4 years, and i drove it over 20k miles on it myself.. i really like the car and the hardtop. however, driving it and owning is a different story.

I guess what i am looking for a few basic answers.

1. should i worry about repair cost? I have always been a honda driver, this will be my first european car that i owned.
2. what year SLK230 or 200 is best all around? (opinions obviously here)
3. in Germany, they are available in automatic or stick. I have drove a c200k with a stick for a while, and i must say, the stick totally sucked compared to a BMW or a Honda.. should i expect better on an SLK? my C220 CDI seems to have much better tranmission than the old C200sportcoupe.
4. anything special i should look for?
5. anything you would do over if you were buying another slk?

thanks in advance!!

 

[Miked619]

dogbutter - 2/11/2005 3:14 AM

Hi all, i am new and i am doing research by reading through alot of old articles. If anyone wish to give me some advise on a purchase, please do so.

I am an American now living in Germany. I have been drving a company Merc for past 2 years, but i am thinking about buying a car. I am thinking of later model SLK230 or a porsche boxster, 2000+.

My sister in California has had a SLK230 for about 4 years, and i drove it over 20k miles on it myself.. i really like the car and the hardtop. however, driving it and owning is a different story.

I guess what i am looking for a few basic answers.

1. should i worry about repair cost? I have always been a honda driver, this will be my first european car that i owned.


First welcome to the board Now to your questions (from my experience) Yes repairs are costly unless your handy yourself and buy the parts online. If this is your first mb (this was mine) be prepared for it to NOT be nearly as reliable as your honda. My advice get one that still has factory or extended warranty.

2. what year SLK230 or 200 is best all around? (opinions obviously here)


may want to look at consumer reports for reliablity on different years.


3. in Germany, they are available in automatic or stick. I have drove a c200k with a stick for a while, and i must say, the stick totally sucked compared to a BMW or a Honda.. should i expect better on an SLK? my C220 CDI seems to have much better tranmission than the old C200sportcoupe.


Nope, mb sticks are second rate, but I still prefer a stick to an auto.


4. anything special i should look for?


get the service record from the dealer before you buy it. It might save you some headaches. common problems are c pillar rubbing, peeling interior. If you do a search there are several lists of common problems running around.

5. anything you would do over if you were buying another slk?


Yup, id get the porsche. I clearly am less than pleased w/this car, lol. and to be honest as soon as I can financially unload her I am going to and get a boxster s, which toasts the slk in everyway, cept for the hardtop feature. But thats my 2 cents worth.

thanks in advance!!

 

[BlueBenz]

you shouldn't have any problems financially running a merc in germany. I lived there for 4 years and had my SLK there. Servicing and maintenance costs are reasonable. Now I'm back in UK and running costs have increased, and the quality of the roads decreased !

 

[BlueBenz]

another thing... seems that european SLKs seem a lot more reliable than "US" versions. I don't seem to have many of the problems that the guys in the US are reporting, and neither do many friends in Germany and UK. Strange but true. So getting a pucker "german" SLK shouldn't be too bad

 

[DA_SURG]

BlueBenz - 2/11/2005 10:51 AM

another thing... seems that european SLKs seem a lot more reliable than "US" versions. I don't seem to have many of the problems that the guys in the US are reporting, and neither do many friends in Germany and UK. Strange but true. So getting a pucker "german" SLK shouldn't be too bad

I don't think that US versions have more problems...there ARE more US members on the board, so obviously there will be more problems reported from the US. Also, there are plenty of people that haven't had any problems, like myself.

As for the question...I think a 230 would be a better choice than the 200.

 

[DEATHERAGE]

Do you like to drive fast or really fast? and how lazy are you?

I hate driving stick because I sit in traffice every day for 2 hours. I went with the Tiptronic auto/mans
and I love it. The 230 isnt as fast as the 320 however Ive gotton my car up to like 150 mph so the 230 isnt SLOW by any means. Also for like $400 you can get a new crankshaft pulley that will give you about 30bhp more.

The kompressor engine is really hardy from what ive seen. Cars are running 100,000 miles plus and the major complaints are rear tail lights going out. The roof sticks or stops working and the interior peels. 100,000 is a full life of most cars and the mercedes keeps on humming along.

Very few people in the board have had Major engine problems. The car is awesome. I love it! Another thing to look at it it gets considerably good gas (petrol) milage. In europe petrol prices are expensive some of the guys on the board could tell you but I think its around $5+ a gallon for gas. Your gonna enjoy a car that doesnt suck all your gas up fast. I drive a LOT and I only fill up once a week.

I think you should buy one you only live once. so why not be happy right What color are you looking at?

--Id be happy to respond to any questions so fire away

--Deathy

 

[mrfu]

The EURO model seems to have less issues. I haven't really experienced any of the problems that many members have complained about.

The EURO model doesn't have the common US problem of the taillights going out all the time.

The 230 is the best model, better on gas the the 320 and it's a bit faster than the 200 (supercharger really does work).

The best overall model, I remember reading at one point that the most reliable MB in the fleet at the time was either a 1998 or 1999 SLK230. I don't remember excatly what year.

Hope that helps!

 

[fredrice]

I have a '99 and have had absolutely NO MAJOR PROBLEMS. One tailight bulb holder and top micro switches both covered by the dealer outside of the warranty period. The key is to find a good dealer. The cars are absolutley FUN. I am a car guy and have had many many cool cars including a C-5 Corvette Conv. The truest test of owner satisfaction is to ask folks about their experience. It is true that US production was higher therefore you will here a few folks like Miked619 who have had problems. Keep in mind different perspectives on problems.
As far as Consumer Reports goes...they're great for advice on refrigerators,toasters and the like. And thats about all. Sporty cars with a soft top (my Vette) are at a big disadvantage. Just ask anyone who has had their top sliced open to access the inside. Also they have windnoise and no rollover protection. I could go on and on but you get the idea.[]

 

[2001SilverSLK320]

fredrice - 2/11/2005 5:54 PM

I have a '99 and have had absolutely NO MAJOR PROBLEMS. One tailight bulb holder and top micro switches both covered by the dealer outside of the warranty period. The key is to find a good dealer. The cars are absolutley FUN. I am a car guy and have had many many cool cars including a C-5 Corvette Conv. The truest test of owner satisfaction is to ask folks about their experience. It is true that US production was higher therefore you will here a few folks like Miked619 who have had problems. Keep in mind different perspectives on problems.
As far as Consumer Reports goes...they're great for advice on refrigerators,toasters and the like. And thats about all. Sporty cars with a soft top (my Vette) are at a big disadvantage. Just ask anyone who has had their top sliced open to access the inside. Also they have windnoise and no rollover protection. I could go on and on but you get the idea.[]

Which dealership do you goto? I'm looking for a good one in North Carolina.

 

[fredrice]

I live near Raleigh,NC and my dealer is Mercedes Benz of Cary. Maurice is my Service Consultant and does a super job![]

 

[dogbutter]

hey, thanks for the replies.

i am thinking of 2002 or 2003 slk230 in silver. now that new 171 is out, the 170 prices are dropping alot in germany.

I have a good friend who is a MB certified mechanic in Santa clara, ca. If i was in US still i would not think twice about what i would buy, but being far away from home and not really knowing a good mechanic has me worried a bit. anyways.. my good friend is advising me not to buy the SLK because he says it 'sucks'....

i don't get it because few people i know who own them love it to death and they have had no mechanical problems what so ever...

even though i love the boxster, the softtop is really an issue for me.. slk just seems more practical and solid in sense that it almost resembles a coupe...