Marktini

I sold my 2005 C55 and picked up an 06 SLK55.

The car I bought is:
SLK55 Black / Black Nappa Leather
Lighting Pkg
Premuim Pkg
Air scarf
Entertainment Pkg/NAV
Pre wiring for the Ipod intergration kit
6 disc cd changer

I looked/test drove the CaymanS and decided to stick with AMG. So far the car is a real treat, the sound is really great, I cannot wait fro the weather to warm up so I can put the summer tires on and drop the top!!!

GMBALL

Congratulations! One day I will be able to afford one of those awesome cars. For now I stick with my ML.....
Feel free to post some pics.

SteveL1

Congrats on the new ride!!! May I ask what you got for the C55??? Trying to get a base line on what they are going for now. Thanks and post some pics!!!

Marktini

PM sent

MCOUPIN

I am thinking about selling my C55 as well and now that it snowed 14" here I will have time to think while it sits in the garage. I would also be interested in what you sold yours for as well as how you did it.(Autotrader, Ebay etc.) TIA

Childish///AMG

Congrats on the "Sale" and new car

C55mOtiOn

congrat w/SLK55!!!

C55mOtiOn

I sold mine on Autotrader.com(w/in 2 weeks).... Just be patience, no ebay... !!

cntlaw

I have got mine 17 months, 26000km milege.
I would like to know why so many owners selling it, is it because
it is a good time to get best value before the W204 launch by end this year?
If this is so, I guess I need to sell mine instead of keeping it for another two years as I have planned.

SolidGranite

Can you please post your thoughts on the Cayman S and why you decided to go w/ the SLK55?

Oh, and does the SLK55 feel faster than the C55 w/ that 7-speed trans?

Thanks.

Marktini

The CaymanS is a great car, fit, finish, handling I was very impressed with the car. The Sport Chrono package is a must as well as PASM in my mind, beyond that 19's are a nice option, but perhaps not if it's a daily driver in Chicago. Suspension was firm, the 6 speed had a great feel it was very smooth.

You can load the CaymanS up with options if you'd like and the car can hit $75K easy with a few options. I thought the sound was not overbearing for a mid engine layout, the seats were very supportive and well bolstered. The car has much more storage than I expected, 2 golf bags in the rear and 2 roller type suitcases up front will easily fit.

My decision to stick with AMG was not as easy as I expected as I really liked the CaymanS, however I'm more interesetd in a Sport/Luxury car than just a Sports car. The standard features of the SLK55, the V8, and the rectractable top made the AMG more appealing to me.

I'm still in break-in period so I'm driving mostly in confort mode and cannot reply on the 7-speed feel compared to the C55 just yet. The car has an incredible sound and it seems to be getting deeper the more miles I drive.

In my opinion you cannot go wrong with either car, it's more about the type of car you want.

AMG1

Good luck with the new SLK, I hope you do not miss the space of the C55.

cntlaw

Hi , thanks for your great reviews. I am sure a lot of people want to know more about your test drive experience with CaymanS and ownership experiences of both C55 and SLK55. These are the three cars been running through my mind for a while as they are still within my affordable local price range. I love to know your thoughts on the 3 cars in terms of ride quality - which car has stiffness suspension? In terms of look, I am more keen to the classic 911 look of the 997S, did you also consider a 997S? I really like to know more about the SLK55 as it can also be my next car if not the Z4m Coupe. Have a nice day.

ash-c32

I just had an extensive drive in the Cayman S,

My impressions are:

Good
Gearbox is very good - nice and tight shifts with a well-weighted clutch
Engine sounds nice above 5000 rpm
Handling balance is neutral on the road and very confidence inspiring, I was just starting to play with a little oversteer on the tighter bends.
Visibility all round is good.

Not Good
Brake pedal was very soft - too much travel
Lack of bottom end and mid-range torque
Steering wheel rim too thin

I felt the car was too much like a Boxster rather than a junior 911 especially when you consider the price.
I was amazed at the difference between it and my 996 C2, the Cayman felt significantly slower despite only a 20hp or so difference.
If you enjoy the AMG experience I would definitely try the SLK55

BTW for those of you that consider the stock 996 to be slow, I had an extensive race with an M3 and from 100mph I consistantly pulled 2-3 car lenghts to 130mph and was pulling further.My stock c32 was fairly evenly matched with the M3 but the c2 matched the c32 for bottom end torque and feels quicker at higher speeds.

MCOUPIN

Just please do not do to your car what I saw today.

This driver removed the K from his badge and it now reads SL 55 AMG.

What a dumb@$$!

I honked at him to try and get his attention but he never looked over.

cntlaw

This worries me now....
Locally here,
CaymanS base price is ~usd130K, with some of these taxable options here, it will be at least like ~usd$140K. A 997 (without S) C2 base price is ~usd170K.
SLK55 AMG is ~usd125K. BoxsterS pretty loaded is ~usd120K
So it doesn't give me a reason why I am paying a fortune for a middle of no where CaymanS?

ash-c32

Here in the uk you could spend £46k on a new cayman or get an 03/04 911 for that price. An SLK55 `05 is about £47k.

I would like to hear if anyone has done a comparison of cayman vs SLK, I would have trouble deciding...