new car

the sl500 is just not for a twenty year old...
The obvious answer to your question is the 2005 c230 sport sedan if you are going new. Check out www.mbusa.com or search the c-class forum, many people have recently bought one here and posted pics and feedback on the car....
If you are going used, realistically, if you add 2-3 grand to your 35K, you should be able to afford some amg model, 2-3 years old, such as
2002-3 c32 AMG, 2000-2001 e55 amg, 2001 clk55
GL, let us know how your search goes...
the sl500 is just not for a twenty year old...


