Hello to all! Need some opinions and information.

I'm looking for an SLK for my wife. She really likes the looks of them and the retractible hardtop. We know next to nothing about them so I figured I'd ask the experts.

I have a few questions, but in addition, if you'd care to make any recommendations, I'd love the hear them.

1) My boss had an SLK and he said the top on his leaked badly. He said he had the seals replaced several times and when he got rid of it, it still leaked. Is this something common or was his problem rare?
2) Last night someone said something about them redesigning the seats so they were more comfortable. When was that?
3) I keep looking at SLK's and I can't figure them out. Some have solid interior, some have two-toned. Some have wood trim, some have carbon fiber, some have nothing. Is there some sort of option package(s) I can look for that will tell me when a car has these options? Did some years have them and others not?
4) Is the 320 a major upgrade over the 230/280? Is the performance similar?
5) What kind of gas mileage should I expect?

Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Jack

 

i have had mine for a while now and there has not been one leaking problem. I have a 2001 SLK 320. I chose the 320 because it had a classier interior while also having a sporty exterior, also because of the power, powered seats, wood trim, smooth acceleration, and the great sound of the exhaust. Here are some facts about both of the cars.

230 Kompressor
-Inline 4 with supercharger-(not as reliable as naturally aspirated v6)
-192 Hp and 200 lbs.ft tq.
-Cheap interior (no wood)
-Whiny exhaust and engine
-Cheaper

320
-Nice sounding v6 engine and exhaust
-215 Hp and 229 lbs.ft. tq.
-Nice leather and wood interior
-power seats
-slightly new body style (looks great with sport package)


So my say is that if you are looking for a sporty car with a supercharger, whiny exhaust, and that is cheaper then go for the 230. If you want a car that sounds great and looks great both in and out as well as being more of a daily cruiser go for the 320. Thats just my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the 230 was my favorite car out there until the 320 and 32 AMG. I would rather have the 230 than most cars on the road today. Gas mileage is pretty similar, the 230 gets a few miles better. The choice is up to you. I would say that you should definitely test drive both, the 230 and then the 320, and make your final decision. You will be happy with either car.

 

1) It happens in any convertible and I haven't seen the problem mentioned in the forum that often where I would say it's common
2) The seats seem the same to me. We have a 1998 and it seems pretty comfortable to me, even on long trips
3) two tone seats were a choice vs all black, not part of any option package. From the factory, the V6 models got wood dash, the I4 got faux carbon fiber. You can get a wood kit on ebay for not too much
4) While the SLK320 is slightly faster than the SLK230, you can get a pulley kit on the SLK230 that will make it significantly faster than the SLK320.
5) My kid drives mostly around town and gets about 20. Maybe 25-28 on the highway.

The most common problem on many MBs is the junk Bosch/Siemens electronics like MAF, O2, Camshaft Position, Crankshaft Position sensors. Luckily most are easy do it yourself fixes. I was thinking about getting them made cheaper in China or India to make them more affordable for older MBs.

 

I owned a 2001 SLK and it doesn't leak at all. however sometimes I can hear the wind coming through the gap between the windows and the seals.

as far as the seat go, I am not sure when they changed it, but I can tell you for certain that the car is not meant for long trips.

on my 230 SLK, I can maxed out to 370Miles before pumping again on a full tank, but in the city it's about 320 miles. the tank holds about 13 gallon. so it's about 28mpg on a good day.

I never seen a 240 around here in the U.S. however I seen a bunchof 320 running around. (not that much difference compare to the 320). you get more for your money with a 280 than a 320.

 

WONDERFUL information slk320amg. You just answered one of my major questions, why do some SLK's have the nice interior with wood and some don't? Am I to take it that all 320's have the wood and no 230's do? That would certainly answer a big question to me.

You say the 320's have nice leather, wood interior and power seats, are there other features on the 320 that are missing on the 230 such as heated seats, NAV, Homelink, etc? For that matter, does the 320 have those features optionally or standard?

Thanks again for your wonderful help. Much appreciated. I now see I need to just forget the 230's and concentrate on the 320's.

 

Thanks Buellwinkle. Do I take that to mean you feel that SLK's are more or less as reliable as most other cars? If you have to take it to the dealship, how bad is that sort of hit compared to your average high-end car?

Thanks again.

 

Sorry finalxgohan, but I DID say I knew absolutely nothing about them. I guess I just didn't properly emphasize the extent of my ignorance.

I was referring to a 280 when I wrote 240. My mistake.

 

oh wait are you deciding between a new 280 and an old 320? or a 230 and a 320 , because i described the differences between the 230 and the 320. The heated seats and everything except for nav is standard on the 320, not sure about the 230, but i do know that the wood trim and power seats are not standard on the 230.

 

I'm sorry. The confusion is purely my fault.

I'm looking at an SLK from around 2000-2003 in the $22K-29K price range. No, not the newer style with the pointy nose but the original style. I'm finding out the differences between the supercharged 4-cylinder vs. the six cylinder. I'm terribly sorry that I don't have the engine size numbers correct. I don't know them by heart and without doing research I haven't remembered them correctly.

 

I didn't realize you wanted to know about reliability in general. In general, all MBs are less than average reliability. This is widespread knowledge as JD Powers long term dependability surveys and Consumer Reports has never given MB high marks. From personal experiance I can tell you my 2 girls have 1998 convertibles, one a 98 Mustang, the other a 98 SLK230, same amount of miles about 100K give or take few K. The Mustang has been near flawless, just maintenance. The SLK has been flawed, constant work on it and parts can sometimes be very expensive like a blinker module that went out that was $750. But it's a matter of what you want and I'm fairly mechanical when it comes to cars so I fix stuff myself. Most dealers of any brand are out to rob you and it's a higher risk with MB becase they break down more often than any American and most Asian brands. We figure this toy will keep my 16 year old happy until she graduates H.S. and then we can get her worst nightmare, some japanese car that will last her into early adulthood.

 

Jeeez! Sounds just like my vette. Just what I need..two unreliable, high-priced, expensive to fix automobiles. What fun!

 

an SLK55, Yeah....an SLK350, NOT

 

all mercedes are reliable cars. Thats why we buy them. The only problem i have had with my SLK is the rear lights and those were covered by a recall.

 

I have had mine for 2 1/2 years now. Only things done are: "B" maintance last year; tail light recall update last week; and new tires and wheel aligment being done today. No leaks.
Ask about the telephone system if it has one. The old analog phones do not work any more.
We do not regret getting it.

 

You might want to pick up some sale liturature off of ebay to get more info. To comment about the seats and trim, there was a face lift done for 2001 that enlarged the size of the side bolsters for a more sporty and tighter fit. The 3.2L V6 was added as an option over the I4 Kompressor. The manual transmission went from a 5 speed to a 6 speed along with the 5 speed automatic. Along with the V6 came power seats and wood trim. There were also 2 different Sport Packages that showed up on the SLK. In 2002 when the SLK 32 arrived, it had a new body kit and so did the Sport Package for the 320 and the 230. Two tone seats were available in black with red, cream, grey, or blue centers. The AMG seats got built in head rests and NAPA leather as did the Special Edition SLK. So there is just a few more things to think about...

 

But as I understand it, those two tone interiors have problems. The peel off the console and dash, right?

 

All of the dash coating colors peal or flake off unfortuantly.

 

Well that's not good news. I thought the standard interior was safe.

Anything else that routinely gives problems?

 

The power top has a complex set of switches to monitor it's operation and position. These switches can fail or get out of adjustment and give a top fault of a flashing light indicator. But don't be scared off by that. You can do a search on this forum to see if owners are chatting about it.

 

If your really looking at the SLK320, I would highly recommend you test drive the Chrysler crossfire. It has the 320 motor, and it also has the 6 speed or 5 speed auto. Also the Crossfire has an updated chassis which was the slk chassis with more reinforcments. It's considerably stiffer body equals great handling. The Chyslers dealerships cant sell them because everyone wants a family car not a 2 seater, thus they can be had for $17k-$20k. and the Supercharged AMG(SRT6) sell for $25k+. This is a mucho better deal that an actual Mercedes. Its a no brainer

I should also add that the Crossfire also comes optioned as a convertable.

 

I appreciate the suggestion, but 90% of the reasoin we're looking at the SLK is because of the retractable hardtop. Can't get that on a Crossfire.

 

no you cant, but you could also look at the Lexus SC430 roadster, its probably a better car, even though it's a tad faggish.

 

No, hate the looks of the SC430, plus it's out of my price range. Trying to stay under $25K.

 

Sold my 2001 SLK 320 this past December. Never had any problems or leaks. Was a great little car and easy to park. Even with the top down there was quite a bit of trunk space. Heated seats were an option that I didn't have. Silver paint cost about $800 extra.

 

Jack,
I have owned my 98 SLK230 since it was new. I could go on ad naseum about. Pros and cons of vehicle.
I will just try to hit on your questions.

My top has never leaked, but I have heard of others leaking and they were easily repaired, don't know why your boss had so much trouble.

Yes, the seats are not of the best design, you can have lombar support added, or replace very easy.

There were a number of interior trims availible, If you don't like what you have they are here everywhere and easily changed. You can usually find and work out a swap deal in the mercedes forums.

I was gonna go with a 320 thinking It was a upgrade and yes they are more modern, very nice cars and of course newer. Mine was first year for SLK and I am familiar with its quirks. That is more a personal choice.

This car is a ladies car! My wife loves it and was part of reason I did not get newer one.

I have the Kompresor which is a 4 cyl. with a supercharger so, I get best of both worlds with great mileage and great performance when I need it. I get mid to high 20's in mileage. I would average it at 25-29 m.p.g.

Remember its a sports car so it has rough ride compared to a larger luxury vehicle, but that is a side effect of being glued to the road. I tried different springs and shocks which did not help. Car is just too light to ride like a larger car.

Its not good on snow and horrible on ice.

It will wear you out on long road trip. If I have a long road trip that I have to hurry some. I take my huge ford f-350, but for vacation type trips its absolutely the best! We cruise old roads here in the midwest like route 66, and its perfect for those trips.. No car better.

Its great for cruising on a saturday night with the top down and is still a head turner.

If I have an emergency, when its a few states away and have to be there really fast, its the car of choice. It will fly!!! She and I have relatives all through the midwest, so if a relative falls sick or something like that, I don't have to deal with the airport. I always beat the other relatives who are flying in on planes.

I don't deal with the dealership because I can't stand them, but thats another story. Forums like this one can answer any question or problem you might have.

Mine is daily driver with about 70k miles on it, never had a major problem. I have owned Mercedes all my life and lots of other cars. So if I had it to do over again, I would SLK again.

Good luck