mr nice

Well this is one of the cars I am looking at. Since it is my first car, I will need it used. Looking to get one with about 30k miles made in 2000 for about 25k. Thank god these cars dont hold their value too well. They are probably the nicest looking cars on the planet.

Well, its not too fast, but its interior is amazing and who couldnt love the hardtop convertible? Ive seen a few that match my price criterira but I have yet to test drive them. Between this car, a used Boxter (25-40k miles) or a new RSX Type S, it is really hard for me to decide what car I really like the most.

A few questions however. Are there a lot of problems with this car? Since I am buying it used, I will only have a fraction of the factory warranty left and dont want to pay a ton for Mercedes repairs.

Also, although I want speed, I want luxury more and the Mercedes has everything I want. However, in case I do want to modify it, do dealers give people a hard time if they notice aftermarket parts? I dont want to void the warranty with any upgrades.

Thanks.

PS I really am jealous of all of you who drive this car. It is easily one of the best cars out there.

xyzpl

If you only have a fraction of the warranty left, just wait till it expires.

The only thing i can think of is the hardtop hydralic locks. More than a few of us have had the top stop opening or closing, do a search in the archive for problems and you should find all the info you need.

Pulley and exhaust are your best best for performance upgrades.

Driller

Another thing to consider, if your worried about a big $$$$ suprise, is purchasing an extended warranty on the car. I'm getting one for my '99 SLK and a three year extension will set me back $2,250 CDN (about $1,450 US). The first 2 years is a comprehensive warranty and the last year is drive train only. You need to buy it prior to the end of the original factory warranty (4 years) and I don't think that you have to be the original owner but check with a local dealer. Mine is an MB warranty, but I've read that warranties are available through a number of private insurers.

mr nice

Sweet, an extended warranty would be sweet. Especially considering the fact that Mercedes dealearships probably have the best service.

Thanks for the good news.

Keng1

I have a 99 SLK and have had no problems with it at almost 64K miles.

I sold my 97 C280 a couple of months back with even more miles. I dont think you have to worry too much about the cost of repairs. MBs are built to last and unless you mistreat them, they should take you a long long way before it'll cost you a bundle in repairs. Since you are getting it used, my thoughts would be to make sure that the car is in mechanically optimum condition. Get a dealer to inspect the car. I think they can do a Starmark warranty inspection for you. This inspection should cover just about anything mechanical.

Which brings me to the extended warranty... In my opinion, is not really a good bet for your money. Unlike the new car warranty, it does not cover a lot of things on the car. More than likely, you will end up paying for some of the repairs. You can get non-dealership mechanics who specialize in imported cars to work on the car for you if anything comes up but I have never come across any problems that will bring you more than $500 in bills. Thats what my C280 cost me at 80K and thats it other than the cost of normal servicing.

3rd party warranty - I have heard horror stories from friends. If you are going to get an extended warranty, go for MB. At least you will be assured that they will let you get an MB dealership to do the repairs and use OEM parts.

Also...shop around for repair quotes or servicing costs if you plan to go to a dealer. They vary a great deal. My B-service cost me $300 at one dealer and I was quoted $800 at other.

Good luck on your decision. I love the SLK even in the snow.

Nektopoli

I just got a 1999 SLK230 with 19K miles on it, still under factory warranty untill Sept. 2003. I did get the 3 year extention on the 1 year free Startmark($1,995US). It's the best money you will spend. My bothers C280 Sport had to go in because it would not start the first or second time you turned the key(Smart Key I might add) Ended up being the Crank Position Sensor and a Faluty Fuel pressure Regulator. The fuel filter and regulator were replaced and also the crank pos sensor, also the window washer tank was leaking, replaced. Also the A/C needed work and had a defective temp sensor. All fixed under the Star Mark at 47767 Miles.

NP

mr nice

I took a look at some of the StarMark inspected cars on the MBUSA site to see the mileage of some which were under 25k. It was ridiculous, they had over 70k miles on them. For that reason, I am not going to buy a used car from Mercedes direct.

Oh and trust me, I will take such good care of this car, I am a huge car fanatic and this is almost a dream car. Its good that you said it handles great in the snow because I am going to get it during the last two weeks of December.

Well, I should be able to have the factory warranty for at least a year, so its not too bad. I can always take out one of my parents cars if want to keep mileage low or if I cant handle the snow.

Plus since it is supercharged, the forced induction is belt driven, meaning that it is good on the lower end of the RPMs. This is ideal for daily traffic. While the RSX Type S on the other hand is a car that requires extremely high revs to get the true power out of it (no forced induction, however).

This brings me to the question: has anyone had a problem with the OEM supercharger?

Thanks

Keng1

Good luck on your search. I am sure MB dealers have ones with lower miles. I am quite suprised you didnt find any. There are 3 of them on my dealers lot when I went past yesterday. They dont normally sell anything with high miles.

I would personally try to find one with the sports package on it. I regret not getting one now.

Driller

After installing a Wetterauer pulley kit, my S/C developed a leak from its lubrication reservoir. Shortly thereafter, the S/C was replaced. My MB Service Manager believes that the pulley upgrade was not the villian but it sure was a coincidence. I've not seen any threads where anyone else has had to replace an OEM S/C on an SLK 230.

Brian_R170

Do a search of this forum for "common problems" and you should find some threads on what can go wrong.

I personally would never buy an extended warranty from Mercedes. I'd go for an aftermarket bumper-to-bumper. It's cheaper AND covers more components. I would only get a warranty that lists what's NOT covered instead of what IS covered. There are a few companies that offer such warranties (e.g. Warranty Gold). Also, extended warranties are usually cheaper if you buy them before the factory warranty expires. That's because it's less likely for something to already be broken when the owner can get it fixed for free.

I recommend getting a '99 or '00 SLK with the sport package. It doesn't add much to the price, but it will be much easier to sell later on. Also, don't get the stick unless you REALLY want it. It's not a very good stick and it can make the car harder to sell later on.

mr nice

Hmm, what do you mean by the Sport Package? I hope you dont mean the AMG...that is definitely out of my league. (Sorry if I sound like an idiot here.)

Also, I will look around again. I doubt Mercedes dealers are that far from where I live. About every 3rd car I see is a Merc or a BMW.

Eek. I have never trusted pulleys and will never ever install one. The power gains are there yes, but what they can do to an engine is not worth it. Risk/reward....

Theres no way ill ever do that mod so thats good.

For a car that comes stock with a supercharger, it makes sense to possibly increase the size of one and depending what type of supercharger it is (positive displacement etc), perhaps one could also install a bigger intercooler. In my honest opinion though, this car is perfect from the factory for my needs. My AMG will come later in life.

I already looked for some common problems and the problems that people list are VERY minor, just something that they wouldnt expect from a car of this caliber. That I can deal with.

Aftermarket warranties are something Ill have to look into. I dont fully trust them, but then again, I havent had too much experience with them either.

Hmm, I KIND OF wanted a stick. For a first car I thought it may be a good idea to learn how to truly drive a car. However, I have looked through some threads where people who have sticks have been impressed with autos so I guess it all depends on my test drive.

Once again, this sports package is something I have no idea what it is. HOWEVER, resale value is of minor importance to me. This car will take me through 4 years of college and thats all that matters. After college, ill just buy another car (perhaps ill spend my entire first year salary and get an SL55 AMG :p).

Thanks for the responses

beantownrich

The Sport Package is an appearance package that is offered for non-AMG SLK's. In effect, you get new front and rear fenders, sills, and bigger wheels. The suspension is also slightly modified to produce a more sporty (read: harder) feel. I have it on my '02 SLK320 and it looks great and, in these parts, you dont see too many SLK's with the Sport Package.

I agree, I had quite a list of niggles whithin the first few months of owning mine. All of them were resolved very quickly by the dealer. You should find that, if you're buying from a careful owner, these problems should already have been dealt with.

Quote:

Hmm, I KIND OF wanted a stick. For a first car I thought it may be a good idea to learn how to truly drive a car. However, I have looked through some threads where people who have sticks have been impressed with autos so I guess it all depends on my test drive.

I highly recommend the stick. I don't know how good it was pre-2002 but I love mine. I could never drive a 2 seater roadster with an auto-transmission. I love the feeling that you get when you brake into a tight curve, drop from 5th to 3rd, heel the throttle as you cross the apex and then gun it into the straight. With a 2.3L engine kitted out with supercharger, you're going to have as much fun as I do with my 3.2V6.

SLK for college - Not a bad deal I had a '76 Ford Escort. As for the AMG - me too!

***

Edit: I see you mentioned snow somewhere along the way. I live in Boston and have seen some snow in the last week and the SLK has been fine... just take it easy and you'll have no problems.

mr nice

Sweet. Im set.

Im definitely getting this car. This weekend im going to go out and look at a few.

This car is just so much sexier than an RSX-S. Interior is beautiful, exterior is gorgeous and well...its a Mercedes.

Ill be sure to post pictures of the car that I get.

Thanks

Nektopoli

mr nice I paid $28,600 for my 1999 with the Sport package.

NP

jimwww

I am looking for another 230 slk as well. If there are any for sale in the province of BC let me know. (Standard tranny only) Looking for 98, 99

I live in Vancouver, BC

apricotscrub

Mr nice, it seems that you and I are alike, i just get my slk very recently, and I am only 17, turning 18 in the next day or so. I am also not at college yet, senior at high school... Interesting that you are so young and thinking about one too... Did you make your own money for this?? do you have a business?? I do.. I make about a thousand (USD) a day with around 3 hours of work. Its so cool not having to wait until i turn 50 to afford a car like this, here is mine

1998 silver SLK230 with 11,000 miles, priced at 24,000.

I called up MB and asked them what the difference in year models were, they said there was almost no difference and no singifigant change, so im gonna put my extra few grand into maybe a DVD/NAV system and buy a "Sport Package" for it with addons. I cant wait until Jan 2 when i pull this baby into the school parking lot. Some girl just got her parents to buy here a Spyder MR2 Toyota with 25,000 miles for around 20K, although this isnt as fast, this definately is the best car out of all the students and teachers in the public high school. hey give me your email if u wanna chat.

jimwww

1000 a day is great for 3 hours work.
what do u do?

Nektopoli

Mr Nice; This is what the sports package looks like(17" rims, wider tires and the body kit);



This is so cool;



Plus with the Sports package the body kit is the same color as the body, this really makes it look good,
on the SLKs without it the rocker panels and lower front and rear bumper are black;


NP

Nektopoli

Maybe day trading ?

NP

apricotscrub

wats day tradin? selling the time of day?

davezaristo

Hmm...he might be dealing with white powdery substances...j/k...