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SLK350 versus Corvette Coupe
Hi guys!
I'm shopping and I've seen in the threads that a bunch of you are considering my choices : 1. An SLK; 2. A corvette Coupe (or maybe Ver). or.. 3. CLK350 If anyone who has driven the 2005 vette and the SLK could give feedback - I'd appreciate it. thanks. |
I was originally looking at a Vette, but was turned off by two things:
1) Cheap-ass interior. Much as I loved the exterior styling, the interior design, materials, and feature-list felt like... well, like a Ford. 2) Visibility. For some reason, I didn't feel like I could see for crap out of that car. It was like driving a tank with a slit window. That may just be because I'm tall (6'3"), but I don't get that same feeling driving other sports cars. My $.02. |
Originally Posted by Florp
I was originally looking at a Vette, but was turned off by two things:
1) Cheap-ass interior. Much as I loved the exterior styling, the interior design, materials, and feature-list felt like... well, like a Ford. 2) Visibility. For some reason, I didn't feel like I could see for crap out of that car. It was like driving a tank with a slit window. That may just be because I'm tall (6'3"), but I don't get that same feeling driving other sports cars. My $.02. My biggest concern is that the vette safety history (look at iihs.org) is very strong. The previous SLK (about the same size) is basically just "ok". I think if I could get over that hump, I'd grab an SLK quickly. Thanks for your 2 cents! |
SLK 55 AMG all the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
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Originally Posted by SLK55_AMG
SLK 55 AMG all the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
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I haven't had any serious cabin issues. In fact, I know I shouldn't have, but I drove two full sized adults to dinner in it the other night. They were a little cramped (with her sitting in his lap), but it did work... sorta...
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I'm glad she wasn't sitting in your lap!!
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I own both the SLK350 and the new 2005 C6 coupe.
http://www.sandiegoscrubs.com/C6/IMG_0039%20(Small).JPG Both are great cars, with differences. The vette is a brute with LOTS of power, and is both a great road car (30 mpg at 70mph), top speed of 186 mph (Z51 package), and SCREAMS on the track with lots of tire smoke and ear-to-ear grins. The vette community is strong and lots of great car club activities in most towns (for those, like my wife and I, that like that sort of thing.) Actually fit an entire patio table in the hatchback area (disassembled), its got that much room. The removable top makes for great open-air cruising, too, but need to remove in a parking lot, and don't plan on having anything in the back when you take the top off to store there. Base stereo or the BOSE (BLOWS) stereo suck... get the basic stereo and put in a double-DIN DVD/NAV aftermarket unit for less money and more sound. The interior is improved from previous years, but not as nice as the Merc. NAV and HUD are upgrade options that people love. Good forum support HERE The vette is the kind of car that just screams for "mods" and "hot rodding"... cams/headers/exhaust upgrades/tuning... if you love that stuff, get the vette. The SLK just doesn't lend itself as easily to these activities, IMHO. The car gets ALOT of stares and thumbs-up from everybody... $100,000 of performance for $45,000... not bad AT ALL! http://www.sandiegoscrubs.com/C6/Nos...%20(Small).jpg The SLK350 is a fun car...kind of like a superfast go-kart, great seats that mold around you, great transmission, great interior, ROCKING Harmon-Kardon stereo, and the drop-top can't be beat. Decent trunk, and stores quite a bit with the top up. I actually think the vette has better visibility than the SLK, but neither is a bother in that regard. The SLK gets ALOT of looks, too, because no one knows what the heck it is... spent about $52,000 on our car and we'll drive it for the next decade, at least. I've only seen one other one in town, whereas I've seen at least a dozen other C6 vettes. I wouldn't personally race the SLK on a track, but it is a blast to drive on the street! (I guess it would be fun on a track, but given the option, I'd race the vette everytime!) So far, only mod has been to paint the calipers red, which was a nice cosmetic upgrade. High class roadster, for half the price of an SL500. http://www.sandiegoscrubs.com/SLK/SL...%20(Small).JPG |
Doc, Thanks for the photos. I really like the one with the Corvette and the Jet. What type of aircraft is it?
Mel |
That's an F/A-18A... one of the Blue Angels. The photo is my car in front of one at the Navy Museum here in Pensacola, "Home of the Blue Angels". We get to watch them practice here twice a week during the air show season... what a treat!
:y |
Originally Posted by docrings
I own both the SLK350 and the new 2005 C6 coupe.
http://www.sandiegoscrubs.com/C6/IMG_0039%20(Small).JPG Both are great cars, with differences. The vette is a brute with LOTS of power, and is both a great road car (30 mpg at 70mph), top speed of 186 mph (Z51 package), and SCREAMS on the track with lots of tire smoke and ear-to-ear grins. The vette community is strong and lots of great car club activities in most towns (for those, like my wife and I, that like that sort of thing.) Actually fit an entire <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=22&k=patio%20table" onmouseover="window.status='patio table'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">patio table</a> in the hatchback area (disassembled), its got that much room. The removable top makes for great open-air cruising, too, but need to remove in a parking lot, and don't plan on having anything in the back when you take the top off to store there. Base stereo or the BOSE (BLOWS) stereo suck... get the basic <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=22&k=stereo%20and" onmouseover="window.status='stereo and'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">stereo and</a> put in a double-DIN DVD/NAV aftermarket unit for less money and more sound. The interior is improved from previous years, but not as nice as the Merc. NAV and HUD are upgrade options that people love. Good forum support HERE The vette is the kind of car that just screams for "mods" and "hot rodding"... cams/headers/exhaust upgrades/tuning... if you love that stuff, get the vette. The SLK just doesn't lend itself as easily to these activities, IMHO. The car gets ALOT of stares and thumbs-up from everybody... $100,000 of performance for $45,000... not bad AT ALL! http://www.sandiegoscrubs.com/C6/Nos...%20(Small).jpg The SLK350 is a fun car...kind of like a superfast <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=22&k=go%20kart" onmouseover="window.status='go-kart'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">go-kart</a>, great seats that mold around you, great transmission, great interior, ROCKING Harmon-Kardon stereo, and the drop-top can't be beat. Decent trunk, and stores quite a bit with the top up. I actually think the vette has better visibility than the SLK, but neither is a bother in that regard. The SLK gets ALOT of looks, too, because no one knows what the heck it is... spent about $52,000 on our car and we'll drive it for the next decade, at least. I've only seen one other one in town, whereas I've seen at least a dozen other C6 vettes. I wouldn't personally race the SLK on a track, but it is a blast to drive on the street! (I guess it would be fun on a track, but given the option, I'd race the vette everytime!) So far, only mod has been to paint the calipers red, which was a nice cosmetic upgrade. High class roadster, for half the price of an SL500. http://www.sandiegoscrubs.com/SLK/SL...%20(Small).JPG Great Post!! Thanks. Your photos look terrific. Do you find the vette's roof to be a huge pain or is it "no big deal"? Is the interior room in the two cars, over tiem, an issue? The vette is so much roomier, but then again I find the SLK to be good too. I'm not sure that it would matter after a month. |
Originally Posted by carthinker
Great Post!! Thanks. Your photos look terrific. Do you find the vette's roof to be a huge pain or is it "no big deal"? Is the interior room in the two cars, over tiem, an issue? The vette is so much roomier, but then again I find the SLK to be good too. I'm not sure that it would matter after a month.
Nothing is as easy, though, as the SLK350 top, which lends itself to more "spur of the moment" top-down cruising. The vette takes some thought, as you have to do it before you leave, or pull over to stop the car when the wind calls your name. I actually like cruising without the vette top, very "convertible" feeling and very little wind. The vette, my wife and I joke, is really a "sports-truck" with all the room in the back! We went to a car show and took the chairs, the cooler, the sunbrellas, the car detailing supplies, cameras, purse and towels in the back without even looking full. On the way back from the show, we stopped at Lowe's and bought a patio umbrella for the backyard table, and that fit in the back, too! (It comes with the lower pole disassembled, and we left the box at Lowe's) We couldn't believe it fit! We laughed over that one for a while. The SLK has a plastic "clam-shell" device that closes over your trunk items to ensure the top won't crush them when you lower the top. One can fit a lot in there, too, but nothing very long. It's best at holding a few soft pieces of luggage or about 10-12 grocery bags (which is alot for the two of us!) :cool: |
Originally Posted by docrings
...30 mpg at 70mph...
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Originally Posted by Florp
1) Cheap-ass interior. Much as I loved the exterior styling, the interior design, materials, and feature-list felt like... well, like a Ford...
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Originally Posted by mick1
It looks real nice to me. This is the interior of the 06 Z06 but according to the information on the web, the regular C6 will get the same interior for 2006.
This one....?? I'm not so sure. |
yep. i like this steering wheel much better than the one from the 2005 model year. the other day, I drove next to a black one ('05 c6) on the freeway. It looked so nice. It got just the right proportion to my eyes.
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Originally Posted by mick1
It looks real nice to me.
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Not for me.
There's a lot to love about the Corvette and then there's the interior. Truthfully, I haven't had much experience with their interiors prior to the '05 model. I can only imagine what it was like since so many state that the new interior is much improved. Personally, I think it's interior looks the part of a pickup truck or something in the 90's era. The Vette is a great value, but I think it's pretty obvious that the budget is spent in the engine bay and not the interior.
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The vette interior is *alot* better than the previous years... the money goes into performance stuff, that's for sure, but Chevrolet has listened to enthusiasts/owners and made improvements. Fortunately, for those that want a little more than the standard interior pieces, there are a thousand interior upgrades already on the aftermarket if one does not like the silver dash pieces. There is NEVER a shortage of corvette aftermarket pieces to "mod" your car just the way you want it.
If they made the interior to M-B or Porsche standards, the car would cost another $10K, raising the bar on the base price which is CHEAP at $44,000. As it is, I *like* the interior, it's never uncomfortable (like other sports cars I've owned) and the dash is great... great colors, needles and gauge layout... nothing like looking at two monstrous dials: wide-sweep RPM and a 200 MPH speedo, and know your car can darn near get there, too! (186MPH in Z51 trim). The 2006 has a 6-speed auto with paddle shifters, if you prefer automatics. Spend another $10K for engine/intake/exhaust mods on the base C-6 and get about 500+ HP and an eleven second car that can match any other $100+K factory sports car at the track... or you can just ante up for the Z06 Vette for that performance off the showroom floor (but it's no longer inexpensive... price starts at over $65K) :rolleyes: I've opted for the budget boulevard bruiser and have a bare-bones race car for $47K with 6speed, Z51 race package (sway bars, deeper gears, power steering cooler, oil cooler, supercar tires, drilled brake rotors, tuned springs/dampers) :zoom: I *NEVER* stop smiling driving this car!!!!! :y http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette/ PM me if you want links to two of the largest Chevrolet dealers in the country who are offering $3000 off MSRP... :y If you've spent ANY time in a lambo or a Ferrari, you KNOW interiors are the least of the equation... it's about the motor, the steering, the performance... if I want luxury or refinement I take the M-B or the BMW... :cool:
Originally Posted by dsb
There's a lot to love about the Corvette and then there's the interior. Truthfully, I haven't had much experience with their interiors prior to the '05 model. I can only imagine what it was like since so many state that the new interior is much improved. Personally, I think it's interior looks the part of a pickup truck or something in the 90's era. The Vette is a great value, but I think it's pretty obvious that the budget is spent in the engine bay and not the interior.
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Originally Posted by docrings
I *NEVER* stop smiling driving this car!!!!! :y
To each his own. Or, in your case, own one of each. :y |
I actually had a similar dilemma when buying my car. I couldn't decide between the Corvette C6, the SLK350, the M3, or a Porsche Carrera.
In the end, I think I made the right choice by getting a CLK 500 Coupe. |
Originally Posted by Gojaroo
I actually had a similar dilemma when buying my car. I couldn't decide between the Corvette C6, the SLK350, the M3, or a Porsche Carrera.
In the end, I think I made the right choice by getting a CLK 500 Coupe. |
carthinker, suppose you decided to get a C6, would you go for yellow or red ?
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Trick Question!
Originally Posted by mick1
carthinker, suppose you decided to get a C6, would you go for yellow or red ?
I think I've got 2 worries about the SLK. One is the overall size. Will it seem too small whereas the vette is great in that department. Also, will it be as safe? Strangely, the vette has a terrific safety record there as well. But I love the retractable SLK roof and the way it looks. |
Get the C6 over the SLK. The C6 is a world class sports car that competes performance wise with Porsche and other exotics. The SLK is just a sporty car with a neat roof.
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