i am wondering - how does the whole ordering process go? how much do you have to put down generally to get on the waiting list for the slk350? do they give you any details as to what it'll cost you to finance for the car w/ options that you want? it'd be great if anyone who's ordered an slk350 could share their experience with me. thanks.

 

If you go into most dealers, they usually accept a totally refundable deposit of $1,000 dollars to get you on their list for an SLK 350. the difficulty is that MBUSA has not yet published the official prices, so the best you can do is estimate based on the information from boards like this one.

Once you have your deposit down, you most likely will be on a list - first come first delivered...I am not sure about financing...

Hope this helps...

 

I spoke to my dealer rep, put down a $500 deposit, chose my options and that was it.

 

Same here. $1,000 deposit (fully refundable) and that was it. No info on prices or financing. According to some people who attended the Mercedes driving event (I don't remember its name) last weekend the base price posted on the SLK350's there was $45,000.
Hope this helps !

 

I just spoke with the dealer about the price of the SLK350. He said it will be pretty close to $50k base price. He also suggested that if you do not want to wait in the waiting list, there are MB dealer out there that would allow a limited number of European Delivery on the SLK350. The only catch is that you will not receive a 7% discount for doing the ED. However, it is well worth the trip to Germany. I have done it a couple of years ago when I went to pick up my '03 CLK320. The benefit of doing the ED is that you do not have to pay for the destination charge plus you get a free night stay at the selected 5 stars hotel of your choice. You can use that money for the plane ticket, get the car much quicker, and drive it on the autobahn.

 

Yeah.. I thought about it since we are going to London on November for the Thanksgiving week. But since I'm already on the waiting list I hope to get the car around that date here and if I take delivery there, then I'll have to wait like 20 days after we leave Europe to get it shipped here. If you haven't ordered yet, the ED will be a good option.

 

As of several weeks ago ED availability for the SLK350 was quoted as November. Could vary by dealer and may be longer out now. As to the 7% discount doubt any US dealers are offering such on their 05 SLK's anyway.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong but do you think it is true that the base price for the new SLK will be $50k? In addition, thank you for the info on ED Program.

 

i spoke with my dealer, and he said that the slk350's were going for about $3,000 above MSRP if i wanted to be on the waiting list. that could explain any dealers saying it would be near $50,000 base. i really think the actual MSRP is around $45,000. i also asked him about ordering, and if i wanted to order, he said i could expect delivery by late october, early november.

i was considering getting out of my lease, but i figure i'll just be patient and wait until the hype over the initial arrival of the slk350 on US shores is over and my lease is complete so i don't have to lose any money. i'll most likely order, and amiras, your slk350 is the exact configuration i want, except also the AMG appearance package :-D.

 

To my knowledge, if you do the European Delivery Program, they are supposed to charge you MSRP and not above. That's what happened when I did the ED a couple of years ago for my 03 CLK. Got the vehicle in December of 02 at the same time as others on the waiting list who paid above MSRP. However, I am going to talk with the guy at the dealer tomorrow to clarify. I have purchased 2 Mercedes from him already and hope that he doesn't screw me over about this. If it is going to be above MSRP, I'd rather wait. There is no need to get the vehicle before others...

 

Well, come on - charging over MSRP is up to the dealer - there are dealers out there that will charge you MSRP and nothing more. You won't get any discounts on them the first few months either, but frankly, I'd call around and tell them 'I want to buy one from the dealer that orders me one without a surcharge'. A lot of them want that order rather than loose it altogether....

Cheers,
Dan

 

yeah, the MB of Naples dealer is so money hungry.....they try to make as much $ as they can, whenever they can, because there are so many wealthy people in Naples who walk in and buy a car by writing a check. when i compared their initial estimates on my c320 coupe with other dealers i called in south florida, i would have been paying $8000 more just on the downpayment to get a $65/month higher monthly payment. heh, so you know they're going to overcharge on the slk350's just because they can get away with it.

 

Same config, huh? Copycat!
If your dealership wants to charge you $3,000 above MSRP you should find another one. If you do ED I don't think they can get more money (unless you pay them directly) because the whole order processing is managed by MB directly (according to MarcusBenz) so there is no way they can go over.
In any event, either do a ED or look around. I'm sure you'll find someone who will sell it to you for MSRP.

 

hey, i'm not completely copying - i am getting the AMG package too! :p

yeah, i will be calling several dealers in south florida and negotiating the best price i can get on it with those options. i have never really considered ED, but it seems more and more attractive, so i'll definitely figure out if it's better to go that route, or just order it and have it delivered here. at least i have some time, my lease isn't up officially until the coming year.