I used to own a 2002 S2000, but due to a major move between states, I sold that and my Durango and bought a WRX. But I've been DYING for a convertible ever since, so the great vert comparo began today.

First up, S2000. Sales people were real dinks until we dropped the hammer. Then, and only then, did the sales manager give us the honor of a test drive in a 2004 S2000. I used to have the 2.0L engine, this was the 2.2L engine. Nice acceleration (but not impressive), great handling, but the "fun" factor wasn't there as I expected. My previous S had a higher redline and a different exhaust note, and it ALWAYS left me grinning from ear to ear. Nice car today, but I left disappointed. Maybe I've come to expect more from cars since I owned an S, but I just wasn't impressed. And I don't say that lightly; the S2000 is what got me involved in cars. I never LOVED a car until my S.

Next, the SLK350. All options except for the AMG Sport Package. Gorgeous car, retractable hartop was SWEET. This is Minnesota, and at 48 degrees today I thought we'd have it up, but then I decided to go topless & try out the AirScarf. By the end of the ride, we (my gf and I) were both warm. Acceleration was much crisper and quicker than the S. It "threw" us back into our seats much more; well, as much as a 268hp engine can, but with the S2000 I never felt that rush of acceleration. Handling was very nice, although the S2000 had more of a "go-kart" feel to it. The interior of the SLK was IMHO gorgeous. Nice vid display, gauges were large and readable, and overall it made the S2000 look a little spartan. Yes yes, I know, big price difference, but between the exterior, interior, and retractable hardtop I felt the price difference was worth it. And that's not even taking into account the SLK's quicker feel. Oh, and the SLK can fit a golf bag; the S2000 cannot. That alone should have decidede it for me.

All in all, two nice test drives. I think the S2000 is a pleasant but distant memory. Next on the list:

M3-great performance, more practical, but also more expensive. Also, have you SEEN the number of threads dedicated to blown engines on the BMW boards? I have owned neither a BMW nor a MB, but for Christ's sake, I expect more from German engineering, and seeing threads that start, "When did your engine blow?" "Not until 5,500 miles; I was pretty happy it lasted that long" is a bit discouraging.

Porsche 911 C4S-I think a bit out of my price range, but if its performace is even half of its reputation, I will be impressed. Maybe enough to buy one.

Sorry for running long, but I wanted my first post on this board to be a good contribution.

 

welcome to the world of SLK R171 lol

 

Oh, and one more thing. The MB dealers were very informative. Per my request, they explined everything from financing options to whether or not the $4000 AMG Sport option would be worth it. They even called in their resident "wheel specialist", the guy who deals with rims, and he was able to show me a set. Not once did I get that attitude of, "Stop wasting our time, kid. Come back when you're serious." Helpful, but not pushy. Very impressive.

 

mercedes benz, they must treat you like this!

 

That is very true. I am getting an SLK 350 Diamond Silver/Black Interior with Comfort Package, AMG Sports Package, Premium Package, 6-disc cd changer, and blue illumiated door sills. It is coming betwen Nov. 21 and Nov. 30, 2004. Now I am turning 17 years old this January 2005, but the salesmen at the two MB dealerships I went to showed me respect and took their time explaining things. I went to other car dealerships(Ford, Chrystler, Hummer, Nissan) to get info on cars such as the 2005 Mustang GT, the Crossfire, H2, and 350Z. Hummer dealership was as good as Mercedes, but Nissan was anoying and was trying to sell me the 350Z over the SLK 350 because it had 4 more horsepower at the time. Ford is the worst dealership to go to. I went to get info on 2005 GT, I got no info on that car, but the dealer tried to sell me a 2004 Cobra(390hp, $36,000). There was water half an inch high on the floor. The retarded dealership left the window down the day it was raining. And crystlyer gave me a tour, yes a tour, not of the cars, but of the dealership, he showed me pictures, and the snack room. I saw a donut in a box in the snack room. When the stupid tour was over I went and got the donut(which was for the salesmen) and walked infront of the guy and said "Have a nice day". I think he wanted to eat that donut.

 

There are good, Bad & UGLY MB dealerships too.

You folks have been fortunate to run into pleasant ones.

Couple years ago, my wife and I went into a LA dealership. We had just spent most of a day at Pasadena volunteering at the RoseParade float decorations and therefore dressed in grubby wares. Since my wife at that time was looking for a SUV, and we were looking at whether a ML or X5, we visited this DownTownLA MB dealer. Got the most cold and rude treatment. There were tons of sales people on the floor and no one wanted to help. After corning a very relunctant sales person, and asked to take one for a test drive, the response was ... all the MLs are sold or reserved by other customers.

We went out and bought a X5 that same day.

 

Welcome on board & thanks for sharing your experience.

I do agree that the S2000 does provide the go-kart presence. This pocket rocket is fun to drive. If I was younger, and my wife could drive stick, than it is my cup of tea. At this stage, I need more creature comfort and more refine ride, I'm leaning towards the SLK.

The struggle here is that a 2 seater does have its limitation. My wife constantly reminds me that we have a family and the cab has to accomodate the kiddo. She rather wants a BMW 3 cab or MB CLK while I've no problem going with a roadster (since I have other multi-seaters). But she has a point and the struggle continues.

Long story, getting whichever model, SLK, S2000, CLK and whatever else is dependent on your particular needs.

GL in your decision

 

Single guy, no kids. If I had kids, E55 AMG all the way.

Thanks for the input everyone. I slept on it last night, and I actually had dreams about the SLK. Woke up today and flipped through the brochure during the football games. I think my mind is made up; the only other convertibles that appeal to me are the M3 and 911 C4S, and both are too pricey for my comfort. Viper is too impractical for a daily driver. S2000 was not nearly as impressive as the SLK, Miata lacks the looks IMHO, S4 cabrio doesn't do it for me (although it has one hell of an engine; kudos to Audi). New Corvette?, nice engine, ****ty car; I only see about 50 on my way to work every day, and the last time plastic cars appealed to me was 3rd grade. As for the Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6, if they used one up in their side impact and frontal crash tests, why couldn't they use them all? What a monstrosity.

But hey, this is only my opinion so please no flames. If someone owns a Vette or Crossfire and they love it, more power to them. All I know is that for my point in life, my budget, and my personal mores, the SLK looks like my match.

 

Any updates on your car search/purchase yet?

 

Thank you for asking! Yes, actually, I confirmed my options with the dealer last week. I'm sending a $2000 check to secure it this week. Build date in mid-Jan, delivery date late Feb!!!! WOOHOO Diamond silver/black&red interior/NAV/etc/etc/etc. I'll post pictures when it arrives.

 

Welcome to the family ... you will definitely enjoy yours when she arrives.

My wife finally broke down and gave in .... Out with logic. I now have my mid-life crisis gift .... see attached .

 

Very nice!

Congrats on your order Mike.

 

[QUOTE=GearHead] I now have my mid-life crisis gift .... see attached .
[QUOTE]

Can you identify with my vanity plate in my profile graphic?

 

[QUOTE=Motzkoman][QUOTE=GearHead] I now have my mid-life crisis gift .... see attached .
LOL ...

Now I want that plate too .... Oh NO ... I can't since I live in CA ....

I may be generalizing here ... folks who buy SLK are
1) Younger folks
2) Older folks like myself who want to turn the clock back

In anycase, let's all enjoy the open air freedom .... whether permitting

 

Gearhead:
You can go online and try the reverse...SLK MLC...maybe it is still available...

 

Have you considered the new 987 Boxster? I'm currently driving an S2000 but plan to change in June...... I've tried nearly everything on the market and found the SLK350 to be a great car.... at the time I tested it I ranked it above the 986 Boxster (but not much better than the S2000). Now that I've tried the new Boxster and Boxster S I'd probably take the 2.7 987 over the SLK350...... sure the MB is quicker in a straight line but the Boxsters handling is in a different league. As I want a significantly better car than the S2000 I've reduced my shortlist to the SLK55 AMG and Boxster S..... not sure which one to go for but need to decide soon!

 

I got the new boxster and i love it!

I actually cancelled a 350 in november then was ordering a 911 but couldnt wait so i got the boxster!

I love it the styling is much nicer then the slk much better in person at least.

I would go for the S instead of teh AMG but then again i never felt the raw power of the v8 but dang its kinda ugly compared to the S.

 

Glad you like your Boxster's styling but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have all respect for Porsche and always turn my head to look but don't care for the low rounded rear ends they have. Also with your top up you have an inherently louder soft top convertible and I have a 100% true coupe.

Also one more point: Hope you got a great deal because your new Boxster is about to look old and outdated with the new 2006 body style coming out in less than 2 months.

 

The new 987 Boxster is great, i have ordered an SLK350 simply because a boxster with the options that I want is too expensive. If i had a few more thousands to spend, i would have gotten the Boxster for sure. As much as I like the SLK, nothing can compare to the handling and feel of the Boxster. And i do not think it will look outdated simply because IMO it has such a classic design, look at the 986, it's been out for almost 9 years and it still looks good. I for one am glad that they kept the same basic design, it creates a sort of timelessness. I mean, look at the old SLK compared to the new one, the owners of the old one must look at the new one and be so disappointed that they still have the old one. Whereas old Boxster owners can still feel proud of owning a 986 and really don't have to upgrade to the new one, this is what makes the Porsches timeless (and resale values high). And, well, Porsche is Porsche.

By the way, Julien321, when you talk about a new body style, I assume you are talking about the Boxster Coupe.

 

Yes I assume you are refering to the new Boxster Coupe? the new shape Boxster (987) has been out since November in the UK.

The new coupe isn't out until November 2005 so maybe you've just got your dates mixed up?

I'll be ordering either the new Boxster S or SLK55 this week...... I tested the new Boxster S before Xmas and will be able to compare it to the AMG this week (I've got the Merc Press car on loan for three days)....... If the AMG is better than the 987S I'll have signed on the dotted line by Friday

 

Yup great deal Yup Yup Boxster i mean im happy with my money spent!

Its also a porsche which handles like a true sports car and the SLK is a great mini GT. So whatver tickles your pickle is guess.

And no i dont think the styling will be outdated anytime soon in pictures it actaully doesnt do the porsche justice whereas the SLK looks really good in pictures and in person from far far away but up close and personally it really did not do anything for me.

Anywayz my lease is up in two years so either way im out of the boxster and the chances of me going back to porsche is like 99% and mercedes %1 and I'm proboly going to get a 911 maybe even a 911 turbo.

My dealer even calls me now and then to check up on hows the car feeling and also tells me to come in sometime to go over the car some more.
My mercedes dealer tried over charging for Services.

I got respect for mercedes and i miss this forum alot cuz the porsches forums suck but if you want a ride thats exciting and intimate go with a porsche.
Mercedes is for old people who want to be comfortable nothing wrong with that but im 23!

 

I disagree with your assertation that all Mercedes are for old people.
My SLK350 will outpace most cars on the road and has superb grip around corners and handles better than anything else I have ever owned. My uncle's 911 is far better handling but do I want to feel like I will loose my kidneys every time I hit an imperfection in the road?
YMMV.

Cheers to all.

 

Well, I am not sure if you are right, but I believe I fall into the first category. My wife and I are in our Mid 20s. We both are in love with coupes and we made a commitment to buy only coupes.

We decided to get the SLK because we figure that we can only be young once, we don't want to wait until we are in our 40s or older to drive a convertible. I love my VW GTI and my wife loves her C-coupe very much, but we both enjoy weekend rides in the SLK...

SLK is what we are looking forward to every weekend.

 

Thanks for your clarification. I did qualify in my original statement -- "I may be generalizing here ..."

As for the SLK, great car. So far, I have had it for slightly over a month and whenever I sit behind the steering wheel, it feels great .... BUT it is really a impractical car. There are so many times in the past 4 weeks where I wanted to drive it with the family or run errands, I had to take our other cars.

BUT, regardless of practicality, I love driving this pocket rocket. It brings smiles back to me whenever I drive it.

Enjoy your ride ....

 

So far around here all the SLK owners are all hongers(people from HK who cant speak good english and are giving the car by there rich parents still in hong kong)

Cant say for the boxster since im the 1st owner in Vancouver!

I was just kidding mercedes is just for old people but for me i kinda been there done that and there are a couple of nagging issues associated with benz ownership,

-I hate the "snob" factor involved with it like its a higher class then everyone else even though a porsche is just as expensive its still does not have the "snob" factor that mercedes has for some reason.

-Mercedes service in vancouver in my opinion is horrible

-Mercedes constantly has stupid things going wrong with the car whether it be electronics to the car just stopping on the road it was really quite embarrsing having your car stop dead in traffic.

-Mercedes is not that special no more for some reason since the c class is cheaper then alotta acuras and nissans. Now I've owned a C class i would never consider owning another c class but i still think the AMG's are crazy since there no ordinary benz

Overall i think porsche is a better fit for me somtimes that noise of the exhaust and flat 6 growl can sorta ruin your thinking abilities as you drive but when you really wanna feel the road and be "one" with your car Porsche really brings alot of satisfaction at the end of the day whereas the Mercedes can only deliver in straight line performance and has a floating feel on the road like your riding on air. Which isnt a bad thing so i guess it all comes down whats in your priorities.

Also around here Mercedes are everywhere so many people driving them around there so like family cars nowadays and since i already have a toyota rav I want my other ride to be at the other extreme.

I have alotta respect for Mercedes and its looks inside and out but i just wish they improved on a couple of things mainly service that at least feels a lil bit more genuine. Theres only one porsche dealership in vancouver so its alot more intimate and friendly.
As well as quality- it really needs to go back to the drawing board on the whole computer in it which always likes to tell me theres somthing wrong with the car when there isnt. I thought it was a mercedes!

O btw the design(looks wise) of the porsche is way better then the new SLK
its a much more timeless design and has a smoother look giving it a european beauty simple yet elegant lines. The SLK is a nice design too but it has alot more flaws then the Boxster namely the nose and the amg kit on the front makes the car look even worse. But I think the BRABUS kit with 19" rims would make it look really mean and the hard top must be nice.
But in my opnion if i buy a sports car with no top i would get a porsche over a mercedes, maybe if i were to buy a Sedan i'd pick the mercedes.