tnoble269

My 328i is getting a bit long in the tooth so I'm looking to either replace or suppliment it. I drove the SLK55 and friggin' love it but is it a realistic replacement for a daily driver? I figure I'd keep the Bimmer and not run the SLK everyday but it would still be my primary vehicle. I've already got a Lotus Europa and a ZX-7 for sunny weekends and don't need another weekend toy so is the SLK a daily driver or a weekend toy?

Thanks,
Tom

IIIMBPIII

Well I use it as a daily driver and i comute about and hour a day to work and back thats of course when im back in CA... when im off at school she sits all by herself

alroumi

its not my daily driver,but it can be used for daily commutes as it is quiet comfortable.

bfnnrgn

I drive the SLK more than the E. The E is a great car, but the SLK is just more fun. I've often thought about selling the E but I just can't make myself do it.

Shinigami

My SLK is my daily driver, and it does it perfectly well. More comfortable and usable then the Lotus, minus of course the back seats of the BMW.

I have no kids and don't need HUGE amounts of trunk space, so the SLK works perfectly well for me. I can fit all my groceries in it just fine, and I've even done a 1900km trip in one day (22 hours of driving) with no back aches the next day.

tnoble269

Thanks, that's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. The 328i has been bulletproof so another option I've considered is replacing it with the new 335i but the SLK is just so damn cool... One last question, what's the most mileage anyone has put on their SLK?

Tom

SLK 55 Kleemann

I drive my SLK daily too, I have bought Wintertyres but I dont think that its a good idea now when its Kleemanized

Blk04cobra1

I dont see why it couldnt be used as a daily driver...they are very fun and comfortable at the same time...

dsb

Here's another daily driver. The car is up to the task for sure. The only downsides:
-Gets dirty & possible rock chips (Minor but I didn't care when it was my Camry)
-Perhaps too much CHP attention during commute
-Would benefit from Lumbar support (addressed in MY08)
-Possibility of scraping the front lip

All of these concerns stay true whether it's used just on the weekends or as a daily driver. It just means you have to pay more attention and drive defensively to protect your car day by day.

lontong

365 days sports car is SLK

hspder

My SLK55 IS my Daily Driver. I actually bought it specifically for that purpose -- there are other cars in the market (even in the same price range) that make better weekend toys, but definitely not better daily drivers; the SLK55 is my favorite combination of comfort, ergonomics and performance... in the price range. The 335i is a capable car, but it's just a notch below in all three aspects. Plus nothing beats driving with the top down in a sunny CA day. Best anti-stress therapy out there.

My 75-mile commute actually became a highlight of my work day...

Shinigami

The 335i could be easily updated with an ECU flash to around 400hp from what I've heard. ECU and Headers for the SLK could get the same, but cost a few thousand bucks more.

I've raced a 335i on the highway, and I was able to pull quite nicely away from him, but then again, the SLK is I believe a little lighter, and does have more power. But that straight 6 turbocharged engine in the 335i has reeled in some rave reviews.

Some people have managed 4.3 second 0-60 pulls, so that kinda shows how quick the car is overall...

I've put 54,000km's on my SLK, someone put 40,000miles on theirs (about 62,000km's). I've had mine for 3 years starting this November. I drive it 10 months a year (just not in winter... I can't be arsed to put winter tires on it for just 2 months a year). Mine is just perfect, everything works. Generally, the AMG's are better built with more quality assurance then the standard MB's, so your chances of buying a flawless SLK55 AMG is pretty good (if you were concerned about reliability, what with all the talk of MB's not being all that reliable these days... this of course is supposedly changing, with 3 MB's getting top marks in one of the latest reliability check-ups, and 2 MB's getting second place, of which one was the SLK versus the very reliable and fun MX5, also know the Miata).

In the end, the SLK is a very different car. I don't know if they make the 335i as a hardtop convertible, but you'll be adding some 200lb to the weight of the car if you do this. That's a nasty penalty... The SLK is quite unique in that from the many roadsters I've driven (I'm a junkie for two seater convertibles), it's still one of the absolute best drives for the money.

NasimDaDream

I drive my SLK55 daily with no problems. It's definitely a daily driver car for single people!

sjcrash

I've been using mine as a daily since Jan 14, 2005. No problems. Changed the tires a few times but that's it.

FishtailnZ

The SLK is a very capable and comfortable daily driver - fuel mileage is decent (when you're not romping on it anyway *L*), outward visibility is great, it's smaller size makes it very easy to manoeuver and park, and the level of standard equipment makes the daily commute stress free. Other than winter months, I use my everyday - work, play, doesn't matter; it does it all very well indeed.

Shinigami

I just came back from an hour long spirited drive. Top down, M mode, lots of revs, and lots smiles

Stopped by at the Ferrari dealership, which surprisingly still had someone working in there (at around 9pm)... He said "just come in", so I did.

10 minutes later I begin to leave and he's tells me "we'll take MB's as well" with a wink (referring to if I want to swap my car for a Ferrari). I just replied "I'm waiting to make a bit more money"

Noway am I parting with my SLK just yet

imducati

That's pretty funny it looks like the ferrari guys really like AMG's. I took my slk55 to a ferrari shop since it was the only place around who would take out my resonators and also put in an all leather dash.

When I picked up the car, they literally did not want to give it back... they tried to trade me a beat up 355. Then I pointed to a 550, they laughed and said " I would if it was my car. that thing is here in the shop all the time".

Shinigami

hehe

Yeah, well... I think the SLK is fun, fast, and relaxing as well when you need it. I'm not really into say a 355 or a 360 convertible version. But I absolutely LOVE the 360. Only problem is, I couldn't take it and have it as my daily driver. It's a bit more punishing on you, mentally, physically and of course on your wallet. It does kinda rattle around, stock brakes squeak a lot and so on...

But if I could have the SLK AND a 360 Modena (manual plz) at the same time, I'd be the happiest puppy around I'm thinking that dream is not too far off... I just need to save up a bit more, and if I do end up accepting a job offer with a nice phat salary hike, then that could be sooner then later

tnoble269

Thanks for the info, everyone seems to agree the car can be a daily driver. I'm thinking I can probably find a good, low mileage example with nav, air scarf and a few other options for somewhere in the low $40's.. Sound reasonable? How much to add factory nav if I run across one that doesn't have it?

Thanks again,
Tom

Addicted2Speed

I haven't seen any in the low $40's yet. Even 05's with high mileage (20k+) are still in mid to high 40's. Just did a quick search and it looks like the cheapest car on autotrader is an 05 w/ 28k miles listed for 45k. IMO, you'd be better off with buying a low mileage car for mid-high 40's instead. As far as factory nav, its too expensive, don't bother with it or get an aftermarket unit.

alroumi

I know how you feel shini, just came back from a 10 minute top down trip with my fiddy five too. It sounds and drives very well though its a bit dusty, which means I need to have it cleaned asap tomorow.

A ferrari is nice but I am not sure I would use it as a daily driver, a bit too noisy for me especially at idle.

Shinigami

I just had another 7 hour drive on saturday. Drove to Germany and back.

Definitely a daily driver

Dema

I can count about four SLKs at my office, so it's certainly daily driver and commuter car. But most popular commuter car is Porsche, I counted 10 of them. All other make/models are presented in one two units only.

alroumi

Yeah Porsche's are great daily drivers too especially the 4wheel versions ie 911 C4, C4S, Turbo are good for all of the year.