I'm really tempted to lease one of these cars, as there so cheap £179 ex VAT pm. Impractical for me yes... cause I have a young family but I'm thinking what a cheap way to have a weekly work vehicle (I don't take the kids to school so its just me Mon-Fri)car does 50mpg average better than my old Range Rover SC which did 10mpg and the road tax etc make it a cheap proposition for the next 2 years?

Anyone bought one of these cars? What's it like to drive everyday and how practical is it for a 2 seater, is the boot big enough for shopping trips? I'm thinking of maybe leasing one and getting a bigger jeep for the weekend (which I'll buy not lease)

what's your thoughts? Still thinking maybe the SLK is too feminine a car but i like the new styling and the cdi engine is a great addition.

Any help guys

I've got one (had it almost a week now) - I've gone from R170 SLK 230 to R230 SL500 and now to this - mine's a SLK 250 CDi AMG, and I've got to say that I like it better than my SL500. I never liked the previous SLK as I thought they were a bit plain, but these look the business.

I don't tend to listen to the "hairdresser/girls car" comments crowd - my metric for whether your car looks cool is the "small boy test" - if it gets comments like "cool/nice car mister" then it passes. Adults don't often give an honest opinion for whatever reason. Mine is currently residing side-by-side in the garage with my SL (which is being collected in a few days) and I think it actually is a nicer looking car - which is saying something.

It does sound dieselly when you start it up and less so when it's running. However that's more than offset by the mpg (57.6 this morning on my 34 mile trip to work) and the fact that it goes like stink - 7 speed auto with flappy paddles and 500nm of torque (that's 40 more than my SL500 ). Fantastic. Gearbox is typical Merc and is really nice.

Interior is lovely - mines all black with black leather, red stitching/belts. You can also get the Becker map pilot module off ebay for £200 and you've then got the fully integrated, voice activated satnav. Bargain!

eta: the boot isn't "tiny" - you just have to be efficient. Me and the OH can go on 3 week driving tours round Europe (well in the R170 and that had a smaller boot).

Oh - and get the AMG - look miles better and come with very nice wheels.

More masculine than old slk, fast, good looking, good spec. Amg version not likely to be 170 plus vat, more like £270 inc vat. Amg sport has leather, auto and bodykit.

I found when looking at a tt my mate said he didnt like them and they were girly but now hes gone and bought one as hes had an inheritance, so my experience is people who say theyre girly are often just jealous because they have kids or a saloon or something and they cant have a sports car.

The diesel engine is good for mpg, torque and range so go for it

Just put my order in for an SLK 250 CDi AMG for the Mrs (well, I may drive it sometimes.......).

Have gone for:

- Obsidian Black metallic
- Crystal Grey leather
- Becker navigation
- Multimedia interface
- Air scarf
- Heated seats
- Remote roof operation
- Panoramic vario roof

Very happy with the 6+23 contract hire deal I got through another PH'er (Matc) at my local MB dealership.

Just need to find a 2/3 year old C63 estate with PPP to complete the pair now......

I did consider it but it will only cost me £207.41 inc VAT over the lease not £495 that it costs on the options list - granted I have to give it back with the car, but less of a pain the backside than buying one from ebay then selling it at the end (which at the end of the lease might be worth a fair bit less).

Plus there is a rumour that a batch of Becker nav units specific to Mercedes were pinched and that these units may now be blocked from any future updates when plugged into a PC........not saying that these are the ones on ebay but it made my decision to get an approved one from the dealer.

Sat in one at mb world at the weekend that was dark blue with crystal grey leather in pretty bog standard Amg spec.

Saw the deal last week but wasn't until I had a sit in it that I was convinced - very nice car, acceptable as a bloke to be seen driving which might not have been said of previous models. Felt very well put together with enough toys to keep you busy.

I wanted to go for white with nut/mocha leather or dark grey with red leather but the mrs wanted the lighter coloured leather which restricted paint choices a bit. Chose crystal grey over Sahara beige as the latter means beige lower dash which I didn't like the look of.

Standard leather interiors on sport models are black, Sahara beige or crystal grey. If you spec the black or crystal grey it comes with red stitching and red belts, for some reason Sahara beige doesn't. However you can opt for black rather than red belts (not stitching though) which I have done. If you upgrade to nappa leather (£360) you can spec Bengal red or nut/mocha leather.

Do these £189 deals require a deposit?

Even with the VAT, £5,500 to own a brand new £40K Mercedes (which must be worth less than £30K after 2 years surely?) seems bloody cheap?

Or is there a mad mileage restriction like 6,000/year?

Mine is a 3+23 AMG pack on 15k a year for two years and is 350/month plus vat. I've not seen the diesels with Amg pack much cheaper.

Could you explain this 3+23 business please?

In my simple mind if you lease a car for 24 months there should be 24 payments surely?