Buying advice SLK R170 320
Discussion
Hi
Would anyone be able to help me make a good call on whether a car I have found is a good buy or not? I have my eye on an SLK 320, up for £3000, its done barely 60000 on an X plate and looks in pretty good shape, but like all older cars it has flaws and I am trying to work out whether the risk is worth it! The dealer has offered to fix a large majority of the niggles, but my concern is more around how cared for the car has been. As it has done so few miles (5000 in last 5 years, most racked up early in its life), I am concerned that its not been fixed as things came up. Its also been resprayed :-(
The good:
Low, low miles for the year
Interior virtually mint condition
4 matching, decent tyres
Full years MOT
Roof fully working...
The bad
Some milky residue in the filler cap - some forums say condensation, others say head gasket...
Various maintenance issues - gas boot struts failing, electric heated mirrors not heated, heated rear window kaput,
Switch assembly around cabrio roof button cracked
Its had a respray, the arches feel solid, but there is a nasty rust bulge in the roof next to the rear window. Would need sorting in the next 6 months and probably cost me £300
Boot rubber failed, and this has caused the alarm and central locking (unit buried deep in the boot) to fail, so no powered locking, no security etc. The dealer is definitely resolving this as I can test it rather easily!
What worries me most is that milky residue... I am used to a Leon FR with bags of poke, and the SLK didn't feel incredibly quick to me. Looking over the service history, I cant see any evidence of a major service being carried out, so it could be using 15 year old spark plugs and this may not be ideal either, but a failed head gasket certainly concerns me.
Has anyone had experience of buying a car like this or a low miler that might have not seen as much love as you would hope? My worry is that its harbouring issues due to lack of use/maintenance...
Would anyone be able to help me make a good call on whether a car I have found is a good buy or not? I have my eye on an SLK 320, up for £3000, its done barely 60000 on an X plate and looks in pretty good shape, but like all older cars it has flaws and I am trying to work out whether the risk is worth it! The dealer has offered to fix a large majority of the niggles, but my concern is more around how cared for the car has been. As it has done so few miles (5000 in last 5 years, most racked up early in its life), I am concerned that its not been fixed as things came up. Its also been resprayed :-(
The good:
Low, low miles for the year
Interior virtually mint condition
4 matching, decent tyres
Full years MOT
Roof fully working...
The bad
Some milky residue in the filler cap - some forums say condensation, others say head gasket...
Various maintenance issues - gas boot struts failing, electric heated mirrors not heated, heated rear window kaput,
Switch assembly around cabrio roof button cracked
Its had a respray, the arches feel solid, but there is a nasty rust bulge in the roof next to the rear window. Would need sorting in the next 6 months and probably cost me £300
Boot rubber failed, and this has caused the alarm and central locking (unit buried deep in the boot) to fail, so no powered locking, no security etc. The dealer is definitely resolving this as I can test it rather easily!
What worries me most is that milky residue... I am used to a Leon FR with bags of poke, and the SLK didn't feel incredibly quick to me. Looking over the service history, I cant see any evidence of a major service being carried out, so it could be using 15 year old spark plugs and this may not be ideal either, but a failed head gasket certainly concerns me.
Has anyone had experience of buying a car like this or a low miler that might have not seen as much love as you would hope? My worry is that its harbouring issues due to lack of use/maintenance...
Edited by thecleverbit on Wednesday 9th December 11:38
M112 V6s all will have some mayo on the oil filler cap at this time of year. The main thing I would be worried about is rust, everywhere! Also check that the gearbox changes up and done OK. The plugs are longlife, 60K miles I think. so they may never have been changed. There are 2 per cylinder and not the easiest to get at.
That's positively high mileage compared to my '99 on 30k - its the 230K.
Can't comment about the engine issues.
Boot struts - cheap as chips and worth doing - its damn heavy when it lands on your head (or my mechanics - he soon had them swapped).
Boot seal - is it that one ? Also consider the roof lower rear window seal - about £120 plus fitting - and as you then say - alarm and locking. Just been there myself due to one corner of the window seal - where it meets the rear corner of the boot. Not cheap. Did manage to track a used locking unit but as its such a common issue most in the scrap yards have either gone or are knackered. Its getting on £500 new from memory, and not cheap used due to limited supply. My alarm is not hooked up and that appears to have been done before my time. Now I know about it I suppose I should let the insurance know.
As also posted - its the body issues that bother me as well. I have some light corrosion on the arches and hidden under the side repeater hole on the wing. But its not bad and something I've been meaning to get done for a couple of years. But some of the other issues you mention - if the other expensive issues are dealt with in the price at least its a cheapish vehicle.
Its amazing what can be done with the right skills. At the first SLK day at Brooklands in 2014 a guy turned up in a car that was rescued from the scrap heap. Really bad. The finish was very good - the bright shade of cyan was a little more subjective, but won the owner an award for his work.
Can't comment about the engine issues.
Boot struts - cheap as chips and worth doing - its damn heavy when it lands on your head (or my mechanics - he soon had them swapped).
Boot seal - is it that one ? Also consider the roof lower rear window seal - about £120 plus fitting - and as you then say - alarm and locking. Just been there myself due to one corner of the window seal - where it meets the rear corner of the boot. Not cheap. Did manage to track a used locking unit but as its such a common issue most in the scrap yards have either gone or are knackered. Its getting on £500 new from memory, and not cheap used due to limited supply. My alarm is not hooked up and that appears to have been done before my time. Now I know about it I suppose I should let the insurance know.
As also posted - its the body issues that bother me as well. I have some light corrosion on the arches and hidden under the side repeater hole on the wing. But its not bad and something I've been meaning to get done for a couple of years. But some of the other issues you mention - if the other expensive issues are dealt with in the price at least its a cheapish vehicle.
Its amazing what can be done with the right skills. At the first SLK day at Brooklands in 2014 a guy turned up in a car that was rescued from the scrap heap. Really bad. The finish was very good - the bright shade of cyan was a little more subjective, but won the owner an award for his work.
Rust is the main thing. Sounds like it may have been taffied for sale. In which case the rust will be back with a vengeance.
The m112 V6 is not prone to head gasket issues. Nor does it feel fast, though it is quite. It's just that it is very, very refined and progressive in its manner.
I love these original SLKs, but the propensity to rust really puts me off. My mother has had one from new (a 1999 230k); it has been very well maintained. But it's rotten.
The m112 V6 is not prone to head gasket issues. Nor does it feel fast, though it is quite. It's just that it is very, very refined and progressive in its manner.
I love these original SLKs, but the propensity to rust really puts me off. My mother has had one from new (a 1999 230k); it has been very well maintained. But it's rotten.
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