RE: Mercedes SLK230 Kompressor | Shed of the Week
Discussion
sdiggle said:
Felt unstable at high speed.
Interesting. The suspension geometry makes it oddly susceptible to cambers and especially crowns in the road and the kind of ruts you get from trucks in Lane 1. Aside from that though, one of the big surprises to me is how stable it feels at high speed. Sit at three figure speeds and it feels totally rock solid. Until you find ruts or big crowns, that is! One thing that I don't think was mentioned is the potential for suspension component failing without warning - happened to mine. Front control arm rusted from the inside out, then gave way - taking the wheel off the car.
That and the pneumatic central locking failures that can write off a car - you can't open the boot or get the fuel filler open.
Nice cars when working but a small(ish) fault or failure writes them off at this price point.
That and the pneumatic central locking failures that can write off a car - you can't open the boot or get the fuel filler open.
Nice cars when working but a small(ish) fault or failure writes them off at this price point.
And back to the discussion topic about Shed's breadth of marketplace...
There's a slightly older, but lower mileage 2.0SLK auto on Autotrader, same colour and alloys, £995 as it stands or £1,295 with a full 12 months' ticket. Based on the photos, it looks like much more car for the money (i.e. less of it has turned into brown dust!!)
As the AT one is a 2000 model, it also benefits from cheaper RFL, so would save about £140 a year?
I actually quite like the car and prospect of cheap, wind in the (well-styled!) hair, but the less scabbiness the better :-)
There's a slightly older, but lower mileage 2.0SLK auto on Autotrader, same colour and alloys, £995 as it stands or £1,295 with a full 12 months' ticket. Based on the photos, it looks like much more car for the money (i.e. less of it has turned into brown dust!!)
As the AT one is a 2000 model, it also benefits from cheaper RFL, so would save about £140 a year?
I actually quite like the car and prospect of cheap, wind in the (well-styled!) hair, but the less scabbiness the better :-)
Frimley111R said:
Kawasicki said:
I like it. Fun cars to drive.
You've clearly never driven one then. They are for cruising about and showing off that badge. Poor build and chassis. Poor chassis? You haven’t got a clue.
Poor build? There are still lots of them driving around.
daveco said:
Motorweek got 6.3 seconds out of the SLK230 auto box (and no, it wasn't from a rolling start)
A neighbour has a newer SLK 200. The engine sounds great. In fact, all petrol SLKs seem to have nice exhaust notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krS8_xA8FdM
How do you do 0-60 from a 'rolling start'?A neighbour has a newer SLK 200. The engine sounds great. In fact, all petrol SLKs seem to have nice exhaust notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krS8_xA8FdM
Water Fairy said:
daveco said:
Motorweek got 6.3 seconds out of the SLK230 auto box (and no, it wasn't from a rolling start)
A neighbour has a newer SLK 200. The engine sounds great. In fact, all petrol SLKs seem to have nice exhaust notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krS8_xA8FdM
How do you do 0-60 from a 'rolling start'?A neighbour has a newer SLK 200. The engine sounds great. In fact, all petrol SLKs seem to have nice exhaust notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krS8_xA8FdM
I like that more than the last few sheds!
Shame about the rust because it’s a nice colour.
I remember seeing these at the Birmingham Motorshow when they were released and as a car mad kid the roof was literally the coolest thing I’d ever seen (well until I clambered all over the TVR’s with their crazy interiors).
Shame about the rust because it’s a nice colour.
I remember seeing these at the Birmingham Motorshow when they were released and as a car mad kid the roof was literally the coolest thing I’d ever seen (well until I clambered all over the TVR’s with their crazy interiors).
Kawasicki said:
Funnily enough I was employed as a tyre Test driver when I drove one. I drove it at the limit for 6 hours a day for about a month on various test tracks, on snow, wet and dry. So clearly I have driven one.
Poor chassis? You haven’t got a clue.
Poor build? There are still lots of them driving around.
To be fair to Frimley, is wasnt exactly highly rated for its driving dynamics back when it was new- its certainly no Boxster!Poor chassis? You haven’t got a clue.
Poor build? There are still lots of them driving around.
I am SO proud! 
This Shed of the Week is my old SLK! I part-exed it 3 weeks ago for a newer one the dealer had as I had some money to spend.
It was getting to the stage where it could start costing me money so I "dropped it down through the trade". I can confirm that there is rust on all 4 arches, there's a small bit on the bootlid and a few minor abrasions here and there as you'd expect. I was expecting the MOT to be a massive fail so I was actually pleasantly surprised when it went through with the advisories and a new bulb.
I didn't do much to it except drive it and service it (it had leaves in the cabin and air filters when I got it). It's got two brand new Avons on the back to replace the aging and low-on-tread Pirellis. Everything works as it should (except the stereo - I did take it out but realised I still had two in the garage so chucked it back in). It's quick enough to show a few things a clean pair of heels and for less than £1k it's got to be worth it for a few months, and if it breaks then it can broken for spares. The wheels are actually in really good nick and the car's obviously had a good going over with the machine polisher. It definitely doesn't have full MB service history, although it was looked after by a local specialist for a while. There's a folder full of paperwork.
It was my first convertible and my first auto. I paid a little over £1k 18 months ago so I didn't lose that much on it. If you like bodywork, it's an ideal project.
This Shed of the Week is my old SLK! I part-exed it 3 weeks ago for a newer one the dealer had as I had some money to spend.It was getting to the stage where it could start costing me money so I "dropped it down through the trade". I can confirm that there is rust on all 4 arches, there's a small bit on the bootlid and a few minor abrasions here and there as you'd expect. I was expecting the MOT to be a massive fail so I was actually pleasantly surprised when it went through with the advisories and a new bulb.
I didn't do much to it except drive it and service it (it had leaves in the cabin and air filters when I got it). It's got two brand new Avons on the back to replace the aging and low-on-tread Pirellis. Everything works as it should (except the stereo - I did take it out but realised I still had two in the garage so chucked it back in). It's quick enough to show a few things a clean pair of heels and for less than £1k it's got to be worth it for a few months, and if it breaks then it can broken for spares. The wheels are actually in really good nick and the car's obviously had a good going over with the machine polisher. It definitely doesn't have full MB service history, although it was looked after by a local specialist for a while. There's a folder full of paperwork.
It was my first convertible and my first auto. I paid a little over £1k 18 months ago so I didn't lose that much on it. If you like bodywork, it's an ideal project.
I've had 2 , both 6 speed manuals , the first was my wife's car mainly and bought nearly new , the second was a 2 owner car bought for a tenth of what I paid for the first car a few years ago , I actually sold this one for just about the same price as the electric seat pack on my current slc43 amg !
The manuals aren't nearly as bad as people say , not as good as an mx5 but if you change the oil and short fill it a little it's liveable. You can run them out of scrapyards but the pattern spares from ecp are cheap and they are quite basic mechanically so easy to work on .
I put a bigger bottom over pulley on and re mappped it as well as a cone filter and bigger intercooler that made the car noticeably faster .
I drove around in it for a couple of years , up and down to San Sebastián via the Dordogne and up to the ring and never had any concerns doing it , I only sold it when my Mrs told me it was time I bought a decent car as the one we'd just pulled up outside the hotel in Biarritz was worth less the handbag she was carrying! She was correct as well .
The manuals aren't nearly as bad as people say , not as good as an mx5 but if you change the oil and short fill it a little it's liveable. You can run them out of scrapyards but the pattern spares from ecp are cheap and they are quite basic mechanically so easy to work on .
I put a bigger bottom over pulley on and re mappped it as well as a cone filter and bigger intercooler that made the car noticeably faster .
I drove around in it for a couple of years , up and down to San Sebastián via the Dordogne and up to the ring and never had any concerns doing it , I only sold it when my Mrs told me it was time I bought a decent car as the one we'd just pulled up outside the hotel in Biarritz was worth less the handbag she was carrying! She was correct as well .
hammo19 said:
Bought one as a birthday present for my darling wife four years ago. Same colour as the one here. It’s a 230 with auto box and low mileage. We have it in storage at the moment. I have to say it’s a lovely looking car, well proportioned but it’s very dull to drive.
Excellent shed and a great summer buy for that price. Sell it on after the summer and I think you may well get your money back.
You didn’t get it from the Berkshire area did you? Excellent shed and a great summer buy for that price. Sell it on after the summer and I think you may well get your money back.
Bought one off my sister that had a non functioning supercharger for £500, a bit of gaffer tape on a split pipe and couple of blobs of solder on the back of a circuit board and it was working again. As mentioned the supercharger whine is addictive. It handled fine and was fairly swift, solidly built and seemed reliable once I had fixed it. Drove it about for a month and then sold it on for a profit. It had one tiny rust patch on one of the front wings. I don’t like autos so it had to go.
Brilliant shed. As long as it's realised the SLK is NOT a sports car but a tourer with a secure al fresco option & a premium badge what's not to like? Well apart from the tedious predictable comments from males with deep seated fears they are not being man enough who always say the car: 1.Belongs to the Missus or 2. It's a girls car.
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