SLK55 r171 - advice please
Discussion
I've just sold my Audi RS4 avant and will shortly be looking for a convertible to replace it - shortlist is currently between an SLK55 and a Porsche Boxster S. In either case I'd like to keep the budget to £20k but could stretch that a bit for the right car.
What if any spec changes / upgrades occurred during the life of the SLK55, and when? I recollect an Evo magazine used buying article which talked about an upgrade to the gearbox and the satnav - when did these happen and is it worth searching out a later car? And how can I tell whether a car has the upgrades or not? I know only the very early cars had the 6 pot front brake calipers, with it being an option on later cars, but I'm not the last of the late brakers so not too worried about this.
On some of the adverts, I've also noticed some cars have 4 silver knobs for the ventilation control, whereas a couple have 2 black knobs and a small screen between them. What's the difference between the two?
Anything else to look out for - either in options / spec or common problems?
Many thanks
Dave
What if any spec changes / upgrades occurred during the life of the SLK55, and when? I recollect an Evo magazine used buying article which talked about an upgrade to the gearbox and the satnav - when did these happen and is it worth searching out a later car? And how can I tell whether a car has the upgrades or not? I know only the very early cars had the 6 pot front brake calipers, with it being an option on later cars, but I'm not the last of the late brakers so not too worried about this.
On some of the adverts, I've also noticed some cars have 4 silver knobs for the ventilation control, whereas a couple have 2 black knobs and a small screen between them. What's the difference between the two?
Anything else to look out for - either in options / spec or common problems?
Many thanks
Dave
Thanks all - that's very helpful.
On the pre- facelift cars, is the Command satnav just a single CD / radio, or can you hook up an ipod (properly..... - not a Dension type solution)? Alternatively how easy is it to retro-fit the later Command unit - and how easy are these to get hold of 2nd hand?
I need to drive an SLK and a Boxster to decide which I prefer, though I'm leaning more towards the slk due to some of the horror stories of engine and gearbox reliability on the Boxsters.
Dave
On the pre- facelift cars, is the Command satnav just a single CD / radio, or can you hook up an ipod (properly..... - not a Dension type solution)? Alternatively how easy is it to retro-fit the later Command unit - and how easy are these to get hold of 2nd hand?
I need to drive an SLK and a Boxster to decide which I prefer, though I'm leaning more towards the slk due to some of the horror stories of engine and gearbox reliability on the Boxsters.
Dave
Cheers - I'll play that later when I'm not in the middle of our open plan office!!
Coming from an RS4 I know all about the cost of brakes! Front disks and pads on that were c.£1k from a main dealer, and there aren't any aftermarket disks available.
The performance pack refers to the front disks being "composite" - is that the same as ceramics? If so I assume these last a long time so shouldn't be such an issue?
This will be my everyday car through the summer, but I've got an X-Trail (which I'm currently using) for winter / bad weather. I've also got a Caterham 7 as a toy, which I mainly use for track days - hence the main car doesn't need to be an out and out sports car. A half-decent stereo with an ability to easily access a reasonable selection of music is a must though. I looked at that website you linked to but the cost of upgrading the older Command quickly gets quite large, so aftermarket with an adaptor kit may be the way to go.
Cheers
Dave
Coming from an RS4 I know all about the cost of brakes! Front disks and pads on that were c.£1k from a main dealer, and there aren't any aftermarket disks available.
The performance pack refers to the front disks being "composite" - is that the same as ceramics? If so I assume these last a long time so shouldn't be such an issue?
This will be my everyday car through the summer, but I've got an X-Trail (which I'm currently using) for winter / bad weather. I've also got a Caterham 7 as a toy, which I mainly use for track days - hence the main car doesn't need to be an out and out sports car. A half-decent stereo with an ability to easily access a reasonable selection of music is a must though. I looked at that website you linked to but the cost of upgrading the older Command quickly gets quite large, so aftermarket with an adaptor kit may be the way to go.
Cheers
Dave
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