Faults:

Some sort of little computer that the Mercedes service department charged me 2000 euro for...

Otherwise, beautiful in every way!

General Comments:

This car has been a little precious jewel.

I am a retired automobile dealer. Sold Subaru, in Albany Oregon, USA. Sold the store in 1997 and after traveling for 5 years, retired in The Netherlands. I spent my whole life around automobiles, and this Mercedes 230 SLK has been one on the nicest cars I ever owned. I purchased the car from the original owner, and other than minor touch up paint (interior, dash board, center console) and a little computer that powers the doors etc., I have had NO problem whatsoever. Of course, never had the car serviced by Mercedes (I am doing in it through a reliable and reasonably priced service shop near me)... For instance the "little" computer (I mentioned above) replaced by the MERCEDES dealer cost me 2000 euro. More than I have spent in service in 10 through my local "service shop".

Fantastic handling (not a Porsche) and fuel economy.

The top works like "candy"... it's a beautiful little car. I will never get rid of it. Beside the "Pagoda", this little SLK is my favorite. Perhaps a little bigger engine would be nice, like the 320 SLK.

Faults:

1 Year of ownership I have fixed the following items:

My vehicle was still under warranty for the first 3 months.

Replaced brake light (under warranty)

Had the roof adjusted by dealer (under warranty)

Adjusted wind screen washer nozzle(under warranty)

Fixed Noisey left door. (under warranty)

Replaced fuel filter (under warranty)

Replaced fog light bulb (under warranty)

After eight months later

Oil change (under warranty) US$150

Rebuilt-Transmission at 38000km Cost US$2000

The interior dash has been redone due to excessive wear US$800

Replaced brake light.

General Comments:

This is my updated review after a year of owning my SLK230. Having owned this car over a year now. I would say the roof is just super. Open-air driving is just a touch of the button. This is a comfortable roadster. Acceleration is good. Handling is very average. Not a real sports-car like a Porsche Boxster. The interior of the dash paint scratches very easily. I have heard that this is Benz manufacturing defects. I had the dash repainted professionally. It looks brand new again. The most expensive cost was to rebuild the transmission. After the repair the car is drives like brand-new. I guess if you are buying an older SLK be prepared to reserve US$2000-US$4000 cash for repairs to bring your car up to top performance. Benz car quality has suffered. My family has been driving Benzes for a long time. Seems like the older Benzes are more reliable then the new ones. If you like open-air driving,the SLK is sure to put a smile on your face every time you open the top. This is a timeless driving machine although the new SLK has already been released, the old one still looks great!

Faults:

I only have the vehicle for 6 months. Nothing major goes wrong with this car yet. Replaced brake light bulb twice within 5 months of ownership. The roof make some tiny noise when driven on a bad surface road. Dealer has fixed the problem with lubrication + roof adjustment. My previous owner purchased extented warranty so everything was fixed under warranty. My major compliant with the SLK is the intertior dash paint chip off easily. Mine interior dash color is light grey. After the dash has been scratched the surface paint peeled off and it shown black color (original plastic color) This seem to be a common problem with all SLK owners. I am thinking replacing the dash or have professional repaint the interior (not under warranty).

General Comments:

It is a great car. Good acceleration on the straight road. Accelartion is similar to the Audi TT. SLK is more of a sporty car than a real sport car. Corncering and handling is very average. I use to have a Mazda Maita MX-5 and it handle & corner much better than the SLK. Steering feel is unmatch of any BMW saloon (compare with my BMW 5). I bought this car mainly due to the foldable hard top. It is so much fun looking at it open and close. The hard top works very well and never fail. If you want an all season top down sporty vehicle with good looks, prestige badge, reasonable acceleration look no further. However, if you want a sport car, Porsche Boxster might suits you better.

Faults:

Minor irritants, especially electrical e.g. brake light works loose, drivers door mirror de-icer does not work (although garage say there is nothing wrong).

General Comments:

Heavy on fuel, servicing expensive (it's a Mercedes, what do you expect?) not really a sports car (cornering poor, auto gearbox - difficult to get into right gear without using gear lever soft ride), more a sporty Gran Turismo.