Faults:

Brakes, discs, cam adjuster, various sensors, corrosion on wheels.

General Comments:

My 2012 Mercedes SLK looks great, but has never been a comfortable car. The seats are quite hard and unforgiving. The engine has always been noisy and smokey.

The car has always felt a bit agricultural and unrefined. I have driven the BMW Z4 and it is a far superior car in every way.

From the first day of ownership, the car has emitted a cloud of blue smoke on start-up and despite complaining to the dealership where I bought the car, I have been informed that all SLKs are a bit smokey on start-up. I have lived with this problem now for nearly 7 years, and although the oil consumption isn't excessive, it can be embarrassing when starting the car in a crowded area; people often shout, 'Nice car mate, pity about the engine.' or something similar.

Servicing is very expensive and everyone should know that these cars cost about £1,000 to service properly every year. I rarely pay below £1,000 and have paid nearly £2,000 when any parts were needed.

I paid 19K for the car and have paid another 7-8K maintaining it. Only buy one of these cars if you have very deep pockets.