Hi All!

My neighbor is offering to sell me his SLK Kompressor (it's one of the 4cyl ones, and I don't know the year; I will get back to you on that). It's got 40k on the odo, original owner, has been meticulously maintained (since I live a couple of doors down, I see how he takes care of his stuff) and garage kept. The price he's asking seems fair.

My wife is intersted, but I'm concerned because I've never owned MB before, Consumer Reports isn't exactly keen on them, and I know when certain components break, they can be heart-stoppingly expensive to fix.

You gave good counsel to another recent poster who purchased an SLK320, and had good things to say about it's relative reliability. Could you share with me any overall impressions and things to look out for on the 4cyl SLK Kompressors?

We're not looking for blistering performance; it's just the Mrs. has always dreamed of having a MB, and would love to cruise about in a bit of style and luxury. I'm attracted to it because I've always been a small-roadster fan (I currently have a Miata that I'll give up when they peel my cold, dead fingers off the steering wheel)

I know newbs can ask some stupid questions, and I've been on some boards that don't suffer fools gladly. I have noted the more classy level of discourse on this forum, and am very impressed with your willingness to help each other out. I hope you can share some useful info with me.

Thanks!

 

BTW, it's a 2001 SLK230, 41K, appears to be beautifully maintained. Price seems fair. If the wife loves it, and I don't hear any 'red flags' on this forum, I'm buying it. I'd love to hear your input, both good experience w/the SLK230 Kompressor & otherwise.

Thanks for your help!

 

Buy it. Lots more info over on http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r170-slk-class/ where I generally post.
If you can do your own maint and general repairs then the cost of ownership is fair.
The driving exp is good. I purchased my slk230 3 years or so ago with the same thoughts as you

Bazzle

 

For what it's worth: I bought my wife a "99 SLK 230 Kompressor 3 years ago and its the worst car I've ever owned! Believe me, anything else would be an improvement!!! These little cars are OVERENGINEERED, meaning that if you look at them the wrong way they will throw a code and its off to the shop you go to get it diagnosed, AND THEN, repaired, only to have the whole thing happen over and over again in little of no time. In my opinion, they are so electronically sophisticated that they are designed to throw codes anytime the specs are an iota out of manufacturers parameters. No car can be expected to run perfectly all the time but MB allows no margin for wear--if its not running PEFECTLY, it will throw a code, and off you go to the shop. At firstI thought I might have bought a lemon, but since researching all the postings on this forum I can clearly see that what I have experienced is common. Sure, they are a fun car to drive if EVERyTHING is working perfectly, but I can no longer enjoy ours because I am always worried what is going to break down as soon as I am in it. I won't bore you with all that I have done to it in 3 years, suffice it to say I paid 16k for it and have spent 8k in repairs! I no longer envy anyone who drives an MB, I pity them. Buyer beware. Bill

 

They are fun to drive, comfortable and quiet. Although maintenance is relatively cheap (oil changes every 10K miles), it does require a fair amount of mechanical expertise to keep them running. Bazzle enjoys the car more than others because he fixes stuff himself. I try to but with 4 drivers and 5 cars in the family, I don't always have time to attend to all so I found a mechanic that is fair and honest. If you can find such a mechanic, or if you feel you can take on some minor repairs yourself, you will be happy. If you depend on the dealer for every little detail, it could be a money pit. So you are probably asking, what breaks on the car, usually electronics, sensor, modules, etc. The engine and tranny will lastcloseto forver. The top mechamism just needs a littlelubrication now and then, very rare butpossible that the hydrolics leak or fail, no more so than any convertible.

Conclusion: I would never sell an SLK or any MB to anyone I know since I know they are notas reliableas an American or Asian car and different people have unreliastic expectations of what a Mercedes is. They think because it's expensive it's built well, no, it's expensive because it's a Mercedes.

 

Make sure you get it inspected. Thats one of the reasons why people have so much trouble with cars like this is becasue they either dont know what they are buying(BUY AND DONTINSPECT IT)or dont get a carfax report. Believe me I have owned several Mercedes and everyone of them has been good to me because I ALWAYS get them inspected before I buy.