R171 SLK350's...
Discussion
After some advice... Sold my 66plate M2 8 weeks ago along with a few other toys, put £35k in the bank ready towards a probable house move. Since then, the interest rates have soared and well... Simply put, we ain't moving as we were gonna have to borrow an additional £150-200k anyway and the monthly mortgage payments on that have skyrocketed!
So looking at another car again... Specifically a 2 seat open top car this time, preferably with a metal folding roof (don't have a garage big enough to get the car in, that was the idea with moving to a bigger house with a double garage that I could then get something like a Z4 M roadster or similar appreciating classic to enjoy sparingly) as it will have to live on the driveway. I've had an E85 3L Z4 before and enjoyed it, but they can be a bit temperamental and no metal roof. Similarly also had a Mk1 225 TT roadster, enjoyed it but definitely less dynamic to drive and it had its own issues too, albeit mostly it was pretty cheap to fix. Also had a 10 plate 135i convertible, and though that was better than both, it was particularly thirsty (a lot more than the M2 that replaced it strangely!) and I don't need a 4 seater...
My preliminary shortlist of requirements...
-2 seats
-Folding metal roof
-Bit more "interesting" than a ubiquitous MX5, at least if only cos it's not a 4cyl
-Decent but not necessarily tyre smoking pace
-Under 225g/km CO2 so it remains in a relatively sensible tax bracket.
-Capable of 35mpg on a motorway cruise
-Budget of under £10k, closer to £5k if possible
Which brings me to the R171 shape SLK, specifically a 350... I'd love a 55 AMG, but I'm not paying £600+ to tax a car that'll only get driven maybe a dozen weekends of the year, and will probably only do 2-3000 miles. The facelifted 08on 350's scrape into the cheaper tax bracket, sound pretty decent, have over 300bhp so they're not slow, all usual refinements of an SLK (which appeals, I'm after more of a mini grand tourer than a proper sports car, the M2 was great but I've got that out of my system)... So tell me why I should, or shouldn't get one...
And specifically what to look for...? I'm aware these were galvanised, but hear about things such as rotten subframes, and timing chain issues with V6 engines etc... I don't really intend to modify it as such, unless say there's specific easy upgrades (suspension, brakes maybe) that make absolute sense and are quite cost effective. This won't be used for track days, a few nice weekends away in and around the British countryside and some nice B roads is as hard as it will get driven.
Cheers in advance
So looking at another car again... Specifically a 2 seat open top car this time, preferably with a metal folding roof (don't have a garage big enough to get the car in, that was the idea with moving to a bigger house with a double garage that I could then get something like a Z4 M roadster or similar appreciating classic to enjoy sparingly) as it will have to live on the driveway. I've had an E85 3L Z4 before and enjoyed it, but they can be a bit temperamental and no metal roof. Similarly also had a Mk1 225 TT roadster, enjoyed it but definitely less dynamic to drive and it had its own issues too, albeit mostly it was pretty cheap to fix. Also had a 10 plate 135i convertible, and though that was better than both, it was particularly thirsty (a lot more than the M2 that replaced it strangely!) and I don't need a 4 seater...
My preliminary shortlist of requirements...
-2 seats
-Folding metal roof
-Bit more "interesting" than a ubiquitous MX5, at least if only cos it's not a 4cyl
-Decent but not necessarily tyre smoking pace
-Under 225g/km CO2 so it remains in a relatively sensible tax bracket.
-Capable of 35mpg on a motorway cruise
-Budget of under £10k, closer to £5k if possible
Which brings me to the R171 shape SLK, specifically a 350... I'd love a 55 AMG, but I'm not paying £600+ to tax a car that'll only get driven maybe a dozen weekends of the year, and will probably only do 2-3000 miles. The facelifted 08on 350's scrape into the cheaper tax bracket, sound pretty decent, have over 300bhp so they're not slow, all usual refinements of an SLK (which appeals, I'm after more of a mini grand tourer than a proper sports car, the M2 was great but I've got that out of my system)... So tell me why I should, or shouldn't get one...
And specifically what to look for...? I'm aware these were galvanised, but hear about things such as rotten subframes, and timing chain issues with V6 engines etc... I don't really intend to modify it as such, unless say there's specific easy upgrades (suspension, brakes maybe) that make absolute sense and are quite cost effective. This won't be used for track days, a few nice weekends away in and around the British countryside and some nice B roads is as hard as it will get driven.
Cheers in advance
I've got a facelift 350 which I bought after having a E86 3.0si and a 35is Z4.
I'd say the car sits somewhere between the two performance wise.
You should avoid the known engine issues if you're looking at a facelift.
Most disappointing thing for me is the gearbox but almost impossible to find a facelift manual.
The engine revs to 7200rpm and makes a lovely noise, mines got the AMG styling which I personally wouldn't buy one without.
I'd say the car sits somewhere between the two performance wise.
You should avoid the known engine issues if you're looking at a facelift.
Most disappointing thing for me is the gearbox but almost impossible to find a facelift manual.
The engine revs to 7200rpm and makes a lovely noise, mines got the AMG styling which I personally wouldn't buy one without.
NeilMick said:
I've got a facelift 350 which I bought after having a E86 3.0si and a 35is Z4.
I'd say the car sits somewhere between the two performance wise.
You should avoid the known engine issues if you're looking at a facelift.
Most disappointing thing for me is the gearbox but almost impossible to find a facelift manual.
The engine revs to 7200rpm and makes a lovely noise, mines got the AMG styling which I personally wouldn't buy one without.
More than quick enough for what I want, have even considered the SLK 300 to be fair but they seem quite a lot rarer than the 350 and no cheaper so no point really.I'd say the car sits somewhere between the two performance wise.
You should avoid the known engine issues if you're looking at a facelift.
Most disappointing thing for me is the gearbox but almost impossible to find a facelift manual.
The engine revs to 7200rpm and makes a lovely noise, mines got the AMG styling which I personally wouldn't buy one without.
Good to hear about avoiding the engine issues with the later car.
I've driven a few 7G boxed Mercs and know what to expect. It's not a performance gearbox, but one for cruising with, I found them pretty decent as long as you're not expecting shift times like a modern dual clutch box I guess. Seem to be a few companies offering to remap the box for enhanced performance as they do with the ZF boxes though... The manual box, whilst extremely rare also pushes the CO2 above 225 as well, thus doubling the annual tax cost! Not worth it to me, especially considering I'm not buying this as something to thrash about in.
Done a lot of auditioning on youtube, and it's a lovely sonorous engine uncorked! Probably just get an X-Pipe made up on the stock system and leave it at that... Styling wise, I'm not too fussed, more concerned with how it drives as can add any subtle styling changes later if I need to.
) .
I bought this one last year....
Apologies for the photo...
Mine is a 58 plate facelift with c90,000 miles. It's the later 305bhp engine, 7g auto, upgraded wheels, COMAND, Harmon Kardon and a host of other extras. I paid £7,500.
This one has been meticulously looked after at MB under their extended service plan so mileage doesn't really bother me as I only do about 3,000 miles per year in it (if that). It's cost me a set of rear springs (they all break eventually), an aircon sensor, new pulleys and belts (old ones were whining) and needs new rear shocks and control arms - all age related wear and tear items.
The 7g is ponderous at best and is almost never in the gear you want it to be in. I drive with the paddles which makes it much better for everyday use! 18s make the ride a little jiggly but not bad. The steering wheel is clearly from a bus. I had mine thickened and flat bottomed but you can't get away from the fact that it is huge. The steering is very precise though if not a little heavy.
In terms of pace I find 305bhp really quite adequate
5.4s to 60 is plenty. Full bore charges in 1st and 2nd will have you heading quickly into naughty territory. It's also a good mway cruiser. I see 20mpg around town and 33mpg on long runs, road dependant.
It could do with a bit more noise but when you get on it, people know you're there. BTW, they come with a factory x pipe as standard (unlike the 55). Join the SLK Owners FB group and SLKworld.com for info.
Apologies for the photo...
Mine is a 58 plate facelift with c90,000 miles. It's the later 305bhp engine, 7g auto, upgraded wheels, COMAND, Harmon Kardon and a host of other extras. I paid £7,500.
This one has been meticulously looked after at MB under their extended service plan so mileage doesn't really bother me as I only do about 3,000 miles per year in it (if that). It's cost me a set of rear springs (they all break eventually), an aircon sensor, new pulleys and belts (old ones were whining) and needs new rear shocks and control arms - all age related wear and tear items.
The 7g is ponderous at best and is almost never in the gear you want it to be in. I drive with the paddles which makes it much better for everyday use! 18s make the ride a little jiggly but not bad. The steering wheel is clearly from a bus. I had mine thickened and flat bottomed but you can't get away from the fact that it is huge. The steering is very precise though if not a little heavy.
In terms of pace I find 305bhp really quite adequate
5.4s to 60 is plenty. Full bore charges in 1st and 2nd will have you heading quickly into naughty territory. It's also a good mway cruiser. I see 20mpg around town and 33mpg on long runs, road dependant. It could do with a bit more noise but when you get on it, people know you're there. BTW, they come with a factory x pipe as standard (unlike the 55). Join the SLK Owners FB group and SLKworld.com for info.
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