SLK230; what to buy next?

[bernieg]

Hi everybody,

I have a MB facelifted 2001 silver R170 SLK230 which I bought in 2006.
Due to my extensive commuting from St. Albans to Cambridge, it racked
up the miles and is currently at 210K miles.

There are a number of rust breakouts on the car and all 4 alloys look pretty bad.
Some years ago, I had the rusty wheel arches repaired at great cost.

I'm now starting to think of what to replace it with.
I love the shape of the car and based on my experience, know how to look after it, what to expect
etc.

Is there an argument for buying another lower mileage same model (with minimal rust) which will keep me going for a few years, or should I consider moving up to the R171 which I believe has a fully galvanised body (guess the MB rust issues stopped in 2004?)?

I guess I really like the model of car I have in that it looks retro and slightly classic, whereas the R171 is quite angular to look at but interior-wise looks like any modern car.

Interested to hear other MB members thoughts and where they have moved to after owning the facelifted R170.

Many thanks in advance.




bern

 

[Ricardo_e220]

Apart from the miles, and some rust... is there a need to change yours? Is it requiring more parts/servicing or being unreliable? You’ll get next to nothing for it..

 

[GlosRichCLK]

Depends on your budget, but things have moved on since the R170 and you could enjoy some more modern features and better safety. Maybe with the miles you do a diesel would save you money on fuel.

 

[JBell]

If you are still doing that commute then an SLK 250CDi would be a good idea

 

[grahamcol]

Well l absolutely love my R170, also a facelift like yours. For me also the look is great and I don't like the look of the R171 as much. I'm biased but I'd be tempted to go for a really good R170 with low mileage. The R170 in good condition is becoming sought after. However with the kind of mileage you seem to do, any car you purchase is going to lose value I think. Also the R170 is, unfortunately, rather prone to rust, as you've already found out. For me it's the R170 as my mileage is very low (second car) but in your case I feel the R171 may be the better option. Good luck and do let us know how it goes.

 

[bernieg]

Hi everybody,

Thanks for all your replies, I really appreciate it.

Sorry, I should have clarified that I'm no longer doing the long run from St. Albans to Cambridge.
Over the past year instead, I have done about 3K miles in the SLK230. It's used for short runs in/around St Albans and the odd run to London.

The car still runs fine, but is very unsightly in terms of the rust/alloys.
Also, there's a long list of things wrong with it which are not ideal, but liveable with.
All of these would cost a lot of money to put right, and in the case of the rust not be a permanent fix.

Last night, I worked out what bills are due to come along on it:

August 2018 MOT
2 x new rear tyres
October 2018 Insurance
March 2019 Car tax
July 2019 Service *

* B service
Brake fluid service
Coolant service
Fuel filter change
Spark plugs change

I guess the most money would be spent when the next service is due (approx. July 2019).
In the main, I'd like to minimise the amount of money I spend on it going forward.

grahamcol, what condition is your SLK230 in?
Have you experienced rust on your R170?

From wikipedia, I believe the R171 has a fully galvanised body; I guess this means that rust does not come into it?

Thanks,



bern

 

[grahamcol]

Hi everybody,

Thanks for all your replies, I really appreciate it.

Sorry, I should have clarified that I'm no longer doing the long run from St. Albans to Cambridge.
Over the past year instead, I have done about 3K miles in the SLK230. It's used for short runs in/around St Albans and the odd run to London.

The car still runs fine, but is very unsightly in terms of the rust/alloys.
Also, there's a long list of things wrong with it which are not ideal, but liveable with.
All of these would cost a lot of money to put right, and in the case of the rust not be a permanent fix.

Last night, I worked out what bills are due to come along on it:

August 2018 MOT
2 x new rear tyres
October 2018 Insurance
March 2019 Car tax
July 2019 Service *

* B service
Brake fluid service
Coolant service
Fuel filter change
Spark plugs change

I guess the most money would be spent when the next service is due (approx. July 2019).
In the main, I'd like to minimise the amount of money I spend on it going forward.

grahamcol, what condition is your SLK230 in?
Have you experienced rust on your R170?

From wikipedia, I believe the R171 has a fully galvanised body; I guess this means that rust does not come into it?

Thanks,



bern

Well i guess you'll have service costs whether you keep the current car or not but maybe best to spend the money on the replacement rather than the current car.
My car is in show condition more or less. It still has a tiny bit of rust on the leading edges of both front wings. I've managed to pretty much halt that though with some very localised repairs. Prior to my ownership I understand some rust around the rear arches was professionally dealt with - the finish is to a very high standard. My car won R170 car of the show at Brooklands a few years ago, or so I was told by the previous owner. So in my case the car has been "rectified" to a certain extent, but I'm totally happy with that.
I'm not convinced any galvanizing treatment on the R171 completely eliminates the problem. I've read about other Mercs supposedly galvanised around this time that have still rusted.

 

[GlosRichCLK]

Because it's done 210k miles and is rusty it not worth much, and won't be collectible, so it's reached that point where you run it until it dies.
Really if you can afford it upgrade to a newer car.

 

[LostKiwi]

Bear in mind also that going to an r171 puts you into m271/272 territory with the attendant problems that can bring.
As has been mentioned your existing car is worth nothing. Just run it till it dies.

 

[Monday]

From wikipedia, I believe the R171 has a fully galvanised body; I guess this means that rust does not come into it?

I can't remember whether it has a galvanised body or not but I do know that a colleague of mine had an exceedingly rusty one! Mainly front wings, I think.

The R171 maybe more conventional looking than the R170 but it is a much better car. I have had both.

 

[00slk]

We had our R170 SLK for 3 years and found it a superb little car and never really gave us any major issues, it was a face lift model which did suffer from rusty front wings and rear wheel arches which we had done. We up graded to an SL 500 which is far more comfortable car for long journeys, quieter to ride in and smoother on the suspension but not as quick off the mark or to over take as the SLK.
It's a shame that Mercedes build great cars to rust!