Do I - Don't I - Buy a SLK200K

[DaveWeeks]

Hello everybody,
I,m new to this forum.
I am thinking of buying a late 06 SLK200K early next year ( Jan - Feb )
There are many advertised on the used merc site.
I have had a test drive and loved it.
What are your suggestions to sensible options to look for: ie, Partronic etc.
Can anybody give me some feedback on the cost of ownership, service's etc.
I have been told by dealers that a A service is about £200-300 and a B service is approx £300 -400 is this fact or fiction.
Any owner information would be greatly received.
Regards
Dave

 

[jon_harley]

Get one with all the options or if not, Parktronic is a good one to get as aftermarket parking sensors aren't quite as good - audio only, not visual as well. Also the xenon headlights are very good, and I can't remember if the auto-dimming interior mirror is an option or standard, but either way it's excellent and I would definitely look for it on my next car.

 

[Shambolic]

Buy one you will love it!!!!

Heard bad reviews on the Kneckscarf taking too long to heat up etc.
But I dont have it and cant comment ...just what i had read!!!
My Missus has the 200SLK and I seriously love making excuses just to go out to the shops to get a wee shot of it.
The only problem...well not really but you could get fed up, is the manual gearing is a bit strange.
You need to change first gear almost as soon as you select it.
It could actually do with 7 gears the way the gearing has been set out!
I wish I had tried and auto to see the difference, but that apart Its a cracking wee drive!!!

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

I have been told by dealers that a A service is about £200-300 and a B service is approx £300 -400 is this fact or fiction.
Any owner information would be greatly received.
Regards
Dave

Welcome to the forum Dave. The cost of servicing mentioned there is almost right but they don;t include additional bits like plugs and pads etc.

The A Service sounds about right but the B service is probably closer to £600-700, possibly more, all up.

The B service on your (intended) car may be less than mine but MB quote just under £500 for the B service and then if you need plugs thats about another £100 + £95 for labour so it can ramp up quite easily.

If you do lots of miles you should look into the MB sevice plus contracts. These offer a fixed monthly price so you will know exactly what the servicing will cost and if there are other issues with the car (like new disks or the clutch goes bang) they will cover that too.

Search the forum for "Service Plus" or contact the MB contract department directly. You can also talk to an MB dealer but they tend to be a little confused over what is covered.

Happy hunting.

 

[Shambolic]

Omni the cost quoted at the servicing you are talking about P!sses me off as the same used to happen at Taggarts Jaguar in Glasgow.
Our car was in for its major service last year which when I phoned up to book it in I was quoted £350 inc of labour and parts.
When the missus went to pick the car up the Bill was nearer £500.
I phoned them again as another customer to book in a fictional car again for the service and was again quoted this figure .
I went in to see them about this and was told on the second service the brake fluid was drained and replaced at an additional cost!!!
This should have been explained when booking in!
the service manager agreed with me and I was refunded the £150 pounds as I hadnt had this quoted at the time!!!

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

Omni the cost quoted at the servicing you are talking about P!sses me off as the same used to happen at Taggarts Jaguar in Glasgow.
)

I know what you mean. I am amazed by how little actually seems to be included in a B service and how much extra you get charged for the things I would consider standard (like Plugs and filters).

Just go for the Service Plus option and then you don't need to worry about it

 

[blassberg]

hers is leased with maintenance so no service surprises.

airscarf & heated seats & plastic thingy well worth it in my opinion

hers manual - we borrowed an auto and I didn't think it was quick enough - but was v low mileage

 

[DaveWeeks]

Thank's to everybody for the information so far.
I've already decided to go with the automatic, and will keep you all informed of my progress.

 

[gary350]

There is a 05 plate R171 200 for sale near me in cubanite for £20995 I think that the metallic is the only extra on it.

gary

 

[mlc]

I would like to offer a little bit of advice based on the two 170 series SLKs we have had.

The original model SLK was offered as an auto 2.3litre only for the first 4 years. This cars were so much in demand that they sold at a premium on new until they were at least 12 months old. They also go like the wind. Only in 2000 did a manual and smaller engined version appear.

The new model was available as a manual 200SLK from day one, with (I think) an 1800cc engine. This car is wonderful in terms of advancements from the earlier model but has lost the performance (in my opinion). For me the wonders of driving an SLK is the performance available and the ease of driving an auto. Down the engine power and make it a manual and that loses too much for me to consider it an option.

Finally earlier this year we had to replace the first car (1997 230SLK) and bought a 2003 230SLK. What became very clear in that process was that new model 200SLK manuals could be bought for less than a good earlier model, proving to me at least that the trade saw the entry level 171 model as lacking.

Mark

 

[hawk20]

The service figures you were quoted, DaveWeeks, are about right in my experience. Even on my S class the A service was only £235 and the B will be under £500. But remember with FMBSH you get free breakdown cover (costs £150 per year for a couple from the AA and up to £100 more if you want Euro cover). So the Merc services are good value. And the average mileage driver goes at least a year between services. If you do 10/12k miles per year, or more, and budget 2.5 to 3.0p per mile for servicing, I doubt if you will be disappointed. Contrast this with fuel at 30 mpg costing about 15p per mile.

On to that, of course, you need to add pads every 20/30k miles and discs every 50k or more miles depending on how heavy you are with the brakes. Plugs are no longer changed every service like I can remember but on many threads I see they can go 40/50k miles before changing depending on model. Really a minor cost in pence per mile.

Service plus is well worth checking out and looks good value, plus peace of mind, and is really for cars from 3 to 6 years old and up to 120,000 miles. You can choose to have it before the 3 year guarantee runs out but I doubt if many do. Good luck.

 

[Shambolic]

Is service plus worth it for me though as the car is a 2005 Jan plate and has only done 5000 miles since we have had it and that is higher than usual for our second car!!
It has approx 9600 in total and is coming up for 2 years old!!
:?:

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

obviously the less miles you do the less the Service Plus will cost. If the car is still under warantee then you wont need to worry about the cost of replacing parts when they break. But it does allow you to budget exactly for how much the servicing will cost. if that is only 1 service per year then that will be reflected in your payments.

They will give you a quote for free so I'd contact them if I were you, see what they come back with and then see if it works out any cheaper then having to pay as the services arise.

You should also note that some MB dealers charge for the inspection that you need to have before you take out the contract. If your does then you need to add an additional £200 to the cost of the contract. Some don't so you need to shop around. Also you can't claim for the first 3 months or 3000 miles so if you do low miles you'll need to time it right.

Basically, ask them for a price then do the maths. It's not right for everyone but for me it's been an absolute necessity. I would be looking at costs of around £2000 in servicing and replacement parts in the last 6 months alone thanks to my cars "dubious" reliability.

 

[Shambolic]

Cheers but as we dont do many miles we will only be paying for 1 service a year (I hope) Everything should be covered up till the warranty runs out.
I would assume (probably wrongly) that with such low miles i could dispute Pads and Disks going so soon at the service next time if they are needed!!

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

possibly. My front disks were replaced because they were "corroded". If you do low miles this is far more lilkely to happen. They seem very keen on replacing disks these day, quite unneccessarily in a lot of cases in my humble opinon.

I think you are right though. I think based on your mileage it's probably overkill.