Hi, I am a new member, so I would like to introduce myself:

[JPD]

My Achilles heel is the SLK; I purchased my SLK200 from a Frankfurt dealer and picked her up in Bremen back in April of last year. (At the time of purchase I made a 20.5% saving on UK price).
I purchased the Car with the following options:  AirCon, 17? MB Wheels, Metallic Amber red, Siam Beige interior, Eucalyptus wood interior, Elec. Seats.  I am currently in the process of installing a SL style front grill and WSA2000 rear wind deflector.

Love the car although it does lack in a little performance. I am an active member of the MBnz.org forum.  I live in the North of England (Teesside, otherwise known as ?the chosen place?!).

 

[Stewart Smith]

Welcome to the show.
Careful what you say about Teesside - remember we need to keep the house prices down and convince all the southerners that it's all disused factories, whippets and beer up here. - And nobody's supposed to be able to afford a Merc up here.  ( mind you - I can't afford anything better than a '96 C-class ).
Stewart (Hanger of Monkeys)

 

[Anonymous]

Problem is Stewart the place "is" full of disused factories! We don't seem to see many whippets in Stockton, however we do have plenty of pigeons, sh*ll
track suits and dogshit up here? LOL!

 

[Stewart Smith]

Good on ya JPD - that should keep the house prices down.  I'll send some whippet's over from 'artlepool to sort out ya lack of them - can you spare some sh*ll
-suits in return? ( the wife's had the same one on fer the last 3 month)
;-).
( I think I'll get a sh*ll
-suit from somewhere and see whether anyone in Rycrofts takes any notice of me - just for a laugh.)

 

[Stewart Smith]

Or maybe I'll offer to barter a whippet as payment for the next service?.

(Edited by Stewart Smith at 11:49 pm on Mar. 30, 2002)

 

[Anonymous]

Stewart, take note; They definitely will not take pigeons !

Roycroft have been pretty good to me up to now, in fact they loaned me an SLK for a complete day for evaluation purposes just before I bought my own. I even told them at the time I was buying abroad but they still give me a loaner.   Offered them my 4 bedroom detached house as part payment for that particular SLK but he just laughed and said I should try a Ford Dealer!!!!

 

[Tony]

Is your SLK a manual -  I notice that you don't list an auto box among the options. If so, can I ask what the gear change is like. I've got an SLK320 manual (which I bought from D.C. Cook one day before they went into receivership). It's certainly not lacking in power, but the gear change could be better. I'm told they improve with age.  

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, my SLK has a manual box.  My SLK has only covered 2500 miles over the past 12 months so I really can't comment if it improves with age.  I find the six-speed box rather "spongy" to say the least? So do most owners of the 6-speed manual SLK.  It took me about 1 month to get used to the reverse gear!

I thought I was getting used to it until I drove a TVR Tuscan up to Aberdeen the other week, then I realised how poor the box is!  Don't miss-understand, as I said, I have gotton used to it now so its not a great problem.

When the Manual SLK was released in UK last year most motor magazines that carried out evaluations on the car really give it a bad time because of the gearbox.  You must also remember 95% of all new Mercedes-Benz cars are "Auto"! They are not really renown for there expertise in manual boxes.

The 2001 model SLK was the first with a manual box and I believe MB have flagged this problem and improvements on the next generation of SLK are on the drawing board, namely the W171 due for realise about 2004.

It would be interacting to here other owner?s comments on this issue?

Sorry I could not give you more specific help with you query.

John

 

[Anonymous]

Bye the way Tony, I have updated my profile to include "all" options fitted!