SLK 230k 1998 buying pointers

[mark1962]

Hi
I am looking at getting my first Merc, and have seen a 1998 silver SLK 230k for £7995. It has 56k on the clock and looks imaculate. What do I need to look for in a good example (Electrics, mechanical, bodywork etc.) Any coments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[steve333]

Sounds a bit expensive imho,check for obvious signs of rust(especially wheel arches,boot lock,bottoms of doors etc),make sure the hood is in good condition & operates faultlessly & check there are no faults showing on assyst.Other than that,check the history is complete,do a hpi check(if not already done) then take it for a spin

 

[Ted]

Rust on the wheelarch lips
Rust around the bootlid handle
Water/damp in the boot (remove the spare wheel and check) This can cause the central locking pump to fail.
Corrosion on the alloys
Check operation of the roof (microswitches can fail)
Service history.

 

[mark1962]

The car is from a dealer, hense the price I guess. The dealer resells VW trade ins and supply a 6 month warranty with it. It has 17" OZ wheels and full service history. I did take it for a quick test drive (not much petrol in the tank) and it drove fine. the roof worked fine when we tried it (twice). didnt see any signs of rust. see the link below for dealers web site.
http://www.coastalcarsales.co.uk/used_car_sales/used_cars_more_info.php?id=2258

 

[steve333]

Looks a nice clean car,if you are happy with it then go for it but try haggling the price down as i still think it's too much for a 12 year old slk 230

 

[gary350]

Hi
I am looking at getting my first Merc, and have seen a 1998 silver SLK 230k for £7995. It has 56k on the clock and looks imaculate. What do I need to look for in a good example (Electrics, mechanical, bodywork etc.) Any coments would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 98 SLK230 in silver with 41K on the clock and in good condition and I would put its value at £5500/6000 you can pick up 2000 models for the sort of money you have been quoted.

gary

 

[Matt32AMG]

That garage is only a few miles away from me and I pass it pretty regularly.

I have to agree with the consensus here Mark, it looks a taste on the dear side to me. Does it have a FMBSH? It'd need to for the money they're asking. I think you could find a later car with slightly higher mileage maybe for the same money. Look for a Facelift model, it should have painted sills and revised front air dam. The boot lock is concealed under the boot handle lip alongside the rear Number plate lights, indicators built into the wing mirrors, colour coded door handles to name but a few elements off the top of my head, which really do serve to lift and sharpen the cars on the road appearance IMHO. My old Linerite Blue 230 was a face lift model (See below and note the changes)

With regards to the things to look out for, run your fingers around the inside edge of the wheel arches to look for signs of rust, particularly low down. The other annoying thing with them is the interior trim finish, the colour can flake off or scratch easily. Particularly the door handles and centre console. Not so bad or obvious on that colour trim on that car, a nightmare if you find a car with a cream interior, the scratches reveal a black base colour. Anyway good luck with your quest as you'll undoubtedly enjoy ownership once you have found your car.

 

[mark1962]

How much do you think I could offer for this one? They have offered £4500 p/ex for my 2004 Hyundai Coupe S, which I thought was quite good. Which means only £3500 for a Merc convertable!!!

 

[wemorgan]

Check that despite the low mileage it has still be serviced correctly.

The non OEM wheels will devalue it too.

 

[Adam230K]

Dont know much about SLK's but that engine is a cracker, solid as hell and if looked after will go on for many miles.

Look out for MAF's (expensive on this engine), coil packs and water pumps.

 

[Matt32AMG]

How much do you think I could offer for this one? They have offered £4500 p/ex for my 2004 Hyundai Coupe S, which I thought was quite good. Which means only £3500 for a Merc convertable!!!

Whichever way you look at it, £8000 for a 1998 preface lift car irrespective of mileage, is all the money. With respect, your Hyundai Coupe S will sell far easier than the SLK of that vintage. Hence the fairy brave shout on the part ex, but then you have to weigh up the fact he's doing that because there is a fair amount of headroom in the SLK as well. If it were me, and I wanted the car bid him in the B _ _ _ _ _ _s, I'd want at least £1000 off that particular car. It's simply too expensive. And, he can only say no.

Have a look on PistonHeads.com, a 30 second search and I found this
Mercedes : SLK 230 KOMPRESSOR A 2001 facelift model for £6195 and done 60,000 genuine miles, a pretty car too.
I think this starts to put things in perspective.

or

Oliver Cars Ltd : SLK 230 Kompressor with Low Miles 2002 car with 20,000 miles on the clock, you'd get that easily for £9.5K and part ex your car in as well.

The bottom line is there are loads out there to choose from, don't be in a hurry to buy, take your time. Good luck

 

[mark1962]

Tried to beat him down but he wont go lower than £7250 and he will only allow me £4150 for my Coupe (he originally said he would give me £4500). Have decided to look
elsewhere and to go for the facelift model (I prefere the little refinements, indicators in mirrors, hidden boot lock etc.) It might mean me having to look a bit further afield but so be it. Shame really as this one was just at the end of our road. Thanks for all the advise.

 

[alanf]

I paid £4200 for my 99 T reg one last may with 6 months test. Its not the best but not a bad car either its only cost me a service up to now. like i said its not the best but i do not look after cars so im happy to get one thats not a minter. Its on its winter hols at the moment so i could get caught out in a few months when i go for the MOT.

Alan

 

[Matt32AMG]

Tried to beat him down but he wont go lower than £7250 and he will only allow me £4150 for my Coupe (he originally said he would give me £4500). Have decided to look
elsewhere and to go for the facelift model (I prefere the little refinements, indicators in mirrors, hidden boot lock etc.) It might mean me having to look a bit further afield but so be it. Shame really as this one was just at the end of our road. Thanks for all the advise.

Well there you go, you got £750 off the car, however he was juggling the trade in offer to offset that. I bet if you went in with the wedge you’d get the target thousand pounds off. (Money talks).

However, your decision to look further afield is a wise one, as is seeking a face lift model. You will definitely get a superior car by widening your horizons, and come time to sell, you are selling the later version of the R170 which is, a more finished car if that makes sense, (No offense intended to pre-facelift owners). Be prepared to drive 200 miles to look at a car that seems to fit your criteria. (I know I would as it could save you hundreds in the long run).

If you can chop out your existing car prior, then so much the better, as again having cash will always make the bargaining position stronger, though appreciate that’s in the ideal world. My only other peace of advise is buy the best and highest spec you can afford, and steer clear of manual cars, as I'm not sure they are that popular come time to move them on and, auto Tip transmissions tend to protect the engine from abuse! JMHO