SLK 230K vs Ferrari 308

[tuttle]

Hi everyone,

I bought a Mercedes SLK 1 year ago, 2001 car, Automatic.

Overall I have found it to be "OK", very nice looking, nice to drive. But overall just a little bit boring, last time I go for an Automatic Sporty car.

I am now undecided on what to go for now, either a 308 Ferrari pre 1985 or an SL 1985 ish model. SL 300 will come in about 8k - 11k, the Ferrari 16k - 20k.

I have lost about 2.5k on the Merc in depreication in just one year, both the above 2 have done most of there devaluation. I know the Ferrari will be 1.5-2k per year to service but not too bad if you factor in the depreication etc and that is a Ferrari.

Can anyone offer any advice,


Performace SLK 230 vs the SL or Ferrari 308?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

No experience of owning either car you're looking to replace the SLK with, but from what I've heard of Ferrari ownership, you should expect the unexected with regards to service and repair costs.

I guess the reason I say this is that a service, cambelt, and a few repairs might easily cost as much or even more than the depreciation on the SLK, so the cost will probably still be in the mix somewhere, even if it's not the dreaded "d" word.

All the best with whichever car you choose, I'm sure either will be fantastic...

 

[tuttle]

Just to add, SLK is my everyday car and I do only 8k per year. However if I go for the Ferrari it will be used for 2k a year with me using a scooter to commute into the big smog (london).

So the Ferrari will be weekends only.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Remember limiting annual mileage in the Ferrari may help minimise depreciation, but many of the service costs will remain whether you do a couple of hundred or several thousand miles each year. Cambelts will be hellishly expensive I suspect, and will probably need to be done every 3 years regardless of mileage since the last change.

What a car though!!

 

[219]

An R129 will be just as boring(ly reliable as any W124 or W201). Don't know much about Ferraris but Mercs have proper timing chains rather than rubber bands to keep their engines together.

If you want something more interesting and stylish , look at a W113 'Pagoda' series SL , available as manual or auto , still boringly reliable but has to be a nicer drive and much more of a head turner than any 80s or 90s Ferrari or Merc.

 

[tuttle]

I would have a Pagoda any day, I really would. But for a good model they are out of my price range. My Uncle has one also so it is sort of been there done that.. They are my favourite Merc of all time.

The SLK, I don't like it because it just doesnt feel Mercedes... I did want something sporty. If I was to go for an SL it would be more of a cruiser.. An old Ferrari will also be as a cruiser. Not to Thrash it.

And it would put to rest a boyhood dream, I grew up on 308's

 

[fuzzer]

erm , i wouldnt touch the ferrari with a barge pole ...

estimate around 3k per year for maint on that mileage.

Oil needs changed every 6 months or 2000 miles. Engine needs tuned frequently and the valves need adjusted quite a bit too.

30k is the uber huge service on the 308 in which even the water pump needs changed

 

[kensalriser]

Isn't the whole thing about Mercedes that they don't actually do true sports cars? I wouldn't call any of the SLs sports cars, they're a sort of luxury grand tourer cabriolet and the SLK is just a kind of mini SL. If you want a real sports car, there's always the Porsche.

 

[miro]

Hi everyone,

I bought a Mercedes SLK 1 year ago, 2001 car, Automatic.

Overall I have found it to be "OK", very nice looking, nice to drive. But overall just a little bit boring, last time I go for an Automatic Sporty car.

I am now undecided on what to go for now, either a 308 Ferrari pre 1985 or an SL 1985 ish model. SL 300 will come in about 8k - 11k, the Ferrari 16k - 20k.

I have lost about 2.5k on the Merc in depreication in just one year, both the above 2 have done most of there devaluation. I know the Ferrari will be 1.5-2k per year to service but not too bad if you factor in the depreication etc and that is a Ferrari.

Can anyone offer any advice,


Performace SLK 230 vs the SL or Ferrari 308?

SLK 32 AMG ?

 

[mickl]

for the money you're going to spend on a Ferrari I'd look for a nice 993 model Porsche 911. Minimal depreciation as it's the last air cooled 911 and in a lot of peeps opinions the best looking. Servicing and running costs won't make you as intimate with the bank manager either.

 

[Rose Chap]

I'd echo what others have said about servicing costs of the Ferrari. I'm absolutely positive for what you're looking for the Ferrari will offer a more involved ownership proposition than a mid 80s SL, but at a cost.

I for one would hate to try and run a car like a 308 on a tight budget!

If you have a real, albiet occasional need for a car, then you might need something a tad more reliable than a 308.

Good luck in your decision, but I would respectfully argue that a modern-ish SLK, a mid 80's SL, and an early 80's Ferrari 308 are completely different vehicles and are hard to compare side by side.

Andy

 

[Flash]

Ferraris' are beautiful cars but are not reliable and require a lot "TLC" and as others have pointed out need servicing after short intervals. Cam belts need doing every 6K miles on them!!! Good luck with what ever you decide. Electrics are not great on Ferrarirs either. However, if any of this is not an issue for yourself then go for the Ferrari.

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

i second the 993 porsche - fantastic. Check out 911virgin.co.uk

 

[stats007]

I almost bought a 308 - a carb model. There's the whole rust issue unless you get a GRP version (328 with fuel injection). They leak, they're expensive to maintain, don't like pottering about once or twice a month and parts are expensive - but then you do have a Ferrari and there's nothing quite like it. Original Michelin XWX tyres are £200 a pop and aren't the safest around in the wet. Alternatively as suggested a 911 - though for a classic I'd look at an early 2.4T with horn grilles (LHD) - later galvanised cars may be a more sensible option though - being safer, more reliable and faster.

SLKs and R129 SLs really aren't sports cars - the W113 Pagoda even less so but you do have as much a reliable classic as you can buy. The 107 is somewhere in between though again you won't want to go out in the rain much!

 

[grober]

Everybody should drive a Ferrari once in their life. Thats why there are companies out there who will rent you a Ferrari/ Porsche/Aston Martin/ for a day/s. I reckon that way you get the "experience" with a predictable cost. 1980s cars almost always have corrosion issues which require expensive specialist repairs beyond the resource of even dedicated DIYrs. The ones that have been restored are usually expensive. Why not take a basically sound traditional sports car and spend some money tuning it as a fast road/rally car. Even if you dont enter any of the many events out there, a well prepared competion sports car looks the business no matter how lowly its origins.

 

[mickl]

Everybody should drive a Ferrari once in their life. Thats why there are companies out there who will rent you a Ferrari/ Porsche/Aston Martin/ for a day/s. I reckon that way you get the "experience" with a predictable cost. 1980s cars almost always have corrosion issues which require expensive specialist repairs beyond the resource of even dedicated DIYrs. The ones that have been restored are usually expensive. Why not take a basically sound traditional sports car and spend some money tuning it as a fast road/rally car. Even if you dont enter any of the many events out there, a well prepared competion sports car looks the business no matter how lowly its origins.

Mmmmm...a race prepped Triumph TR6

 

[grober]

Yep!

Mmmmm...a race prepped Triumph TR6

Yep that sort of animal!
something like this http://www.tr-competition.de/pics/video/index.php
or this
http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=7246