Slk 350: £57,500

[MOCAŠ]

Just priced-up a new SLK350 on the MB website's configuration tool, and the bill came to just short of £57,500. I think I shall be waiting until the first used ones come onto the market.

Some things are now standard (such as normal leather, 7G-Tronic), while others that were standard on the R171 are now optional (eg: electric seats). And it looks like you have to have the AMG body styling whether you want it or not.

Here's the spec I selected:


SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY

• Basic price: £43,315
• With options (£13,230): £56,545
• With OTR costs (£910): £57,455

Standard equipment

• LED-daytime running lights
• Exterior mirrors - electrically folding
• Headlamp wash
• AMG bodystyling
• Chrome tailpipes
• AMG sports package
• Anti-theft protection package
• Leather trimmed steering wheel and gearshift
• AMG Floormats
• Fabric wind deflector
• Interior Lighting Package
• Adjustable lumbar support
• PRE-SAFE® with buckle-mounted belt tensioner
• Tyre pressure loss warning system
• Road sign recognition system
• Spare wheel
• Adaptive brake lights
• Automatic child seat recognition sensor
• Pedestrian protection
• Anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Brake Assist (BAS)
• Acceleration skid control (ASR)
• Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)Attention Assist
• 7G-Tronic automatic with tipfunction & speedtronic cruise control
• Steering wheel gearshift buttons
• Media Interface including consumer cable set
• Digital radio DAB

Options (total cost: £13,230)

• Paint Obsidian black metallic (£645)
• Exclusive Nappa Leather - black (£1300)
• Dynamic handling package (£1010)
• DISTRONIC PLUS incl. BAS Plus and PRE-SAFE® Brake (£1495)
• Direct steering (FOC)
• Advanced Parking Guidance (£680)
• Panoramic glass vario sunroof (£410)
• Remote control for roof operation integrated into key (£110)
• Luxury automatic climate control (£495)
• Front seats - heated (£330)
• Airscarf - neck level heating (£395)
• Memory package (£1,030)
• Mirror package (£350)
• Intelligent Light System (£895)
• Rain-sensing wipers (£95)
• Heated windscreen wash system (£170)
• COMAND Online system with Media Interface and 6-disc changer (£2245)
• Harman Kardon® Logic 7® Surround-sound system. (£645)
• Telephone pre-wiring with hands-free facility (£335)
• Wood trim - black ash (£595)

Would have liked (but wasn't offered):

• Leather-trimmed dash/centre console
• Deletion of the AMG body styling
• Rigid wind deflectors

Didn't bother with:

• Analogue clock (£195)
• Cuphlolder (£50)
• Garage door opener (£230)
• Roof rack prep (£50)
• Ashtray and lighter (£45)
• Fire extinguisher (£95)

 

[Mactech]

There are some very good reasons for waiting a few months prior to buying a new Mercedes

My experience over the last few years:

Year, Car, Car age, List inc options, Price paid

2006, SLK, New, £34,700, £32,400
2007, S Class, New, £63,500, £57,300
2008, ML 320, 3 months, £47,400, £32,500
2009, CLS 320, 3 months, £52,000, £35,600

I'm sure you see what I mean!

 

[Pappilo]

2008, ML 320, 3 months, £47,400, £32,500
2009, CLS 320, 3 months, £52,000, £35,600

I'm sure you see what I mean!

Wow! I do not doubt you but I find it really hard to believe the 2 cars above lost £15,000 and £17,000 respectively in just 3 months. Maybe the cars had racked up some crazy miles in those 3 months. When I searched for a used C class I couldnt find any 18 month old ones that was £5,000 orm more cheaper that cost price.

 

[JLR1969]

I understand that £57k was the cost of my 55 AMG when it was new in 2008 and had nearly every optional extra fitted as well.

The new 55 AMG must be in the region of £66k when available with the same extras.

Far too much for what it is.

 

[Mactech]

Wow! I do not doubt you but I find it really hard to believe the 2 cars above lost £15,000 and £17,000 respectively in just 3 months. Maybe the cars had racked up some crazy miles in those 3 months. When I searched for a used C class I couldnt find any 18 month old ones that was £5,000 orm more cheaper that cost price.

The ML had done 3k miles and the CLS 6k. Timing and if a facelift is due are also big factors. The ML was bought on the last day of Mercedes Direct quarter and the CLS when they were trying to out all the 'run out' Grand Edition models.
I agree it will not be as easy to get this sort of discount with more mainsteam models, or those which now display great economy as the price of fuel becomes a bigger factor in the way manufacturers can price their cars.

 

[MOCAŠ]

The ML had done 3k miles and the CLS 6k. Timing and if a facelift is due are also big factors. The ML was bought on the last day of Mercedes Direct quarter and the CLS when they were trying to out all the 'run out' Grand Edition models.
I agree it will not be as easy to get this sort of discount with more mainsteam models, or those which now display great economy as the price of fuel becomes a bigger factor in the way manufacturers can price their cars.

Mactech, I suspect you are a far more strategic buyer than I am. Far too often I do things on impulse, and allow my heart to rule my head.

I do, however, baulk at the idea of spending well in excess of £50,000 on what will only ever really be a plaything. My current car was one of the first in the country, bought at one year old with 7000 miles at a saving of around £8000 on what an equivalently-specced car would have cost new at the time (I effectively got the options thrown in free by waiting a year).

You mention economy, and I have to say that two points surprised me about the new SLK 350: firstly, the 50mpg+ figure for extra-urban cycle (and practically 40mpg for the combined); and the fact that it now falls in VED band H, with CO2 emmissions down to just 167 (that's not much more than my Fabia!).

 

[moonloops]

If I needed parking guidance on a SLK I'd hand my driving licence back in

 

[MOCAŠ]

If I needed parking guidance on a SLK I'd hand my driving licence back in

Believe me, I need the Parktronic on my current SLK (and the full system is less than £100 extra on the new one, so I'd have it for the gadget value). I've always been hopeless at judging where the end of my car is when reversing, not helped by the fact that I cannot see the bootlid at all from the driving seat - roof up or down.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

£57k for a 350 SLK!
I always wondered why the held their money so well and now I know; it's because they start at such a high price to start with!

 

[Mactech]

Mactech, I suspect you are a far more strategic buyer than I am. Far too often I do things on impulse, and allow my heart to rule my head.

You are probably right! I've never been accussed of being inpulsive
I have a new car on order at the moment as described in this thread, which really goes against my own advice.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/108931-went-brooklands-today-2.html

But you can see there is much more strategy that heart in the purchase!

 

[clk208]

Mactech, I suspect you are a far more strategic buyer than I am. Far too often I do things on impulse, and allow my heart to rule my head.

I do, however, baulk at the idea of spending well in excess of £50,000 on what will only ever really be a plaything. My current car was one of the first in the country, bought at one year old with 7000 miles at a saving of around £8000 on what an equivalently-specced car would have cost new at the time (I effectively got the options thrown in free by waiting a year).

You mention economy, and I have to say that two points surprised me about the new SLK 350: firstly, the 50mpg+ figure for extra-urban cycle (and practically 40mpg for the combined); and the fact that it now falls in VED band H, with CO2 emmissions down to just 167 (that's not much more than my Fabia!).

The list price for pretty much every car seems to have increased significantly over the past couple of years. I was looking at a new Honda Civic for my mum and the list price seemed to be about 50% higher than I had seen them for a couple of years ago.

Perhaps it is the weak pound that is partly to blame?

Out of interest what was the approx list price for a basic SLK350 when yours was new?

 

[MOCAŠ]

Out of interest what was the approx list price for a basic SLK350 when yours was new?

Think it was around £36,000 in 2004, which is what I paid for my fairly well-specced example in 2005.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Visited my dealership today to pick up a brochure and price list for the R172. Was hoping they might have one in the showroom (following The Boss's post earlier this week) but apparently they won't have one until the launch event next week.

Annoyingly, the 350 is only being offered in "AMG Sport" trim, which means you're lumbered with the disfiguring body kit and nasty red stitching all over the seats and dashboard. Ugh!

There is a solution for the interior - ordering Exclusive Nappa Leather (£1300) gets you black stitching on the dash, but leaves the red stiching on the seats. To erdicate that, you can go for optional Designo Exclusive leather (£3050) - but then the dashboard is trimmed in Artico rather than Nappa leather.

The £57,500 SLK 350 is fast becoming the £60,000 SLK 350. (Not that I'll be paying that for one.)

 

[Dr-Nab]

£60k for an SLK.. that's unreal when you consider you could easily pick a C or E63 for that sort of money!

Seems a tad odd that the dash gets trimmed in Artico when spec'd with the Designo Exclusive leather, can't believe they're only offering the 350 in one trim level either - are the diesel engines available yet?

 

[MOCAŠ]

can't believe they're only offering the 350 in one trim level either - are the diesel engines available yet?

No diesel or AMG engines yet. The launch line-up comprises:

SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY, 1.8 litre, 184bhp
SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY, 1.8 litre, 204bhp

SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY AMG Sport, 1.8 litre, 184bhp
SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY AMG Sport, 1.8 litre, 204bhp
SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY AMG Sport, 3.5 litre, 306bhp

As you can see from the above figures, the AMG Sport models get no extra power, just some suspension/brake mods and extra equipment. The 7G-Tronic transmission is now standard on all but the SLK 200.

 

[prprandall51]

Options:

• Dynamic handling package (£1010)
• Direct steering (FOC)

For a car that is supposed to be "sporty, light and compact" in all its variants, it is unbelievable that MB has the audacity to charge extra to make the SLK handle "dynamically" or steer "directly".

Does the Marketing department not consider what negative messages the presence of these items in the options list send out to prospective customers? What a mundane car the standard version must be if these items are optional extras.

These options make perfect sense in the C- or E- or S-class, but not on their allegedly most sporty platform.

 

[gary350]

My SLK350 was around £39K when I bought it in 2004 sold it in 2008 for £20K, in hindsight it was one of the blandest cars I have had, fast yes good looking yes just something not there if you know what I mean. £56K for an SLK350 you have to be joking.

 

[gIzzE]

Looking at those options, do you really need a sunroof on a car like that???

 

[NOMONEYBUTAMERC]

Save yourself a grand on the memory package. If you cannot remember where you leave it , just take a photo . simples:bannana:

 

[gIzzE]

I am not sure if the Mercs have this on the latest internet models, but on my old mans 5 series the iPod app for the car has a feature that shows you were you have left it.
I thought it was a complete joke until we came out of the NEC the other night and thought the car was gone, looked at the app and we were in the wrong block, we were in N2 and it was in N5, saved an embarrassing call to the police or at least a wandering round like idiots for an hour.
And once you get near it you can get the car to flash the headlights 3x as well.

My BMW Remote for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad on the iTunes App Store