SLK buyer - any help/tips appreciated

[kdh]

Dear all,

I'm hoping to buy an SLK350 2004 onwards for about £8000. Fair price? Lots of options to choose from and don't want to buy the wrong one.

Coming from an MX5 2.0 which I find a bit underpowered and bumpy.

Are they ok for rust from that year? I've heard the rear arches were a problem before that.

Anything else to look out for / avoid?

Any tips?

Anyone selling?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

 

[st13phil]

For your target price you will probably be in a pre-2006 car which means the VED is cheaper.

The 350 is pretty well spec'd to start with, but avoid anything without Air Scarf as this makes a massive difference to the usability of the car with the top down on cooler days. If it has Air Scarf it will also have heated seats

Other options that are nice to have are paddle shift (they're actually buttons on the back of the wheel, not paddles on these earlier cars), Bi-Xenons and auto-dimming mirrors if you do much night driving, auto wipers, and so on. Telephone Pre-Wire with a Bluetooth cradle is useful too. The ride is firm but not crashy or harsh on 18-inch wheels with Sport Suspension, so don't let that put you off. COMAND is nice if everything else is ok, but chances are that the cartography will be well out of date and that'll cost you more to update than a mid-range Garmin or TomTom portable sat-nav.

Check for any sign of dampness or evidence of water leaks in the boot and walk away if there are. Check the heater blower motor works and is quiet as that can also suffer if the front drains aren't kept clear. Check the roof operates smoothly and latches cleanly. It's normal to get a few creaks out of the roof when driving if the car's cold, but it should be creak and rattle free once it's warm. The front tyres wear first on the inner edge so what may look like uneven wear in that respect actually isn't, but it makes it easy to think that the front tyres are OK on a quick inspection and then realise they need replacing.

Build quality on the R171 is generally very good so if it doesn't seem right, it probably isn't. I'm not aware of any particular rust problem areas, but it's worth checking around the inner lip of the rear arches as they can get stone chipped and if not re-painted will be the start point for corrosion.

 

[kdh]

Many thanks, Phil.

 

[st13phil]

You're welcome

Just thought of a couple of other things. The Perspex wind deflector is great but quite expensive as an accessory, so if that's on offer it's worth having, and Parktronic is surprisingly useful as its impossible to see the corners of the car from a normal driving position.

Good luck with the search!