Advantages: Very stylish, nice to own and drive. Disadvantages: Very little luggage space with the roof down.
We purchased our first SLK in March 1998. The first sports car we had owned. It was sitting there in the local Mercedes dealer's showroom and following a test drive we decided to buy it.
At the time, this Mercedes dealership afforded a first class service and was a pleasure to deal with, but more about that in another opinion.
What a brilliant piece of engineering this car was with it's folding roof, watching the whole thing disappear into the boot at the touch of a button.
The bodywork was finished in silver with a black leather interior, the best combination, in my opinion. It had the standard 7 spoke polished alloys fitted and again, these 16" wheels suited the car really well. Later styles of 16" wheels fitted to the facelift SLK 230 are not so appealing in my view.
Out on the road the super-charged 4 cylinder engine ...
Advantages: Lots of admiring glances Disadvantages: People don't let you out of junctions !
I bought a 320 SLK after many trips to the local Mercedes garage and after test driving a few CLKs and the new Coupe. The SLK was the only one I got out of with a smile on my face, and it was a big one! So rather than buy one big CLK to load up with miles I bought a 1.2 Corsa for running around and an SLK for nice days.
Performance is enough to get you into trouble in the wet but the traction control always kicks in before you realise you've even had a problem. The flashing light on the dash tells you you almost did! The sound from the engine is fantastic - especially with the roof down - it's like being in a computer game.
Handling isn't quite what I'd expected. I'd had a couple of BMW coupes before and the SLK feels a bit bouncy compared to them - comfy rather than taught. The brakes are fantastic though (they sense ...
Advantages: Fully loaded luxury motor leaving passengers and drivers wanting for nothing. Disadvantages: Can be expensive if it goes wrong if you can't find the best repairshop. Initial outlay cost.
. In the town it can be quite thirsty but when you open her up on the motorway she is extremely frugal.
Overall the S is to me the undisputed king of the road. It ticks all the boxes of luxury, technology and roadworthiness and I genuinely smile everyday that I get to take her out on the road. If you are looking for a decent saloon car then take a look at the S class. For the prices around today I am confident you can find one that looks after you for many years to come. I know mine will!
Mercedes S Class S280 was purchased in 2008 from a local dealer. I swapped my MercedesSLK 230 for the vehicle but the valuation at that time was around £8000. I am aware that there are other vehicles available at cheaper prices today. Autotrader has plenty of them but make sure you test every piece of equipment on the car before you part with the money ...
atlantis140 17.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Mercedes S 280
