Mercedes-Benz SLK Prices Paid
lee_w
Member Posts: 239
Hello and welcome, please share your SLK purchase experience here.
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I'm in Chicago and just can't believe the numbers being thrown around, especially considering the huge number of SLK230s still on the lots (at least a few brand new 2003s as well), the fact that we're nearing the end of the model year, and the upcoming redesign late summer.
Thanks for any help!
Thanks for response.
My new car is due 12/17 at Mercedes of Escondido. Only options are xenons and premium package, and accessory wheels.
My dealer charges MSRP - no markups. I ended up ordering the 6-spd and a different color (capri blue/black) after my test drive, just because the automatic seemed a little too busy and complicated for me, and because this is a weekend car anyway -- not for commuting. Also, 80 percent of their orders were for silver!
I saw in ad in our San Diego paper for a launch edition SLK350 for $59,500, for people who don't care about money and want to jump in front of the line.
They did not have an SLK55 there and won't for several months, but for what it's worth the extra .5 sec advantage 0-60 isn't worth the extra $15K. Looks are subjective, but IMHO the extra front fascia ducts and sculpting on the SLK55 seem a bit overwrought, and the four tailpipes on what is still a small car might be overkill for some. It might all look better in black. Finally, you can't get a stick with the AMG version. However, if you like the look and have the $60K+ to spend, I have no doubt it will be blast to drive. 362hp!
Road and Track just published an SLK review in their November issue, by the way.
the dealerships down here also charge msrp. they don't budge either. I wouldnt pay 59K for the launch edition unless it was fully loaded. The value will depreciate very much the next year and you would lose alot of money if you tried to sell it. The dealership here has several SLK's on pre-order and receives on average about 4 a month. I am thinking of waiting till prices start to settle down. I have never owned a mercedes before but I have been hearing that they have some quality issues lately. I drive a lexus and the engine is excellent, no maintenance necessary at all. I love the new look on the SLK350, it is a total chic magnet, also not too many people have it. I don't mind paying MSRP for new hot model, I just don't like it when the sales person makes 5-6K off of me.
Sometimes you can find an almost-new car, but an almost-new SL costs essentially what a new one does. CLKs and SLKs similarly won't be available as lightly-used bargains for a while. Demand here in southern California is very strong.
Regarding reliability: This will be my second Mercedes (first was a '98 SLK). I've heard M-B take some licks for quality, and I do believe that Lexus is a much better drive-it-and-forget-it car. M-B isn't the only German marque with issues. I just sold my '02 BMW 325 coupe which went through power window and sunroof motors faster than it used oil. Then the front brakes needed doing at 21K miles for $642 (covered under included service, because it was under 3 years old). My SLK, in 7 years, had a bad instrument cluster ($500 my cost after warranty expired, dealer helped cover the rest) and a bad fuel tank sender (due to California gasoline formulation, which affected other makes as well - covered under warranty.) Other than that, it was fine. I guess the point of my longwinded explanation is that complicated cars will always have more issues, and M-B makes complicated, high performance cars. As a footnote, my old SLK held its value extremely well - I sold it for 60% of MSRP after 7 years (low mileage, though).
My dealer experience with M-B has been superb -- enough that I sold my BMW and ordered the new SLK. Given the warranty, and M-B's recognition that quality has been a sore point, I'm hoping that they got the new model right. I did, however, go with the manual instead of the much-touted 7-speed automatic, which seems needlessly complex (and also less fun). Anyway I'm not losing sleep over it.
So, yeah, expect more maintenance with an SLK, but you're right about the looks. Saw a silver one this weekend, parked far away, and even in a common color, with the standard wheels, it looks almost exotic.
Having driven Lexuses, I can vouch that they're better built than any German car. Problem is, I think it's a tradeoff between maintenance and lust factor/soul. You will pay to drive a Benz, but every time I dropped the top on my SLK I was glad I bought it instead of a Lexus. My brother felt the same way about his 911, which was a pretty demanding car when it came to seals, adjustments and maintenance. It looked and sounded great, and that's worth a few trips to the dealer. My two cents, anyway.
I am working with a local used luxury car dealer who has a deal with Mercedes of Honolulu to purchase their new vehicles for under MSRP. They will sell me the car for a little under MSRP and we will both profit from the deal. The options that I will add on to the car is:
lighting package, Power seats, AMG package, entertainment package, and wood trim. The total including destination charge and 4.6% sales tax comes out to little over 59K. Hopefully I can get it for 55-57K.
I have been reading that other SLK 350 owners are having their dashboard customized since it is made of plastic material and you can easily leave scratch marks on there. Other than that the car is perfect.
For the price you paid on the car, you get your value back when other drivers show you their envy on the road.
billymay:
Funny you had a bad experience with a 325Ci. It is totally who you talk to though. Everybody has different experiences. My Dad has an '04 X5 (which according to some is the red-headed step child of the BMW lineup) that he took delivery of in February with over 17K miles and hasn't had one hiccup. My friend's Dad has 2 S Class MBs, an '00 S430 and an '02 S500. They have each given him an immense amount of trouble. The COMMAND system on both cars went haywire after the warranties were up.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Both this SLK and the last were basically bought as weekend cars, and my M-B dealer is superb. ("When do you want to bring it in? Sure, no problem!") My current everyday driver is an '05 Jeep Liberty. We'll see how that goes. My '96 Grand Cherokee wasn't so hot. They cost less than half what an SLK does, so I'm more forgiving.
I'm starting to view European cars as fun second cars (SLK, SL, 911) or dream cars (SLR, Carrera GT, GT2/3). For the most part, they're overkill -- I don't need 300 or 500hp to pick up the dry cleaning or go to the gym. So, when I apply that standard to the SLK350, it's a fast and gorgeous drop top (as you say) with a good warranty that in the long term is more maintenance/repair intensive. When I sold my last SLK to a private buyer, her everyday ride was a Lexus RX300, so I don't think I'm the only one who is starting to think this way.
I do wish the German makers would make more of the complexity optional. I specifically did NOT order the new 7spd auto, power seats and some other items because the SLK is already complicated and not too lightweight. I drove someone else's '87 560SL last month, top down and, while the SLK would devour it on any track, the fun quotient was pretty good for a chassis that goes back to the late 1960s, IIRC.
I can't wait....its due in next week.
Cause in California they are selling like hot cakes and won't budge a pennie. I guess we pay higher for everything here.
We just got ours this month and paid a hefty 55g's for one that's nicely loaded with everything but AMG pkg. But well worth the money spent to be one of the first. My girl friend got the launch edition and paid much more and has pretty much nothing but the name. But she did get her's before me and didn't have to wait. So that make's me feel a little better.
I had to wait six months for my E-Class when it was re-designed so I got lucky with this one and only had to wait a month and a half. So congrats to you and welcome to the CLUB. I guess Santa was good to you with the discounts.
Happy New Year!
$ 30,000 or one with 34,000 miles for $ 25,000. Any thoughts?
How do these handle in the snow? I currently have a Lexus SC300 ( 25,000 miles) and it does O.K.
Am I nuts for considering swaping my SC300 for a slk320?
Anyone from Southern Cal can share some thoughts?
As long as you have a 100k warranty and the Benz dealer has customer courtesy vehicles - then no, your not ...
Terry.
...Karl
We got the heating package, CD changer, premium package, trim package, 7 speed auto. negotiated a $49,225 price, including dealer prep charge of $720. Expect the far to be delivered in May. Had 3 dealers dealing like crazy for our business. Still have one now trying to come up with a better deal for me, although I don't know how he is going to do it! My wife likes the AMG package option but I don't see the big visible advantage to it so we are getting the standard version with options. The only way this dealer is going to get my business now is offering us the AMG package version at the same $49,225 price but I think that will be impossible!
Anyway, point is, I think the dealers are beginning to discount somewhat. At least that has been my experience over the last 2 weeks of negotiating.
Steve
MB dealer was great. No pressure. No haggle. 1st MB dealer I must have been too blue collar, didn't give me time of day. Glendale dealer lost my business. MB in South Bay was the best.
My first MB. Couldn't be happier. By far the best car I ever owned. Maybe next time a Sl 55? I can only live in hope.
What do you think about the car's styling and handling? What color combo is your car?
M
I love the styling. AMG additions vastly improve the look over the 350. Lower stance, rear spoiler, AMG wheels, front dam (with side scoops in front of the wheels), inserts on hood vents - AMG did nice work on making the car look like a killer. The way the rounded top looks when its up is questionable - but I love the look with the top down. I get tons of looks on the road & at the gas station (the one time I filled up).
With 277 miles, I tried to be easy due to manufacturer's break in reccomendation. Handling in my opinion is sharp, but have not put it to the limit yet. I can't wait for the next time I go to San Diego area, I spend about 30 minutes in small twisted mountain roads. Acceralation is heart pounding. Last night I was on the on-ramp to 5 north, hit the gas to merge and lost my breath. So did the LAPD who was already on the freeway. He didn't pull me over (lucky me), but was obviously not happy about my 30 to 65 mph launch. He did pull along side of me, and through the window ask me to "slow it down" while pointing downward with his index finger.
Needless to say the car gets noticed. I intend to try to take it easy until 1000 miles. Maybe by then I will find the appropriate forum to test the cars limits. I considering Mercedes offer to take the AMG Challenge, although $ 1195 seems a little pricey.
My colors are classic Mercedes. Iridium Silver Metallic with Nappa Black inside. A great combination considering I didn't get to choose. I've seen a Black with Black / Ash interior up close, that was nice too. I was offered a Silver with Grey / Red interior which I declined. Not my style.
But, when I was out today, I decided I owed it to myself to check out the other options from competitors. So I went to Lexus, and looked at the SC (even though I realize it's not really in competition with the roadster/convertibles). Went and checked out the Boxster S.
And then, I showed up at the MB dealership. At first glance, I wasn't too impressed with the SLK 350 -- even the AMG. Nor was my wife. But the more I looked at it, the more it grew on me. I spoke with a salesman a little bit, and was totally upfront with him. I told him I was pretty set on buying a Z4, but wanted to take one last peek around to see what else is out there. He was really nice and understanding, didn't hassle me, and let me poke, prod, crawl in and out, and play with it to my heart's content. And I found myself liking it more. Then he asked if I wanted to take it for a spin.
And I loved it.
I'm not totally, 100% sold on the looks (especially from the side), but it is definitively a better vehicle on the interior than the Z4.
So ... all this being said, I am definitely interested in it, and am wondering if anyone knows where I can find out any invoice information on the invoice for these cars, since Edmunds does not carry it?
Thanks for your help.
Snow, who are you kidding? I have a 4x4 for that. I did try to drive once with a dusting of snow and almost lost it on the driveway going 5mph. The tires have zero grip in the snow, do not even think of it. It remain in the garage under the cover now from November until May.
2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
SLK350 2dr Roadster (3.5L 6cyl 6M)
What Others
Are Paying
MSRP
Invoice
National Base Price
A note about advertising fees
$45,500
$42,315
$45,500
Regional Adjustment
for Zip Code Change
-
-
$0
Optional Equipment
$7,270
$6,762
$7,270
-- Metallic Paint
$680
$632
$680
320 Entertainment Pkg w/DVD Navigation
$2,800
$2,604
$2,800
326 Premium Package
$1,450
$1,349
$1,450
-- 7-Speed Automatic Transmission
$1,390
$1,293
$1,390
323 Heating Package
$950
$884
$950
Color Adjustment
-
-
$0
Iridium Silver Metallic
Destination Charge
$720
$720
$720
Total with Options
$53,490
$49,797
$53,490
I'm eargerly awaiting to see what the U.S. press has to say about the SLK55 AmG and the CLS for that matter.
M
And, get rid of the ugly black plastic grates on the hood. They look cheap. At least color code them.
And, what with a 6 disc changer that takes up almost the entire glove compartment. What poor designing. Why should we sacrifice storage area?
Thanks!
One thing I noticed is that there are cars that are on the ground that have 2005-1 on the sticker and those that have 2005-2. The 2005-1 have the lower price and you can get the sport suspension for $200 or so but now you must buy the AMG package to get the sport suspension.
There are two other dealers in the Denver area that said they would sell for $2500 off MSRP.
Good luck. I am driving up Wednesday to pick up my car.
Just got a black SLK350 for 1000.00 below invoice. I did a ton of research, and ended up going through the internet department at the dealership here in SoCal. Saved me a bunch of $.
M
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Chris johannesburg south africa
Mercedes-Benz SLK
kirstie_h
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Host, Future Vehicles & Smart Shopper discussions
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Mikey
Also, if you MUST be a shopper at this level of auto, try your best to buy from the people who will service your car, because the good servicing of these cars is far more of a value to you for the years to come than the moment of glory when you 'get the deal.' There is also, I think, the importance of spending your money within your community. Shop everyone else first, if you must shop, and give your local store the last word,(unless they are among the vermin that give this business a bad name). It's very easy to beat someone else's number, but pay someone for their time and expertise. Sorry for the rant. I'm a huge enthusiast, but I work long, hard hours(wah!) and feel like I have to defend the good people of my profession.
Has anybody seen this kind of thing?
BMW calls it MACO.. and with them, it varies by metro area or region...
I don't think your dealer is lying to you.. If you think they are making up fake invoices, then using them to sell you on a deal, I'd go somewhere else.. but, that seems like a lot of trouble to go to...
When you ask to see the invoice, or negotiate a certain amount "over invoice", then expect to see a lot of extra charges...
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