The birds are chirping, the skies are blue, and all signs are set for a convertible summer. There’s something special about just letting the top down, especially as new convertible sales continue to dwindle. At the same time, original Miata prices are through the roof, Porsche maintenance can be pricey, and while a Pontiac Solstice looks great, it’s a bit compromised as a daily driver. So, if you’re looking for more of a cruiser, what about a first-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK?
While the driving experience of an original SLK will pale in comparison to that of a Boxster or Miata, it’s an upscale hardtop convertible on sensible compact sedan bones, and you can get a seriously nice one for between $5,000 and $9,000. That’s a lot of car for the money, so let’s take a second look at a ’90s roadster that deserves fairer consideration.
What Are We Looking At?
If the 1960s was the first golden age of the roadster, the 1990s was the second. The original Mazda Miata lit the fuse, and other automakers followed, with Porsche showing off the Boxster concept car of 1993, and Mercedes-Benz following it up with the SLK concepts of 1994. While the first iteration seemed utterly conventional, the SLK II concept captivated crowds at the Paris Motor Show with a motorized folding metal roof. The first since Ford experimented with the technology back in the 1960s. It was an instant sensation, and it took Mercedes-Benz just a year to start producing an SLK people could actually buy.
Keep in mind, this wasn’t a hard-edged sports car, but a small touring roadster in the vein of the larger SL. With W202 C-Class bones and a 190-horsepower 2.3-liter supercharged inline-four, it wasn’t going to win any drag races, but it was a dose of that Bobby Ewing lifestyle for the upper-middle-class. While Car And Driver put the SLK on the 1997 10 Best list, it ranked last in a comparison test against the BMW Z3 and Porsche Boxster, with the publication not a huge fan of the cruising-oriented powertrain and handling. As the magazine wrote:
We don’t love the handling, either, an assertion that surely requires some explanation since the Test Results panel gives the SLK top marks for cornering and braking grip—0.90 g on the skidpad and 170 feet to stop from 70 mph. The problem here is attitude. The SLK is secretive. Virtually no information comes back through the steering. Imagine a rheostat for dialing up cornering forces. Turn the wheel more; cornering force goes up. As for a sense of what the tires are doing, the steering answers, “What tires?” Experienced drivers, either consciously or unconsciously, rely on subtle changes in tire-slip angle to know where they’re operating relative to the limits of the tires. Slip angles increase as cornering forces rise, and the increase goes nonlinear when you near the limit. Feeling for this nonlinearity enables you to drive on the edge without ever falling off. But this car gives no sense of the edge. Don Schroeder, who drove the track portion of the test, reports that the SLK’s remarkably high lane-change speed—more than 4 mph better than the others’—was achieved with no sense of the tires slipping. And when slipping finally becomes apparent, “you encounter a spooky handling abyss,” he says.
Still, there’s a market for people who want sports car looks but GT refinement, ease and comfort, not to mention the security of a folding metal roof. Unsurprisingly, the original SLK sold like crazy, with 311,222 leaving showrooms over a nine-year production span, offering variants as wild as the supercharged V6 SLK 32 AMG and as mild as the rest-of-world SLK 200. As a result, secondhand examples are cheap, and tempting propositions if you live in a place with straight lines, bad roads, and bumper-to-bumper traffic.
How Much Are We Talking?
While some variants like the SLK 32 AMG can pull in proper coin, the most common SLK 230 Kompressor offers a ton of car for the money. Just look at this black 2002 example that sold on Cars & Bids late last year. Sure, it might have a minor damage entry on its Carfax, but it also only had 54,100 miles on the clock, looks the part inside and out, and sold for a downright reasonable $5,400. That’s one seriously nice car for the money.
What about an even nicer example with the arguably purer pre-facelift looks? This 1998 SLK 230 Kompressor sold on Bring A Trailer earlier this year for $8,600, and that’s notable because it only had 25,000 miles on the clock when it sold. This one seems like a no-stories car with a clean Carfax, a car phone, Bose audio, an underbody you could almost eat off of, and dealer service history as recent as 2018. It’s likely one of the nicest examples in the world, but it still only commanded a four-figure price tag.
Looking at the more traditional used car classifieds, it seems that auction values are mostly on the money. This 1999 SLK 230 Kompressor is up for sale in Virginia for $4,999 with 63,928 miles on the clock. With a clean Carfax and just two previous owners, it’s a solid-looking example that seems likely to make someone beam with happiness.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong On An R170 SLK?
The good news is that despite the three-pointed star on the front, the R170 SLK is fairly reliable, albeit with some old car quirks. The camshaft position sensors are essentially service items, the bulb holders for the tail lamps are known to fail, indicator stalks can crap out, and mass airflow sensors can fail on occasion. None of these are hideously expensive fixes, so the main things to watch out for are rust, vacuum pump operation for the central locking, and any leakage from the roof pump. The retractable hardtop has proven to be quite robust, but even a rebuilt pump from reputable specialist Top Cylinders will run you around $500.
Otherwise, you’re really just looking out for the typical wear items you’d find in a 25-to-30-year-old car. Worn dampers, worn bushings, worn tie rods and ball joints. Entry level sedan bones from an era when Mercedes-Benz still made some robust cars means the original SLK is still a surprisingly good bet with few true horror stories.
Should You Buy A Cheap R170 SLK?
If you want a convertible that explicitly isn’t a noisy, stiff sports car and have four figures to spend, an original Mercedes-Benz SLK deserves to be at the top of your shortlist. It’s a touch of the sweet life without any huge compromises in everyday use, and it’s reliable enough to recommend in good conscience. As ever, a pre-purchase inspection can be worth its weight in gold, and there’s something to be said for buying the nicest example you can afford.
Top graphic image: Cars & Bids
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As a kid, I was such an M-B nerd. Back in the late 60’s. 300 SEL 6.3. Yes, please. Back then. Now. No. I don’t want to pay what it would take to fix it and keep it on the road. And probably fuel it.
These SLKs got a probably unfair reputation as a secretary/hairdresser car. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in one.
My ’17 Accord would probably cause me less maintenance grief, but this is kind of tempting. Going back to my 14-year-old self, I was always Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz.
Friend of mine was seriously considering a nearby CLK AMG, I don’t know years but it had the big v8 in it. It was 14 grand with 90k miles and immaculate service records, everything he hoped for as someone who knew the car much better than I do. He decided not to and it was sold like 2 weeks later. Hope whoever scored it is having fun
Something I have experience with. Your $5,000 SLK will most likely require $6,000+ of maintenance to feel remotely decent. The SLK had W202 underpinnings, so did my W208. $6,000+, I tried to not keep track, erased the amount from my mind, was 50/50 me DIY and sending it out to an independent shop because certain things I simply couldn’t do, or got burnt from spending every weekend working on the car. It ended up being a reliable car, but drove like a car that had a recirculating-ball steering, not good. You either go all in with this car, or don’t do it at all, the car will make zero financial sense.
As cute as these are, its impossible to escape its C class underpinnings. Both by its lack of sportiness and the fact that as a cheaper car, theyre more likely to fall on their upkeep. Even the manual ones are tractors in their driving experience.
5k is absolutely where these deserve to live, and there is still so many other options i would put ahead of it.
Thanks Thomas!
I’ve driven and ridden in a few (first gen) SLKs and they’re alright IMO. I don’t really think of the SLK as a true sportscar per se, so that lets me forgive (what I consider to be one of it’s main faults) the rather unengaging recirculating ball steering that it has. The steering on an early Boxster or even a BMW Z3 is just SO much better feeling (in terms of responsiveness and feedback) than that on an SLK. The only new car I ever bought (leased) also had Mercedes’ recirculating ball steering: a CLK 320. That car too I could forgive it in, since it was more of a GT/cruiser than sports car (or even sports coupe) to me. What I couldn’t forgive was the CLK’s abysmal reliability, which is why I got rid of after just a year.
I thought the small supercharged four cylinder engine in the SLK was adequate, if not outright emotion-making, and the structure of the car was nice, tight, and rattle-free for a convertible. The dash/interior quality was what you got from most late-90s Benz’s: fine and probably durable, but not quite as pleasing as that in an Audi.
A first gen SLK isn’t on my ‘to buy’ list, but it’s really a pretty decent car, especially for $5-9K provided you’re not expecting it to be a sportscar. It’s a small, sporty car, with decent build quality, and that’s fine. 🙂
That’s always been the rub with SLKs. In a vacuum they’re pretty nice little cars, but unfortunately they don’t exist in a vacuum…they exist in a world that includes the Porsche Boxster and Mazda Miata
Agreed Nsane. 🙂
BTW, the slightly noisy 190HP ‘Kompressor’ 4-banger in the SLK (IIRC) was also used in some other models, including the C230, which was the entry level C-class sedan at the time (I wanna say it MSRPd right around $30K at the time, but am not sure). I had one of those as a loaner for a weekend when my CLK was in the shop (for the seventhish time) and TBH, I liked the 4-cylinder C230 MORE than my $50K 6-cylinder CLK in every way other than looks/engine sound. I drove that C230 from LA to San Francisco and back in a single day for business, and frankly, it was kind of awesome: quick, comfortable, tastefully demure, and it felt as solid as a proverbial rock (I think that gen of the C-Class (W202/203 gen I think) was the last of the old-school Benzes in terms of being/feeling so fantastically overengineered. I’d maybe hunt for a used one, but they’re not the most reliable old cars either… IIRC transmission issues were common before they were a decade old (a neighbor of mine owned two at once and both needed transmission work).
And of course as everyone here knows by now, the Chrysler Crossfire was built on the first-gen SLK platform with the same mechanicals and drivetrain. Those are probably even cheaper used than SLKs, given the company’s reputations I’d imagine. 😉
I do like these things, but I also associate them with chain smoking female realtors. Maybe I’m alone in that issue
No, it’s not just you PJ. They do have a bit of a rep (in my mind anyway) as a lady’s car, which certainly isn’t a sin. I drive a Miata and of course, lots of folks STILL think of Miatas as a ‘chick car’ even though I almost only ever see graying, middle-aged guys like myself driving them, usually with smiles on their faces.
Around here (southern California) realtors of both genders do favor Mercedes Benz, along with Audi and of course BMW (and some Lexus and Tesla too). But it’s almost always a sedan (or four-door crossover) that I see them in, presumably so they can carry potential buyers too if necessary. White is by far the most preferred color for their Teutonic chariots, followed by black. Presumably, most of their cars are leased too. I’ve never used the services of that kind of realtor (I used a buyer broker to purchase my one and so far only home over 30 years ago) but I’ve known quite a few realtors for whatever reason. Perhaps they too are an acquired taste, like Flo from Progressive? 😉
Now they lease those tacky coupe-SUV monstrosities, at least in my area. ALWAYS white, usually over beige.
I’ve always liked these, mainly because they captivated my imagination as a kiddo. I just called them Kompressors because I assumed that’s what they were. Anyway, while they’re definitely period pieces I think they’ve aged rather well and that this was a pretty good time for modern (ish) Mercedes in a lot of ways.
5 grand-ish is firmly “fuck it” money. Hell I custom ordered a guitar for my 35th birthday later this year that’s going to wind up coming within spitting distance of that when all’s said and done. Maybe my priorities need to be reexamined? These are also a great option for fun here in the DC area where we have few twisty roads, omnipresent law enforcement, and some of the worst traffic in the world.
I’ve definitely gotten a little tired driving my aunt’s Miata in traffic but one of these? I’m sure they’re downright pleasant…although there ARE manual ones out there, and last I checked they command a sizable premium. But as you all know I just don’t know if I can accept a small, two seat roadster with anything but a stick. If cruising is the main goal I’d probably just get an actual GT rather than…whatever the hell these are?
Mini GTs? They’re definitely not sports cars. But regardless, I’ve always liked them and I can think of significantly dumber ways to blow 5 grand. Like a meticulously spec’d Aristides guitar….
The real unicorns are the ones with the manual transmission, a buddy of mine has one that’s bright yellow with a black interior and a manual, now that’s a sweet ride.
If he ever wants to sell it let me know
Beware that these drive more like airport vans than they do Miatas (especially the 230); and have interiors about as nice as one. They really really turned this car around night and day with the next generation.
Amazing that car phones had trickled down to cheap Mercedes by the late 90s.
If cell phones had never become a thing, I wonder if the humblest Kia or Nissan would have a phone now.
That IS a cell phone in the SLK, just an in-car version. If you could afford a Benz, you could afford to have two cell phone lines 😉
I considered getting one of these for a weekend car, but then I moved to a place with less parking. Always liked the way they looked, and the hardtop is a big plus for security.
“The most expensive Mercedes is a cheap Mercedes”
As the owner of an older, higher mileage Mercedes-Benz, I wouldn’t touch any of these without seeing thorough maintenance records.
Which you’re not going to get from Billy-Bob’s Corner Car Lot.
But you ARE likely to see records from an octogenarian owner who bought it new and drove it 37,000 miles in 27 years. There’s something to be said for following the target market. A car sold today might not interest you, but in 20-30 years….hmmm..
My 30yo college boss in the year 2000 bought one of these and sometimes sent us grad students to run errands in it. I don’t care what anyone says, 190hp in a car this size is still more interesting than 300hp in a lot of modern vehicles. Yes, it was more of an entry-lux touring car, but it was still fun.
That’s the rub with older German cars. The range of what you will get is massive unless you have an excellent understanding of its provenance.
Takes a whiff of interior.
Dashboard cracks open.
Ahh, Weser river valley, probably 1999 vintage
The terroir is quite obvious to those who know.
With subtle notes of melted crayon, not unusual for most German cars of the era…