2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK Reviews, Pricing & Specs

This car is amazing...class, performance, economy, safety, personal, all in ONE neat inexpensive little package...go figure! The best feature besides the above is ONE Button to push to lower or raise the convertible hardtop...how easy could it be....my TAN is so much better this year as I can easily work on 'it' almost every day here in the Houston area....!!Jul 17, 2013

This is a Soft Top convertible. Even though popular with the ladies this car is indeed a deathtrap and hard to drive.The six cylinder is fast at 2k RPM at 70 MPH, has automatic five gears and manual sport option. Even all of that the sluggish powered steering and turn angles counter balance the maneuverable purpose of the car. The Mercedes itself this model you should stay away. Low rear viability, arched up rear, huge 27 degree angle blindspots of the convertible top and small side mirrors do not help. For its size, the trunk space is small while the smallish engine gets more room. Speaker quality is imbalanced when you include a small bose box sub-woofer with out Bose speakers. Fun, if you want to drive aggressively. But even the windows would not help you. It is a small car that makes you feel small inside.Aug 18, 2010

This car is a fun little coupe, the chasis arent very stiff due to the convertible top, but still a blast to drive. And yes, I smoke stock WRXs! I really like how you can turn the traction control off, and the sportronic shifting is pretty fun too when you are bored. The maintenance is pretty high, but they give you a loaner new Mercedes, gas mileage is cool too, but it has a small tank cause its a small car...Aug 13, 2008

I've been thinking about a replacement for the VibroMassage on wheels I had been driving...a '99 Mazda 626, 4 cyl automatic with worn motor mounts. The Black Mamba Mazda. The poor ol' thing gave us all she had, 108K miles of faithful service. But it was time to put her out to pasture. What next? Boxster? I'm a huge Porsche fan since my teen years when my father bought a 356 for $1000...then returned it 3 days later when he discovered that rust is not good for Porsches. My heart still aches. But the Boxster has a rag top, which, in the 5 months of brutal summer heat in south Texas, is prone to fade. Plus, I've never liked ragtops that much. BMW 540i sedan? Whoa! Real acceleration, big-bruiser V8, EuroLuxury. And many before '05 available at about $20K. But, with $4 gasoline and 14 mpg....my commute is 50 miles per day....so that was that. 350Z? Too rough. Then I fell in immediate love with the MB SLK 32 AMG. Wolf in sheep's clothing! Sneaky! Ungodly fast! Good looking. Convertible with a hard top. All at a price that wouldn't bankrupt a small Latin American country. The only hitch: not very many around. 14 months and many web searches later, enter the SLK 320. I finally pulled the trigger on one of these babies 2 weeks ago, 2001 with Silver/Black and auto transmission. In short, the car is ME. It's not as fast as an AMG or Boxster S, but fast enough. It's not as refined as a BMW 540i, but refined enough. It was also about $6K less than I planned to spend...and there's nothing at all wrong with that. My only nagging worry is that there is an occasional subtle, soft "whump whump whump" that increases frequency with speed. Alignment (it has new tires)? Wheel bearing (supposedly just re-packed)? Differential? This 67,000 miles car otherwise is in great condition. Responsive, solid cornering, comfortable and just a hoot to drive for this late-50s "adolescent." And yes, the golf clubs fit in the trunk when the top is up (but you have to take the driver out of the bag). It the top is down, buckle your sticks in the passenger seat and go have a ball. Jun 11, 2008