I've been told to never buy a used Mercedes

"inProduction" (inProduction) 10/19/2016 at 14:30 • Filed to: None

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I know we’ve been told to never buy a used luxury car, but this SLK has piqued my interest.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The price seems a little high according to KBB, and the wheels aren’t exactly up my alley, but if I can get the price down what should I look for?

After 100+ miles, anything that should have had problems will have already been, right?

This is my first venture into a Mercedes, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

Tripper > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:38

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I’m not familiar with any Merc’s but I’ve bought two used M3's. Get PPI from someone who knows the cars, and scour forums for common issues. If there are any that scare you, get a warranty/don’t buy the car.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:40

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Ask if you could set up a PPI and let e Merc dealer tell you EVERYTHING

bob and john > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:40

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ohhfff. While I dont mind SLKs, the shitty wheel choice and the blacked out tails make me want to steer clear of this one.

JGrabowMSt > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:41

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Nice Crossfire.

Theyre not inherently bad cars. My SL600 Sport is about 20 years old and Im owner #4. Nothing wrong with a used Mercedes. Many things wrong with an abused Mercedes.

Land_Yacht_225 > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:41

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That “anything that would have gone wrong, should have already” is an absolute fallacy. And I for one would love to know where it originated so I can slug the guy in the mouth. I bought my S600 banking on the fact that ABC pumps go at 100,000 miles, then mine blows at 123 just because. New Benzes will break whenever and wherever they want at any mileage, with great unpredictability.

On the one hand you are looking at a Daimler-Chrysler era car, and that only means that they weren’t built to the highest ever Mercedes standard. It will give you a chance to find and build a relationship with a good, local, independent mechanic.

On the other hand, an SLK 350 isn’t the top of the food chain. You won’t call the dealer and find out that you can only come in on Thursday because they only have one AMG technician on staff right now. It’s a pretty safe car. I don’t know if there are any glaring faults with that V6. It’s an old Benz, I would be shocked if it didn’t leak a little oil at 107k miles. I don’t know what suspension it has, but I assume it’s shared with the C-Class so you get to dodge the AirMatic and ABC bullets.

inProduction > bob and john 10/19/2016 at 14:49

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I’m definitely going to see if he has the original wheels.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > JGrabowMSt 10/19/2016 at 14:49

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Different chassis.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:49

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The SLK is actually rather reliable according to a German motor magazine and the German TÜV.

Milky > JGrabowMSt 10/19/2016 at 14:50

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That guy - The Crossfire is based on the ‘97-’04 SLK.

bob and john > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:51

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its not if he has the wheels or not.

what kind of person puts cheap rims on a expensive car, and blacks out the tail lights, and then asks too much for it? I’m willing to bet buddy here didnt really keep up on maintenance either, and that is going to screw you down the road like you would not believe.

if it piques your interest in the car, sure, look at them. I would steer clear of THIS particular one though.

you said it yourself, this is on the higher end of prices you can find a nicer one for cheaper.

E92M3 > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:51

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Go drive one, I doubt you’ll want it after that.

bob and john > Milky 10/19/2016 at 14:53

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and this is an 05. AMGtech is correct

inProduction > E92M3 10/19/2016 at 14:58

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That’s a definite must as my husband is 6'4" and needs to be able to fit.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 14:58

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I own three. They’re great if you know what you’re getting into. GET A PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION. Make sure it’s done by someone familiar with the car and make sure they check faults and service history. Also, very important to make sure it’s never been wrecked because that will cause all sorts of issues with the roof system because most people do a shit job fixing them because no one wants to spend the coin to fix them properly.

As far as Mercedes go, these are really simple cars. No crazy suspension or electronics to deal with. Most difficult thing is the top, which can be expensive, but don’t have too many issues on these and should be a safe bet.

Biggest fear should be the balance shaft in the engine. It will set a CEL. But if that has been fixed already the engine should be safe because that’s really the only problem they have aside from some very minor and cheap oil leaks and thermostat issues, often both of which are taken care of when doing the balance shaft.

Trans should be fine, especially if it had had at least one service. May at some point need a valve body if it hadn’t already been done, but while common, I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near a guaranteed failure.

Maybe need some bushings or ball joints at some point? No big deal.

Any dealership can lookup all work ever performed at dealers.

Milky > bob and john 10/19/2016 at 15:00

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I think those are Vossen wheels and if thats the case, they arent cheap. $2k+ for a set.

bob and john > Milky 10/19/2016 at 15:01

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i’ve heard mixxed things about vossens. expensive, sure. but expensive junk.

stance crowd likes them though.

Milky > bob and john 10/19/2016 at 15:06

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My knowledge goes as far as a buddy having a set and liking them.

JGrabowMSt > Milky 10/19/2016 at 15:13

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Sarcasm gets lost in the tubes of the internet.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 15:14

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Get a w123, I love mine

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/19/2016 at 15:14

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Thanks for the heads up, I just got off the phone with the local Mercedes service dept, and am going to get the VIN and see what they have on their end in terms of maintenance records.

They said if he recently his maintenance done at a dealership, they would have done the full inspection, but if not I can have one done.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 15:29

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I have rented an SLK250 before (although it was a 2013) and I thought the car was nice to drive and comfortable but the styling was a bit overdone. Plus that power hard top scared me with how many parts could break. I actually didn’t hate the automatic which was nice but a manual might have changed my opinion to be much more positive.

But wouldn’t an s2000 be a better idea? Would fill the same task I imagine and seems like a better deal proposition to me.

Klaus Schmoll > bob and john 10/19/2016 at 15:30

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I am on the same page when it comes to cheap wheels on luxury cars. I automatically dismiss ads with non OEM wheels if they aren’t a common mod like Alpina wheels on a BMW. If somebody goes cheap on something this visiually important, you don’t want to know where else they opted for the cheaper alternative in the life of this vehicle.

Just in this case, I have to say that these wheels don’t look that cheap.

bob and john > Klaus Schmoll 10/19/2016 at 15:39

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i have to admit though, i’m guilty of it. mom wanted a blacked out car. so I got black akina (?) AK77s from canadian tire and put them on her car. OEMs have Snows on them

inProduction > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/19/2016 at 15:44

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My husband is 6'4", so being able to fit while driving / as a passenger is important. We haven’t tried an S2000, but I bet it wouldn’t work.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > inProduction 10/19/2016 at 18:50

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“After 100+ miles, anything that should have had problems will have already been, right?”

You would think that, but you would probably be wrong...

On a car like this, have a budget of $4000-$5000/year for maintenance, repairs and surprises.

You might not use all that money every year, but it’s good to have on hand.

If you can’t afford to set aside that amount of money every year in addition to other costs (fuel, insurance, registration and other stuff), then don’t get this car.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > inProduction 10/20/2016 at 08:33

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Well its certainly more space accomodating than a Miata. I found the S2k I sat in felt about the same space-wise as the SLK250 (as a passenger at least), which were both quite a bit roomier than my Miata. I am around 6'-1" but I am also only like 150 lbs so I can fit most cars easily. 

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/20/2016 at 12:21

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Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I spoke with the dealership that just did the servicing, in fact I spoke with the tech that did the work, and he had the transmission flushed, and oil changed.

He said that there were no fluid leaks, but some seepage on the oil line, and power steering, as well as normal bushing wear.

The tech also said that there is no difference between what he checked on in the servicing and a PPI, so that is good :)

There is a crack on the front bumper cover, and some light road rash on one of the rims, so I’m going to offer $6500, and see what he says.

inProduction > bob and john 10/20/2016 at 12:27

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Yup, they are Vossens, and are quite nice. The only issue is one has some road rash on it, so the “value” of aftermarket wheels is gone.

One thing I did notice is the rim actually sticks out past the rubber, is that normal? The OEM rims that I’ve had on cars do not seem to do that.

bob and john > inProduction 10/20/2016 at 12:36

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that just means the tires dont fit right on it. its a trend that we have been hoping dies out. ppl purposely put ill fitting tires for strech and poke.

a LITTLE bit is okay, but when taken to the xtreme, its VERY dangerous.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/20/2016 at 13:00

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Ask the tech about the balance shaft. That’s an expensive repair should it need to be done.

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/20/2016 at 13:17

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Sorry, I forgot the mention that. The balance shaft extended warranty is over, and has not been repaired, but everything looked good when he saw it recently.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/20/2016 at 14:00

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That’s too bad. I know the warranty is over, but I was hoping it had been done. Do you know if he scanned it for faults?

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/20/2016 at 14:04

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He said there were no faults, I’m not sure if scanning for that particular issue is a part of the standard service.

If your username is an indication of your job, I have a VIN if you can check :D

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/20/2016 at 19:58

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Give it

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/20/2016 at 20:48

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V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Land_Yacht_225 10/20/2016 at 22:06

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This^ the S600 guy is only in on certain days so it is a itch to get it fixed.

Land_Yacht_225 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/21/2016 at 00:05

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Ha! Dealer service sucks! My independent shop can service it any day of the week!

Wooooooooooooooooo!

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Land_Yacht_225 10/21/2016 at 01:30

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Service Loaner !!!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/21/2016 at 15:35

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If it has been scanned it hasn’t had any documents uploaded that I can see. Ever. Which strikes me as very strange because it has excellent service history with a handful of repairs that would have required the computer to be hooked up. But it’s possible there is a glitch preventing me from seeing it, I don’t know.

Balance shaft has definitely not been done, but based on its history I can’t foresee anything else going wrong in the near future. So that should be your biggest fear.

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/21/2016 at 16:14

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You’ve been a great help, thanks!

He rejected my offer of 6500, Maybe he’ll take 7500 this weekend :)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/21/2016 at 18:18

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Good luck!

inProduction > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/24/2016 at 17:11

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I got it today, thank you so much for your help!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > inProduction 10/24/2016 at 18:25

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Cool! Glad I could help.