The slk was available in a 6 speed manual

"sony1492" (sony1492) 12/07/2019 at 07:50 • Filed to: Probably unreliable

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They are now getting cheap.....

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Cé hé sin > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 08:08

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You're surprised? Many smaller Mercs are or were available as manuals.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 08:10

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I’m a serious  manual transmission die-hard, even having one in my DD minivan, but the MT I tried in the SLK I did a test drive in had me longing for an auto, something I thought I’d never say. No matter how it’s equipped, an SLK is not a sporty car, and a manual actually makes this car worse. Combining a sucky transmission with the ‘reliability’ of an out-of-warranty, un -sporty (except in looks) German car is a recipe for dissatisfaction. Don’t waste your time.

Grindintosecond > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 12/07/2019 at 08:13

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Merc was long known for being greater at autos. Tradition....

Khalbali > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 08:20

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I've actually been looking at these lately, they're surprisingly common. I just don't know if I could get past the dong-nose/proboscis whatever you want to call it, I love modern Merc design but I have a really hard time with that era and that's all I can afford :(

jimz > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 08:25

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And looked like a proboscis monkey

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Cé hé sin 12/07/2019 at 08:28

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US market has never gotten Mercedes’ low spec or economy models until very recently. A manual Merc is foreign to us.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 08:29

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The worst manual still beats the best automatic.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 12/07/2019 at 10:02

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I love my MTs, to the death, but if you’ve ever driven a Merc with a manual you’d take back that statement, I assure you. ‘Stirring a bucket of ice cubes with a broom handle’ was the way I heard Mercedes manuals described, and it’s an apt description. It’s like they made them  deliberately crappy in order to force people into automatics. 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Khalbali 12/07/2019 at 10:15

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It’s definitely grown on me.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 12/07/2019 at 10:23

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No

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 12/07/2019 at 10:24

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No we’ve gotten manuals in C and SLK for a while. They only stopped around 2012.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Khalbali 12/07/2019 at 10:24

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Stop. You don't want it.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 10:28

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The only good thing I can say about this transmission is that it’s reliable. It has no other redeeming qualities. And R171's in general are rattletraps. You definitely don’t want to own an out of warranty hard top convertible. 05-06 have balance shaft issues. 272 engines can have  intake manifold issues at higher miles. The only good SLK is a 55.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 12/07/2019 at 10:50

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Yeah, but what was the take rate? And we never got the true cheap models. It ’s only recently we got the A class, we only got the electric B-class, and cloth interiors are extremely rare here if even present at all 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 12/07/2019 at 10:57

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Extremely low. And yeah, we never got those. Even the A that we do get is quite nice. I’ve seen plenty of cloth/manual 203's. Those were easily the most common of base spec cars here. But my point is they do exist and can be found without a ton of effort.

Though it's possible my idea of effort here is skewed. I mean I did spend 6 months looking for my E55 with the exact options that it's got. And I expected that search to take longer.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 11:23

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The R129 SL300-24 was also available with a manual in the US. I love the R129, I love 24-valve straight sixes and I love manual transmissions, but I’d never buy a combination of the three.

way2blu does a rev update > sony1492 12/07/2019 at 13:58

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Long ago, I daily-drove this 2006 C 230 Sport with the 2.5L V6 and a 6MT. Same platform and transmission as the SLK of that era.

It’s fun to drive for sure and I’m quite glad for the manual transmission. It’s not as ultra-precise as, say, a Honda, but it’s still miles ahead of an automatic for driving fun. Funny enough, it still has a kick-down button if you floor the gas extra hard, but I haven’t been able to figure out if it does anything.

It’s been very reliable (have had only one engine repair between 80k-120k mileage, and it was just an intake manifold component) and the fuel economy isn’t bad either.

Overall, if you’re looking for a daily that’s also engaging to drive, the SLK is probably a great choice too . These can cruise like nothing else but also are plenty of fun on twisty roads.