Retractable hard top roof. Standard list of comfort and convience equipment. Acceleration from stop.

Paint chips in first few months. Break dust on front wheels is annoying. Factory tires wore out after 30000 miles.

An excellent roadster for everyday use. Performance isn't quite as good as competitors (BMW Z3/M, Boxster), but the vario roof and comfort and convience equipment make it much more enjoyable to drive every day, especially in the winter. Very, very fun car. Haven't had a single mechanical problem with the car, and only have to bring it in for tune ups/oil changes every 12000 miles or so.

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None. My first roadster and my first convertible.

I purchased my 2001 SLK230 almost 4 months ago. It's proven to be a reliable little car as I drive it to work everyday.

The fit and finish are slightly below a C320, but it's acceptable. I think there are just too many cheap little pieces of plastic used in the interior considering the car is a Mercedes.

The acceleration is fine, even though the supercharged 4 cylinder sounds like it's going to explode at times. (I should have gotten the 6 cylinder).

The handling is OK. This is only a sports car in it's design and layout. The on center steering feel is numb at times and the car is lethrargic when entering corners...Hello body roll. However, the car is always predictable and the brakes are above average for it's class.

The 6 speed stinks. It's clunky and not even remotely sporting. I thought it would break in over time, but no such luck.

The stereo stinks. Well, it doesn't stink, but it's nothing special and at times reception is poor.

Of course there is little storage space, but you'd be little more than a dolt if you expected anything else.

My car is silver with a charcoal interior and you see them everywhere here in Florida, but that doesn't bother me. What bother me is the half assed effort Mercedes made when engineering this car. It's nothing more than a compromise of design and engineering. The fit and finish is OK, but not great. The interior material are adequate, but not special. The engine produces adequate power, but is unrefined. The car is available with a manual trans, but the one made available stinks.

1.) Styling, in my opinion, is attractive.
2.) Retractable hardtop.

1.) Rattles from the dash.
2.) Sometimes the top will not go down, or worse, it won't go up.
3.) The engine is not refined.
4.) Cheap interior pieces that have no place in a Mercedes.
5.) A manual transmission that leaves me yearning for the shifter in a Honda Accord.

My wife and I purchased this car to be used as a commuter car. My wife primarily used the car for the 12 mile drive to the hospital where she holds her residency.

We were attracted to the overall appearance of the car and we though it would make a reliable third car. It's been a love/hate relationship with this car, mostly hate.

This is our 6th Mercedes since 1991. This is by far the worst built MB we've ever owned. I refer to the car as our German Chevette. The rattles that emit from the dash are intolerable. When you drive through a railroad crossing it feels as if the interior pieces are going to fall off and the quality of those pieces is questionable at best.

The top always gets stuck in extreme temperatures. On a 95 degree July day this summer the top would not move. We could hear it moaning, but it was not able to retract. I'm told that this is a common SLK problem.

The power provided by the supercharged 4 is adequate, but the unrefined engine noise is not acceptable. I'm certain that the 6 cylinder version of the SLK is a huge improvement.

The handling is more GT than sports car. There is plenty of body roll and the steering is vague at best. The best thing I can say about the handling is that it's predictable.

The brakes are very good, with very little fade even when we had the car up at Lime Rock, CT.

The manual transmission is not very smooth. I've driven 25k Hondas that put this unit to shame.

Mercdes had a wonderful idea with this car, but it's execution leaves a lot to be desired, especially for longtime MB owners. We would not purchase this version of the SLK ever again.

Joy to drive. The hardtop/convertible feature is the slickest on the market. Excelleration is fantastic on the 320, and the exhaust note is nice. Very happy with the interior fit and finish on the 320. The styling is timeless.

Small trunk, but who cares?

Handling and cornering are great with the sport package. Car seems to be built incredibly solid. No rattles or creeks. Sound package is super. I highly recommend Penske Mercedes in West Covina, CA. Their service has been great. Free carwash for the life of your vehicle. Every day a new freebee. Massages one day, shoe shine another, lunch still another. Amazing they can afford to provide all these freebies. A great dealership (and I'm not an easy sell).

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Porsche Boxster. Nice car but not quite and luxurious and no hard top option. Priced significanly higher. BMW 330 Convertible, not the same quality fit and finish as the 320slk. Not as fun to drive and performance not as good

2001 SLK230:

This is the Mercedes for a woman (girl) who is just happy to have a 3 pointed star on the hood.

The car is relatively cheap allowing many wannabes to achieve their goal of owning an MB convertible on a salary of less than 50k/annum.

The engineers no longer have the last word at Mercedes which allows a shoddy product such as this to be sold.

The power top, body design and power. The engine has a great sound upon acceleration.

The interior keeps peeling off all of the plastic parts. The car is two months old and I have had 3 interior replacements to date. Mercedes states that it is normal wear and tear. I have been told that I cannot wear Jewelry or cologne in this car. Car uses too many cheap parts for the price. The lower end Mercedes are a much better value!!!

This car is really fun. Has enough power to be dangerous. The power top gets a lot of attention. Have had a lot of problems (weekly) with interior peeling. This started with the 2nd day of ownership. I was assured that this has never happened before. Mercedes has replaced interior 3 times. Said they will not do it again. The climate controls need to be improved. They take a while to begin. The cup holders are located in an akward place and drip down the center console. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO TAKE IT IN FOR REPAIRS...WEEKLY!

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BMW 325i convertible. Much more reliable. Mercedes c230(2) both were great cars.

Sytling, top, bang for the bucks, audio.

Too many quality defects in my car. Crappy shifter feel. Engine sound sux. Built-in phone set requires MB phone. Paint appears soft (i.e. chips easily). Climate control too cheap for the price. Engine hestitation/surge when cold (MB can't find any problem)

Looks are wonderful, price reasonable. Quality for me has been beyond dismal. Have ask MB to replace or take back car... 8=(

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BMW Z3, Porsche Boxster, Audi TT

Clean ergonomics at every angle. Power roof is remarkable! You can feel the Luxury when driving a Benz. Very fun engine, not too powerful yet sounds sporty and can get you from 0 to 60 in around 6.8 seconds!

Continental contisports are not the best tires in this class. Shifter is not as smooth. Stereo amplification should be higher so you can hear music with the roof down. Cassette deck? Those crazy Germans!

With the sport package and the xenon headlights this car looks as good as anything on the road. The sport package adds a great mesh front grille, lowered bumpers and skirts and 17" AMG five star rims that add muscle and flare to this car. Without the Sport package this car seems timid and pettite, just add those rims and everyone will back away! This car is fun because you can drive it with the wind in your hair or be less pronounced and just close her up. The 320 is very fast compared to the lesser Kompressor model, its a different car with a different attitude. Very luxurious in terms of finish and comfort, sport package is a must!!

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Read all the car mags. #1 Porche Boxter #2 SLK320 #3 S2000 #4 Volvo

Styling
Hard top convertible

Quality control
Cheap materials
Cheap engine

This car is not worthy of the 3 pointed MB star.

From the whiny engine to the cheap interior, it's an absolute disappointment.

Hardtop has best of both worlds. Looks really nice and gets lots of looks with the top down (espically in yellow). Dealer offers free car washes. Um... thinking...

Where to start... The interior rattles like crazy, fake carbon fiber, ahhorid handling, $10,000 Sport package is a rip off (AMG rims, body colored moldings- bumper/side skirts). Absolutely terrible reliability! (Check engine light at 5000 miles?!?). Bad wind buffeting at highway speeds. Flat, hard, uncomfortable (hardly adjustable) seats. No trunk space. Leg hits some weird molding in the drivers conpartment. Loud and sounds really terrible (I think because of that Supercharger). Expensive parts.

One of the worst cars ever! Would never buy it again. It looks great and the hardtop works like a charm, but the shoddy build quality and the terrible handling make this a car to avoid. I think that it has ball and joint steering (as opposed to the much superior rack and pinion). It has a total lack of feeling though the steering wheel. The Sport package is a rip off, as everything on it is purely cosmetic. This is the ultimate poser car- talks the talk, but cannot walk the walk.

Also the dealership treats me like crap. I'm young and they avoid me like the plague. They are always rude and seem stuck up (to me at least). I noticed that the floors and walls were lined with marble and the waiting room has a Sony Wega TV set in it. Just sitting in that room wonders how much they ripped me off.

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1999 Honda Prelude Type SH- better in every concievable way (not a convertable)
1990 Mazda Miata- much better, smaller, no retracable hardtop