Time for another Popeye’s “Mild or Spicy” batch of cars. All are low mileage, third generation Mercedes SLK unicorns, diminutive retractable hard top convertibles with quite different personalities. They are a bit rare for different reasons. One is 50% less expensive than the other two. Worth it to upsize?
The Wiki page on SLK’s let me know “”the former name “SLK” was derived from sportlich (sporty), leicht (lightweight), and kurz (short).[1] . Sounded unfamiliar to me, in that I have never been caller sporty, lightweight, or short. The SLK was produced in Bremen, Germany from 1996 until 2020, although renamed the SLC in 2016 when Mercedes changed their naming convention.
(Apologies for vanishing since June – made a trip to Ireland, returned to a full work week, and generally recovered and goofed off for a few days. Thanks to new reader Seth for unknowingly giving me the nudge to complete this today!)
The “mild” version is a 2013 Mercedes SLK250, with 31,000 miles. Front seat heaters, Harman Kardon sound system, panoramic sunroof built into the hard top, and otherwise pretty basic. What makes it special?
As I understand it, the SLK250 was the last Mercedes sold in the USA with a manual transmission! The six-speed manual, offered from 2013-2015, makes this baby-SL a bit more fun, given it only has a 1.8 liter four cylinder pumping 201 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque. Car and Driver coaxed 60 mph in the low six second range. Mercedes only sold a little over 4,000 of the SLK250’s, and only a small number of those were manuals in the US.
The SLK is a “compact executive roadster” – a UK term I hear, designed by Bruno Sacco, an Italian-German engineer and designer. The interior is handsome and tight. No big infotainment screens back in 2013. The trunk (below) includes the same kind of protective panel as in my 2013 M3 – the retractable hard top cannot be stowed in the trunk unless the cover is in place.
Car and Driver reviewed a nearly identical 2015 model and enjoyed the handling and the “well-sorted” manual transmission – the little turbo motor not so much. A small turbocharged engine can be fun in a small roadster, and I suspect this 3,300 lb car could be fun with the top down on a windy road.
The 2013 SLK250 sold for less than $50,000 when it was new almost a dozen years ago. It’s now about half that, and with pretty low miles. It’s a two-owner, accident free car that’s spent its time in Ohio and Kentucky, Find it here in Houston, Texas.
Stock No. 25731536 VIN: WDDPK4HA9DF051406
A Mild SLK250 With A Manual Is Nice – A Spicy SLK55 (Or Two) Better!
The SLK was also sold with a 302 hp, 3.5 liter, V6 that was probably faster than the SLK250, but didn’t have the manual transmission. For a real spicy SLK, though, the SLK55 AMG is the bomb. (Do people still say that?) Same starting point with the chassis and body, upgraded with an AMG touch. This one is a 2013 model.
The ”spicy” SLK is the fire breathing SLK55 AMG version, stuffing a naturally aspirated 5.5 liter, hand built V-8 into the engine bay, making 415 hp. With the seven-speed automatic, Motor Trend ripped 4.2 second 0-60 mph runs in the SLK55, faster than a comparable Mustang GT. They also noted the SLK55 cost about twice as much as a Mustang GT, though – maybe $80,000 vs $40,000 comparably equipped. (Can you really equip a Mustang to match a Mercedes?)
The SLK55 AMG interior don’t look all that different from the more civilized SLK250. Chronometer peeking up from the dash gives it away. The burgundy seats grow on you. So does the “Air Scarf” neck ventilation in the SLK seat backs – same as the SL class. As I write it’s well over 90 degrees here in Virginia and I passed on driving the M3 with the top down today. If I had Air Scarf……. All three SLK’s have the $2,500 option “Magic Sky Control”, what Motor Trend calls “the cool nanoparticle party trick that turns the glass roof from clear to opaque at the touch of a button.” Car and Driver was more kind, noting it “adds to the airy sensation, and it brings extra relief to the tight cockpit.” I kind of like the idea of having a sunroof in a hard top convertible at all!.
Forgot to mention this SLK55 has only 16,000 miles on it. Hardly broken in! The 2013 Mercedes SLK55 AMG is an accident free, three-owner car from Texas, Tennessee, and Missouri. Right now it’s here in Dallas.
Stock No. 25989143 VIN: WDDPK7FA8DF065589
Bonus Car – Another SLK55 Listed Since I Started Writing!
This one is a 2014 Mercedes SLK55, also low mileage and also well within unicorn price range. In fact, had I not seen the 16,000 miler above I would have been all silly over this find alone.
I do prefer the tan interior more. Not much else different. Ran the CarMax “Compare” feature and it tells me the only difference is the 2014 does not have the sunroof (it does) and the 2014 doesn’t have the driver assistance package – I cannot tell if that is accurate.
I can tell the 2014 only has one smart key per the photo, and that just frosts my butt. The 2013 SLK55 has two! And try as I might, I could not get a high enough resolution screenshot of the AMG engine builders’ signatures on the motors to see if the same builder put together the 2013 and the 2014 motors. Thought that would have been cool as hell!
The 2014 Mercedes SLK55AMG is maybe the best deal here at $32,998 – $7,000 less than the ultra low mileage 2013 above. Use that $7,000 to buy Maxcare! All three are eligible for the extended warranty for 60 months and up to 125,000 miles. That’s anywhere from 90,000 to 109,000 miles of worry free driving on 10 and 11 year old Mercedes. That’s why I dig MaxCare so much. This 2014 Mercedes SLK55 AMG is here in Portland, Maine.
Stock No. 25693278 VIN: WDDPK7FA5EF092489
