aznmojo

Not enough of an upgrade for an extra 10k. Power is similar... SLK in my opinion doesn't look as good AND as masculine. Go for a porsche 911 4s cabriolet, then thats an upgrade =).

ragtopz

the only reason that i am still driving my zr and not an slk is because i dont have the money to buy the slk... well, i do have the money, but i dont want to spend that much for a car.

the old slk was nice, but the new one is just awesome to look at. plus it has a retractable hard top. that is one of the only things i wish were different with the zr.

zland

New MB = oil leakers + many electronic/ECU problems.

Built2shredZ

ragtopz, you miss the point of the roadster. The only time the top is suppose to be up is when its parked... hard top, thats blasphamy..

Ruhtra

Wait for the 3 Series topless my 2 cents

shimz350z

how much faster is the slk 350 compared to the zr?

Built2shredZ

Everytime I think of a topless 3 Series, I always think of 90120 with the two blondes driving it... In my mind its a chicks car... but thats just me..

amallari

Get what you want, I would get the SLK if I had the money. I use the Z as a daily driver at times. I would use the SLK on weekends only, they do keep their resale value. The reputation with Mercedes and Nissan no comparsion. Mercedes is one of the best european cars, as they say its a MERCEDES!!!

Speedracer

It's very close for me. I still think the ZR looks better. The fit and finish of the Benz will blow the Z away, however. Now, if the AMG version came with a manual tranny, I would definitely take that over the ZR.

ThreeFitty

I've always thought of the SLK as a chick car, right there with the Miata and the VW Cabriolet.

No offense, just my opinion.

Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

Umm...don't do it??

rclab1

Hello all, thanks for all the positive input....

But I doNot agree w/some who say that
the New SLK350 MB is a Chicks car....

I know the 1997-2004 Model Year was.....
I agree 150% on that (being a Chick Car)

But the NEW MB SLK350 2005
which came out a couple months ago
has more of a Grunt to it.....

I only Wish that Infinity would come out
with a G35 coupe Convertible....
fully Loaded, it still would be around the
MSRP of a 2005 MB SLK350......

Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

Totally agree

Chief F1 Fan

iTrader: (1)

SLK = secretary cruiser

fineout

i got to drive a 05 SLK a few weeks before they were actually released, the car is very comfy and it responds very well to throttle/brake pressure, it has a thing that shoots air on your back so you can drivwe with the top down even in coldish weather....there IS still manuals in mercedes'..um anything you wanna no about driving or anything pm me i played with the thing for a good hour or 2 and im too lazy to do an all out review..P.S i love the styling of the SLK too..definately not a chicks car anymore

zmann

I've been passing over this thread for a while because I didn't see the point of it, really. These are two different classes of cars you are comparing; comes down to what is going to satisfy you in the long-term. Panache, flash, and class is what the MB is all about. Power, handling, and value, relatively speaking, is the Z. Kind of like what my wife said to me after the mods to my car: "...it isn't pretty and elegant anymore." To that I responded "...then I've done exactly what I set out to do...honey if you want pretty and elegant, go back to driving a Lexus!". So, again it comes down to what you want and what will make you happy. What difference does it make what I think; I've already voted, anyway.

srm

Silver350ZAZ

I too considered the Mercedes. I test drove it although all they had was the Automatic Transmission to test drive.

I see absolutely no reason why the Mercedes should be priced some $14,000 - $16,000 higher. This is the difference once you compare the cars feature for feature. You ned to add a few extra options to the Mercedes to get it to the point where it is feature for feature with the Z.

The car just does not impress me. Too cramped in the cockpit, some cheap interior materials. Still looks somewhat like a girls car to me. This should NOT be a $50,000 car.

The only bebnefit it has over the Z is the hard top.
That said WHY would anyone pay that much more for the Mercedes. Even if they were the same price, I wouldn;t get the Mercedes.

Darthvol

If you drive more than 12k mi/yr and clear less than 300k after taxes (which you will need for service costs), I have three reasons to prefer any Japanese car over any M-B: Reliability, reliability, reliability.

Check out all the black dots next to all M-Bs in Consumer Reports, compared to above average reliability for most Nissans, Toyotas, and Hondas, including the Z, even with the infamous feathering problem. I've got five friends who've owned M-Bs for the last 11 years, and all have had reliability problems, but keep coming back for more so they can drive down the road showing everyone they have the "best" car and have "arrived," i.e., "hey, look at me, everybody, I'm rich."

That said, get what YOU want, and the heck w/what any of the rest of us thinks. Good luck.

boldenmd

I've been considering the same thing. I love the nose on the new SLK. However, I figured I haven't owned the Z long enough to justify trading it in, so I bought the SLK diecast model so I can look at it whenever I want. Plus, I really do love the Z. If I could only own both ...

Darthvol

I had similar thoughts about a different car; I am now the proud owner of a shiny, new, red Enzo Ferrari diecast model.