Just got back from the Mercedes dealership in San Francisco, that was by far the worst experience I've ever had with a dealership. The salesman was a complete and utter jerk (refraining from using more colorful language here), and at the end he flat out called me a liar and all but kicked me out of the place.

Why? Becuause I wouldn't buy his SLK55 on the spot after test driving it for $10k over MSRP.

Um, am I crazy here, or is the dealer correct in trying to rape the customer for $10k over sticker? I've already got one dealer offering the car at $2k under MSRP, and one dealership in LA is talking about invoice price.

I'm seriously reconsidering whether an MB is right for me. When I drive in to the Lexus dealership (in any car, not just the SC430) they treat me like royalty.

I'm just still stunned by this experience. I've test driven literally hundreds of cars and never been treated like that.

I wasn't there for a joyride (I have a 700hp Corvette Z06 for that), I was there to find out whether the car was right for me or not.

As for the SLK55 itself, not bad. Didn't seem like 100hp over the SLK350, the soundsystem was excellent (a surprise), the nav system was pretty horrible, handling was great, ride quality very good, ergonomics not as bad as they seemed in the SLK350 I drove. Overall a nice car, but I'm just not sure if it's right for me yet.

I'd love it if it had a good nav system, bluetooth, and adaptive cruise control. An SL55 is an option, but I can't understand why the car is well over 4000lbs.

Dammit Lexus, make a bloody sport division already and give me more power and handling in my SC430!

 

From my understanding, your experience at the MB dealership is not atypical. Even if you bought the car, you could expect more of the same treatment every time you walked back in, whether for service or for repairs for the many electrical gremlins you can expect.

 

Mirrors my experiences as well. It is almost like we are blessed just to set foot on their lots to gaze on the fine machinery. If you drive one, they take it as consent you will buy.

I believe that Luxury Motorworks has a supercharger for the SC...but call and verify.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=153716

 

well you achieved your goal anyway to test drive the car, since you won't buy the car, so why care. personally i only go to dealership to test drive cars. not much feeling about them.

the the sl55 well over 4000lb? just like the sc430 right? well over 4000lb. but the sl55 is fast and handles well, so it's good enough for me

 

Hey, the SLK has gotten some great reviews, it seems to be the sportiest Benz ever. It is a shame you had that experience, what I would do is report the saleman to the manager and to Benz customer service. Then I'd buy the car at another dealer, it wasn't the car but, sadly, the usual arrogant salemen (I don't even get approached at Benz dealers).
I would then drive my new SLK55 to the previous dealership, drink some of their coffee and take a poop in their restroom. And a burnout in the driveway.

But that is just me

Henry the SL55/65 weighs tons. That is why the acceleration is so amazing. Also why the car needs 8 piston calipers to slow it down.

You could TT your SC 430 you know Dozer, not sure your into the modding thing thoug.

 

^ that SC is HOTT

 

SC430 is 3840 lb.

SL55 is 4235 lb., even the SL500 is 4065 lb. these cars have lots of stuff in them but the active body control makes them handle better.

 

i dunno for some reason everytime i see the slk it screams out "i want a gucci bag"

 

umm..... what is gross weight and what's curb weight?

 

I love the looks of the SL55, but the insane price and 4200+ curb weight is just stupid heavy.

I like the looks of the SLK55, but there's a lot of things NOT to like about the car: Ugly wheels (would have to change that), no Bluetooth availability (would have to change that), an extremely lousy nav system, interior isn't that great, no adaptive cruise control, and a dealer that's a total ***ktard.

There are some good things to it, 360hp, 370+ft/lbs torque, 7 speed tranny, nice ride, fair price, etc...

But, I just went for a test drive in a Cadillac XLR again, wicked car. Beautiful interior, superb handling with the magnetic suspension, only 40hp less than the SLK55 and about 3500lbs, fantastic soundsystem and nav system, adaptive cruise control, heated and cooled seats, HUD, and the dealer offered me $10k off MSRP without me even asking. Sales on the XLR have been VERY VERY slow and GM is cutting production in half.

I'd go for the XLR now, but the XLR-V is coming out in less than a year, 440hp Supercharged V8, still around 3500lbs, that'll blow the doors off the SLK and give me a happy medium between my 700hp Supercharged Corvette Z06 and my Lexus SC430.

Yeah, I could twin turbo the SC430, but once the money is put in you lose it, and that'd cost about $25k. I'd still have to improve the handling too. I love my SC, but it's silly to have $100k+ worth of cars in the garage when one will do.

What's really pissing me off is taxes though. I am NEVER going to buy another car again, ever. I'm planning on leasing for the rest of my life.

Why? Because when you lease a vehicle you only pay tax on the lease payment and not the entire vehicle. And that sure adds up when you're talking about $50k-$90k cars! With my Z06, the first owner paid $5k in taxes, he drove it 688 miles and I got it off ebay. I paid $4k in taxes, and it's now at 8500 miles. It's up for sale now, and the next owner will pay $5k in taxes.

I cannot understand why the GD government is making $15k on the Z06 when GM didn't even make that much!!!

Screw it, I'm leasing and only paying tax on the lease payment. That alone would've saved me over $5k in taxes over the past year or two, and that adds up to $250/month or so!!!

 

All curb weights & SL600 is 4429 lb. I have SL brochure in front of me, but it's a 04, therefore no SL65 in there, I bet it's the heaviest of the SL's.

Curb Weight is the weight of an empty vehicle (without payload or driver) with standard equipment, fuel, coolant, and oil. It is also known as the vehicle weight. Gross Vehicle Weight is the actual weight of the entire vehicle and its contents, including fuel and occupants.

 

oh that's why..... i went to edmunds.com and found a gross weight of 4400lb....

i wonder what the hell can be that heavy

 

So I have been reading this thread and have come to realize something. The MB SL series of autos are far from the orignial concept born a long time ago. If I am not mistaken, wasn't the SL supposed to mean something like "Super Light??" I might be wrong but still, for the SL's to be MB flagships, they seem to weight in a tad obese IMO.

also dozer (that's my dogs name BTW ) I am sorry to hear your problems with that dealership. Hopefully you can enjoy your next vehicle, whichever one it may be, without something like this to tarnish the experience.


Josh

 

I know for my family, we had a great MB dealership experience and a great salesman. If anybody around here wants a Benz go to Barrier and get Michael Le. Real stand up guy. However, my mom's 2004 CLK500 she bought in August 2003 has been having horrible problems (i.e. it won't start). They're thinking of trading it in on maybe a CLS but I really want my mom to look around at other companies before deciding on another gremlin hive. She's really caught up in the whole "image" thing.

James

 

umm..... not sure about super light. considering the size and the setup of the car, i just dont see it able to beat the slk at all. the slk is smaller, smaller, of course it's lighter