From a SLK to a 370Z...

Lemers · 06-01-2011, 11:12 AM

That's a very limited source pool to pick from. I haven't seen anyone here that said they traded in an SLK for a Z. Hope you find someone.

FromG2Z · 06-01-2011, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Never owned one, but have driven one and that was enough to tell me it isn't really a sports car like the Z... it seemed more of a somewhat fun, cute roadster. The Z is far and away more performance oriented.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lemers

That's a very limited source pool to pick from. I haven't seen anyone here that said they traded in an SLK for a Z. Hope you find someone.

Exactly. I don't need to own an SLK to be qualified to state my opinion (again, this is just my opinion....) that the Z is superior in all aspects. I too, looked at a used 2007 SLK before purchase of the Z. Wife and I test drove it overnight from a dealership here. The only things it holds over the Z were the more elegant name and look, and a fancy hard drop top.

Upon driving it for about 30 or so miles, I found the following nuances:

1) Interior quality is sub par
2) The shifter is very vague feeling and throws are very long. It just feels "loose".... compared to a notchy snick-snick feel of the Z or any other real sports car
3) The handling was boaty compared to the Z
4) The engine, though a 350 version, was very coarse.... at least I expected smoother from an MB. Put it this way, it's no BMW in terms of smoothness.
5) The car is very "chic"... my wife loved the look. But it's not really "manly" in all senses of the word.
6) Was also told/notified about high maintenance prices and bad overall quality.

Needless to say, we passed on it, returned it the next day, and continued on our search. The Z surpassed the SLK in all categories, particularly value, sportiness, looks, and ride.

Good luck with your decision.

cossie1600 · 06-01-2011, 12:03 PM

My wife had a SLK55. Car is great for cruising and straight line acceleration, but it didn't handle nor was it cheap to maintain. We got rid of it for an SUV. It's a nice car in its own right, but it is not a track car

007MI6 · 06-01-2011, 12:39 PM

Before my Z I drove a 2005 Crossfire SRT6, which is basically a rebadged SLK. All the components from hoses, to exhaust, to supercharger are badged Mercedes. That car was awesome! The power from that FI v6 was amazing. That being said, I think the ride, comfort and handling of the Z are much better. I went 207 350Z to the SRT6 and now to a 2011 370Z. Hope that opinion helps, it is after all, just my two cents.

ben721364 · 06-01-2011, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 007MI6

Before my Z I drove a 2005 Crossfire SRT6, which is basically a rebadged SLK. All the components from hoses, to exhaust, to supercharger are badged Mercedes. That car was awesome! The power from that FI v6 was amazing. That being said, I think the ride, comfort and handling of the Z are much better. I went 207 350Z to the SRT6 and now to a 2011 370Z. Hope that opinion helps, it is after all, just my two cents.

Yes. The Crossfire was built on the previous generation (R170) SLK platform. Thanks.

Apoc370z · 06-01-2011, 12:52 PM

I own a SLK350 and recently bought a 2011 370z, we are comparing two different cars here.

The merz is more classy and elegant, definitely fit better as a daily
driver cause it has a smoother ride, and more quiet.

The Z is loud, more aggressive and definitely have more power. Handling wise i think the Z is far more superior.

If you like to cruise around in town with your wife/gf then stay with the more luxurious SLK. If you like to drive a lil more aggressive, like the sound of a louder engine and faster sports car, go with the Z

ben721364 · 06-01-2011, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apoc370z

I own a SLK350 and recently bought a 2011 370z, we are comparing two different cars here.

The merz is more classy and elegant, definitely fit better as a daily
driver cause it has a smoother ride, and more quiet.

The Z is loud, more aggressive and definitely have more power. Handling wise i think the Z is far more superior.

If you like to cruise around in town with your wife/gf then stay with the more luxurious SLK. If you like to drive a lil more aggressive, like the sound of a louder engine and faster sports car, go with the Z

Thanks. What model year SLK did you have? How long did you own it and how many miles did you put on it v. the 370Z?

Thanks again.

jginnane · 06-01-2011, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben721364

What model year SLK did you have? How long did you own it and how many miles did you put on it v. the 370Z?

Ben,

FWiW, I got my wife one of the first ML-320s in 98. We used to enjoy driving around that first year, spotting maybe 1-3 other MLs a week. Then the vehicle got too popular.

Another issue we had was that routine warranty & maintenance work always included about 12-15 pages of other stuff than we had ordered, apparently chargebacks to the Mercedes factory for various recall campaigns. A lot of the time, we were pretty sure there was nothing wrong with what was being "fixed".

When we got to the end of the 50K warranty period, the string of $700 bills started arriving ... aimed at US. Mass air sensor? $700. Inside rear latch defective? (We never tried to open the hatch from the inside.) $700. A simple oil change & filter was at least $200. And you couldn't get 3rd-party work for something as simple as brakes pads, because they all said Mercedes controlled the supply of parts.

The happiest day for my wife was the day she got this car for her 50th birthday. The second-happiest was the day we traded it away.

We like the SLK a lot, but it's another 40 miles to the next-nearest Mercedes dealer, and it's just too much to pay for a car that looks like a Hyundai. My wife's happy in her current Acura TL. I'm happy in my Z. And we both fight over who gets to use the Honda Element.

birdmanx1 · 06-01-2011, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jginnane

Ben,

The happiest day for my wife was the day she got this car for her 50th birthday. The second-happiest was the day we traded it away.

It's like most of the sensors are designed to break just shy of the 50K warranty and then begins the fun part. I left the sunroof slightly open and of course it rained, $1500 to fix sensor, no 3rd party shop wanted anything to do with it, hydraulic sensor went bad $1500, passenger side HID unit went bad $2000. Maintenance for the Z on the other hand is so much cheaper and parts are easier to get imo.

DOOMMONKEY777 · 06-01-2011, 10:50 PM

Dude. just get the damn Z its better. And Women Love it just ask my aunt

that went from 2011 SLK to 2011 Z love at first site, but a brand spanking new Z its really harsh, noisy, nasty, clunky, after about 6k miles it becomes much smoother better and if you put diff tiers on it it becomes much quieter. I must admit the seats are sooooo comfortable

m4a1mustang · 06-02-2011, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by birdmanx1

It's like most of the sensors are designed to break just shy of the 50K warranty and then begins the fun part. I left the sunroof slightly open and of course it rained, $1500 to fix sensor, no 3rd party shop wanted anything to do with it, hydraulic sensor went bad $1500, passenger side HID unit went bad $2000. Maintenance for the Z on the other hand is so much cheaper and parts are easier to get imo.

It's that damn Mercedes SDS. We had a crank position sensor go out on my gf's CLK500. It's maybe $50 for the part but since you have to have it done by the dealer it's $700. You can't just plug in a new sensor and go... it has to be programmed.

As long as nothing breaks it is fine, though. Regular maintenance is easily a DIY job... oil changes, brakes, etc. But there's always that "out of warranty" cloud over your head whenever you drive it...

kenchan · 06-01-2011, 01:09 PM

op- just go test drive one. end of story.

JARblue · 06-01-2011, 01:13 PM

FromG2Z · 06-01-2011, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben721364

I currently own an SLK and was pleasantly surprised with the handling, once I got used to it's eccentricities. It even delivers fairly good fuel economy on the big road. Incidentally it is a roadster (retractable HT) rather than a coupe and isn't all that quiet. I am just thinking about getting something different and have never owned a Z.

If you think your SLK handled well, then you need to test drive a Z. However, the 370 is not quiet by any means. A lot of people complain about the noise. I for one, love the noise... lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

op- just go test drive one. end of story.

Amen.

Apoc370z · 06-01-2011, 01:56 PM

Its a 2009 . I have the Z for 2 months and it is now my daily driver. The Z is more of a wow factor comparing to the slk thats for sure. But like everyone else said, test drive one and get an on experience with it

06-01-2011, 11:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
Lemers A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Izmir, Turkey Posts: 15,371 Drives: 2012 Traverse LTZ Rep Power: 53	That's a very limited source pool to pick from. I haven't seen anyone here that said they traded in an SLK for a Z. Hope you find someone. __________________ 2010 Black Cherry Touring/Sport/Nav Now - 2012 Travese LTZ until I leave for Turkey

06-01-2011, 12:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
007MI6 Track Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Corpus Christi, TX Age: 45 Posts: 703 Drives: Audrey Rep Power: 15	Before my Z I drove a 2005 Crossfire SRT6, which is basically a rebadged SLK. All the components from hoses, to exhaust, to supercharger are badged Mercedes. That car was awesome! The power from that FI v6 was amazing. That being said, I think the ride, comfort and handling of the Z are much better. I went 207 350Z to the SRT6 and now to a 2011 370Z. Hope that opinion helps, it is after all, just my two cents. __________________ 2011 370Z Touring+Sport Coupe BLK Int\|\|M6\|\|Navigation\|\|Illuminated Door Sills\|\|GoMiniGo LPB

06-01-2011, 10:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
DOOMMONKEY777 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Crooklyn Posts: 1,011 Drives: 370Z 6psd-sport-pkg Rep Power: 21	Dude. just get the damn Z its better. And Women Love it just ask my aunt that went from 2011 SLK to 2011 Z love at first site, but a brand spanking new Z its really harsh, noisy, nasty, clunky, after about 6k miles it becomes much smoother better and if you put diff tiers on it it becomes much quieter. I must admit the seats are sooooo comfortable __________________ Kids don't do Drugs, Drugs are bad, so let the professional druggies do Drugs for you. 537whp/496lb/tq@8-9PSI 93 octane

06-01-2011, 12:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
cossie1600 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: californee way Posts: 5,380 Drives: 370, Leaf Rep Power: 30	My wife had a SLK55. Car is great for cruising and straight line acceleration, but it didn't handle nor was it cheap to maintain. We got rid of it for an SUV. It's a nice car in its own right, but it is not a track car

06-01-2011, 12:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
Apoc370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2011 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 999 Drives: 2011 GM z34 Rep Power: 15	I own a SLK350 and recently bought a 2011 370z, we are comparing two different cars here. The merz is more classy and elegant, definitely fit better as a daily driver cause it has a smoother ride, and more quiet. The Z is loud, more aggressive and definitely have more power. Handling wise i think the Z is far more superior. If you like to cruise around in town with your wife/gf then stay with the more luxurious SLK. If you like to drive a lil more aggressive, like the sound of a louder engine and faster sports car, go with the Z

06-01-2011, 01:09 PM	#12 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	op- just go test drive one. end of story.

06-01-2011, 01:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 44 Posts: 36,450 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684441

06-01-2011, 01:56 PM	#15 (permalink)
Apoc370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2011 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 999 Drives: 2011 GM z34 Rep Power: 15	Its a 2009 . I have the Z for 2 months and it is now my daily driver. The Z is more of a wow factor comparing to the slk thats for sure. But like everyone else said, test drive one and get an on experience with it