1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class consumer reviews

Just sold mine after owning it for eight plus years. While I loved the looks of the SLK and I did enjoy owning and driving it, I was never that crazy about the spartan interior. For a Mercedes that cost $40K new, I thought it was rather plain Jane. I also wasn't happy with things like the door panels delaminating, the dash finish scaling off and probably most of all, the dang roof...I expected better from a Mercedes Benz. The roof went kaput three times while I owned the car and I got sick of the bother and the cost to deal with it. I would have also hoped it would hold its value better. I sold it rather cheap despite having put thousands into it. It's a cool little hardtop convertible but if you buy one, beware...be prepared to sink some $ into it.

I have been a big fan of the Mercedes Benz motorcars for years, and have always admired the SL's. I found a 1998 SLK230 advertised on my local marketplace on Facebook of all places. I have now owned this stunning little car for going on two years. I have put very little work into it since I purchased it. Oil change, coolant flush, injectors cleaned and changed out the shocks for a set of Bilstein b6's instead of the b4's, which gave the car a little stiffer ride. One of the main lifting cylinders for the roof sprung a leak and now the top does not work. Just waiting to replace it. This seems like a typical problem facing the older SLK's. Mine is the sunburst yellow like the one pictured. After 24 years the paint still gleams bright. I have received so many admiring comments on this car. People can't believe it's as old as it is. If you ever run across one, my advice would be grab it before it gets away. this seems like a typical problem facing the older SLK

Excellent car. Roof is working perfect and the engine has all its power. Like brand new. It reaches 100 miles in a few seconds. The cruise control works as brand new.

Most people see these early SLKs and think they are expensive to fix and hard to maintain. In reality, they are one of the most serviceable cars made. Almost everything is easily accessible and owner serviceable. Tons on videos and online articles exist to walk you through basic maintenance and common repairs. But you won't need that often as these cars are extremely reliable and will easily last past 200k miles. The paint is extremely durable and you'll find the oldest examples to still be glossy and without many paint chips. The interior is known to have issues with the paint wearing off the hard plastic surfaces, but touch-up paint is available to keep it looking tidy. Most of the first generation cars are well below $10k now with many excellent examples in the $4-5k range. Many are low mileage and in excellent shape, having been owned by those who only drove them on the weekends during fair weather. A lot of car for the money and a better investment than a Miata , Boxster, TT or Z3.

Quick and nimble, sound system is bliss, 98 model all german made parts before the nasty Chrysler merger that saw quality decrease after the 99 models. Love this little thing!

Amazing car looks great the detailing is amazing. It's such a good car especially with the convertible roof. Driving it down the PCH on a nice day is brilliant

I've owned a 1998 for 15 years now. Almost hitting 200K in miles and still running good. Have had to replace a ton of sensors, seems like every time we replace one a week later another one goes lol just makes it hard to inspect even though it runs great. Headliner finally fell down last year and the interior paint on dash flaked off 12 years ago and the seats both split along the seams at the same time. Still has original exhaust system and we drove it through 6 New Hampshire winters!!!

We bought this car as a replacement for a previous car that was nearly identical. The previous car was T-boned and declared a total loss unfortunately. However, despite the fact that it was a very small sports car, it protected its occupants from any harm and was in fair shape after the accident. The other car, driven by a drunk who ran a red light and plowed into the side of the small SLK, was totally demolished. We were convinced that the SLK was not only a fun car, but an extremely safe one. This is the true art of German Engineering... (And for a 19 year old vehicle in pretty darn good shape. Just beware that the convertible hard top cylinders can be an expensive problem to fix.)

I found one with only 27,000 miles (auto trans) on it. Being that old and with so little use, one shock absorber was noisy and so I did put new Bilstein B4 shocks on it. It runs flawlessly and it is a riot to drive. It seems very solid, handles curves tenaciously; nothing can keep up with it in the nearby mountains. Mine does not have seat heaters, a feature I really miss and I recommend anybody getting one to check for this feature if you are in northern latitudes. One weak area is the cockpit upholstery and door panels; some of the early ones deteriorated early, yet mine is fine so far. A good, low mileage one of these is an absolute bargain. Very little upkeep if you just follow the manual, which actually recommends oil changes every 13K miles. I don't go that far, maybe half that far and I use the best oil I can find. Over all. a sterling little car. Everybody thinks it is new, another advantage! Being supercharged and thus hard to not show off at times, mileage (prem. gas) varies from roughly 20-32 mpg. But hey, gas is the most insignificant cost of any car, so consider one! My sole complaint is the left seat belt is a bear to connect, being buried so close to the seat itself. If you don't close the door first and allow yourself a little wiggle room, you are fine, though.

This car is beautiful. It defies time. It is agile, fast and safe plus so much fun to drive. The hardtop is safe and is powered. It comes down or up quickly. It is not very economical getting between 19 and 22 mpg. The premium Bose sound system is excellent. There doors are wide and the bucket seats are very comfortable. Mercedes Benz nailed it with this sport little car :)