I bought one of these a couple of years ago off ebay, with 170k miles for £500, expecting it to be awful. It turned out to be one owner from new, full Mercedes history and it was immaculate. It was the 2.3 Kompressor with a manual gearbox, and I was really surprised by how well it drove. It's now done another 20,000 miles without so much as a blown bulb, and shows no signs of giving up yet! Possibly the most reliable car I've owned so I definitely got lucky there!

A little tip - if you get one of these where the lid doesn’t operate but the button flashes red , especially so if the interior light stays on when the doors are shut , open the boot lid, take the plastic access cover off the inside of the lock and give the lock assy a gentle spray with some WD40. There are some micro switches in there and sometimes one sticks and inhibits the roof action because it’s falsely telling the system that the boot lid is open

The SLK is the coolest car Mercedes ever made,anybody that have one absolutely loves it,any year,any color,any model

8:32 BAS light is removed by turning the steering fully to the left, then fully to the right. Usually required when a battery has been disconnected.

This model SLK was my gateway drug into Mercedes-Benz cars. I liked the R170, but I prefer the R171 model, and I am now on my sixth one of those (I've had 200, 280 and 350 engines, but sadly no AMG). My latest one is an obsidian black SLK 200 Kompressor, and I love it!

I had one of these for 9 years until I totaled it 2 weeks ago. It was a Pandora's box of electrical issues and rust was really starting to eat at it but God, I loved that thing. I openly wept when I finished cleaning it out and retrieved the plates from it.

11:50 Bright lad 👏🏻😂 Nice little car though

My SLK 230 has pop out cup holders! It's engine is solid as anything. Great fun to drive. Not sporty, but a great cruiser.

Just picked up my 2011 SLK yesterday with only 55,000 miles on it! I love it, it's so classy inside and drives perfectly. I only purchased it because of this channel and it's my first sports car. Thanks Matt!

Great video!. These SLK are the ones to go for, just got mine a few weeks ago, a 98' manual one. Done water pump, thermostat, belts, brakes, and a Pioneer head unit of that age with Bluetooth, very easy jobs and cheap parts available. Clean MOT with zero advisories, Next will be interior trim paint, HVAC valves as the heater is stuck, and sorting all hydraulic roof cylinders, believe I can do it myself.

20 years old, it rains just about all the time in this country so having a bit of rust is hardly a surprise! This car looks really decent, actually think the spoke wheels look good, some of the Mercedes’ wheels look to small and don’t fill the arches.

Love your videos so big up from Scotland 👍.

Well done Matt you smashed it Kevin

Amazing car. ABOSLUTELY amazing car. Have had mine. 2003 SLK 230 for over 10 years now and its perfection.

We had one like that for 7 years! We had a SL after and now back in a SLK R171 🌞

I have a 97 Black 230 SLK with red seats and red dash, and interior, always garaged from new and it’s faultless, 70k miles and a really fun car to drive when the sun shines. They are galvanised so a lot about not helping residual prices. I did 112 mph with the roof down in Germany 😃

this has to be one of the most british videos on the channel : Driving an old 4x4, revulsion to the american bling, a not so obvious figure of speech , rain and sunshine in one day, selling a convertible just because there might be some sunshine in the near future.

Nice weekend car when there is sunshine 😀

brilliant video Matt 👍

I have a very similar Y reg in silver. Now 198k on the clock, cost me £600 4yrs ago. I done a lot of work in Frankfurt and Munich and used it to get there and back about 8 times, almost faultless, New tyres, 1 coil a few bulbs and I replaced the driveshaft mid support bearing myself for £30. Still my daily driver and I love it, though due to rust underneath don’t think it’ll get another mot… my other car is a 50yr old VW T2.

I had 2002, SLK 230 for years and it was great. It went through an MOT every year with NO advisories, even though it was a garage queen for 6 months of the year. I sold it to a friend who loves it, definitely a great car.

those alloys really pop with the red Matt, IMHO =) great find well done

Arches painted already. The Kompressor badges are missing on the wings being a sign

Beautifull car. I had a slk 200 from 1999, never problems . 18 august i go to germany , i bought a mercedes 200 slk kompressor. Can't wait to drive it. Good cars!!!!!

Nice looking car. Enjoyed the video as always .Well done

I have one of these and I will tell you, the original grille was a joke! The one he put on this one is the one I purchased and being that mine is a silver car, it goes quite nicely. You’re correct, the wheels are hideous….. mine has the AMG package so the wheels are sweet!

Hi Matt, just out of curiosity, if someone wanted to keep this SLK long-term as, say, the family runabout, or a couple's weekend get-away car, what is the best long-term way to fix the rust properly before it gets hopeless? The putty and paint method would, as you say, begin to rust again in a couple of years. But what is the better (but yes, more expensive) alternative for the long-term? Welding a lot of new bits in and re-paint? Replace the fenders and boot lit panels completely and re-paint? What would that cost? Sure, these cars will likely never be "super classics" like SLs that in 10 years will rise appreciably in value. But, it might be a fun car to just keep around. I rather liken it to an MGB kind of thing. It's not for everyone or for all occasions, but, if you like it (nice color), it might be worth just keeping forever. But that would mean fixing the body work properly, not just with putty and paint. So, what would be a proper form of permanent rust repair and what would that cost? Consider: Replacing the car it with a newer version every three years costs money too. Cars are like love -- one is either a "one-nighter, right now, a new model around every corner" kind of person, or, like me, one plays for keeps. In the end, the costs in money may be the same, but the costs in happiness another matter. Always looking for something new implies a certain undercurrent of always being unhappy. The proper rust repair might be expensive, but likely less than replacing a gearbox on a RR.

I never liked these, but I adore the Kompressor engines, especially in the C-Class. It’s a shame that Mercedes discontinued the superchargers. The power delivery is so beautifully linear and instant. The interior looks very nice for the age and it’s nicely designed and looks great quality.

The SLK 32 AMG in this shape was an absolute rocket of a car, I had one for a while in South Africa, many many speeding fines were issued...

Most entertaining - thanks

I used to have one of them Hotwheels SLK's back in the late 90s in yellow, minus the bling ofcourse

lv the rimms! Stands out the crowd

"That is the sound of Chinese quality" 😂

Lovely little thing..cheap summer giggles

Lovely Jubbly, once the rust is sorted I'd have those wheels powder coated, it would be a tidy little convertible

Great car and video, subscribed😎🇳🇴👌

These are my most preferred vids from Matt. They're all good but these are so relatable. You're the only chap on YT I've ever come across to look and comment on the brand of tyre(s) on these cars; something I've always looked at when buying and think is a huge factor in the overall condition of the car, I just find it fascinating. Cheers for the content.

I recently bought a 2001 6 speed manual SLK320 V6 with AMG bodykit. I was very familiar with the (1989-2001) R129 SL having owned more than one but I'm starting to think that these SLK's are a gem for the kind of money they are. It's a well made/well engineered MB. I suspect that a lot of them will be in quite good condition underneath even although arches might indicate otherwise.

I had the CLK230 for 10 years and did a full Brabus conversion on it, absolutely stunning car even today it looks brilliant, the rust is a real shame and had it all done once only for it to come back and i kept very very good care of it. The 230k engine is bullet proof when looked after and the supercharger whine, especially with a Brabus pulley on it screams. The mouldy glovebox is likey due to the rubber drain plug past the scuttle gutter, water and gung goes down the passenger hole and theres weirdly a rubber stopper on the end of the drain with and it has a stupid flap on it, again in the same rubber as the rubber stopper, just pull the damn thing off it doesnt need to be there. drainage flows like it should and you wont get water in the passenger footwell and/or glove box like it does at the moment. You will need to remove the scuttle gutter plastic to gain access but easy enough.

Car looks really nice - yes - better to bring it back to stock. I'm thinking of buying a C200 Kompressor next year if I find the right one at the right price. Mainstream car prices have surged in Australia but it doesn't seem to have impacted on the classic luxury market.

‘My god what on earth has happened here’ 😂😂

This channel is fantastic.

My R170 is a 2001 SLK200K and only has 65,000 miles from new. I am the second owner. Just put new wings on all 4 positions this month and completed a partial respray in the original Saphire blue. Everything works and no rust now. Just need to re-do the magnolia leather paint now. All original.

From a distance............... it looks good, including the wheels

Good looking car with the roof down - apart from the wheels! Rare car (now) passed at 18:21 too -R8 Rover 200. Not many of them left now either.

looks great condition inside always liked this car

18:22 dinner it's ready!!!¡¡ Great video 😎👍

Nice motor Matt, would suit my mid life crisis!

I think you should keep this , top down in the summer with bronski beat blasting out 😜

Bacofoil “wrap” on front splitter! It’s still a £2999 sticker car and perfect for summer fun! 😎

I've had a 2001 R170 manual for 7 years now and i love it. You were lucky Matt, that yours didn't suffer from another well documented issue specific to these cars - oil from the gearbox finding it's way into the electrical loom. Mine was suffering from this when i bought it from the shyster dealer and its "brand new MOT" was obviously bent because this was causing the emissions to go off the scale. Anyway, I got it fixed and seven years later I'm still driving a car that cost me £2,700 and it just keeps going. Fun times.

A nice little win there. Shame about the wheels, and tin worm but they all do that sir.

I use convertible in this country all year round - except rain. November to March just equals woolly hat, fleece, jacket etc and preferably heated seats as per SL and SLC Mercedes, Crossfire and, as I have just learnt 2007 Mini Cooper Convertible. No matter what I paid, in fact the more paid, use it all year. The only difficulty has been SLC stopped at junction on ice and 5 inch snow - very embarrassing. £3000 SLK offers fun, cheap convertible motoring, even in red!!

Beautiful motor👍

I think you landed on your feet there, Matt. Good time of year to move this one on, although I'd hesitate to part with 3K for it. Good luck with the sale.

You said the SLK MkI is not a great sports car.... I have my 1997 P reg with one simple mod that cost me £189 + shipping from Germany. The car is now running 243bhp and 256Ft/lbs. This makes it a completely different car. Gives me a massive smile everytime I get a boy racer in his hot hatch on the outside lane at the lights!! AND, the early cars will be on classic car status in 2 years. Price is going up again, not many originls left. Thank you for the Video.

I heard the reason for rust was because of where they were built or sprayed, a humidity issue. It was rectified after 2005

Please can you review the Mercedes CLS 219 Facelift '08-'10?

Yes a good car you are on a winner 🥇 with this car I like these cars very much. I would get one Very stylish very good to drive A very good all round car Well done Matt Kevin

Saw it advertised today . Like you know. You have some nice top end stuff there.. Are you getting any 435 d's coming?

I bought a 2003 SLK Kompressor 200 and love her

Iv'e just replaced my knackered Rover 45 with a 1999 Mercedes Benz W202 .......it's bloody lovely , yes it has rust bubbles on the arches but it's only done 65k ..No advisories on the 12 month mot it's a 2.0 elegance auto in storm silver ( gold )......what a car

We just sold our 2002 SLK320 in Florida Posted online and sold in three days. Over $6,000. We had it for 20 years and 99,400 miles.

Always when your cleaning one of these , get a hose on the inner arches and jet wash any caked on dirt or mud out of these areas .

Defo not the worst upgrades on a slk. The wheels are not bad nor the replacement grill.. Good looking car to be fair..

Nice Barnett... Got ur money's worth!

"She picks up her skirt" ...😁...I'm sure you'll get grief for that.🤦🏻‍♂️ Nice vid👍🏻 I loved the wheels btw. (maybe not on that car🤔)

Depimp my ride is a brilliant idea.

Haaaa Good job Matt and i like the wheels lol

Has there been work done to the subframe? I saw the car the other week and it looked great, but, even though it got through the current MOT with no advisories on the previous one it mentioned the subframe, what work has it had done to the subframe to get it through the current MOT?

Very good that the car was so good for so little money. I have a 1998 model which now has about 100,000 miles on the odometer. I like the car very much and think it was a LOT of car for little money. Greetings Kingofarctic

Mine cost £620 last year, the roof stopped half way, specialist simply lubricated it and boom, fixed it. I cleaned it and got £1300 after 3 weeks. The front wings were almost see through at the front but the buyers all knew about these typical problems and actually sort of embraced the fact that they all do it. I'd have another in a heartbeat

Bling it up baby. Make a rap music video with it, wearing 20 gold chains and throwing cash. 🤣🤣 Love your work 👍

Hey Matt...you have a really nice Jeep Cherokee...!!!

great luck congrats

Nice one Matt profit at last😄

I like this car Matt you are onto a winner vwwithbthis car. I like it is elegant .For a car that's 20 years old it's a good carc with alot of liffe left in it

Glad the nail salon denial in!!

If you can try and grab a CLC 230 or the 350, both extremely rare in the UK. Would be great for content as you hardly see any coverage on them. 🙏

I really like the wheels against the red paint

Sill looking great...I would take it...

I have a black 03 230 k, I love it, just can't afford to tax it 😂😂😂,, this red one looks horrendous 🤣

Cool car, I like it.

Funny sold a Z3 2.8 wide body and bought a 1998 320 silk and drove it back to Palma from Harrogate 18000 k pounds 21. years ago 💪💪💪

Nice car and you got lucky with the roof 😊

That chinese rearview mirror is actually a dash cam thats clipped onto the original oem mirror. You can take it off.

I have a black one on a 1999 plate - wings had to be replaced (they rust very badly) - ditto the plate on the inner wing that the headlight fixes to ( it looked like it had been salvaged from the Titanic) . (Merc do a replacement part so they must know about it). Biggest issue is usually water leaking in because of the pillarless doors and badly adjusted roof mechanism - I looked at half a dozen examples some of which you could have posted a letter through the window gap. I found silicone grease on the roof rubbers helps keep things water tight but needs doing every year. Headlights can leak but the replacement rubber from Merc is cheap enough so you don't need a new light. The interiors on anything but black have a paint which peels off when you look at it so always look scruffy. The "Duo valve on the aircon is another flaky item and mine had issues with minor steering fluid leaks (advisory on MOTs but never more in the many years it's been an issue). Engine is bomb proof. Great fun though, fairly fast and corners well plus usable winter and summer, however, mine is finally going - can't get windscreen washers to work (not the motor it seems) and miscellaneous minor other issues which could probably be sorted for a couple of hundred but really not worth throwing good money at and I'm done with car DIY so scrapping is the order of the day.

This era of Mercedes such as this SLK and C-class were made in Brazil. It was noted that this era of Mercedes suffered build quality issues, unfortunately.

The internal mirror looks like it has a dash cam mirror fitted over the original. Watching your video you can see the straps holding it on. So you should just be able to take it off revealing the original mirror.

Very lucky about the MOT's in the UK! here in Ireland the waiting list for our MOT ( NCT ) is sometimes 3 months.

Glad there's only one commercial when watching a used Mercedes convertible...

I kind of dig those wheels! Well done on getting lucky btw!

Great cars fast and reliable, the only downside was the speeding tickets

I like the next Generation slk, it really looks fresh event today. At least in the eyes of normal people

Hydraulic pump I had the same problem on the adsattly the same year model etc didn't cost that much of a written of 1 from a Merc breakers.

I bought mine 20 years ago and it was full of small problems. So happy to get rid of it after 2 years. Will never buy another Benz again.

had my 97 slk 6 years now...learned a lot on these cars.....if ur abs light is on the roof wont go down..that happened to me...i bought an icarsoft mb v1.0 with the 38 pin adaptor and it did com with the car...told me it was right front speed sensor(abs)..got new sensor and cleared the fault code...and the micro switches in the boot ive heard can fail...were you pull the cover back.....oh if your supercharger isnt kicking in at 2000revs get a new cam sensor...i got a £22 of ebay and it fixed that on mine ;)

i bought an slk late last year and i bought it for £2.5k due to a "faulty roof" again "something serious" i though meh is what it is, stripped the boot and found a wire had been chafed and repaired and been awesome since and its on cap for around £4.8-5.2k so win win

Snakes & ladders… good way to describe car trading!

Never mind the Merc, your Jeep is an absolute stunner mate.