Dream Car Corner: An Affordable AMG Roadster
The thought of owning an AMG version of a given Mercedes-Benz would appear to be senseless fantasy for most car nuts. But if you don't mind the boutique roadster (or "secretary's car" as some colleagues are fond of saying) reputation of the first-generation SLK, there's some serious performance to be had for less than new Miata money...
Produced from 2002 to 2004, the SLK32 AMG puts a 349-hp V6 at your command. Driving through a manually-shiftable, tweaked-for-quicker-shifts five-speed automatic, the muscle-bound power plant can slingshot the baby Benz drop-top to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. Our road test also showed that this very special K could also flash through the quarter mile in 13.3 seconds, putting it in serious company as far as fleet wheels go. A bonus for sun lovers is that it also features (like every SLK) a retractable hardtop roof, something that's become quite popular lately.
Here's just one low mileage (under 36k), seemingly mint example I found on eBay for a "Buy It Now" price of $20,800. That's a lot of high-performance roadster for short money.
- Posted by
- John DiPietro July 2, 2009, 11:05 AM
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- Car Buying, Mercedes-Benz, Used Car Corner, Used Cars
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- 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG
...Except your then stuck with a yellow, automatic Mercedes from the period of time when Mercedes' were widely regarded as poorly built. No thanks. Plus, it's only a V6 (albeit s'charged). Work a bit harder and get the V8, or an SL500 from 2001.
Don't get a Z3 M Coupe, because I want one and they're hard to come by!