Bi-Xenon headlamps - maybe better would have try them out; s2k's are better than most cars I've had.
Satellite Radio - don't care
Nav - don't care
Seat memory - don't care
Power Tilt-n-Telescope Steering Wheel - don't care (I fit the s well, for others I know this would be great)
6 Disc CD Changer - don't care
Digital Dual Zone Climate Control - don't care
Power Hard Top - don't want, too complex. Had an SL500 and it was a PITA.
Auto Dimming Mirrors - don't care
Heated Headlight Washers - don't care
Harman Kardon Audio - probably good though my s's sound system is upgraded OEM usually does a better job
Bluetooth Phone Integration - don't care
Air Scarf Neck Warmers - don't care
Steering Wheel Controls - don't care, probably don't want
Driver Info Center - don't care
Trip Computer - s doesn't have a trip computer?
V8 Torque And Power - THIS I wouldn't mind at all, espcially if it revved close to 8k.
7 Speed Transmission - great on a daily if you prefer it though 8spds are becoming common

Looks like I'm sticking with the S but I enjoyed your analysis. The reliability/maint. costs/resale are also important to me and the s wins handily. On the flip side, for those that car about making an impression, especially with the ladies, the benz will certainly win that game. When people ask me what car I drive I always respond the same way "an old Honda." Even when I get an NSX I'll still say that.

 

I just have to laugh at this point. Honda makes a sub-2800 lb 240 hp convertible, something no one else has done in forever, and now it's "heavy" and I'm a fanboi for pointing out how light the AP1 really is. Yet, somehow, a porky ~3500 lb convertible is worthy of mention.

Here we have a guy that raves about every car he owns, including the amazing Crossfire (aka, Crapping Dog or Frog, I'm not sure which) and we're supposed to just adore his every vehicle. Buys a V8 convertible that weighs more than a Honda Accord and it's now "an S2000 with a V8".



We get it - you like your cars. Just don't try and pretend they're an S2000 (for better, or worse). Your SLK isn't an S2000. It isn't a V8 S2000. It isn't the muscular S2000. It isn't the Mercedes S2000. It's a GT convertible with a big engine that has a lot of amenities and features. That's good, even great, depending on what you like. It just isn't an S2000, it doesn't relate in any real or direct way to an S2000 (with an I4 or a V8) and that's just the way it is.

 

Oh and SLK/Crossfire are both hideous cars.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks!

 

And here we have the forum's legendary Honda fanboi misquoting weights on both vehicles to hang onto the delusion that the S2000 is somehow "special". It isn't particularly. I'm finding that out as time goes on. So we get it too. You love everything Honda. It's impossible for you to be objective where the S2000 is concerned. And you have the maturity of a 12 year old. Be happy with your 13 year old AP1.

 

You really can't call the SLK55 a sports car. It has its strong points, for sure, and it's different things to different people, but a sports car it is not. As previously said, pony car is much more apt. Not a dig on your car, but rather a reaction to your characterization of it as a "V8 powered S2000".

With that said, let me say congrats on your new car. Enjoy it.

 

You clearly value having pointless crap that just weighs down the car more than a focus on handling and balance, why did you even buy an S2K in the first place?

I mean seriously , you bought a Crossfire. Should have spent the money on cataract surgery instead.

And the S2K IS sub 2800lb, go do some research you pillock.

 

Be happy with your hideous and overweight barge and stop preaching to us about it's merits then

 

You may no longer think of the S as special, but here you are comparing your new MB to it... Not sure what that really says about the S, the SLK, or you, but there's little point in picking fights with people who disagree with you.

The SLK AMG is a nice car but its no S2000. The automatic transmission alone drops it from contention in my book. If you want to go uplevel from an S, most people here would tell you to pick up a Boxster, not a Mercedes.

 

Don't know what a pillock is Crocodile Dundee but the owners manual for my 2008 AP2V3 here in a country that isn't a desert shows 2,864 lbs as the curb weight. Not sure what sort of math they teach in the Outback but here in civilization 2,864 > 2,800, you pillock (assumed derogatory appellation in desert culture).

Edmunds website shows the initial year of production, 2000 AP1 at 2,809 lbs. Last I checked you pillock, 2,809 > 2,800. Do much research on the car you supposedly own, pillock? Maybe gravity is lower in the southern hemishere.

I bought an S2000 at the very end of the production run because a friend owned a 2002, I liked it, and I wanted to experience a pristine example of the car before the factory stopped production. It was great! I loved that little car. But I don't worship it. It had lots of flaws when considered in the context of the environment I actually drive in 95% of the time. Clutching and rolling 10 feet at a time for 20 miles on I95 in the morning is no way to enjoy an S2000.

So, I got rid of it and looked around for something with an automatic that would still be fun. Somehow I came across the SRT6 Crossfire with its AMG drivetrain. They were / are dirt cheap here in the States. I picked up an SRT6 coupe for $15,800 with 17,500 miles on it. It was a great cheap, reliable, and fun daily driver for a couple of years in this traffic environment. Leave it in full auto mode for the commute and take control when the opportunity affords itself. But being an old R170 chassis, it was pretty dated and only slightly less bare bones than the S2000. And I found myself missing top down driving.

Enter the SLK55. Having owned an R170 vintage Merc (SRT6) and knowing that the R171 was a big step forward in chassis design and content that retained the folding hard top, that's where I looked first. What I found is that these high priced Mercedes didn't retain their value very well. You can find pristine examples with very low mileage at bargain basement prices. Mine was loaded with every option except run flat tires and iPod integration. I picked it up for 45% of MSRP with 29,000 miles. That's a 55% depreciation hit for a loaded 1 owner car that looks new inside and out. More importantly, it satisfies all my desires for a daily driver in the environment I live with every day.

Had I lived somewhere else, I might still be happily driving my 08 S2000 despite its bare bones nature. But here in southern CT, the SLK55 suits me much better and it really is superior to the S2000 in every way excluding purely subjective things like looks, the eternal auto/manual debate, and fuel economy. I've owned both. The S2000 is great short term fun. The SLK55 is a better all around long term car. IMHO of course. For JonBoy the lack of a Honda badge removes any other car from consideration.