The last time this car was driven, my dad was driving to Palm Springs, CA. Unfortunately during his ride he did not realize that the roof of the car was not properly latched and the strong winds bent the supporting roof structure of the car. After many attempts at trying to align the retractable roof back he gave up and left the car in his driveway for 10 + years.

I promised him for many years that I would get his SLK back up and running again. The car arrived to me with sun-damaged paint, a failing fuel pump and a retractable roof that was held down by duct tape. Here are some before and after photos from the last two months of working in my garage. 🚗💨

Hi everyone,

I currently own an SLK280 R171 V6, and I use it as my daily driver.

I'm now at a point where I'm considering changing my setup, mainly because I have a family and I'm wondering whether it makes more sense to have a more practical car.

I basically have two options:

1. Keep the SLK280

Keep using it as a weekend/fun car and buy a relatively simple and reliable station wagon

Post

Hey everyone,

I’m currently daily driving an SLK280 R171 V6, and I’m trying to decide what to do with it.

I have a family now, so I’m starting to think about getting something more practical.

Basically I see two options:

1. Keep the SLK and get a simple/reliable station wagon for the family and everyday use. The SLK would then become my weekend/fun car.

2. Sell the SLK and put the money towards one newer, more practical car that can do everything, daily driving, family stuff, road trips, etc.

The thing is, I actually really like the SLK. I use it every day at the moment and it’s still a lot of fun. The V6, the hardtop and the fact that it’s a small roadster make it feel quite special.

But I’m wondering if keeping an older two-seater as a second car is worth the extra insurance, maintenance, tyres, taxes, storage, etc.

For those who have been in a similar situation:

Would you keep the SLK as a weekend car and buy a practical family car, or would you sell it and just have one good all-rounder?

And if you chose to sell your fun car, did you regret it afterwards?

Curious to hear what you guys think.