2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CONVERTIBLE 1.8 SLK200 7G-TRONIC BLUEEFFICIENCY AMG SPORT

Great looking car for all year round.

I really wanted a small runabout convertible for the summer for my wife and I as we have a people carrier for the family; I was advised by my garage to look at a hardtop roadster so it could be used all year round, was more secure and less problematic than a soft-top. My shortlist was a BMW Z4 or the SLK. I really like the Mercedes Benz 'badge' and have heard nothing but reliability from them. I also didn't want anything too powerful and costly to run/insure. I eventually decided to look at the old shape SLK (R171) with a budget of 15k but I saw this newer model at my garage and it looked SO good (not a hairdressers car in any way); after a test drive I was sold - in cavansite blue it looks like the AMG 55 at a fraction of the price but just as much fun.

My original idea was to have it for the summer, but I am using it every day during the winter and look forward to the spring when the roof will come down regularly (airscarve option on standby).

Despite being only a 1.8l engine, it is more than powerful enough for me and you can easily get to the national speed limit in a few seconds. It perhaps isn't the best for pulling away in ECO mode - but between 40 to 70 it has a real 'poke' still at only 2500rpm. I haven't really had chance to put my foot down but I'm sure it could do 140mph without straining; the sport button, kickdown pedal and paddle shift will all get a test once I find an dry, empty road this summer.

Another reason for buying this model is that the advertised MPG is about 40mpg, which I think is fairly decent for a sports car. Insurance was also fairly cheap – I now have multi-car insurance which actually worked out not much more than my insurance for the people carrier alone. Also, despite what people might think, the boot is large enough for weekend luggage for two and the cockpit has plenty of leg room to travel in comfort and luxury whilst looking good !

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