Parker, You appear to really know your stuff about cars. Which do you think is a better better buy? A 2007 Mercedes SL550 or A 2007 SLK55 AMG? My take is styling goes to the SL550 hands down. Power and reliability go to the SLK55 AMG. That reliability factor scares me away from the SL550. I've basically been told that you don't want to buy any 3 0r 4 year old SL without an additional warranty.
What's your take?
In terms of image and hp, go with the SL550, better overall look and design, has a beautiful, graceful design, that will age well and stand the test of time. The ugly square headlights of the 2008-2009 (?) redesign sucks ass. It has more hp than the SLK55, but the SLK55 is far more maneuverable and agile, due to the lack of bulk compared to the heavy SL. The SLK55s class is the the Porsche Boxster/ Cayman, 350Z (at the time), and BMW Z4M coupe, and Audi TT, the Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, and Audi being the premium, and the Porsche and BMW being the better handling cars
The SLK is kinda regarded as a "hairdresser's car", even though they tried to butch it up, it kinda looks ugly to me, better in black. The car to get if you fing a good clean example, if you are looking at Mercedes folding hardtops, is the SL55 AMG, 493 hp and a whole lot of torque. It sounds great, has a SC 5.4 liter V8 (hence the 55 moniker). That car, was and still is a monster, and it saddened people when they stopped making it, going with the Naturally Aspirated 6.2 liter in the SL63 AMG.
If you are looking at a small 2 seater lux car that has sport in mind, the sleeper is te BMW Z4 M, they didn't make a whole lot, and the ones they did, they didn't sell that many, so you can find one with very low mileage. It has the E46 M3's S54 Inline 6 engine, and is light weight, which means it handles better than the SLK55, and has more usable cargo space. It cones in stick. A guy near me has the Z4 M, and it looks badass in black with 35 % tint.
Hopefully this helps.
