***BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!***

[cawimmer430]

I love my life, I really do! July 31st, I turned 23 ([:knockout:]), and Mr. Schultz let me have the SLK350 for the entire day! I could not believe my ears. The car wasn't needed until sometime on Tuesday and Mr. Schultz, being the cool buddy that he is let me have it under "loaner car status". I left the E320 up at the dealership on Saturday and Sunday (and my parents didn't need it either). The SLK350 was all gassed up so I could have some fun with this thing. On July 30, a Saturday, I was allowed to take the car home before the dealer closed and have some serious fun with the car. Since it was a little late and pretty dark outside, I saved it all for Sunday, when my birthday came.



Damn it I love this car. Even with the 7Gtronic, it was fun to drive. The m/T SLK's are too small for me because of the clutch and left knee shift collision with the steering wheel. The handling on this thing is amazing. The steering so precise and weighted, you get to feel curves and roads and really control the car. I'm not used to this type of steering on MB's, but this SLK350 had it.



The V6 is so powerful and smooth, it is incredible. This SLK350 would dust my dad's 500SL. Acceleration here is so brutal, you have to drive it to believe it. And the 7Gtronic is just amazing. This time, I selected manual modus and used the steering wheel shifts ot select individual gears. It takes a while to get used to controlling 7 gears, but I got the hang of it quickly. Blasting through curves and straightaways in individual gears is amazing in this car. It's so stable and powerful and nimble in curves. A real drivers car from Mercedes: a first I should add.



I didn't take to many pictures but they're all here: http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2126763047 (pic 17 starts them off). The reason I didn't take too many shots was because I was having too much fun with this car. I drove it around the area and even took it on the Autobahn going to Burghausen. Boy, on the Autobahn, this little SLK doesn't bulge a bit. It's quite stable and still has good handling. Only at higher speeds does the too precise steering become a little annoying because you have to correct the trajectory all the time. I managed 220 km/h (138 mph) and then I got scared because for all its stability, it's still a small car and small cars at those speeds just don't feel right. That's not to say the SLK350 is unsafe, but I am not used to driving fast with small cars.



Damn this car is so much fun. What I loved about it was the wonderful engine and handling. Of course it's no Boxster killer on the track, but for my needs and those of most people, the handling is very impressive and pretty capable.




More pics I took below. I drove the car with the top down and top up. It was really hot so sometimes I closed the roof and switched on the A/C. At other times, I cruised around with the top down and getting so much attention. The SLK is a looker and people looked alright: at me and the car. [:bigsmile:] [:sun:]



So Sunday, I just basically drove around the whole time really getting to know this car. And I loved it. Non-biased opinion here, the new SLK means business. It's a drivers car but it still has some roots to MB's traditional values but it does what it does really well. The only thing I didn't like about the car was the small size of the cabin. Also, the seats were very hard and sporty, not comfortable at all. They did offer good side grip and support though.





I also let my dad have a go at the car and he loved it, but it was too small for him and me. Sadly, my dad didn't agree to a little SLK350 vs 500SL race! [:P] The only place the SLK350 and 500SL met was in the garage! [::)]



WHAT A GREAT BIRTHDAY! [:sun:] THANK YOU MB AND MR. SCHULTZ! [:)]

More pics...

[Submariner]

Very cool present, verry cool car...

And happy 23rd birthday man.    B)  

[R33 GT-R]

Happy Bday Wimmer and hopefully for your 24th he'll bust out the SL65 for you.    

[JYODER240]

I envy you. A CL600 and this just a few weeks apart. Must feel like Christmas in July.

[giant_mtb]

:o  That would be one hell of a birthday present!  Happy birthday!    

[Colonel Cadillac]

Happy Birthday!

[Shane]

Now that's a car guys birthday gift!....talk about fun!....Happy Birthday.

[BMWDave]

Happy Birthday! And nice writeup B)

That trunk seems tiny with the roof down  

[cawimmer430]

Thanks guys.  :D

R33 GTR: I hope so too! Or the S600 CDI with the 1200 Nm V12 CDI diesel engine!    

[Raza]

Awesome picture, Chris.

[footoflead]

Happy Birthday.....


Damn your lucky B)