2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG

Welcome to our latest auction, a 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG with just 90,000 miles on the clock and only three previous owners. In the care of the vendor for the past five years, it was delivered to its first UK owner on the 6th of September 2001. Finished in Obsidian Black with an Anthracite leather interior, it has the full raft of AMG performance and luxury upgrades.

The vendor is only selling it because he’s got a modern four-wheel-drive SUV to do the heavy lifting, and a Mercedes-Benz Pagoda for high days and holidays, which leaves the SLK32 without a role. So much so, that he only covers around a thousand miles a year in it. 

He tells us that “it hasn’t caused me any trouble at all”, something we can well believe: we’ve driven it and came away impressed; it feels tighter than any car of its age has any right to, and it’s as sprightly as any sane person would ever need - and it’s available for MK1 MX-5 money, so what are you waiting for?  

Finished in Obsidian Black, the coachwork is very good. Tight, even panel gaps and bank vault-like doors are a given but the paintwork still looks great, even after 90,000 miles and almost 20 years.

Sure, there is the odd stonechip, scratch and scuff here and there, but a decent machine polish would reap dividends and allow you to enjoy it for another couple of decades safe in the knowledge that there appears to be no rust at all. Mercedes built ‘em properly, back in the day, and this one is every inch the indestructible convertible we’ve all come to know, love and trust.

This means the folding roof opens and closes as it should, furling and unfurling at the touch of a button. It’s a very clever system, and the very best way we know of to enjoy the fun and sensory overload of open-air motoring with the security and weather-resistance of a closed coupe. Interestingly, one of its previous owners has also fitted it with a remote control, so you can raise and lower it from a distance FTW.

The ten-spoke 17-inch AMG alloy wheels are holding up very well after having been refurbished a few years ago. Shod with Kumho tyres on the front axle and Continentals on the rear (all of which have good tread) their condition gives a telling insight into the car’s maintenance and the care with which it has been driven.

Optional extras include Xenon headlamps with a wash system, and the AMG front spoiler and side skirts plus a revised radiator grille, which modernizes the front end very nicely.

The interior is typically well-appointed and includes an adjustable steering wheel, air-conditioning, a high-power battery, and it has a heated windscreen washer system. The SLK-embossed carpets are good, and they’re protected by AMG overmats.

The two-tone Anthracite and Alpaca leather seats are heated and electrically adjustable too, and in great shape. Still as firm and springy as Joe Wicks’ buttocks, they’re showing only gentle creasing on the driver’s seat (the passenger’s still looks like new), and in need of nothing other than the occasional rub with some leather balm.

The anthracite birds’ eye maple wood veneer looks stunning, its unusual colour being matched by its unusually good condition. The AMG-branded dials are present and correct and are as lovely - and legible – as ever.

The interior of the folding roof is in good shape, and an aftermarket clear Perspex wind deflector has been fitted for ruffle-free open-air motoring. A aftermarket Kenwood CD/radio has been fitted too, which plays through factory speakers.

We’ve had a good root round and everything seems to work perfectly, something the owner assures us is the case.

The boot is very clean and neatly organised. It’s home to the tyre inflator, factory toolkit, jack, warning triangle and a clever little hidden cubbyhole. Lifting all of the gubbins out shows only rust-free metal and no signs of corrosion at all.

Problems are minimal. There’s a little wear to the driver’s grab handle on the door, and the depths of the boot could do with vacuuming. That’s not a bad list of jobs for a car that’s about to celebrate it 20th birthday, is it?

The AMG’s servicing regimen is up-to-date and has been undertaken by either Mercedes-Benz main dealers in the early days and independents thereafter, most latterly Colin Fern, a well-known Mercedes-Benz specialist who also looks after the vendor’s Pagoda.

As you can see form the listings, there is a hefty stack of paperwork to demonstrate what has been done, including a recent five-page summary from Colin Ferns in which he details the work carried out on the car since 2015.

Too extensive to document in full, it totals almost £8,500 and the individual invoices are online for you to peruse. The important thing is to note though is that the vendor has forked out the equivalent of the car’s market value on it in maintenance and servicing in just five years – and isn’t that exactly the sort of chap you want to buy a modern classic sportscar from?

It’ll come as no surprise to learn that it drives very well indeed. As you can see from the video, it starts well, settles quickly into an even tickover, and revs wonderfully. It also steers, stops, and corners like it should, which is to say very well indeed.

The engine bay is very clean and tidy, and the underside of the car looks straight and strong. Wonderfully, it looks like the car’s factory applied underseal is still intact, and the suspension components have grease on the. It is, in fact, exactly as we like our undercarriages.

The SLK’s MOT expires in March 2021, and was gained without catching the MOT tester’s attention. The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it. It also comes with two keys, the original owner’s handbook and OE storage wallet with the usual bumf inside.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The Mercedes-Benz SLK R107 harks back to a time when the Mercedes-Benz reputation was still worth something, when it built strong, solid cars that just ran and ran and ran.

And when you then factor in the incredible job that AMG does in fettling them to even greater heights, and the only wonder is how, and why, these cars have remained so cheap for so long.

And they are very cheap; at a time when a good example of the first-generation Mazda MX-5 is going for £5,000 to £7,000, we think the Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG is a much better place to put the same amount of money.

Not that there is anything wrong with the Japanese car, it’s just that the AMG is faster, brakes better, is more luxurious, and way safer with its four-star Euro NCAP rating and multiple airbags.

Sure, the MX-5 might just have the edge on handling in extremis but how often do you spend on the ragged edge? And how much more would you come to rely on all that power and torque and luxury?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.