I would like to go back to what Respdoc said, about being lucky for the parts we do have. I totally disagree. I don't care if the car was killed two years ago at Mercedes. Yes it was brilliant, to sell off the remaining SLK 170 class parts chassis etc., with out taking a huge loss. However, if simply look at the last years Sema Show. In the new products category, they were coming out with new rear ends, exhausts systems, etc, for 67' Pontiac's. So the thought of its a dying bread doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. This particular run will not live on, because Mercedes's attitude was, out with the old in with the new. I think Mercedes got a case of Senior-Idous a few years to early. I think they were thinking only about, how different things were going to be with the New 06' lines, and all they wanted to do is get through the 03/04/05 model years, and try to make it up to all the new customers that would be flooding in with the new SLK-R's Specifically. So my guess is that of a hit and run. They ran, and now what they want to do is become the national spokes person , on hit and run victims, as well as SAD, MAD, ETC. So then it would be like the passed never occurred.
I am willing to forgive Mercedes and give them a clean slate, as soon as Schrempp is out and Joe Somebody is in there. I knew the new head Joe Eberhardt step's in officially, you will see the past fade away quickly. Its going to be a new ball game for Mercedes/ Daimler Chrysler, in the years to come. I would like to think that Daimler will step up and take care of the remaining SLK 170, as well as us Crossfire owners. I would like to see Chrysler take some new found pride in there Company and put some money into the Crossfire Program. I would like to see the red headed step children that we have become. Get some sort of pat on the back, and maybe an I'm sorry for killing your childhood, by pretending that you weren't my child. But I'm just saying...ok please don't take that last run of "the Red Headed ..." Seriously. I was totally joking, so please don't take that the wrong way. It just the writer in me. I think the Crossfire line live on, and simply evolve into the 350 SLK-R's endoskeleton, and still stay in the same price range it is currently in. Maybe the crossfire can roll into the SLK-R 280's.