This car was plain and simple a marketing flop, a bad idea from a business perspective. The car was priced between $40K - $50K with the exception of the base model, which at that point were trying to adjust the price. Nobody was going to pay that kind of money for a car with a Chrysler badge when for a few more thousands you could get the SLK with the MB badge. I paid almost 50% list on my roadster, and knowing I was getting a MB for that kind of money, yet sexier was an easy choice. At the end we have a great car, and a great following. As I see it, we benefited from the blunder.
Well said. For us, we were happy to pay $40k in April/05 for our gorgeous Aero Blue Roadster Limited, even when our salesman (personal friend) rumored that they were slow sellers and backing up in storage on the east coast. Did not know much about MB, but wanted one and we didn't need no stinking badges. We think that Daimler/Chrysler did a terrible job of marketing! To this day, we get admiring looks and comments/questions often from folks who don't know who built it. If it had the Big Badge, they probably wouldn't say anything. Bottom line: we bought it just to enjoy it! Happy New Year All! and Thanks for this great forum and all your help along the ride!