It’s my general understanding that Chrysler got Mercedes permission to take the SLK and modify it to their liking....to where the major changes were
* the body style sheet metal and center console layout
* re-tuned suspension and wheels
* greatly improving torsional strength and handling

.....Everything else remained pretty much the same


I have read a few performance comparisons of other cars to the Crossfire, but none on the SLK. Is there anyone out there who has seen one ?

Anyone ever read about what Mercedes thought of the Crossfire ? I suppose Eric Stoddard could lend some thoughts as to the negotiations that occurred regarding design changes.

 

I was not in the Crossfire game back in the day, but if current attitudes from the Mercedes SLK crowd are any indication, then the car was not well received by the MB crowd back then, either.

 

Apologies for the resurrection of an earlier thread but it is a subject very dear to me right about now !!

I have to agree with Neil sadly, with (my own) references below to some of the Admin and some of the Membership on SLK World and other Mercedes Forums
IMO mostly they are owners of later models to R170 and / or totally clueless around a Motor Car, in other words they cannot comprehend exactly how many parts and technology including workshop procedures the 2 Models have in common as well as the same ownership of the 2 marques companies at that time.......... One comment I recieved just last week was "A Crossfire doesn't look like an SLK !!"
OK, IMO they can't comprehend it, or, it seems more likely don't want to comprehend, because if they did then their comprehension becomes agreement with my civilised argument

However my recent attempts to try to educate and perhaps revoke a blanket decision which was at best founded on ignorance has now in my eyes turned into nothing but Automotive Racism. A resolution to the whole sorry saga has been dismissed with unrelated comments to my points raised, shame but as I have said over there I feel it is not in the best interests of that Forum, time will tell.

Meanwhile I've got plans to add a Crossfire Coupe project, V8 6MT Drift Car to my wee fleet

I have a bad taste left

During those attempts I did find that the consensus of many of the more sensible guys agreed with me and would be more than happy to help Crossfire owners, as of course will I as the need arises here.

I was very very grateful to the membership here who helped me out when I was having an Eeprom issue with my V8 SLK Conversion and a couple of the members here were very very helpful in enabling me to resolve that issue, for which I was very grateful.
We stayed in contact and have become global friends from afar, and some of us are actually working on 7G & MCT Transmission Conversion, which can only be for the greater good of all owners be they SLK or Crossfire

Analogy :- I dislike Renaults, Citroens and several other marques with a passion, but they are someone else's pride and joy and of course I'd help them to fix them and be polite about their Car

 

Once lost a Renault Caravelle somewhere in one of the Carolinas, didn't look very hard. Grew up in south Florida and was over 50% import then. Wanted a TR3B (synchro trans) but could not afford. Could afford a XK Jag, Soon found out why. Still have whitworth tools. Finally had to take the cure and can now ignore the oil pressure.

My opinion of MB used to be the diesels were filthy and slow, others were just slow, stodgy, and large. Never cared for the Pagoda.

And then I bought an 07 Crossfire Coupe. Was a really fun car but did not last long since was black.

Next was a Blue SLK320 retractable I still have. This year I bought a 04 Crossfire Coupe which I believe is the perfect pair, a retractable (never had a Ford but came close with an XLR) and a really good looking coupe (no I do not think it looks like a Marlin). Same drivetrain so parts are easy.
So for me it is not a VS but an &.

 

So, when you're ready, I have a TR3b, which I just finished building a brand new engine (stock) for, and then added modern fuel injection to it, so that it is turnkey reliable. Now I am prepared to sell.

 

Thank you but
a) my garage is full
b) took the cure, no more English cars.
c) probably still could not afford one.

However the TR3B had the TR4 all synchro transmission so one to have, not sure if had the LdN O/D.

 

LOL, so is mine but that doesn't stop me

 

OTOH today I only buy cars I can put the top up fast (pushing a button is nice) and have AC. Florida gets a lot of sudden showers.

 

Well, the dislike of the Crossfire is a phenomenon I have been pondering about for a long time. The SLK R170 platform has become somewhat of a legend, an icon so to speak. It all started with the Mazda MX5 that started somewhat of a roadster boom. In the late 90s, when the SLK first came out, people had to literally wait 2 years to receive their ordered SLK model.

Even today, car magazines write positive about the iconic SLK from that era and there are lots of them on the roads worldwide. Probably more than what Mercedes originally had planned (over 300,000 were made).

The interesting factor is that at the time (and today) the editors wrote about the high quality interior of the R170 and the styling. To me, I feel much more at home in the Crossfire than in the SLK but I also have never been a fan of the wood panels inside.
I think the Crossfire is more modern inside and out and even though I am biased, I believe the Crossfire has aged much better than the SLK. Maybe because you see the SLK a lot more regularly, it’s not so special anymore.

The below video is the perfect example of how “misunderstood” a Crossfire truly is. The guy in the video points out all the flaws he hates about the car and yet, all those factors were not mentioned when people talked about the SLK. And then the video has the owner of the Crossfire who like many of us loves his car, enjoys the German engineering and was able to purchase a high quality vehicle for a steal. Click Here

To me it’s pretty simple, the folding hard top is amazing and I always liked the factor but people believe with the hard top, the car handles like coupe and it simply doesn’t. So at the time I remember people wishing there was a true Coupe version of the R170. Well if you want a stiffer frame, sportier handling properties and feel but with the same great build quality of the engine and a unique design, the Crossfire might just be the right option.
I definitely can see how people enjoy owning one of each.

 

This M113 seriously modified V8 R170 of mine in the link below goes rather well, stops very well and handles fine,
I also solved the issue of that horrible plastic wood interior by using the Carbon trims from an earlier SLK R170, and I disliked the white dials, all the switches and other illum inside is green thanks to combining Crossfire Switches with R170 Switch Toggles

It makes pretty good use of the 200mph speedo too

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...70-5-0-v8.html

 

Yeah. They were a bit ticked because the Crossfire had the same underpinnings as the SLK, but had a much better looking body.

 

Horses for courses and a degree of personal taste,.
I think R170, Crossfire Convertible and Crossfire Coupe are all very good looking cars, and all have a lot to offer.
Automotive racism is the term I coined recently, and thankfully it is not the feeling among all SLK owners. In actual fact there is probably more SLK owners who also like Crossfires than the naysayer brigade

Neils reference to the "Mercedes SLK crowd" refers to a minority of pig headed Admin bigots and a fair few dumb assed Membersheep who have ruined their own Forum by division, which is a direct result of their lack of general automotive and specific product knowledge plus a fair degree of pompous *** hat thrown in

i will certainly have a Crossfire Coupe on my fleet soon enough, and others involved who own SLK's already do own both.
Thankfully Crossfire Forum have seen the opportunity to expand the knowledge pool by having some very experienced members who are SLK Owners, something for which I am very grateful.

 

All of what you say is true. And, though I always liked the lines of the SLK series, and I would own an AMG model in a flash, I still think the Crossfire has a better looking body.

 

I saw the Crossfire at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show and fell in lust, but wanted a convertible. When they announced it in 2005, I went and tested an early model (as well as looking at SLKs, BMW Z3 and Z4, Saturn Skye, and Pontiac Solstice. The Crossfire won hands down, especially with an MT6. Have and 18 happy years together and as the tattoo says, :No Regerts".

 

And let's not forget that in 2004 a brand new XF that is basically say 80% SLK cost 1/2 what the SLK did (on top of looking better). The SLK from that era was Blah looking in my opinion... certainly nothing to get excited about other than it having a Mercedes emblem on it. Isn't that why most people buy the lower end Mercedes? They pay $20k+ more over comparable performing cars just for that silly emblem. Furthermore, let's be serious, I'd bet the % of XF's made and on the road is much higher than the % of SLK's from that era on the road. Why? because most GM, Ford, Chrysler people own tools and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty and fix things that go wrong. The only tools most Mercedes owners have is a smart phone and a credit card. Once those Mercedes get older and too costly to maintain they end up in the junk yard for parts... parts XF owners can use. How may times have you been at the gas station filling it and people are looking at it? How many times have you been asked "Is that a Bentley?" Having faded Chrysler emblems helps with being asked if it's a Bentley. LOL!

 

As a follow up to your comments concerning the SLK vs. the Crossfire, here's what happened to me when I took my SRT6 Coupe to the local Mercedes Benz dealership for brake fluid flush and antifreeze flush as well.
I pulled the Crossfire into the service staging lanes, right behind a 2003 SLK320. When I got out of the car, there were 5-7 people checking out the Crossfire and commenting how much better it looked vs. the SLK320 parked in front of me, including two mechanics. I was shocked at their honesty, since they owned MB's or serviced them.
It took 2 days to wipe the smile off my face!
Regards,
Dennis
DTMenace

 

The thing that amuses me is the universal comment about the Crossfire having outdated previous model Mercedes suspension. Yes the double wishbone style front suspension was 'superseded' by McPherson struts while the multi link rear remained the same for the R171. But double wishbone suspension is an excellent design but it's more expensive than the strut type which, I suspect, is why a lot of manufacturers including Porsche adopted it. Just one of the reasons why I prefer a Crossfire to a R170.