{"id":21826,"date":"2022-05-10T00:03:42","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T04:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=21826"},"modified":"2022-05-10T00:03:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T04:03:42","slug":"junkyard-gem-1998-mercedes-benz-slk-230","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=21826","title":{"rendered":"Junkyard Gem: 1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For more than 20 years, the folks in Stuttgart built <a href=\"https:\/\/group-media.mercedes-benz.com\/marsMediaSite\/en\/instance\/ko\/Press-Kit-The-new-Mercedes-Benz-SLK-Class.xhtml?oid=9906467&amp;ls=L3NlYXJjaHJlc3VsdC9zZWFyY2hyZXN1bHQueGh0bWw_c2VhcmNoU3RyaW5nPXNsay1jbGFzcyZzZWFyY2hJZD0wJnNlYXJjaFR5cGU9ZGV0YWlsZWQmcmVzdWx0SW5mb1R5cGVJZD00MDYzMCZ2aWV3VHlwZT10aHVtYnMmc29ydERlZmluaXRpb249UFVCTElTSEVEX0FULTImdGh1bWJTY2FsZUluZGV4PTEmcm93Q291bnRzSW5kZXg9NQ!!&amp;rs=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:0;\">sporty roadsters<\/a> based on the <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/mercedes_benz\/c_class\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:1;\">C-Class<\/a> chassis, finally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/2019\/02\/19\/2020-mercedes-benz-slc-final-edition-goes-out-in-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:2;\">killing off the SLC during the 2020 model year<\/a>. The first of those cars to arrive on our shores was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/buy\/1999-Mercedes_Benz-SLK_Class\/review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:3;\">the SLK 230<\/a>, which debuted here as a 1998 model. Its retractable hardtop established a trend for convertibles that only recently has ended as their complexity and weight (not to mention long-term maintenance) weren&#8217;t worth whatever benefits they possessed over increasingly improved cloth roofs. Nearly a quarter-century later, here&#8217;s one of those &#8217;98s, photographed in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service yard.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"grp-full lazy\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x450\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2022\/05\/05114157\/33-1998-Mercedes-Benz-SLK-230-in-California-Junkyard-Photo-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>For 2001, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/buy\/2001-Mercedes_Benz-SLK_Class-Base__SLK_320_2dr_Roadster\/review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:4;\">the SLK 320 and its V6 engine<\/a> became available here, but the U.S.-market SLKs for 1998-2000 were all <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/bmw\/230\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:5;\">230s<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"grp-full lazy\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x450\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2022\/05\/05114144\/16-1998-Mercedes-Benz-SLK-230-in-California-Junkyard-Photo-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This 2.3-liter supercharged inline-four made 190 horsepower, which is about what the six-cylinder <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/bmw\/z3\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:6;\">BMW Z3<\/a> produced. You could get this car with a manual transmission, but this one (like nearly all U.S.-market SLKs) has the automatic.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"grp-full lazy\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x450\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2022\/05\/05114140\/11-1998-Mercedes-Benz-SLK-230-in-California-Junkyard-Photo-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>These engines are easier to find now than when I wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/supercharge-everything-cheap-blower-shopping-at-your-local-u-wrench-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:7;\">the definitive guide to cheap junkyard superchargers<\/a>, so I&#8217;ll need to pull one and learn its secrets.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"grp-full lazy\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x450\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2022\/05\/05114137\/08-1998-Mercedes-Benz-SLK-230-in-California-Junkyard-Photo-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>These red-and-black leather seats are pretty snazzy.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"grp-full lazy\" alt=\"\" data-original=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x450\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2022\/05\/05114153\/28-1998-Mercedes-Benz-SLK-230-in-California-Junkyard-Photo-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Later on, DaimlerChrysler <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/cars-for-sale\/vcond-Used\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:8;\">used this car<\/a> as the basis for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutcars.com\/2022\/01\/junkyard-find-2005-chrysler-crossfire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:9;\">the Chrysler Crossfire<\/a>, which was available for the 2004-2008 model years (after the SLK had gone to a new platform).<\/p>\n<lite-youtube videoid=\"uHyiYDdUNbc\" style=\"background-image: url('');\"\/>\n<p>Peter Pan shows up with a new SLK and\u00a0<em>you can fly again!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For more than 20 years, the folks in Stuttgart built sporty roadsters based on the C-Class chassis, finally killing off the SLC during the 2020 model year. The first of those cars to arrive on our shores was the SLK 230, which debuted here as a 1998 model. Its retractable hardtop established a trend for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}