About Steven's Four Wheels:
A few words from Steven
Welcome to Steven’s Four Wheels. I'm Steven and I'm a car enthusiast with a Mercedes obsession! I’ve been obsessed with anything with four wheels ever since before I can remember. I started Steven's Four Wheels to show my passion and enjoyment for cars.
If you would like to show your support for the channel then please head over to my merchandise page. Those stickers really do look great on any car. You don't have to buy another but if you could follow/subscribe to my socials that would be great, it's free!
Thank you for taking the time to find out more about myself and my cars.
For £500, I couldn't refuse:
1999 SLK230 Kompressor R170
I used to work at a Mercedes dealership and my colleagues there knew that I was partial to an SLK. When one arrived as part exchange, they let me know and it peaked my interest.
The car in question was a 1999 SLK230 Kompressor R170 with 103,000 miles and finished in Brilliant Silver with Black Leather Seats. The price of £500 caught my attention. What can you get for £500 nowadays, not much!! I spent my lunch break giving the car a thorough inspection and test drive. My initial impressions were good. However, the car had a few issues. There was a great car underneath that just required an enthusiast with some time and energy to make this car great again. The question became: am I the right person for this car? I quickly made up my mind. Yes!!! I went back and spoke to my manager and a week later, I drove away into a cold November night with my £500 SLK. My first project Mercedes!
As I’ve already mentioned the car did have a few niggles and issues, the main one being the bodywork. There was not a single panel that didn’t need help in some form or another. Rust was the main issue as it was present around all 4 wheels arches and along the gap where the front bumper meets the front wings on both side. Although the rust was only present in small of bubbles, over time this could kill the car in not resolved. A trip to the bodyshop sorted this with a machine polish, repainted areas with rust resolved and dents pulled out. Another issue was the interior; it was covered in white cat hair and smelt musty. The previous owners had obviously taken care of the car but also loved their cat who looked to be a regular passenger. Ideas of Blofeld in you only live twice came to my mind. After what felt like a lifetime vacuuming and loads of interior fabric and carpet cleaner, the interior was looking and smelling great. The only mechanical components I've had to replace are the fan control unit and the mass air flow sensor.
Overall I throughly enjoy owning the SLK and I’m proud to have been able to keep another R170 on the road. It’s been a tricky balancing act of restoring and improving the car but also not getting carried away with creating a concours-quality example that would have blown the budget. This brilliant little car has shown how accessible it is to get into Mercedes ownership. It's a thrill to drive and please click on the link to see the story of my £500 SLK project.
The Dream Classic Benz:
1985 380SL R107
Released in 1971, the R107 was the SL designed for conquering America with over 170,000 of the 237,000 SL’s being exported to the US over its 18 year production life. It’s easy to imagine the R107 as a pacific coast cruiser or a Miami South Beach poser.
My story with the SL starts with my passion for cars with Mercedes-Benz. My dream Benz is the R107 SL because of its iconic status. It's Bobby Ewing's car in that little show called Dallas that no-ones heard of. It's been a dream to own one, but with the prices going up so much I very much thought this would have been a pipedream only.
I've always been one to check the websites and local car auctions in case the holy grail came up. Approaching my 31st birthday I checked and low and behold the most stunning car was a lot at an upcoming auction! I couldn't believe my eyes. I’d seen the SL listed for auction and decided to take the day off and take my girlfriend to see it on the viewing day. It was love at first sight; the beautiful colour, the sweeping lines, the tidy interior. I was smitten! As my partner so wonderfully said: ‘I knew you would buy that car the moment you saw it!’. I anxiously participated in the auction hoping that I wouldn't be outbid and couldn't believe my luck when I was able to purchase this car from Brightwells auction centre in August 2023.
This 380SL is finished in Cabernet Red (available from 1984 until 1989) and was one of the last 380SL’s produced. This SL has various optional extras such as full leather seats, outside temperate gauge and ‘Sombrero’ 14” alloy wheels.
After getting the SL home, I quickly realised 2 things; she was a good car at a great price but I’d inherited quiet a few issues that would need work to address. These issues included lumpy running, a mess of an instrument cluster and a hot start issue. It spent 6 months over at The SL Shop with a focus on getting the SL running and driving better. There’s still growing list of little jobs to do but that is part of the joy of classic cars! I never thought at such a young age I would be able to get my dream car.
The plan for the SL going forward is simple: To use and enjoy her!
The Daily:
2012 B180 CDI Sport
In 2021, I purchased my daily driver to sit alongside my SLK, a 2012 B180 CDI Sport. This B Class had just 1 owner from new and had covered just 14,500 miles in 9 years which was the main reason I brought the car. It fulfilled my brief of being practical, economical, good to drive and well built.
I love the B Class as it does all my daily boring stuff and tackles everything I throw at it with ease. Who do I call upon when the dogs need to go out? The B Class. Who do I call upon when I buy a tree from a garden centre? The B Class. Who do I call upon for ultimate MPG (up to 67 mpg average) on a dull long distance motorway drive? The B Class. You get the idea.
The B Class is the last car I would sell as it's far too useful as a daily tool. It's in use most days and only seems to get a holiday when I'm out the country on holiday myself.
Previous Cars
It hasn't always been solely about Mercedes (despite what you've read with my fleet of Mercs!) I've also owned a sporty Italian and a quick Vauxhall. I've never wanted to change to just creating Mercedes content as I still want to show my passion for all brands. In fact when I was looking for a classic car I was looking for British classics as the thought of my dream car seemed unachievable. I love going to car shows and seeing the variety of cars on display and speaking to other passionate car enthusiasts!
Mercedes SLK 200 R172 AMG Sport
My first Mercedes which I owned for over 6 years. I really enjoy owning the SLK. I've done lots of youtube videos from buyer's guides to my scenic drives with this car.
Abarth 500C
My first 'enthusiast' car which I loved. Finished in eye-catching 2 tone grey, this Abarth certainly stood out. Drive one and then you'll understand why everyone should own an Abarth.
Vauxhall Corsa VXR
Purchased as an Abarth replacement, the VXR was a suprisingly underrated car. Sadly build quality issues led me to part exchange this against the SLK.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.