Mercedes CLK Mileage - Does it Matter?

[silvertypes]

Mercedes CLK Mileage - Does it matter?

Looking for:-

CLk350 (Preferable) of CLK280
Petrol (I do 5k a year if that +want to avoid DPF costs etc)
Coupe or Conv
Auto
Ideally a late one - 2009
From a Dealer (Not brave enough for Private Sale & want to trade mine in)

My Car (Honda Accord 2.4 Type S Petrol Manual, has done 88K so not much

point in buying another car however nice if the mileage is almost the same

My target is a 2009 with about 50k on the clock / budget <£10K

Assuming the car is FSH from MB, Anyone got any advice on how many miles

is too high or even too few?

I'm finding cars with miles as low as 14k-25k 2006 platers mainly and

then cars which have been to the moon - 90k-120k+ Not a lot in between

I'm thinking cars with uber low miles won't have been driven much so

loads of things may have perished or seized up?

And the high milers are likely to need loads of bits replacing

Is say 70k on the clock too much if the history is good?

Thanks

[silvertypes]

Matt UK said:

It's just a number - my view is to judge every individual car on it's merit.

Thx

[silvertypes]

AMG Merc said:

Not as much as condition. I had one for 11-12 years from new - still had oe rear pads on it when sold (almost all motorway miles) and only changed battery at 11 years - basically bulletproof when looked after.

Thx, Sounds Promising. Guess the other question is 88k on mine vs 70k on a CLK - it's not as low as I'd like but they are expensive cars so I'll have to pay more than my budget to get a 2009 low miles I think

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

2009 CLK350 Sport 68k on the clock trying to find a 350 will be hard.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...


Don't discount the CLK500 Sport as they're bulletproof & this one is in the lower tax bracket.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Thanks for that you've commented before so I know you know your stuff!

I have been looking at that exact 350 Sport... really after a Sport too, not keen on the looks of Elegance or Avantgarde

Only thing putting me off it is the mileage & I think its had 4 owners

I know 68 is quite good for the year but even if its reliable & good history big bills must be likely in the next year or so as it creeps up to the magic 100k?

What age/miles Would you expect to have to replace original items like Exhaust, struts/shocks, ball joints etc? Any Gearbox issues likely at higher miles?

Radiators start coroding, Alloy wheels start leaking as they get older too

Can't imagine the CLK being more reliable than my Honda Accord Type-S and I had to spend £500 on a new exhaust last year with about 80k on the clock - I imagine the CLK Sport exhaust ain't cheap

I really want a CLK Sport and as u say good ones are hard to find but my car is 88k so not looking at anything higher miles than that

Please talk me out of buying the 350 :-)

My sensible head says if I look for a(ny) car with about 50k on, maybe a 2009 or later, I should get a good 5yrs without any high mileage / replacing worn out stuff costs to ching out for

starting at 70kish I may be ok for a year or so then I'm going to have to start spending I think...

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

The mileage really isn't an issue it's a N/A lump so there really isn't anything to go wrong my 2005 CLK270 I had was still on it's OEM Exhaust when I sold it with 150k on the clock.

The biggest service bill will be the spark plug change because there are 12 of them stop getting hung up on the mileage look for loads of receipts 68k means the car hasn't even managed 10k a year.
Make sure the gearbox fluid has been changed every 40k & they'll see well past 180k.

Just buy it & enjoy it yes if something goes wrong it might cost more than your Honda but not a lot goes wrong with them you can't keep thinking what if.

Like all cars you should be looking to replace the bushes around 100k as you would on all cars they won't necessarily need replacing at this mileage but they'll be getting their alloys will last depending on how they've be previously treated but they won't corrode any more than your Honda.

The Radiator issue only affected early CLK55's.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Tuesday 14th June 19:13

Thanks. I was researching before but I'm ready to buy now so just want to pick the right one

I've seen this conv
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Exactly what i was after money miles > £10K 2009 50k on clock (uncanny) but its a 280 and conv - which is nice but a coupe avoids any roof issues & the 350 is fast so probably more fun... i have seen some 350 convs maybe thats the best of both worlds but almost all the clks for sale seem down south - I'm hoping to buy more locally - the 350 is pretty close too

So 280conv 50k on clock vs 350coupe 68k - both full hostory, 280 1 owner, coupe 4

Decisions decisions :-)

[silvertypes]

dme123 said:

Mileage may not necessarily matter on the engine front, but it absolutely does indicate there will be more wear to the suspension, engine and gearbox mounts, steering rack, alternator, everything really. My experience has been that most cars need a thorough suspension refresh around 100k if you care about it driving properly, and that includes cars that have done mostly motorway mileage.

Drive them and see how they feel, that's the best indication. I've driven more than a few 5/6 year old, low mileage, one owner from new cars that drive like a heap of st to know that!

FWIW, ex MIL has had a 2007 CLK convertible from new and it's done very few miles. It's been nothing but trouble, the roof is broken (AGAIN) at the moment too. It's not even very nice to drive.

I'm no expert but that was what i was thinking, miles nearer 50 than 100k should avoid those costs for a while

[silvertypes]

Thx for all the comments much appreciated

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

Thanks for all you're advice along the way - I'm now the proud owner of a CLK350 Sport Coupe :-) Not had much time to enjoy it yet but first impressions are - it's awesome!

Any suggestions on the best products for detailing? Cleaning, Waxes etc etc?

[silvertypes]

slk 32 said:

What colour is it as that can make a big difference when it comes to what to use

I have three silver cars. It's not always the easiest colour to get a reflective wet look. In the end I went with Werkstatt acrylic which gives great flake pop. Unfortunately they've stopped making it and it's been replaced by car lack (who provided the precursor chemicals to werkstatt).

I fancied a change and tried a high carnuba wax (auto finesse illusion) but it just gave a warm fuzzy glow.

Ultimately it's down to personal choice but waxes are considered best for solid or darker colours and sealants for lighter ones

I would recommend polishedbliss.Co. UK as a good place to start...that said I bought some autoglym SRP and EGP for my polo snotter the other week and had forgotten just how good it is!

It's Silver :-) I'm amazed how complex the subject of detailing is - a million products on offer!

The paint finish seems very good - there's a few very light scratches that's it - but I'm not sure whether using a T-cut/Abrasive polish t remove them then - clay & polish on top is a good idea or not as I haven't got a clue what I'm doing & it's pretty good already

I can see it'd be easy to spend £100 on products ... OR take it to a Pro for a basic detail about the same money rising to £££

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

Go to your local bodyshop & ask them to mop the car for you or find a good valeter to do the same & get a good finish then just keep topping it up I use Meguiars 3 step system but tend to use the last two stages.

Glad you got sorted OP any questions feel free to ask.

Cheers,

Well as it happens ... :-)

Help with Aux-In & Phone would be much appreciated...

When I saw 'Phone Prep' I foolishly assumed I could just plug my iphone in & off you go...

Similarly I thought just plug in anything via the Aux-In and you can hear (but not control) via Comand - trawling forums this whole area is a MB minefield!

Phone:
In the Arm rest there is a connector under a plastic cover. I think I need to buy a phone cradle which fits there & I can use 'a' phone via Comand

I don't know if I can get an adapter or cradle for an iPhone (5c), the manual looked like the cradle was for much older phones (2009 car)


Aux-In:
Honestly haven't tried this yet (not had the car long). My car has an Aux-In, in the glove box (where there is also a CD Changer). I've read if you hit the CDC button & there's an Aux soft key it should be live & it ought to work. I've also read the volume level is usually very low so wonder if it works how you'd boost it.

Weird place to put it - if I plugged in an MP3 player/phone whatever you can't control it when it's in the glovebox - or power it

Getting the phone to work is a 'nice to have' if it's not too much hassle (or money)

More interested in getting the Aux-In working (if it doesn't already). some people say the Aux-In can be in the armrest (more convenient) but I can't see one in there

Read lots of confusing comments about using
Ipod connector / Aux-In / CD Changer - if you have this you can't do that - depends on year / model etc etc

Not sure what determines what your car can do - the year / model /spec / Comand version / hardware?

Don't know if it exists but my ideal would be an adapter in the armrest which allows you to connect an iPhone for Phone functionality (Via Comand) AND a regular Aux-In for connecting MP3 player.... you know Moon on a stick :-)

[silvertypes]

Thanks for the input both

May not be possible to get the functionality I want easily but Ideally I'd like to keep the appearance of the car as standard / Merc as possible rather than rip out head unit & replace with aftermarket stuff - not sure how popular it would be whenever I sell the car like that

Was hoping I could just plug something out of sight in, whilst keepint the interior looking the same

[silvertypes]

Thx all - thinking of just getting a bluetooth reciever - just put into the 3.5" aux plug & bluetooth phone or mp3 player to it - jobs a good un for almost no money. Ok u have to press the BT on when u want to use it & charge it up but cheap as chips & discrete too :-)