Anyone got a CLK500?
Discussion
They're looking mightily cheap now, especially for all that flash and performance. From £4k for an 03 example. I thought the E46 Alpina B3 3.3 looked like good value and an interesting choice, but this car, with the big 300hp V8 I think is an even better one. I'm thinking of Le Mans next year, and how I've always pledged to do it in a V8 travelling in something fairly respectable amongst all the super-car exoctica on the drive down, no doubt belonging to you lot. My only complaint is, despite the very muscular lump at the front, I think they look a bit girly. The old W208 looked sharper although it's looking rather dated now.
Does anybody own one with this engine? They're a fairly rare sight. Briefly had the use of an old 430 and was impressed with the grunt and soundtrack, yet the CL500 I've driven in comparison sounded quite muted despite more horses and a bigger engine, which was a shame. I'd be looking at a fairly early model, has anybody any experiences with 02/03 cars?
Does anybody own one with this engine? They're a fairly rare sight. Briefly had the use of an old 430 and was impressed with the grunt and soundtrack, yet the CL500 I've driven in comparison sounded quite muted despite more horses and a bigger engine, which was a shame. I'd be looking at a fairly early model, has anybody any experiences with 02/03 cars?
Not a CLK500 but I do have a 208 CLK55, so I can only comment on that. I did look at a 209 CLK500 for the same money but decided that I would always feel like I went for 2nd best.
The soundtrack is thunderous once the secondary cat/resonator is removed.
22mpg in realworld driving, 26mpg on a long run.
Eats up the miles no problem and is a very nice place to be, seats are tremendously comfortable if they have the adjustable lumber etc
Performance wise, well, what can I say... real world 350/350 can really make the car cover ground quickly. Very quickly!!
The soundtrack is thunderous once the secondary cat/resonator is removed.
22mpg in realworld driving, 26mpg on a long run.
Eats up the miles no problem and is a very nice place to be, seats are tremendously comfortable if they have the adjustable lumber etc
Performance wise, well, what can I say... real world 350/350 can really make the car cover ground quickly. Very quickly!!
ikarl: I know the W208 55 AMG well, the old man has one and currently has it for sale on ebay fr. Love it, the noise is delicious and pace of the thing is tremendous, hence my interest in these. The ride on the W208 55 is far too firm though, and on broken roads it's terrible. The standard model range CLK500 in Avantgarde guise should restore some of that wafty Mercedes ride quality I think, but should still be sharp enough to engage the driver. Having said all this, I have never driven a W209 and have no idea if they are renowned for having a particularly good chassis. I've not done my internet homework yet. Are they shared with the C-Class?
I had an 04 W209 Avantgarde for a couple of years that I, regretfully, traded in for an Audi S4.
In short, they are incredible cars.
Not the most razor sharp tool round corners, but for pure straight line grunt and easy, rapid cruising, there is very little out there that competes with them.
Very understated. The build quality on mine was excellent. I bought it at 30k miles and subsequently put a further 50k hard miles on it over the following 2 years with nothing more than regular servicing. Be careful of the spark plug change at 50k miles - there are 16 of buggers, so the costs do mount up on that one. Other than that, they are pretty cheap to maintain.
Fuel economy averaged 24.5 over my ownership, which is fairly reasonable considering I have a bit of a lead foot.
Then there is THAT engine. So smooth, so much torque that, seemingly, never ends. plant your foot down and it just doesn't every stop pulling all the way through to really silly speeds.
It was quicker than the S4 on the traffic light sprint, but most impressive was the 30 - 1xx acceleration. It just lifted its bows and "pow" you were gone.
Really gutted I traded mine and I will be looking to get back into one in the near future.
In short, they are incredible cars.
Not the most razor sharp tool round corners, but for pure straight line grunt and easy, rapid cruising, there is very little out there that competes with them.
Very understated. The build quality on mine was excellent. I bought it at 30k miles and subsequently put a further 50k hard miles on it over the following 2 years with nothing more than regular servicing. Be careful of the spark plug change at 50k miles - there are 16 of buggers, so the costs do mount up on that one. Other than that, they are pretty cheap to maintain.
Fuel economy averaged 24.5 over my ownership, which is fairly reasonable considering I have a bit of a lead foot.
Then there is THAT engine. So smooth, so much torque that, seemingly, never ends. plant your foot down and it just doesn't every stop pulling all the way through to really silly speeds.
It was quicker than the S4 on the traffic light sprint, but most impressive was the 30 - 1xx acceleration. It just lifted its bows and "pow" you were gone.
Really gutted I traded mine and I will be looking to get back into one in the near future.
Edited by schmalex on Tuesday 18th December 09:45
dont buy early 200's mercs pal...
i bout a 2001 clk 320 a few months ago without any research... they are massively rust prone and shoddily put together. a google search will turn up thousands of posts about it.
not a massive issue for me as it was only £1250 and i commute on a motorbike. just bought it for the odd occasion where the bike isnt realistic...
things that need/needed sorting on mine:
-rusty arches
-replace door check strap
-grease window
-pixelated clock and temp gauge
-boot wont open! (nightmare but easy fix)
-jerky speedo
im quite handy so all but the arches will be/have been sorted by myself...
join: forums.mercedesclub.org.uk and/or www.mbclub.co.uk/forums and have a read on there...
i bout a 2001 clk 320 a few months ago without any research... they are massively rust prone and shoddily put together. a google search will turn up thousands of posts about it.
not a massive issue for me as it was only £1250 and i commute on a motorbike. just bought it for the odd occasion where the bike isnt realistic...
things that need/needed sorting on mine:
-rusty arches
-replace door check strap
-grease window
-pixelated clock and temp gauge
-boot wont open! (nightmare but easy fix)
-jerky speedo
im quite handy so all but the arches will be/have been sorted by myself...
join: forums.mercedesclub.org.uk and/or www.mbclub.co.uk/forums and have a read on there...
peteO said:
dont buy early 200's mercs pal...
i bout a 2001 clk 320 a few months ago without any research... they are massively rust prone and shoddily put together. a google search will turn up thousands of posts about it.
not a massive issue for me as it was only £1250 and i commute on a motorbike. just bought it for the odd occasion where the bike isnt realistic...
things that need/needed sorting on mine:
-rusty arches
-replace door check strap
-grease window
-pixelated clock and temp gauge
-boot wont open! (nightmare but easy fix)
-jerky speedo
im quite handy so all but the arches will be/have been sorted by myself...
join: forums.mercedesclub.org.uk and/or www.mbclub.co.uk/forums and have a read on there...
There's a lot of pretty beaten up rusty W208s around now, but I'm referring to the 209 model. Have looked at 03 and 53 plate examples at the auction today, although not 500s, and they were rust free.i bout a 2001 clk 320 a few months ago without any research... they are massively rust prone and shoddily put together. a google search will turn up thousands of posts about it.
not a massive issue for me as it was only £1250 and i commute on a motorbike. just bought it for the odd occasion where the bike isnt realistic...
things that need/needed sorting on mine:
-rusty arches
-replace door check strap
-grease window
-pixelated clock and temp gauge
-boot wont open! (nightmare but easy fix)
-jerky speedo
im quite handy so all but the arches will be/have been sorted by myself...
join: forums.mercedesclub.org.uk and/or www.mbclub.co.uk/forums and have a read on there...
I hear terrible things about Mercedes all day long off traders and mechanics I deal with, yet the early C Classes and CLKs I have run - rusty wheel arches and boot lids aside - have been an absolute pleasure. Never had any auto gearbox issues and the 3.2 V6 that went into the W208 is an absolute peach, as far as I'm concerned.
Maybe I've just been lucky, I'm not really deterred by them. I think the 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder cars have always been beautifully engineered, throughout the 90s and early 00s. Seems as though they get a bit of a universal bashing across the board here on PH purely for flaky build. A little unjust, I reckon.
Maybe I've just been lucky, I'm not really deterred by them. I think the 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder cars have always been beautifully engineered, throughout the 90s and early 00s. Seems as though they get a bit of a universal bashing across the board here on PH purely for flaky build. A little unjust, I reckon.
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