CLK convertible for £5k, possible folly?

[B3NNL]

Folks sorry for the standard fare PH question, but my mother would like to treat herself to a fun convertible car.
She wants a 4 seater so she can take the grand children out with her and has now set her sights on a CLK or (apologies) an Audi A4!
Problem is she only wants to spend around £5k on the car as its going to be a bit of fun for her.
This has me slightly concerned as it would be looking at the lower end of the market for both, but more so with the Mercedes.

I've tried pushing the MX5, TT etc but she's adamant she wants a 4 seater and doesn't want even look at a Ford or Pug etc.

Let me also add that this is not a case for making it work "man maths" stylee. I am after your frank Mercedes experience to warn her away from this idea or of course if it is possible, to support it with tips and pointers.
Thanks in advance folks,
Benn

[ZX10R NIN]

I have had more than a few CLK's the petrols are pretty much agro free but there are a few things worth looking for if it's a pre facelift model listen for a clicking behind the dash on startup if you do hear this then it's the flaps that control where the heat goes.

It's an expensive repair, getting one with the Bose is a bonus the spark plug change can be a bit pricey 12 or 16 plugs depending on the engine the 320 is just as juicy as a 500 so don't let engine size put you off.

If the car has a C or K near the paint code then it has Ceramic Lacquer which means it's a bit more expensive to repair.

They're a pretty robust car, parts are reasonable if you have a good independant near you & it'll be a good car for her.

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

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

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

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

[B3NNL]

Many thanks, one of those is just down the road from us too, so we'll go and have a looksee.

[AJXX1]

I got a W209 320 CLK just over 2 weeks ago.

Absolutely great car, engine sounds lovely and to be fair it pulls like a train and has more then enough grunt. Has all the gadgets you could wish for and MPG has been better than I thought (averages around 27-28).

It suffers the annoying clicking sound from behind the dash as mentioned above, but it's not the end of the world (stops after a few mins) and there's a DIY fix that involves taking the dash out so I'll probably attempt that when I've got the time.

The 3.2 V6 seemed to have the best reviews on it. I'd read that the diesel engine can be very unrefined, loud and has issues. As above the CLK 500 apparently isn't far off the 320 for MPG, but personally I didn't think it was worth the risk, especially insurance wise.

I'd make sure you go for 2004+ as these have been galvanised, earlier than this suffer badly from rust.

Also, (this is a matter of preference) but look out for the updated dash models. Mine has an "updated" dash and it looks lovely, very modern. Some of them have an older dash which looks very dated.

New Dash: http://i.forbesimg.com/images/2002/10/07/test_dash...

Old Dash: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BM2sb-1iL2E/maxresdefault.j...

Edited by AJXX1 on Saturday 4th June 14:59

[B3NNL]

Thanks, interesting regarding the subtle changes, dash etc.
Will take her out in one and see what she thinks.

[ZX10R NIN]

The rust isn't an issue on the earlier W209's but is on the W208's if there are rust issues on a 209 then I'd be looking for accident damage

[qska]

I have mine up for sale atm, lots of stories here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...