Hi all!

I'm going to test drive a 2000 CLK320 tomorrow and I'd like to get some opinions on the overall reliability of this car. I currently have a 1993 500SEL that I will be trading. (I love the big 140, but the repair bills are really killing me!) Anyway, this CLK only has 24K miles, is Starmark Certified (OK, they don't say "starmark" anymore, but you guys know what I mean), and has a clean CarFax report. I think I can get it for $25,000. Sounds pretty fair to me for the miles. Anyway, does anyone have an opinion of the CLK in general, and the 2000 models specifically? I would REALLY appreciate any thoughts.

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1993 500 SEL 121,000
2003 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 Limited (Sweet!)
1995 Ford Bronco 351 Windsor 135K miles (Hunting truck)

Past Vehicles
1999 Landrover Discovery II 46,000 (Sold)
1998 Lexus ES300 (Sold to get my Benz)
1973 Chevy Nova SS (drove it till the body fell apart in '87)
1971 Chevy Camaro (wrecked in high school)

You will probably miss the power of your V8 and definitely miss the comfort of the W140 S-Class. 2000 and up for CLK had a few changes...radio controls on the steering wheel, different bodywork, etc.

Whatever you do, do not spill any liquid down in the shifter area...it will be one expensive lesson (as I've heard - I try not to drink anything in my cars).

The extended warranty is great, but I would still recommend a thorough PPI at an indie shop.

Good luck!

El Presidente,

Thanks for the thoughts. I think I will miss the size, but to tell you the truth, I'm looking at about $2,000.00 worth of suspension work on the old car, so the ride is really just only OK at this point. I'm just getting tired of putting so much money into a 12 year old car. I love the way this vintage CLK looks (Much better than the new one I think), and a little bump in the MPG department would be most welcome

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1993 500 SEL 121,000
2003 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 Limited (Sweet!)
1995 Ford Bronco 351 Windsor 135K miles (Hunting truck)

Past Vehicles
1999 Landrover Discovery II 46,000 (Sold)
1998 Lexus ES300 (Sold to get my Benz)
1973 Chevy Nova SS (drove it till the body fell apart in '87)
1971 Chevy Camaro (wrecked in high school)

I'm happy with mine.....an still manage about 20 mpg around town!

I think you will love the CLK, as long as the smaller size doesn't bug you. The backseat is essentially useless unless you're 5 years old. But the CLK is quicker than a V-8 140, the little V-6 makes great torque over a broad range and has turned out to be a pretty dependable engine. As for the CLK chassis, I don't think it gets much better in looks, and all the bugs have been worked out long ago since it's basically a 2-door c-class. I have been driving a '98 for the last 6 months. I work on MB's all day long, and I love it. I'd take it over the bulky 140 anyday, the maintenance costs will be WAY cheaper.

Benzaddict,

Thanks for the advice. ODdly enough, the back seat will be occupied mostly by my 7 year old, so it sounds like it will just right for her! This could turn out to be pretty sweet. The CLK only has 21K miles on it, and it's a Starmark, so I've got my fingers crossed that it will work out. My 140 has been fun, but I figure that I have over $25K in it now in about 20 months. I'm not expecting to get much more than $7K for it as a trade-in, so it's ended up costing me about $900 a month. For that kind of money I could be driving a new S500!

__________________
1993 500 SEL 121,000
2003 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 Limited (Sweet!)
1995 Ford Bronco 351 Windsor 135K miles (Hunting truck)

Past Vehicles
1999 Landrover Discovery II 46,000 (Sold)
1998 Lexus ES300 (Sold to get my Benz)
1973 Chevy Nova SS (drove it till the body fell apart in '87)
1971 Chevy Camaro (wrecked in high school)

Hey El,

How expensive was that expensive lesson? My friend has a '00 CLK and a detail shop just dumped something down his shift gate. Same problem you heard about I reckon. What did they end up replacing and for how much?
Thanks for the info!

Justin

Justin,

Thankfully, I've not encountered this problem on my own CLK....

Gonna cost somewhere between $500-$1000. Good luck!

If you like the styling of the 208, you will love the car. Other than the interior rattles and noise, I have had a very good experience with the 208. I have a 99 CLK430 and my girlfriend had a 99 CLK320 and now has an 04 CLK320, all have been essentially trouble free. I prefer the 208 over the 209, she is the opposite!

The most notable was the interior rattles. I was very surprised at the "cheap" sounding interior. Over time I was able to isolate and eliminate most all the "loose" sounds.

The handling I would think is typical of a Grand Touring machine, not great in the corners, but great over the road and a very good compromise between the two. I installed a Carlsson suspension on my 430 and that made an exponential difference in its handling. Night and day.

I had the starter not wanting to engage and it seems to happen about once per year on the 430. There is a TSB out for this and it simply needs lube and costs about $60 for my mechanic to do this. The 320's have both been very good cars and had no starter quirks. The 04 320 had some computer problem that took about 3 weeks for the dealership to figure out. They refused to look at any information I brought them from the boards. Had they looked at any of the info, the work would have been done in days.

Overall, the 320's have been exceptional cars in my experience, as well as the 430. I love the looks of the 208 and will probably grab another. And yes, the back seats are SMALL! Perfect for a 7 year old daughter!

I hope you like it!

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Brian W.

01 S55 AMG Silver
01 CLK55 AMG Silver