Quick CLK cab question
Discussion
Looking into early-ish CLK cab (pre-2003 most likely) but don't know that much about them. Got a test drive booked for this weekend.
First dumb question - are they all automatic?
Second (slightly less dumb question) - which engine do people generally reckon? I was leaning towards the 320...
Final question... I want it to be a bit sporty but accept that essentially it'll never be a pukka sports car (coming out of Porsche 996) - any options worth considering - sports suspension etc...?
...plus anything in general to look for...
Cheers guys!
First dumb question - are they all automatic?
Second (slightly less dumb question) - which engine do people generally reckon? I was leaning towards the 320...
Final question... I want it to be a bit sporty but accept that essentially it'll never be a pukka sports car (coming out of Porsche 996) - any options worth considering - sports suspension etc...?
...plus anything in general to look for...
Cheers guys!
LeeME3 said:
Looking into early-ish CLK cab (pre-2003 most likely) but don't know that much about them. Got a test drive booked for this weekend.
First dumb question - are they all automatic?
Second (slightly less dumb question) - which engine do people generally reckon? I was leaning towards the 320...
Final question... I want it to be a bit sporty but accept that essentially it'll never be a pukka sports car (coming out of Porsche 996) - any options worth considering - sports suspension etc...?
...plus anything in general to look for...
Cheers guys!
They are manual or automatic(except the 430iirc which is auto only).First dumb question - are they all automatic?
Second (slightly less dumb question) - which engine do people generally reckon? I was leaning towards the 320...
Final question... I want it to be a bit sporty but accept that essentially it'll never be a pukka sports car (coming out of Porsche 996) - any options worth considering - sports suspension etc...?
...plus anything in general to look for...
Cheers guys!
The 200/230 are a bit coarse and underpowered(although I did get 40 mpg from a 200Kompressor manual over a 250 mile journey once which I thought was excellent)
The 430 offers a bit more performance over a 320 but likes a drink(The ones Ive had have averaged around 18mpg which isnt too good)
The 320 is the optimum model in the range in my opinion.It offers reasonable performance and economy.As with any merc of this era you need FSH,and ive seen some quite rusty cars esp wheelarches and bubbling on the boot for some strange reason.
The facelift 2000- model is much more desirable and has the indicators in the mirrors and multi function steering wheel.Mercedes did do sports suspension on this model and cars without it look like they are riding a bit too high.
Generally they are a good car-Ive bought/sold/ran around 30 different ones over the years.
AFAIK 320/430 (old shape W208) only available as an auto and the AMG model was only available in extremely small numbers as a cabriolet (rumoured to be around 6). The newer model (W209) didn't get offered with the 430 engine, this was replaced with by the 500.
Generally, leather is a "must have" on a Merc, especially with a larger engine. Manuals are notchy (I ran a CLK230 Kompressor with a manual box for 60k miles) and have slightly offset pedals compared with the auto. Good luck.
Generally, leather is a "must have" on a Merc, especially with a larger engine. Manuals are notchy (I ran a CLK230 Kompressor with a manual box for 60k miles) and have slightly offset pedals compared with the auto. Good luck.
Oh and the Avantgarde model comes with sports suspension as standard (although the owner could specify the "comfort" suspension instead). Also has blue tinted glass and dark "wood" (birds eye maple) rather than the lighter colour wood and green glass offered with the Elegance specification.
Listen out for a rattle coming from the exhaust - sounds a little like a heat shield rattling. This could be a sign of a knackered catalytic converter and this is not cheap to fix at c. £1,500.
Listen out for a rattle coming from the exhaust - sounds a little like a heat shield rattling. This could be a sign of a knackered catalytic converter and this is not cheap to fix at c. £1,500.
Edited by Kingdom on Friday 11th April 22:28
I run a 2001 CLK 320 Convertible. Had it from new. Great car but not a sports machine. Don't buy a manual, 95% of Mercs are auto, manual does not resell.
Have as many extra's as you can afford. It will almost certainly come with Auto, leather seats and metallic paint (all essential but all extras). Look for electric memory seats, zenon lighting, auto wash/wipe, steering wheel controls, if you can command SAT/Nav etc.
Watch out for pixel fading on the dashboard outside air temp/clock/drive. You can get these repairs done at Speedo Repairs near Barnet, London about £150. I have a sprint booster fitted, it makes a big diffrence to acceleration.
Good luck with the buy
Have as many extra's as you can afford. It will almost certainly come with Auto, leather seats and metallic paint (all essential but all extras). Look for electric memory seats, zenon lighting, auto wash/wipe, steering wheel controls, if you can command SAT/Nav etc.
Watch out for pixel fading on the dashboard outside air temp/clock/drive. You can get these repairs done at Speedo Repairs near Barnet, London about £150. I have a sprint booster fitted, it makes a big diffrence to acceleration.
Good luck with the buy
Thanks all - I've now driven 2, a 430 Avantgarde and a 230K Avantgarde. The 430 was great and is a 2000- facelift in black with black leather and pretty much every option. BUT, history is not quite perfect and the roof only closes half way then needs a shove which seems potentially expensive. Also, whilst mpg is not a major issue general consensus favours the 320 so thay's what I'm looking out for (the 430 may still figure if my concerns can be reflected in the price).
Cheers for the advice on what to look for - did just that with both cars and both dealers immediately ppointed out a few other blemishes and so on so it goes to show a bit of honesty works both ways!
So, any got a black/black 320K they want to sell?!?!? Oh, and it has to be 2000- and an Avantgarde! Bit fussy but Iknow they're out there and I'll find one soon enough!
Cheers for the advice on what to look for - did just that with both cars and both dealers immediately ppointed out a few other blemishes and so on so it goes to show a bit of honesty works both ways!
So, any got a black/black 320K they want to sell?!?!? Oh, and it has to be 2000- and an Avantgarde! Bit fussy but Iknow they're out there and I'll find one soon enough!
Don't touch any CLK Cab with a roof that doesn't work 100%! These are complex bits of engineering and if they go wrong can cost big bucks to fix. I had to replace a pair of broken plastic clips on mine - turned out that clips could not be replaced on their own, but needed a complete new hinge unit. Each hinge cost c. £100 and then I needed to pay the labour to get them fitted.
I was lucky....another car that was in at the same time required six hours worth of labour to diagnose the problem in the first place! Good luck with your search!
I was lucky....another car that was in at the same time required six hours worth of labour to diagnose the problem in the first place! Good luck with your search!
Kingdom said:
Don't touch any CLK Cab with a roof that doesn't work 100%!
Thanks, I've already passed on the Black 430 (roof went half way then needed a shove!). Looking at a silver 320 later, W plate facelift and full MBSH so fingers crossed (forgot to add earlier will consider silver as well as black/greys!).V8Cerbera said:
Guys, I've just bought a 2000/V reg CLK 430 cab. I pick her up on Tuesday.
Can someone enlighten me on this "sprint booster" I saw mentioned earlier in the thread? Obviously I'd like her to be a little swifter to accelerate if possible
Oooh go on, how much £££? Will help my research (PM me if you want).Can someone enlighten me on this "sprint booster" I saw mentioned earlier in the thread? Obviously I'd like her to be a little swifter to accelerate if possible
The 'sprint booster' is meant to give you sharper throttle response, more info here (I'm in no way affiliated and have no idea if it works - would be interested to find out though):
http://sprint-booster.co.uk/what_is_sprint_booster...
Edited by LeeME3 on Saturday 19th April 17:59
LeeME3 said:
Oooh go on, how much £££? Will help my research (PM me if you want).
£9,500 matey. It's got a few miles on the clock (91,000) but seems to be in absolutely mint condition. Full leather, perfect roof opening and as an added bonus, she appears to be AMG trimmed (alloys, door sills, etc) and have the upgraded BOSE stereo.It was a 320 (replaced in 2005 by the 280 I believe) - that was the reason (excuse?) for driving it as the engine is pretty mch identical to in the previous version.
Felt a little bit 'tighter' than the earlier car (but that could just be because it was a particularly good 'un - 20000 miles, main dealer ex-demo vehicle then sold to the senior salesman). Main impression was that it looks a bit sportier (my wife actually commented on that as well) and is perhaps a bit better screwed together. Main thing for us though was the extra little bit of legroom in the back - the rear 'cockpit' is a pretty pleasant place to be even with the roof down. However, it didn't have the sports suspension and I think that would be a must for me. Not sure if warrants the extra £6000 or so I'd need to find but I am tempted to wait to the end of the summer and see if I can pick one up then...
Felt a little bit 'tighter' than the earlier car (but that could just be because it was a particularly good 'un - 20000 miles, main dealer ex-demo vehicle then sold to the senior salesman). Main impression was that it looks a bit sportier (my wife actually commented on that as well) and is perhaps a bit better screwed together. Main thing for us though was the extra little bit of legroom in the back - the rear 'cockpit' is a pretty pleasant place to be even with the roof down. However, it didn't have the sports suspension and I think that would be a must for me. Not sure if warrants the extra £6000 or so I'd need to find but I am tempted to wait to the end of the summer and see if I can pick one up then...
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