JHouse

I totally get it, since I drive one myself, and by choice. But it didn't start out that way. I had only been in a few Mercedes in my life, and figured they were a little fuddy duddy. But the wife wanted a small car so I got it for her. It's just the 320 Coupe, nothing exotic, and all stock (I'm too old to be a boy racer). Well, she hated it. The doors were to long, she was afraid she would ding it up, and she was afraid to be in it because it was too small on the road. (She drives a Navigator - which she used to complain about being too big - go figure).

It was our third car, so I drove it from time to time just to keep it alive. After I drove it a while, I finally got it. This particular Mercedes is an absolute blast. It handles like it's on rails, rides smooth as heck, stops fast, revs happily, and tears out. 90 is like 50. It's got the light interior, with extremely high quality surfaces that are perfectly clean, and so it feels really luxurious. I just feel great driving it. Sure the computer takes some time to figure out. But the stereo is killer (especially on the Driver setting). It sure doesn't hurt that it gets decent mileage and seats four, and holds two sets of golf clubs, but it's like a treat every time I jump in it.

I really like the huge oil capacity, that was brilliant engineering. I like the driver exit feature (moving seat and steering column). The wood it beautiful, the seats feel great and the steering wheel feels darned good too. I think it just happens to be the perfect combination of luxury, performance, prestige and practicality.

So even though I just stumbled into it, I love it. Who'd a thunk? I want two.

Fai+H777

I drive a CLK because the SLR is too expensive...

kbahl21

i like the windows..and the 5.5 V8

2MCHCAR

I wanted a sporty RWD coupe with a V8 and for the price, the CLK fit the bill. I like the fact that you don't see that many W209s, especially modded W209s (verses 3 series BMWs) so my car gets people's attention.

Kevwood

Small but not too small, inexpensive for what you get and great aftermarket for building a daily driver/track car.

Carlos is certainly right in regards to attention getting, that aspect really surprised me. Nice looking car that dresses up very well with simple exterior mods.

ahmadk

i wanted a mercedes, coupe, 4-seater, sporty.... so what else than a CLK

fusion2007

i got it because, where i live no one has it, but when i visit my family in california, everyone has it, but it is the perfect sleeper. if challenged it will spit in the face of the enemy or give em hell..

and i fell in love with her at first sight at the dealership 2 years ago!!

dynomite05

Why not?

JHouse

Well SOME might say that from some angles it looks just like every other dolphin shaped econo car.

What saves it is the hood sculpting.

Kevwood

Hmmm, I don't see that at all, I always thought it was a nice shape - far more refined than the past 208's.

ahmadk

exactly

elijah

I've owned Audi sedans, BMW trucks & it was time for a Benz Coupe.

Yidney

It was time for a new convertible, I like big V8s, I like it better than the Audi or BMW verts, I can't afford an Aston Martin or Maserati without my wife closing the refrgerator door on my head, and I wanted a dark red metallic car with a nearly white interior. So I flew a thousand miles to buy it without ever having actually looked at one in person, let alone sat in or test driven one.

Mka77

They just look good. Price to options is excellent. And where I live they are far and few between. I see a lot of MB's around here. Mainly the C300 and 350's.

Fai+H777

Could we see a pic or two of your car?

LexDiamonds

All I had ever driven was full size trucks (I'm 33). Wanted to add a second vehicle for the months there wasnt snow on the ground. I was definately interested in a 2 door coupe. Was seriously looking at an 2door Accord, Hyundai Genesis coupe, and even the new 5.0 mustang.

I had never seriously concidered a Mercedes. Was browsing craigslist one day and saw a CLK for sale. Why heellllo good lookin! How had I missed this beast in my car search??

That particular car didnt pan out at the dealership inspection, but the gods wanted me to drive a CLK. Less than 6 hours after I left the dealership bummed out that the first one didnt work out, the chief service tech calls me and tells me a lady he knows is getting ready to sell her CLK. Black 2004 w/ 40k miles. A creampuff. It checked out (except for valve gaskets which I did myself)

Been loving my CLK. MBZ has me by the ***** now thou cause I am convinced my next car needs to be an AMG.

kevblah

My first car that I got when I was 16 was a 2002 MB C320 sedan, and while that was a great first car, I wanted something faster and more luxurious for my second car.

So, after the C320 was sold, I began my hunt for a new car.

After deciding that I wanted a stylish and luxurious coupe, I narrowed it down to:
- MB CLK550, BMW 335i, Audi A5, Porsche Cayman S, Infiniti G37

The Audi A5 was certainly stylish, but expensive and slow.
The Porsche Cayman S was definitely fast, but a bit too small...and expensive.
Infiniti G37 didn't appeal too much to me, reminded me of a Nissan too much.

So, now I'm down to a 335i and a CLK550. I really wanted a 335i because of the large mod market for the car, but I ultimately went for the CLK550 because I wanted a big V8, since the V6 in the C320 left a lot to be desired. But, my main gripe was the 335i is that it was a big step up from the 328i, yet cosmetically looked identical. However, the CLK550 sports an AMG kit and bigger brakes than a CLK350 does, and that made it a winner for me.

I didn't want to buy a 335i, only to have it blend in with the millions of 328i's on the road. The CLK550 stands out more on the street, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy the CLK.

Supafly

I drive a CLK today because I always wanted to own a white w208 when I was in highschool....The day i began searching for a car after my selling honda....my little cousin who was diagnosed with AML (who is a car freak) was browsing the local Craigslist add and pointed out a white CLK320...i looked at it...then looked at the price and said there has to be something wrong with this car.....needless to say, I went and checked it out at the MB dealer; clean as a whistle. Next day, I pulled into the BCCH in the new car and took him out for a day pass....since then he's passed away...and I still have this car today as a token of him. I'll probably never sell it, and I'll probably will end up give this car to his younger sister when I upgrade cars....This car has been a blast for me...dont need to go fast in it...all I need is the windows down, wheels flushed and a simple kit....its the car that makes you get that warm fuzzy feeling when people look in awe...

Yidney

Sure. I'll load a couple up tomorrow.

clkwork

winning... duh

lazlion99

My choices were almost exact as the above, but deleting Cayman and throwing in Corvette. But for me it is the extra space for 2 backseat passengers (you'd be thankful when you need it) seals the deal. I am loving the power and ride of my CLK. Add the quads and CF diffuser it'd be perfect!

Clkboi

I was on the Hunt for a benz and wanted to get an E-class. Found the one i wanted and the day i went to buy it the CLK was looking at me far behind.

Love at first sight lol. Made me happy and saved me some money.

The looks you get with the CLK is crazy. I see a lot of E-class but not a lot of CLK and especially mooded. I think i made the right choice. Only downside is the 4matic option but w.e

LexDiamonds

This is a pretty solid answer as well.

mikata

Wanted a coup and it stood between CLK, Audi A5 & BMW 325i E90.
Audi was not worth the price.
BMW failed because here's alot of e90 coups in Sweden.
CLK won because it's a Benz. And with the face-lifted AMG package it's a head turner
Got to experience that today, believe me, the AMG package was totally worth the price!!

MB Dave

A b7 s4 slipped through my fingers and i was "forced" to get the CLK500