dasMafia

hello all, I'm in the early stages of my vehicle search (everytime i eliminate one choice, I add two more...).

I am looking for a car in the mid $30Gs... and someone on the C-Class forum pointed me toward a Starmarked CLK... something I had not thought of before. my questions are pretty simple...

how sporty is the ride, I don't want a squish-box.

have you had any problems???

how is the pre-'00 transmission (without touch-shift)

How is the stereo?

how does the car behave in inclement weather?

The other cars I'm considering are mostly new...

'02 BMW 325Ci
'02 Audi TT Coupe (180 hp, Quattro)
'02 C230K (Loaded)
'70 MB 280SL

how do you think these all compare to the CLK...

This is a car I will take to see clients and attend social functions, I also enjoy driving, and am concerned that the CLK will just not be visceral enough for me.

your thoughts>>>?

techB

for $30k+ i hope its got low miles :P

i'll try to answer in order:

the CLK320 in its stock form is quite a "squish-box" perfect for a day with the clients. i'm sure many on this board will agree that if you're a spirited driver a good set of suspension springs will do wonders. in it's stock form it doesn't handle as well as a stock 325ci.

i've had no major problems...and from what i've heard the 325ci has had more build quality issues that the clk.

my friend has the 00' touch-shift tranny and he never uses it because the transmission is an engineering marvel as far as auto's are concerned. i like my auto. its the best auto i've ever driven. if the 00' had an BMW SMG II type setup then that's a different story.

as far as stock stereos the Bose system is above average. i've had no need to upgrade it. (i've worked at a auto electronics shop in the past so i suppose that might mean something)

inclement weather and S.Cali. now that's an oxymoron...sorry, can't help you there.

now the 70' SL is in a league of its own but as far as the 00' coupes the 320 is far superior imo. if you've got clients and may sometimes have to troll around your in-laws then you'd value the larger interior space, torquier (yeah, i made up that word :P) motor, and overall exclusivity of the CLK.

imho i'd choose the clk320...even w/ 10k miles its pretty much brand new. the BMW is smaller, there's more of them, but it is more of a drivers car. the TT is a two seater..need i say more? the c230 is under powered...you'll crave for more torque in that car. but you know what you haven't considered? you should take a look at a 01' Audi S4.

lee2375

I like my CLK320...I just bought it last month, and with some minor mods it handles great. The stock stereo is good for stock (others on this board may disagree) although the bass response is not as good as it should be. The midbass drivers sometimes can rattle the deck. The transmission and performance are fine. Personally I don't like the audi TT, and I don't know anything about the 70 sl (interesting choice). The BMW is a good car, sportier, and you can get it in a manual if that's important to you. The c230K coupe is a fun car, but it is a little small for my tastes. I do like that one a lot. However, you may get a biased response on this question b/c you posted in a CLK forum!!!

karl k

and am concerned that the CLK will just not be visceral enough for me.

your thoughts>>>?
_____________________________________________

When in doubt, - throw it out!

dasMafia

I've posted this all over the place (audiworld, bimmerforums....) so I have gotten some good responses from a lot of people.

you guys mention that I will want to have the suspension (springs) changed to get a sportier ride, which companies seem to be the best... I saw that the H&Rs lower the car over an inch, and that seemed a bit much. has anybody used the Eibachs??? Also, will I need to replace the shocks, and who's work best... dynamically speaking, I like the ride of the 325Ci... so that is what I would want to emulate in the CLK.

techB: as far as reliability problems with the 325, what have you heard?

I can't (won't) insure the S4, and its a little pricey (about $41G)

lee2375

i have the eibachs on my car...check my other posts in this thread

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...=&threadid=987

i can answer any questions you might have about this setup.

IDOITBST

TEHY COMPARE.. THE BMW IS JUNK INSIDE ie. CHEAP..!! IM BOUGHT TO BUY THE BILSTEIN SPORT SHOCKS REPLACING THE BILSTEIN HD's ... AND THAT SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO FOR ME CHECK MY SIGNATURE FOR THE REST OF MY MODS..!!!

CLIFF

dasMafia

you mind elaborating??? I've seen nothing to indicate that the interior of an E46 325Ci is of lesser quality than say a C230K (I wont even mention window switches)... please elaborate, the BMW people don't mention this (duh), and blind accusations and generalizations are not enough for me to base a decision on... If you have information PLEASE SHARE IT!!!!

and I don't have the $$$ to spend $5000 on wheels and suspension, I need something that works out of the box... a set of springs and inexpensive 17s are possible, but even that will require the gifting of a lot of shiny stuff to SWMBO... (she who must be obeyed)

BTW, stop yelling!

IDOITBST

both and make your own decision...!!! why go on what people say do your own DD on the cars and buy one..!!!!!!

CLIFF

IDOITBST

you will find out why they are cheaper..lolol

CLIFF

techB

from what i can remember here were my warranty fixes...

1. window realignment
2. seat cover replacement
3. oil cap replacement
4. tranny control module replaced due to occasional mis-shifts
5. getting a new dash next week because the leather around the passenger air bag cover has a hairline crack.
6. replaced the fuel gauge sensor or something in that system (can't remember the part exactly)
7. took in numerous times trying to get the rear deck to stop rattling ( i actually fixed this myself )
8. sunroof bug that never got fixed but mysteriously disappeared
9. the annoying creaks and rattles all cars have.
10. rear differential was leaking around 7k miles.

i'm sure there are 2 or 3 other minor things i forgot but luckily there hasn't been anything major wrong with the car.

about your suspension question...
-i use the H&R's because i've used them in the past and been happy with the compromise. start out w/ these as they will give you the best bang per dollar. then start thinking about the shocks down the line. then you if you want to go further ( for maybe the top 5% of total clk drivers :P )... get sway bars, etc...

dasMafia

damnit cliff, I've driven both... just haven't OWNED BOTH... and i still am unsure of what about the BMW is cheap??? is it the seating materials, is it the leather, is it the standard of construction, is it the damn litttle buttons that break, what the hell is it and where are you getting your information. I'm sorry I'm only 23 years old and haven't had a chance to own every car out there and evaluate it first hand, so I'm attempting to do the next best thing... ask people who do own the car

I'm trying to make an informed decision, in part with the goal of minimizing TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP... thats the trick here... as for as my questions about how the car drives, the CLK drives fine... but I'm extremely reluctant to push the car anywhere near its limits with a salesmonkey in the passenger's seat... so I asked for the impressions of owners who have had this opportunity.

This purchase is a big deal to me. this is a lot of money and I'd like to make the best decision possible. each of the cars I listed represents DAYS worth of technical research, however, none of that can be substituted for the experiences of owners living in the real world. the only one of those cars i've not driven twice is the old SL, for obvious reasons.

I hope this makes some sense to you...

dasMafia

... and thank you techB!

sounds like you've had some annoyances, of course thats about a dozen things over three years... one every oil change aint too bad i quess.

thanks again.

lee2375

A good freind of mine bought an 01 330ci (not the same but comparable) and it has been trouble free. It feels very solid, performs and handles well, and has a very nice interior to boot. He has not had any problems with it at all. However, I will say that in my experience with BMW the interior tends to "fall apart" after amny years in the hot Houston sun. This is common on moany BMWs in the area...the door panel glue comes undone, or the leather bond comes off and bubbles, etc...Other than that I don't have any complaints about BMWs. The mercedes is just a different sort of car...it has a little more "luxury" and a little less "sport" if you know what I mean. But overall, I am happy with my purchase decision, and the CLK performs well and handles reasonably well. A set of springs (about 500 investment including labor) is all it needs to handle excellently. I guess it comes down to which style you like better.

Dan

I wouldn't change to another car, no matter what the price.

The ride is fine. Although it is more compliant than the BMW, it is also more fun to drive at the limit. Just turn the ESP off.

The stereo is great. Better than most of the aftermarket systems I have been suckered into buying.

I have a 1998 with 75,000 miles, and have never had a problem. Not one...

I would choose it over the others on your list...

dasMafia

Thanks a bunch guys, nice info Lee... "the Houston Sun" is not something I have to deal with, thank god. Its garaged wehrever it goes... assigned stall at the office, garaged at home... hell, I even use my parents garage when I go over there! (they have 3... but only two of the cars fit in the doors.)

Right not I'm leaning toward the C230 and the 325Ci... I can't seen to find any used CLKs with decent equipment under $38-39G... The Bavarian is like 33,500, and the C230 is like 32,+...

I'll keep looking though...