nabster

I have the opportunity to purchase a gorgeous '02 CLK430 with 17" AMG Wheels that has 36k miles for $26k: http://www.andale.com/img/template.jsp

As a first time MB buyer, I'm having cold feet. If anyone here can help me with these questions, that would help me tremendously!

1. Is it really worth 26k? Is that too much for this car? Would I find a better deal elsewhere?
2. What kinda depreciation can I expect within 5 years -- 100k?
3. What kinda maintenance costs can I expect over the next 100k miles (its currently at 36k)?
4. What are some of the most common complaints that owners have with this car?
5. Are there ANY ANY rattles that these cars are commonly known for (I know it sounds crazy, but this is my biggest pet peeve -- rattles drive me nuts. I sold my Acura CL only because of the rattles)
6. What are some of the the most common/desirable options for this car (I understand some of these may not be possible aftermarket .. but I'd still like to understand what a "fully loaded" version of this car would entail. May help with the negotiation process)
7. And lastly, will my 18x8" OZ Antares with Yokohama Avs dB 225/40/18 tires fit on this baby without any other mods?
   

Thanks!!

- Nabster

nabster

Oh, here are the actual details:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=4582909902

Bagher

hate to burst your bubble but there is no such thing as a "CLK430 AMG". There is the CLK320, CLK430, and CLK55 AMG. 26 sounds decent, maybe you can talk them down 1 or 2 k more. congrats, either way.

nabster

How bizarre! Did you see the link on the auction? Sorry about being such a noob .. but I was just quoting what I read on the Auction site.

It said AMG in the title. I just called the guy and he said they were 17" AMG tires on the CLK430 :o

Thanks for the clarification

Hal H

The CLK430 has the "standard" MB engine, suspension.

The AMG designed parts are the wheels, and lower body facias (side skirts, front & rear facias)

CLK55 has the AMG: engine, suspension, gauges, exhaust, re-programmed transmission and even a larger diameter driveshaft, as well as a different final drive ratio in the differential.

E55Freak

most 430's came with the AMG rims and body kit. 26K is a good price i think but you may be able to talk him down. I paid around 20 for my 99' and wish I would have done my research a little better. oh, well such is life..

Squeaks and rattles...you will have some of those.

Not sure what depreciation might be but clk 55 owners have been complaining about that.

Normal maintenance is every 10K. Price depends on what service it needs.

most options are phone/navigation/heated seats/cd changer (without Nav, I think)..i'm sure there are several others i'm missing. I'm not an expert on these cars but i love the way it looks and drives. Aftermarket mods to the engine are expensive!! keep that in mind.

nabster

A completely random question ... Was the CL55, or the CLK55's ever made as a 4 door sedan?

I remember reading reviews on Motor Trend almost 5 years ago where they had rated this sedan as the "stealthiest" car on the road. They showed it competing neck to neck with most ferrari's .. and said, it could outrun 99% of the cars on the road. But was practical enough to carry around a family .. and at a first glance, the average joe would easily mistake this for a family sedan, as opposed to a lean mean a$$ kicking machine. And ofcourse, which would help prevent drawing some of the negative attention from the popo.

I know I didnt dream up this review ... and that it was written for a sedan.

nabster

Looking at the pics in the auction, does it look like this has the AMG "wheels, and lower body facias (side skirts, front & rear facias)" ?

Chappy

$26K seems like a decent price for good mileage. Fully loaded, a CLK430 would have Xenons, Rear sunshade, COMAND (navigation), Phone, Voice Integration, CD changer, rain sensing wiper, etc.

Most of the significant depreciation has already been taken. Figure another 50% in 5 years/100K if you kept the car nice.

I didn't read through the entire listing...is there any warranty left (timewise?) The factory warranty is 4years/50K miles from the "in service" date. Extended warranties have lots of exclusions.

If you still like the car, make sure to have a thorough PPI done before sealing the deal. This can save you serious time, expense and aggravation in dealing with issues that could be avoided.

Do a search here....rattles and squeaks were one of the most complained about issues with the W208. Chances are most were fixed by now (felt, warranty replacement, etc.) but you need to know that has been a characteristic of this vehicle.

Most common complaints? Rattles/Squeaks....as stated above, do a search.

If you have cold feet....I would wait.

Chappy

Yes.

Chappy

No, both were coupe only. The CLS is a sedan.

Chappy

BTW, at least one wheel has some curb rash and the driver's seat bolster shows some wear.

Chappy

An excellent start to the list of differences....don't forget to add AMG brakes, Monoblock II wheels, transmission (from the V12 - not just re-programmed), and virtually every option as standard, except COMAND, phone and CD changer.

The final drive ratio of 2.82:1 was the same on the CLK55 and CLK430.

E55Freak

Chappy to the rescue.. I'm talking to a co-worker about buying mine..yes i just got it. I work from home and can't justify having it sit in the garage, plus i have a family of 5.

nabster

I had noticed the one wheel .. but not the drivers seat left bolster! Great eye. Thank you

I am going to see the car in person on Friday and take it for a test drive & maybe even a PPI. Will get a feel for the rattles and squeaks myself. Though its tough to get a true sense of it in one test drive. Especially since weather change tends to bring out rattles that were never there before!


THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS INFO!

nabster

How much are you asking for yours ??

blackbenzz

If you're deal doesnt go through and you want a modified 99 with 100k miles let me know. Theres pics in the classifieds section.

midget fidger

i think the motor trend review you might be thinking of is th E55? front end looks similar to the CLK but the design is slightly different. rattles and squeeks are def a big problem that people complain about in these cars. there are a couple ways to fix some of the front seat rattles, though.

NYCLK 430

Price sounds pretty good to me, and the condition looks very good. Off hand looks like the car has everything except Navigation, make sure to check if it has the HID/Xenon Headlights with washers option.

I'm on my 2nd CLK, and my first one was Black Opal (Navy Blue, same as this car your considering) but mine had Ivory interior, no Xenons or Heated Seats and honestly I hated the color combo and the car just wasnt as hot as your typical White, Silver or Black one. This time around I went with a true Black/Black with every option. The fact that you have black interior, thin spoke AMG wheels that started coming in that year, mirror turn signals, all help the styling and appearance, but just something to consider.

nabster

Can you tell if this has the heated seats by looking at those buttons on the center console?

Chappy

It appears to have heated seats, but contact the seller to make certain.

NYCLK 430

You guys see where the hazard switch is, a fully loaded model would have 3 buttons to the left of it and 3 to the right of it. The one all the way to the left and all the way to the right are the heated seats. This car has them. The 2nd one from all the way left would be the headlight washer system button which comes with the xenons, that button is missing on this particular car so unless it has an aftermarket kit, it has no Xenons/HID, the other three buttons, (one to put down the rear headrests, one is tow mode and one is the door locks) come on all of them.

nabster

Awesome info. I'm going to see the car tomorrow. Here's what I'm going to use for negotiation.

- No Xenon (/Headlight washer system)
- No Navi
- Curb rash on wheel
- Wear on seats
- No warranty

And I still need to verify Rear sunshade, Phone/Voice Integration, rain sensing wipers. I'm going to need this and a whole lot more to bring the guy down even 1-2k. He seemed to be pretty firm about the price ($25,675) on the phone.

Phade

dude 25.6 for a 02 clk with 36k miles.. you are getting a steal man.. you better get that quick..

E55Freak

agree. I'm gonna try to push for 23k w/ 100k warranty. The car has 66K on it. I may not get it but always remember "there's an *** for every seat".