Advice........
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Advice........
Hey all.
I think i found a good deal on a 2000 Mercedes CLK 430 that I want to buy, but just wanted to run it by here to see what anyone might have to say. I have done some research, and this car seems to have high ratings, and everything I am looking for. Right now I own a 2004 Saab 93 aero convertible, and i love it. i want to try and get the wife something european, and i ran across this car in my town. it has 63000 miles, auto/maunal transmission, heated seats, pwr rear sunshade, moonroof, pwer memory seats, seems, like all the options. it has the AMG wheels, but i don't know if it has the AMG package or suspension that was offered. not really sure how to tell. they are asking 20, 880, and i went in today to run numbers, and of course they tried playing the normal dealership games, thinking i was stupid, but basicall long story short, 450 a month. anything i should look at in particualr, and off bat, does this seems like a good deal? when i test drove it i was really impressed. a lot of power, and handled great. thanks in advance, and hope to join the mercedes family here!
PFEIFFER
I think i found a good deal on a 2000 Mercedes CLK 430 that I want to buy, but just wanted to run it by here to see what anyone might have to say. I have done some research, and this car seems to have high ratings, and everything I am looking for. Right now I own a 2004 Saab 93 aero convertible, and i love it. i want to try and get the wife something european, and i ran across this car in my town. it has 63000 miles, auto/maunal transmission, heated seats, pwr rear sunshade, moonroof, pwer memory seats, seems, like all the options. it has the AMG wheels, but i don't know if it has the AMG package or suspension that was offered. not really sure how to tell. they are asking 20, 880, and i went in today to run numbers, and of course they tried playing the normal dealership games, thinking i was stupid, but basicall long story short, 450 a month. anything i should look at in particualr, and off bat, does this seems like a good deal? when i test drove it i was really impressed. a lot of power, and handled great. thanks in advance, and hope to join the mercedes family here!
PFEIFFER
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From: SCV SoCal
2002 CLK430
I recommend you get a VMI. A VMI is the vehicle master inquiry. It's a report any Mecedes dealer can print. It lists the vehicle's original equipment, and the service history. The service history will include the dates and mileage of all work performed by any Mercedes Benz dealer. Have the seller supply you with one.
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thanks for that reply. i had no idea i could do that. the car is actually at a kia dealership, and even though it looks clean and i am so impresed by it, i want to make sure that i know i am paying 20,000 for something that was taken care of. what if the previous owner took it to a local shop? im not sure the service intervals on these cars, but im thinking there was one probably due at 60,000 right? thanks again, i will ask them to supply me with one, or call myself to the dealership in raleigh
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From: Hotlanta
AMG
I would highly recommend having 2 things done, in addition to asking for a VMI (BTW, some dealers will not honor this request).
1. Have a thorough PPI (pre-purchase inspection) completed. It will cost you somewhere between $100 (really low end) to around $300. If there are problems with that car, this inspection will hopefully reveal any potential critical issues....could save you big $$$ in the long run.
2. Ask for the service records. If there are none, I would probably look elsewhere for another CLK.
Good luck in your decision.
1. Have a thorough PPI (pre-purchase inspection) completed. It will cost you somewhere between $100 (really low end) to around $300. If there are problems with that car, this inspection will hopefully reveal any potential critical issues....could save you big $$$ in the long run.
2. Ask for the service records. If there are none, I would probably look elsewhere for another CLK.
Good luck in your decision.
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thanks for the advice everyone, and i called the mercedes place in raleigh, but they said they couldn't do a VMI for me. i got the car today. carfax report was good, and everything seemed fine, and i got a short warranty, and might get an extended one. ive been driving it around all day, and love the v8 power...little more bang than my saab's 4 banger....but they are both fun. guess i will now start looking at what toys and accessories i want for it...lol
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yeah, i acutally just founf that out 5 minutes ago from a buddy...would have been nice to have it BEFORE i bought the car, but oh well, it will be good info to have. couple questions for you folks as i am new to the mercedes world.
1. oil changes...looked in the manual and it said every two years?! is this like my saab where the manual says every 15000 miles, but people usually do it more often?....how often??
2. whats the preferred brake pad, and does anyone recommend upgrading, i.e., ebc, zimmerman....and uh, probably can't afford brembo at the moment...lol
3. intakes/airfilters?
4. i thought i did a thorough inspection of the electrical aspect of the vehicle, and low and behold, the trunk button in the ****pit doesn't work...i think....when i push/pull it should the trunk pop? i have to do it manually with the pull out key to get it open now.
5. i have no CD player...was wanting to integrate an ipod. is this a problem with this vehicle?
i know that is quite a bit, but like i said i am new to this world, and have about a million questions, and plan on doing a lot more reading on this site, but if any of you could hook me up with some of the answers id appreciate it. thanks in advance.....
PFEIF
1. oil changes...looked in the manual and it said every two years?! is this like my saab where the manual says every 15000 miles, but people usually do it more often?....how often??
2. whats the preferred brake pad, and does anyone recommend upgrading, i.e., ebc, zimmerman....and uh, probably can't afford brembo at the moment...lol
3. intakes/airfilters?
4. i thought i did a thorough inspection of the electrical aspect of the vehicle, and low and behold, the trunk button in the ****pit doesn't work...i think....when i push/pull it should the trunk pop? i have to do it manually with the pull out key to get it open now.
5. i have no CD player...was wanting to integrate an ipod. is this a problem with this vehicle?
i know that is quite a bit, but like i said i am new to this world, and have about a million questions, and plan on doing a lot more reading on this site, but if any of you could hook me up with some of the answers id appreciate it. thanks in advance.....
PFEIF
