chinzo23

Fellas I am very confused I have a big prob I want to become apart of the family of clk owners u all have here but Im at a loss of words I have really see alot of people saying that they have had problems with their cars from minor to major so Ive narrowed it down to four cars 99 Clk 430, 99 Lexus Gs 400, and the 03Acura Tls an 99 Bmw540. I know there is a resonable explanation for my confusion seein how u guys have said its better to buy new But I jus luv the w208's so much but the lexus is reliable right along with acura minus the trannys the 540 is jus vicious in black I just wish I had direction from some pros any input would be cool

Roush2960

Go to any site and you will see people posting more of there complaints then there loves of there cars. I have been a die hard muscle car man for years. My wife's Mercedes has had me change my mind. I love her car even with the problems we have had with it. None of them are really quaility, more personal issue's. THey will all get fixed and it will be as nice as ever.

I will take my roush over her mercedes anyday , but I do like the having it in the family.

Silverbillet

Every cars will have their own problems. I had a acura tl and it went through 3 tranny. I used to have a 325i and its had all kind of eletrical problems. My wife has a rx330 and it had its fair share of problems. I still love my benz because it really rides different then any of the other cars I've owned.

MarcusF

I can only speak for my car. The dealer replaced the HVAC controller, but other than that, no problems.

Why do you want a 1999? Is there something special about that model year?

SoCal208

Before buying MB, I had been driving BMW 3 & 5 series, both cars drive me crazy & hit my wallet good (they are Break My Wallet...), started buying MB since 1994, the 1st two C class (94/95 C280) also are the money pit, get rid both around 150M miles, since I get the E320 & CLK320 (StarMark car), so far, so good, any problems were taking care by warranty (I do not buy extended warranty).. knock on the wood. Both cars run flawlessly, beside regular maintenance (oil change, filter, brakes), there are NOT a single problem, I did change the transmission fluid, rear differential fluid @ 60M & change brake fluid (for the CLK), the E320 had been driving beyond 45M yet (wife's car), the less electronic on MB, the better.(We do not need COMAND, seat warmer or side curtain due to the SoCal climate we live & local driving), reading this forum with all the problems, I guess we are lucky with cars that run good, it cost us a LOT less than the Toyota & Nissan we had. That's my MB's experience, I speak for myself, I am NOT (or any of my family member) working for MBUSA (or local dealer).

John 99CLK430

HEY....Waddya trying to say?? lol

MarcusF

There's nothing wrong with the '99 model year. I just think he shouldn't . . . . . . ah . . . . . . . . limit himself to one particular year.

He should get the best kept model he can find.

CLK3201998

I own both a 540i and a CLK. So far on both I have been very lucky and neither have had any major problems in the year or so that I have owned them. As long as you buy a good car to start with and you take care of the regular maintenance items, you should not have any problems. Sure these cars are going to have some minor electrical problems, it happens, but so far for me it has been nothing major. Just minor inconveniences.
My CLK is a 320, I love the fuel economy, compared to the 540i. However, the 540i offers me more power and I find it more comfortable than the Benz. The power gap will not be a concern for you since you are looking at a CLK 430, but if you need a backseat, the 540 is the way to go.
I love both cars and if I were to have to decide which one to keep, i will be in a major bind. Having said that, just make sure you pick the best car for your needs and have professionally checked prior to your purchase and this should minimize your potential for problems in the future.

clkal

i've owned 3 out of the 4 cars you are considering. The only one I haven't owned is the Acura TLS, however, I did own a 03' Acura CLS 6-speed, so it's pretty much the same thing.

I can tell you that the CLK430 is THE BEST looking car out of the 4. The GS400 and the 540i look like lunchboxes. The Acura is a ricer car (but extremely reliable).

99' is the first year for the W208 430, so there are many bugs you will encounter. Just do a search in this forum and you'll see the long list of complaints, ALL of which are small, tiny, issues.

Go with the CLK!