Petie

Hey Guys,

Ive finally decided that I want to go ahead and sell my 2000 CLK430 and get a 2001 or 2002 CLK55. Wanted yalls input on how much I should try to get for her, as the price difference between the two cars will make my decision. Specs follow:

2000 CLK430
Glacier White over Charcoal
Dont know all my K Packages, but it has:
Heated Seats
Xenon
Headlight Washers
All mods I have made will be removed and car will be sold as stock
Everything works
No scratches on paint that are visible. that is to say I inspected the car closely and found very few small scratches, no one else would find them.
Very few stone chips on grill and 2 on hood, worked on and hardly noticable.
33,000 miles, garage kept.
Car was wrecked once, not by me, but parts were replaced to perfect.
And Obviously:
AMG Bodykit and AMG wheels

What kind of ballpark should i expect? I was hoping to get somewhere close to $40,000 for the car, is that reasonable or a bit high? Thanks in Advance.

Eric

nickv

Hey Eric,
Sorry to see that beauty go, but a great upgrade is on the way!! Based on the Houston market, I think your price is a little high, here you could probably fetch $35-$36. Good luck man!
Nick

Petie

Thanks for the advice. My guess of $40 was a completely blind guess, so thanks for clearing that up. Ive looked on autotrader to get an idea of what CLK55s are going for. Im looking for one with under 20,000 miles, ideally under 15,000. I see them on autotrader with an asking price of high 40's, is that reasonable, or is that asking price a bit high and theres a good chance i could get one a bit cheaper? I know the price on the CLK AMG is down, what should i expect to pay in regards to the CLK55? Thanks again in advance.

Eric

mmgrad

Petie, if your heart is set on the W208 CLK55, then I say, wait a while.... wait at least until the new W209 CLK55 is on the sales floor for about a month, then there will be less demand on the W208.

high 40s seem fair for an '01 model. low 50s for the '02 is probably what is expected. whatever you do, don't forget to calculate in the sales tax, that bumps it up a few thousand!!!

nickv

Yup, Danny has got a great point, wait until the W209 55s hit the ground and are around for a while, the same thing that happened to the other 208s will happen to the 55.

hinhin7

Petie: godd luck with the CLK55 hunting...
I have also been thinking about trading my 02 CLK 430 to a 02 CLK 55 as I like the W208 style.



Any approximate on how much I have to pay. I am hoping I can get around $40-45grand for my car and adding below $10,000.

I6turbo

Petie,

I just bought a '00 CLK 430 just about like yours. Mine was loaded with Comand and everything else, 35K miles, brand new tires, Starmarked, and in literally like new condition. Paid $37.5 K for it. The White with Charcoal interior is pretty hard to find. We had been looking for about 4 months for the perfect car and this is how long it took to find it. We found some others, but they weren't in good enough condition. So, I agree with the others who have suggested trying something in the $37K range.

FWIW, there's a black/black '01 CLK 55 at Brumos Mercedes in Jacksonville, FL. I drove it a few days ago and it seems to be in perfect condition. (I was thinking about buying the 55 instead of the 430, but the 55 didn't make much of an impression on me, power wise, so I stuck with the 430 -- the 55 is definitely more powerful, but not enough to really notice when I'm used to my 850 hp Supra.)

You might not be interested in a black one, but just in case... they are asking $51K for it. I don't know what you could actually buy it for because I didn't really inquire beyond asking price. If you want to inquire call Detlev (sp?), one of the salesmen there. IME you can trust what he tells you.

ndabunka

Nickv - You may not know this but the 208 55's were only a limited group (about 2000 coupes in US in 2001/2002). Remember that the 55 was not offered in 2000 so if you want that body style in a 55, you are limited to only about 2000/cars to choose from (That may be 2000 each year). If you want an even rarer bird, the 55 was only available as a cabriolet for ONE year (2002) - I think only 800 of those. I have been toying with selling mine but the market has been pretty stable now for the past 3-4 months with most of these cars (in pristine condition) going for high 40's.

nickv

That would be great if the value actually went up, but I seriously doubt it. To accomplish this, a vehicle must have a cult-like following, I'm thinking Impala SS (~96 - ~98); is there really that large of an enthusiast base behind the 208 55? Not trying to knock you or your car, wish I had one, but just don't think it jives. IMO you would be lucky to maintain current value once the 209 becomes commonplace.

mmgrad

I agree with nickv. My work is specifically that of tracking the price trends of new & used cars, and here's a bit of 411 to arm your arsenal (for those looking to buy).

The luxury used car market is at its lowest point in the last 5 years, and this last year has seen the most dramatic drop in price.

Here are some numbers to look at: The industry average depreciation is about 14% last year, but a car like the 2000 MB E-Class dropped by over 22% during this last year.

A CLK Cab holds the best value in areas like FL or CA, but coupes don't hold too well. CLK is more limited than E, but it will see the same type of drop like the E-Class.

so to expect the car to rise or even hold its current value over, say the next 4-6 months, is next to zero. Sorry Wish it was otherwise.

ndabunka

Guys, I know cars aren't investment vehicles. Most every one will drop in price. All I was saying is that the price decline on these models appears to have subsided. A year ago, the CLK55 was going for $53-$57K. They dropped pretty substaintally to the low 50's/high 40's about 6 months ago and appear to be staying around there (ebay, Autotrader, etc). However, with any car a limited production run is what collectors seek. Not that this car is yet a collector's item, but considering the limited production run along with the cars' characteristics (fastest production car made in 2001...), it does have a chance in 5-10 years of being a much sought after item. Of course I could be wrong but you never know. I'm just happy to see the prices leveling off

I6turbo

Fastest production MERCEDES of 2001 perhaps. I like the cars a lot but I don't think they have any hope of acheiving collector status or otherwise becoming sought after on a scale that will cause prices to increase any appreciable amount. However, I think they are relative bargains at the current prices -- the 55s and the 430s as well.

Steve