AMG_BENZ

I saw a black 2001 CLK 430 at my local dealer. It's all black with nice AMG rims with screws in. It has CLK55 AMG badges on the rear, so I was happy to look up. However, it's actually a CLK430 that had 7 owners and 200,000 miles. The dealer is asking for $8,888.00. It's ridiculous, but it looks clean with only a couple of torn on the front seats. I have the copy of CARFAX and I haven't test drove it yet.

Actually, would you take a risk to send it to PPI? The chance is it's more likely to have bad news from PPI.

dlbehrns

CARFAX, SCHMARFAX, I wouldn't buy any car with that high mileage regardless of how well it was maintained.

malahhaor

7 owners in 10 years, no one was willing to keep the car for long.... Wonder why?
200,000 miles... That is a load of driving in 10 years as well.

AMG_BENZ

Do you think I can get that car for $3,000 if I talk down with the dealer?

MarcusF

What do you think the bottom price on a CLK is? I mean rock bottom/"they won't sell for less than"? There is a number. $3K may be it. But in my mind, $3K is what you'd pay to part out a car. $1K for the engine. $500 to $750 for the trans (if you lie about the mileage). Electronics, suspension, wheels, interior, by the time you're done, you may get $3500. But $3K for a driver? All I can say is have it inspected twice, cause something is wrong with that car. Seven owners. Each one said "I have got to get rid of this car". After the original owner, six buyers said - "How bad could it be?" Number eight will find out.

Single owner with high mileage > seven owners with medium mileage.
Seven owners with high mileage = trouble.

MBFLO

goodluck getting it for 3 grand if they are asking 8800
on the carfax does it state 7 private owners or from the times it changed hands from lease to auction to dealer then to owner again and whatnot .. you have to really look at who the previous owners are .. ATM im looking at a 1998 CL500 with 130K white on black .. had 6 owners but after the 2 yr lease it was all auctions and dealers mostly . but what scares me is that in last year its changed owners 4 times ..

200k miles is alot on that clk430 imho .. there was one local with 110k miles 2001 clk430 for $7k .. so your gettin shafted by the dealer .. IMHO if your looking at spending 8k or that price range .. I would assume your paying cash or gonna write a check becuase I wouldnt suggest buying from a dealer under 10k and making payments on it .. In the end you will end up having paid way too much ... suggest you look local craigslist or autotrader and try to find a private seller .. you will have more bargaining power compared to a dealer , others might beg to differ but in my last 2-3 private car purchases I have come out on top .I bought my E55 2001 with extra rims n tires for $8k with only 100k miles and full service records from first oil change previous owner had ..
btw i wouldnt pay more then 3 K either for that thing ..lol 200K miles? whoaa god knows whats ready to be changed , tranny , rear end ..god only knows
Goodluck though dont rush there plenty of deals out there just have to look

heres a 2003 CLK for example same price that dealer asking for and this is best offer so you could prob get it for 8k maybe less but with 240k miles ..
http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/2454814396.html

MBFLO

in fact here u go get that for 9K and you will say clk430 what, who ? lol ?
btw i have no affiliation , just lookin out cuz im bored at home

AMG_BENZ

Yeah, I have no experience buying a car in a long distance. It's risky because I can't see it for myself, so it may not exactly what it looks like in the picture. Also, I don't know if it's possible to send the car for PPI.

It's easy to find a CLK430/55/320 in the dealers, which mostly show up in my local craigslist. I think I better back off the car and keep looking around. I just figure it's not possible to talk down by more than a half price of asking price from a dealer. I will be surprised if that 7-owners car ever sold for $8k.

wyelit239

For comparison sake I just bought a 2001 e430 last month with 76000 for $10000, two owners. Needed new tires, 2 belts and an oil change.

AMG_BENZ

Yeah, I guess $3,000 means at least there is something literally very wrong with the car. It could be an engine or transmission that needs to be overhauled. I guess the minimum base would be $3,500-$4,000. I figure $5k should be the minimum for a complete-functioned car that has terrible records. Anyway, like I said, I am not longer interested to deal with that fake CLK55 anymore - it's not worth the hassle and trouble to get it.

AMG_BENZ

Yeah, but I was talking about how much low if I can get the car from the dealer. I just realize that it's not possible, since a car saleman would not let a car go for nothing or loss.

dlbehrns

Do you want a good CLK and are you willing to pay for it or do you just want to get a cheap car that looks cool?

MarcusF

If you don't have to have 2 doors . . . . .
https://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg/...es-9500-a.html

I don't know the guy or the car & haven't followed any of his posts. It may be a geat buy, a heap of junk, or someting in between. A W210 E55 is no where near as powerful as a W211, but it is a really nice car. Like every other AMG, if something goes wrong, or the brake rotors have to be changed, it will not be cheap.

insame1

I bought a 01 with a 185000 on it for 6500 and have been very happy with it. I did have to replace all the front suspension and the CPS but otherwise has been a great car.

AMG_BENZ

Yeah, I also have been looking for an E55. Also, I'm not a big fan of the first SLK generation, but I saw someone sells a SLK32 on this forum. The problem is I still don't like the way it looks, but I may like the performance and the way it drives. I like the second generation of SLK better, but the price is out of my range.

gorgerider

The question I always ask myself is, "Is this the car I really want?" It sounds like you drove past a lot and this one caught your eye on an impulse. The dealer will wait for the next stupid guy to come along before he dumps the car for what it's actually worth ($3K seems about right).

My approach is to avoid impulse buying and spend the time and do the research and figure out exactly what I want. What am I willing to compromise on and what am I not willing to compromise on. For example, willing to compromise on color, but not willing to compromise on 2-doors or V-8 or convertible. I try on as many cars as I can to get this list as tight as possible. Then I go and shop for it. The longer time I spend doing this, the more I end up knowing about the market. And the more I know about the market for that car, the less likely I will pay too much or otherwise end up with something with which I am not happy.

I have found that when I do find the car upon which I am willing to pull the trigger, I appreciate it more and am usually happier with the car since I have already made a serious investment in time and research and it is the car I really want.

My Dad was an impulse buyer who often scratched his nose at an auction only to end up with a car he soon wanted out of. It took a lot of years, but eventually he got the idea that applying the same degree of due diligence to his car hobby as he did to his other business ventures paid off in spades. Once he figured it out, he never lost another dime on his "toys" and ended up owning them for the cost of gas and oil and some regularly-scheduled maintenance.

dlbehrns

Well penned advice gorgerider!

da_guitarist

I doubt you'll buy the car under $5k, especially from a dealer.

If I were you, I'd decide a few things:

-What model do i really want?
-What is most important? deal value, mileage, visual condition, etc
-What is my absolute max price?

And then try to get the best car for the $ based on #2 and #3

AMG_BENZ

Actually, your first question is exactly what I thought when I looked at the car. I feel I really want a CLK55, but I may be interested in CLK430 if the condition and price are really good. The most important is reliability, since it is going to be my daily car. I wouldn't mind to fix a couple of times a year or so. I don't want to buy a car and spend $4k on the repair. I am not an impulsive buyer, since I didn't buy the car right away. I went to take a look at it and got amused by the numbers of owner, mileage and price. I was wondering how much low would it sell. So, I figure the lowest would be $3,000-$4,000 range.

Actually, this car is not what I really want. I already know what color I like, the engine option, and coupe. However, one thing I am not sure is the right mileage for me to start. I wish there is an accurate price guide that tells me the price for every 5,000 miles. KBB seems inconsistent, because not many people follow the price in KBB. If you guys disagree with me about KBB, then I'll have to create my own spreadsheet for the price for every 5,000 miles. The only thing I don't want to buy is when the car is ready for a $4k repair.

AMG_BENZ

1) CLK55
2) Reliability for a couple of years, at least.
3) $8,000.00

MMM430

parts car

gorgerider

To find out what the market is, I usually only go to KBB for a confirmation or sanity check after I check the market directly. Here are my sources:

1). eBay. Pull up exactly the car you want using the options lists on the left and see what pops up and for how much. If not enough examples appear, loosen up the list of options a little.

2). AutoTrader.com and do the same thing.

3). Hemmings Motor News Check the articles as well as the classified listings. And look for parts sources and literature sources.

4). Sports Car Market, if applicable. Great magazine and website for collector cars. Full of knowledgable folks - both readers and writers.

5). Any and all club and web forums with classifieds including Craig's List.

At the end of this adventure, you'll have a pretty well-honed idea of what market price is and what affects it most (mileage, model year, options, etc.) and how to judge the car in front of you. You'll be able to ask better questions about upgrades and recalls and maintenance. you'll know not to make an offer on the car that was awarded to the wife in the divorce settlement three years ago. You'll know whether to ask about the timing chain upgrade on the 450 SL or the frame recal on the 450 SLC. You'll know that asking the service manager at a dealership will get you different answers than if you ask the same questions of an indy repair shop (one of my favorite sources to find out which model or option is best and where the grenades are).

The old rule in the real estate business is, "If you want to buy a house, look at a hundred houses first." This rule also applies to expensive cars. Look at as many as you can stand until you're comfortable that you will be able to recognize a good one at the right price. It'll take a few months and some patience, but it will pay off in the end.

AMG_BENZ

I almost forgot to ask you guys, how many owners minimium would you buy for a CLK? Would you buy a car that was used as a rental car? Is a car with a lease record a good thing?

Hitman0187

This car is one that was auctioned probably 5 times with 2 real owners. One of them drove the living hell out of it, the other who knows. High mileage cars have been reliable as cars in the shop do not accumulate mileage. With that being said its doing the auction go round, dealers like this guy paid 4 grand and ask 8 or 9k cant get it from the public and sell it at the auction again to break even or make a small profit. Some throw the dealer plate on and tool around on weekends ect.

jonUF02

I am totally happy with the CLK430 I just bought, but it was from a member here that is a true fanatic and a mechanic, so it has absolutely nothing wrong with it despite about 130K miles.

I hate books on any car over about 5 years old, there is no absolute value. You need someone with plenty of knowledge to evaluate the car because each owner and environment is different. I'm sure a car could last forever if everything is maintained to a very high standard and worn parts are replaced as necessary. There are also environmental factors such as sun fade, rust, etc. Grandma might have only put 30K on it, but left it out to rot away in the sun the rest of the time without a wash or a wax ever. Or in my case it could be perfect with well over 100K.

I was into a few specific models of car and found the best one I could without an unreasonable price. I wanted a coupe with luxury and power, preferably rear wheel drive and V8. I was down to a Lexus SC400 (1998-2000) but it was impossible to find one in good condition, so I started checking out the CLK430 and found a great one. I didn't want the 55 because they are rare, and rare = expensive to fix. I never even really push the 430 that hard, I just like to know it's there if I want it. I did a lot of research on common problems and repair costs, and there are also 2 indy Merc shops near my house if I need something fixed.

For $8000, you should be able to find a very nice example of CLK430, with around 100K on it and very clean. Maybe a few regular items that need some attention, but read the forums for the best tips on finding and fixing those common issues.

Real dealers will get rid of older cars like this because it brings down their status. I had a buddy that worked at an Infiniti dealer and he would call me when they had something interesting that was being sent to auction. I picked up a 1993 SC400 with 99K miles and minimal problems for the price they paid on trade, which was $3000. I turned around and sold it after some minor fixes and cleanup for $5000. They just would not put anything that old on their lot, or put any effort into it.

As for the car you are describing, there is probably some sucker that will come along and pay $7K for it if it still looks nice and drives OK, but I probably would pass it up for another.