Hi! My hunt for a mercedes continues... This time, I found a 2002 (Sorry for the wrong info in the title) CLK430 in decent condition for $1950. The interior and exterior are in nice condition, but the Cehvrolet Dealer its at says there is a mechanical problem. What could it be? What would be a good price for this Mercedes? Edit: I just got an email from the dealer it's at. The sales manager said that the engine does not run. I do not know anything more than that.

 

I wouldn't consider the car in decent shape. I wouldn't go over a $1500 and you would need a lot more to bring this car into decent shape. Major would be engine or transmission.

 

In my opinion, that car is in rough shape. It looks neglected and who knows why it's sitting behind a building on grass and dirt. What exactly do you plan on doing for a project? What kind of budget are you working with?

 

missing exhaust.....

 

that is definitely not nice condition. If they're offering it for 2k, they paid under 500 bucks for it.

 

I really like this Mercedes! My budget is really nothing above $1500 to get it back in shape. What would be a fair offering price? As for a fixer upper, I am looking for something cheap that I am capable of fixing.

 

I can tell that this car would blow your budget. Especially if you were trying to get it back to "like original" condition. Like the poster above stated, its missing some exhaust (who knows how much is gone). This car would be a good candidate for parting out if you can get it for the right price. I honestly wouldn't offer more than $1,000 and that's if I were selling parts off of it. Sometimes being patient and waiting for the right car and right seller pays off.

 

If you do buy this car, I wish you the best of luck fixing it up. With the amount of knowledge and support you can gain from most of the guys on here, anything is possible.

 

Is there any other damage that is evident and worth noting so I can try and see if they'll lower the price?

 

Brutal honesty here - if that's your budget you should save a bit longer. These are old cars and replacement parts are NOT cheap. Have you even thought about tires/brakes/maintenance/alignment? Who knows how long that car has been sitting and where the maintenance is on it. That alone will exceed your get it back into shape budget and that's not even addressing seat tears, mechanical issues, etc. Even if you're doing the work yourself, have you even looked at how much a vacuum pump costs? A good offer for that car would be free, and even then it might not be worth the headache. You can find CLKs in amazing condition for 5k. Save more money. You'll be happier in the long run.

 

Just looking at the pictures... the passenger side window is down (possible water damage inside), bottom of the dash is pulled off, seats are a bit rough, looks like there is something off about the trunk lock.

 

I am not looking to spend 5K on a CLK. I would rather buy one in rough condition and put work into it. I am not looking for a car in amazing, pristine condition. I am looking for one that needs work so I can have experience fixing these cars. I think that I'll appreciate it more if I work on it.

 

I'm going to offer up this to potentially think about. The car isn't in such bad shape that it would have been a likely candidate to be ditched. It looks as if someone knew they were going to "lose" the car and salvaged the parts they wanted - like a cat-back exhaust, whatever electronics they removed from beneath the steering column, etc. Do you know how long it's been sitting in a wintertime environment like New Jersey sans exhaust (Make sure those exhaust manifolds are in good shape!) But my #1 worry would be the tranny. Have that gone over with a fine tooth comb, and if a trans specialist gives you the thumbs up, and you're comfortable with doing all the work yourself - then you're a big boy. But if that tranny is not tip top, you'll be kicking yourself for taking on this project. Just my 2 cents.

 

Maybe amazing was the wrong word to use. You'll still have to work on one that you buy for 5k. You'll just have fewer parts to buy over the time you own it and the parts aren't cheap. I've had my car for almost 16 years. Bought it new, and have still sunk many many hours working on it and appreciating it.

I'm just saying, visibly there's a ton wrong with that car, and probably more that you can't see. Signing up to fix things needlessly just seems silly to me. But obviously, it's your money and will be your headache.

 

There are few things more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. I like doing my own work and I will tell you that looks like a money pit and head ache. You have to take into account you're buying parts to fix a $60k car. Out of any car brand I've owned Mercedes has the most archaic repair manual- the one and only WIS.

Get the car up on a lift. See what's wrong with the car so you know if it's worth fixing or a parts car. Look for vertical and horizontal suspension play, rust, fluid leaks, and missing parts. Use the flaws not disclosed to you as bargaining points in the price if you want the car.

From the pics, I see rough upholstery and paint, missing exhaust, poorly painted tail lights- tells the car might have been owned by a ricer who beat on it and didn't know what he was doing. I also don't like the removed dash trim - that's never a good sign unless its something simple like a stop light switch someone was changing out.

 

Beat me to it. Agreed! x2

 

What would be a good price for this Mercedes? I was thinking $1000 to $1300?

 

Are you seriously asking "what's a good price" for a Mercedes-Benz that doesn't run? You have no idea what's wrong with it mechanically, just that it doesn't run? The best price is run away and never look back.

If you really want this car, look at the other side. A rebuilt transmission is $2500 from a place in southern California plus shipping both ways because there is a core charge. Now, can you install it? If not, and you just have it hauled to your local AAMCO, figure double that and their transmission will blow up again in 14 months. If the TCU is toast, you'll figure that out after installing the $2500 transmission and voiding the warranty, and no, it won't shift with a dead TCU. If you're thinking junk yard transmission and TCU, make sure you have someone around who can get the TCU to talk to the used ECU.

What if it's the engine? 2 to 3 thousand ought to pay for a used one. Can you install it? If so, can you diagnose why it won't start? Remember, this is a car you've never seen run. If you somehow determine it's a fuel problem, do you really want to try and guess which part or parts have gone south? There are a LOT of reasons why the engine won't run. You're going to need a STAR box for diagnostics. Look in the W209 section. A guy there had some hacks working on his car for FOUR MONTHS and they had a STAR box.

Starting to sound grim yet? Why listen to me, I'm just a gloom and doomer. It could be something simple. Yeah, because the DEALER who currently has the car couldn't figure out that it was just the battery.

Do yourself a favor, walk away. If not, make sure and post your 5 billion questions after you get it home. It will make interesting reading for the rest of us.

 

The Theme From Frozen - LET IT GO!!!!

 

There is no other way for me to know as that's all the information the dealership has provided me with. I am assuming that they do not know much about a Mercedes-Benz considering it's at a Chevrolet dealer.

 

Never assume anything that's not explicitly said to you during a sale. Car dealers know about other cars - everyone on that lot has probably worked for different brand dealerships, and used car managers know about EVERY car, especially if it's sitting on their lot - that means they've shelled out money for it, even if it's hidden in the bowels of the dealer like this car. They probably took this in as a trade in and were going to take it to the auction but then you came along and they figure they can screw you for three to four times what a run at the auction would give them.

It doesn't say anything to you that they haven't at all started reconditioning this car to sell? They know plenty about this car. They know that they don't want to put the money into reconditioning it to sell it on their own lot and I'm betting every wholesaler they've had come by the lot to look at it has said no thanks.

If you really want to trust their claim of ignorance and believe that's "all they know about the car," I'm not sure what to tell you, except that you'll quickly end up in spending >5k on a Benz territory with one that might not work, and has a **** interior.

Car dealers are there to get your money and will tell you whatever they think they need to to close a sale. For the most part, benz forums are an owner community that looks out for one another. I make no money by telling you this car is a bad idea.

 

How are they going to "screw me" if I was smart enough to come to the forum? I was sceptical and now I know what the problem is. It wasn't set in stone that I was going to buy it, it caught my attention. I know they probably know more about the car that they aren't discolsing.

 

Just for the record. Some of the most knowledgeable w208 owners in the world are telling you to pass on this car. I see that you're from NJ. After looking for almost a year, I bought my 55 in Queens, found it on Craigslist. Turns out the guy was down on his luck financially and didn't even want to sell the car. Even after calling him, he was not entirely sure he wanted to sell it. He was a very passionate owner that was looking for the right buyer. After weeks of talking he finally decided to drive out to NH to meet me. The rest is history and I'm still friends with him.

All I'm saying is. If you want an older Mercedes, be patient and save while you're searching. If you need a car RIGHT NOW, go buy the Dodge Neon up the block for $1,500 and put a $200 transmission in that.

 

Why do you ask if you should buy the car and then keep arguing with other people when they say you shouldn't buy the car? If thats the case just buy the damn car and find out for yourself. But don't cry when everyone here has said they told you so. I recently had an electrical problem. $1600 to fix at the dealership (could have been more like in the 2-3 thousand range but the manager was nice enough to rearrange something for me). All that needs to be known about these cars are you need to have money to take care of it.

 

This is good advice. Sorry but if you cant spend at least 5k on a clk430 this might not be the car for you. I bought one for 6500 and it was great. Thing is you should do a fluid flush on all the systems right out of the gate and that is going to run you from $250- 700 out of the gate.

When you buy parts and do maintenance on any Mercedes you have to remember these cars were not cheep. That means when you buy parts for a CLK you buying pars for a 40 -50k car.

The only way I would buy a $1500 CLK is if I intended on a motor swap or a track car. JMHO