bassamt

A local private party is selling his 2000 CLK430 for 38K. It has 42K miles on it. Is this a good price for the car? Should I worry about the mileage? Would an extended warranty help in this case?

Thanks!
Bassam

Lbenz1375

I would get an extended warranty. the price is good tho.

Gizmo

Sounds too good to be true. I've never seen any 2000 430's below the 40's. Check if the car has been in an accident

mbtech208

Probably a salvage title.

allenjdmb

of where the value of coupes is heading. That's number is right on the money for a 40ish k coupe. I have a 00 320 coupe, also with 44k, at $33,900, so I think the 5k premium for a V8 is probably right on. Many of my friends in the business don't even want to hear about used coupes anymore; thank MB for just putting too many out there, along with the fact that the car is much more desirable at $35-40k instead of $45-55k. Watch your back! Hope this helps....

CME4BENZ

Under $40K for a 2000 CLK430 sounds like a good price.
The mileage is a little high. I would be less concerned about the mileage if: It is the original owner & has been serviced properly by the dealer and they have all the service records. Extended warranties are available and would be a good idea. Good luck!

Lbenz1375

I wish I had waited a little longer for the used car prices to drop. you can get a nice clk 55 for low to mid $50Ks now...

bassamt

I went to see the car today and it seems like its in condition. Some observations:

1) There was an AMG tag on it the that the owner obviously added himself. It was a little crooked. The "430" tag was crooked too. I think the owner might have had "CLK 55" tag on there at one point and reverted back to "CLK 430" before putting the car up for sale. I asked him about it and he said that this is how it was when he bought it. I think he was embarassed to say about the "CLK 55". Should I be worried about this? I made sure that this is indeed a CLK430 and not a CLK320.
2) He had all the service records. He bought it from a local dealer and has taken it back there at least 8 times to fix noise problems in the cabin (dash, sunroof etc.)
3) Rear bumper was replaced in a minor rear-end accident. I saw the repair invoice and it was pretty minor.
4) There are minor paint chips on the front of the car, I guess from driving on the highway.

Given all of this, is there anything I should be aware of? I have a few questions that I would appreciate help with:

1) Should I get the car inspected? Should I take it back to the same dealer? How much do these inspections cost?
2) I will check carfax.com for title information. Anything else I can do to check on the car?
3) Is this really too good to be true? Lowest price on Edmunds is 41K. How much would a dealer offer him for this car? Why is he selling for 38K? He mentioned that he tried to sell the car at the dealer and they offered him a low price.

Thanks in advance for all your help!
Bassam

allenjdmb

Although this is probably a resonable buy, it's not exactly the deal of the century. Mercedes Benz cars are quite mileage sensitive in the resale market, and 45k miles is a bit steep for MY 2000. (I'm the independent dealer who has the 2000 320 coupe for sale above). I don't have my black book in front of me, but given the depressed market for CLK coupes, any MB dealer is going to be pretty shy about taking in a 45k one with paint work. That being said, if you like the car--and it passses PPI and a thorough history check, it's probably a fair buy. These cars simply are not that hot right now, thus the prices. It frequently takes these market reports a while to catch up on paper what people who are really out there already know. BTW, I would suggest AutoCheck as well as CarFax for history check ( I think it's a lilttle more detailed), and try to get the Vehicle Master Inquiry from your local dealer (they may not give it to you, they might to the owner. ) Hope this helps, allen.

JamE55

If you haven't done CARFAX on this car do it so you can tell the history of it.

RickyG

Pay the $200 bucks to have the car checked completely out, it is much better than a 38k mistake. You will know exactly what the car has had done and it may give you some bargaining power. I just bought a 99 clk 430 with 24k miles on it k3/k4 for 38k.

Just my 2cents


Rich

Lbenz1375

Definitely get it inspected and find out what is wrong with the car if anything. you can certainly get it inspected for under $200 somewhere.

bassamt

I am taking it to a local Mercedes Dealer tomorrow for inspection. They said that they will do a Mechanical & Safety inspection for $200. Is this enough? Is there any other tests I should be aware of?

Thanks!
Bassam

bassamt

I finally got the CLK430. Its beatiful and with expetion of the paint chips seems to be in perfect condition. The inspection went great. For what is worth, I got it for $35K.

Thanks for all your help!
Bassam

Gizmo

Congrats Bassamt! Welmcome to the new world of owning a CLK. And just like me, I'm sure you will be taking the scenic route everywhere you go WHat options and color did you get by the way, fill me in!

bassamt

It has K3 and K4. It really is a beautiful car and I am very satisfied with my purchase.

What are my options for installing the integrated phone? I have a VoiceStream GSM account that I would like to keep. Is this possible?

Thanks!
Bassam

Ahmed

In that case... can someone tell me how much my car would fetch? Cause here they have offered me ridiculous prices... maybe CLK over inflated market

CLK 320 2000
Designo purple exterior
Designo purple magic eyes interior
Amg Styling
18" monoblock Sl wheels staggered
AMG exhaust
AMG door sills
AMG instrument cluster
CLK 55 badging
55,000 miles on the clock
Eibach springs
fully loaded features except for navigation

fully maintained service histiry and shining like crystal ball.
originally elegance but badged avantgarde

any ideas?