carl_w

Hi,

First post on this forum, so I thought I'd let you know I'm considering buying a W208 CLK Convertible for the wife.

I'm from the UK, and over here we get some pretty crappy engine options:
2 litre NA (to year 2000 only)
2.3 NA (to year 2000 only)
2.0 supercharged
2.3 supercharged (both the blown ones sound like vacuum cleaners)
3.2 V6
4.3 V8
AMG 5.5 V8

The 3.2 V6 seems the best combination of price/economy and performance. The bigger engined ones hoover a lot of fuel, and fuel is the equivalent of around $7 a gallon here! Absolute performance isn't that much of an issue, because we have a TVR Cerbera for that (handbuilt British sports car: 0-60 in around 4, 0-100 in around 9, flat out at around 185-190)!

We have two children, aged nearly 13 and 10. Would they fit OK in the back of a convertible? I guess we need to try one out. We currently squeeze them into the back of a Peugeot 206CC which is what we'll be replacing with the CLK.

yuanja888

The convertible has ample leg room for the kids. I drive around with my friends in the back without complaints.

However, when the top is down... it sucks to be in the back..... a lot of wind in the rear seat.

Brian_I.

The rear seats are perfect for that age range. Good luck with the purchase.

carl_w

They might complain now, but when they've grown up they'll be glad we didn't drive them round in a people carrier like everybody else

Don't know what it's like in the US, but here it's very hard to find CLKs that aren't silver. We want a dark one, ideally black but dark blue would be OK. Definitely not green, nor solid red. There's a burgundy-metallic coupe near us that's for sale, and I'm not keen on that either.

I've seen some for sale advertised as black/green. The TVR is black, but in very bright sunlight you can see little green flecks. Is the M-B colour the same (after all, it's all the same ICI or Du Pont paint)?

nickv

Nope, it's all black!

heeman

Lucky wife!
I think Obsidian Black is metallic. You can always change the colour.
The 2.3 Kompressor and the 320 is fairly close in terms of performance, but the 6 is smoother than the 4 without a doubt.
Just make sure that she is going to be absolutely happy with the car before you buy it.

Anyway, welcome to the forum.

carl_w

Yes, the 230K and the 320 appear similar in terms of performance. But aural delights are important, and I want to be getting a fruity exhaust fitted

heeman

By the way, awesome car the TVR. Haven't even seen one in the flesh before.
I don't think anyone has it here in Singapore.

carl_w

Big breakpoint today: first day I've gone to it in the morning and not found any puddles of fluid underneath. It's certainly no Benz!

nickv

That thing is absolutely gorgeous! Beautiful lines...no wonder you like the CLK!!

carl_w

Actually, TBH, I think the CLK Coupe has better lines than the Cabrio. But since my wife's current car is a Cabrio, I suspect the first time the sun comes out she would rue the decision to go with a Coupe. It sounds OK in principle, but it's one of those things I guess you only miss when it's gone. So that's why we're looking at a CLK Cabrio.

PS: I think the W208 has better lines than the W209 too. Pity you can't get the W209 "face" with the later lights on the W208 body. Can't stand that odd waistline thing going on on the W209 -- looks a bit like the S-type Jaguar