BiTurboV12 AMG

i am looking into getting a New CLK350 or a used CLK500. if both of them cost the same but the CLK500 has 27,000miles on it but has Nav and the CLK350 doesn't have NAV what one would you recommend? for me the plus of the CLK350 is its brand new and has a 7speedtrany in it but the plus for the CLK500 is the power of the V8 and the prestige of having a 500 badge on the car. for me its a tough choice any advice would be appreciated. if anyone has a CLK350 with the 7 speed trany how far behind in performance is it compared to the 500?

clkcadet

350 should be fine...its only 30 less hp, and it should be very quick (havent seen any official numbers yet)

nmsno27

I would get the 03 CLK 500 in a second. The difference is power is sooo noticable. Why settle for something slower and more expensive when you can get the same body style for cheaper with a bigger engine. I would never drive a 320 or 350. I always want more power than I could just incase I need it. There is nothing worse than trying to get out of a bad situation with a car that cant perform. I crashed my CLK 430 last year and had to drive an ML 430 until I got the money for my car from my insurance company. I had two instances where I needed the power but the car couldnt perform. It was really bad.

nytojerz

I would think you could get an 03 clk 500 for much less than an 06 350. If they are both the same go with the brand new 350. Remember 03 was the first year of the new body style so while the body has not fully changed the interior and dash have. I have an 03 with nav and love my interior but the new interior on the 05's and up look great even without the nav.

Not sure where you live but where I live I really have no use for the 500 I dont need the extra power and rarelly do I have enough room on the road to really open it up. Plus I dont really think MB's are meant to be tracked lol. Granted the 500 has more power and the front looks more aggresive, but at the end of the day are you really gonna give up 3 years of a newer car and 35k miles less and a few outdated exterior features Just to drive a 500. Dont worry you could always pull up to me at a light and know your 350 could dust my 320 it wont hurt my feelings one bit.

Regardless of which way you go congrats & and enjoy in good health.

Predator

definitely take the clk500. the extra horses make a big difference. while i dont go real fast on the roads. I love the acceleration and the pushback feel when i slam on the gas. The only thing about the newer clk350 is that they have a more updated interior, but i wouldnt give up my horses because of a nicer interior. The exterior on the clk500 looks better than the clk350 also.
And clk500 comes with amg wheels. i dont think 350 does.
good luck with your decision.

clkhunting

500 all the way. You don't need an expanse of highway to take advantage of the power. You will regret not getting the 500 when faced with simple situations such as accelerating off-the-line or passing someone. BTW, I would think you could easily find one for less than the '06 350.

nytojerz

I agree I think you can find a 500 for less actually much less but if they were to be the same $$$ it makes more sence in every way to get the new 350


If you can get a 500 for less (and you certainly can) MOST DEF get the 500. But getting an 03 with 35k miles for the same price as an 06 0 miles car is a no brainer to me.

clkcadet

so true, not to mention the little quirks with the first year clk's

Kar don

06.

clkhunting

Heck, I'll sell you mine for the same price and I only have 17K miles

nytojerz

my bad I meant 05

MidniteBluBenz

For what its worth I've compared the 3.5 against the 5.0 in the new M and the difference in acceleration to me isn't worth the price difference or the reduction in fuel economy. The differences in acceleration between the two engines have been documented in the M-Class and the 5.0 is not even half a second quicker than the V6.

It's up to you whether that is enough to be an X-factor in chosing the V8.

The fact that the 500 is an early build date doesn't help either.

Chi500

Get the 500. I have an '03 and haven't had problems. You will be glad you have the extra power. It has gotten me out of bad situations countless times. Think of the extra power as a safety option, because it will help you get out of harm's way and avoid an accident.

ddensity

350CLK -- no question. Not only does it have a vastly better interior, the new V6 engine is amazingly efficient and powerful. The minor difference in horse power will be totally negligible. You're also comparing a 3 year old car to one that is brand new.

Easy decision.

Al E

BiTurbo,
I will be selling my 2003 CLK500 in about 2 months. I have ordered an 06 CLS55 and must sell the CLK. It is Alabaster White/charcoal with 16,000 miles. It has sliding roof, nav, CD changer, wood grain steering wheel, Ronal 18" Chromes. The car is in perfect condition. My wife drove it until she got our 2005 E55 so now I am driving the "hand me down" Clk 500. In a few months will be driving a "hand me down" E55. Also, the CLK had dual exhausts(2 exhaust on each side). The exhausts were installed by OberKlasse in Ft Worth. The CLK is my favorite but there is no room at the Millers for 4 cars. Can't get rid of the 02 ZO6. All of our MBs are ordered from Park Place Mid Cities. I am from the old school which means the oil must be changed every 5000 miles. Learned that from my DAD.!!!!!!!!!!


817-429-2317
joal9@comcast.net

2003 CLK 500
2005 E55
2002 Corvette ZO6
Coming soon: 2006 CLS55

Predator

The acceleration between the 350 and 500 is pretty significant I think.
The 0-60 on clk500 is 5.2sec vs clk350 being around 6.2. Thats a full second difference to 60 which is huge in my book.

Chi500

Drive both cars and you will see the difference. Plus the navi is really nice to have when you get lost.

TMans

How long do you planning on keeping this car? With the cost of repairing MBs nowadays, you might want to think about the warranty factor as well. If you get the 03, you have about two years (or just over 20k miles) left on the warranty, unless you get an extended warranty. If you plan to keep the car for a long time or drive alot, I would go for the 350. With as much as I love my '03 500, I don't think I would ever drive an MB without warranty.

Chi500

Don't forget if you get the '03 you get the two years of free maintenance left.

cntlaw

I would love to know your experience in terms of the engine power performance of the new CLK350 and the old CLK500. Did you actually driven both ?

I really hope it is all so easy to make a decision of buying by just looking at the engine power of the CLK350 and CLK500.

I would also look into some of the new technology on the 2006 CLK350 especially direct control and 7G-Tronic transmission as well as 2006 CLK has the new designed interior, a new look with its front grill and tail lamps. (and possibly even the inside of the Bi-Xenon has been re-arranged - which makes the headlamps glass even look more clear )

I would consider an old CLK500 if only it is significantly cheaper than the 2006 CLK350. I am buying a car , not an engine.

Two cents.

cnt

Chi500

The 350 I haven't driven yet. But when I was purchasing my CLK I drove both the 320 and the 500 and the power was the largest deciding factor. I also like that it had better body work, better wheels, little differences like the exhaust, and bigger brakes. it looked better and performed better. It seemed to be the best value. I also considered the 55 but the extra $20,000 didn't seem justified, plus I would have had to wait 9 months at the time as opposed to getting the 500 right away.

I haven't driven a CLK with a 7G tranny, but my ML has one (I know it isn't nearly the same) and it doesn't really make a huge difference. Sorry to go back to the numbers, but gas milage and acc. times are still the same according to MB between the '03 500 with the 5 speed and the '05 500 with the 7 speed. As for the newly designed interior and grill, I like it. I personally don't like the new tail lamps. So this is a decisionbased on BiTurbo's personal taste and whether or not that is influential enough to take a newer, but a lesser performing car.

I think the biggest issue is reliability, CLK's have had problems, but if it's starmark certified, warrantied, and the price is right, I would go for the 500.

my 2 cents

clkcadet

i think its official and weird, but i like the 04 interior better than the 05, my friend just go a new clk500 and i dont know but theres something about my dash that i love maybe its the older look kind of nostalgic (SIC)


as to which one to get? if your buying, maybe your better off with the 350 as i previously stated, also considering resale values...but if your getting a clk500 for dirt cheap, by all means....

or best of yet you can just get a 320 and mod it with the extra cash 320s go for cheap now

nytojerz

to all the people that are saying go with the 500. Do you people understand that he is asking if they are both equally priced. Please understand we all know you can get a 500 cheaper but the inital question is if they both priced the same. How could anyone in there right mind say get the 500

cntlaw

Agreed about warrranties issues.
Myself made a good example, I got the C55 instead of CLK500 because
of more engine power and ~same prices. But both were available as brand new cars in 2004. Now he is getting a used 500 at 26000 milege - not bad milege but pretty subjective on individual's risk taking attitude. Sometime, car failures were randomized; an older car might have more problems but it may not be the most expensive to fix than some newer cars as depending on which parts of it fails Another example to look at this, a 997 (no S) costs more than a CLK55 but 997 is with less engine power; people do pay for 997 's better handling. Should try the 2006 CLK and see if direct control and 7G do make some differences in handling department.
However, I do agree 500's 10% more power than 350 make significant difference in many highway situations - I never tried a 500 but I could feel this because even C55 is not enough 'when power is needed'
In money terms, I only vote for a preowned 500 over a brand new 350 if the 500 is 20% cheaper.

BiTurboV12 AMG

well thanks for your input the only problem now is trading in the car i have for a CLK. they wont give me crap for my ML with only 44,000 miles. so right now it kind of looks like i am going to keep the ML for a while longer.