danzzz

I'm thinking about getting a new car and just have these 2 options:

Brand New BMW 335i ($45,000)
pros: 300hp, supposed to be fast, first year model, sports car design (lowered body and 2 muffers)
cons: cheap interior design, bad looking (especially the rear)

Used 05' CLK 500 ($43,000)
pro: classic looking with a luxury interior design, name of Mercedes itself, decent, 305hp
cons: more expensive for a brand new one, facelift in 2008, doubting if it's faster than 335i at this same hp

So, what would you go for?

(BTW, I'm only 22-y-old now)

clkcadet

really depends on your needs... if ur looking for a real drivers car i doubt the bmw will fail you... if you want something a little cheaper but with more thrills think of a 2001-2006 bmw M3 it looks great and will continue to do so for years to come.. it is a classic design

MSGHockey

335i in a heartbeat...

The 335i is a new bodystyle, new car, 300hp twin turbo, great and fun car, and lets not forget the BMW Free Maintenence.

CLK even though I have one is getting boring to me. And I have only had it for one year.

I am young also, I am 18 y/o, and if I had to pick a car TODAY, it would be the 335i

danzzz

but every time I put these 2 cars' pics together to let ppl compare...they all go for CLK's looking!

just like me, i remember the first time I saw that new 335i, it was like...omfg, this car is ugly! well, i admit 335i should have a better performance with that 300hp twin turbo, but its interior is the way too hard for me to accept (just same as its old 3-series).

(i put a same thread on e90post's forum, and im like "attacked" by all those crazy bimmers. )

BiTurboBenz

As much as I love Benz, you gotta go with the 335i. $4$, the bimmer is an amazing ride...just imagine the tuning possibilities when Steve Dinan gets a hold of it!

termigni

I read ur post in e90 post. they were just rude, i almost registered to leave a comment but can't win in a 'God-made-BMW' forum. like someone say, if you argue with fools, they'll bring u down to their low level and beat you with experience.

anyways here is my comment on 335i vs CLK 500.

pros of 335.
-4 year free maintenance.
-tunability with turbo charged engine.
-rear lights look awesome, esp. when the lights are on. (gives it a wide stance look)
-handling is better because it is lighter. obviously... (i6 vs V8)

cons of 335.
-headlights look really bad. they should've carried over sedan's headlights
-rear bumper looks like an after thought. (dual exhaust stick outta no where)
-rear hangs out too much from side view; doesnt look proportional.
-not a V8 (nothing beats sound of a V8)
-a new model, after a couple years they'll have facelift and urs will look dated really fast.
-everyone has a 3series, even their highschool daughters and grandmas.


Pros of CLK
-V8!! (sound, power, sound)
-AMG body kit is just sick.
-everything is fixed and updated and facelifted so it is the best looking CLK.
-IMO, definetly looks better than 335 side to side.
-PILLARLESS. will get any woman's attention.
-CLK HAD seatbelt assistant WAYYY BEFORE BMW copied its idea
-you will look richer

cons of CLK
-handling department needs improvement.
-enter 2008, they'll have a brand new CLK.
-MPG is probably worse but i think it's all worth it when you have that v8 rumble.
-you will look richer
-maintenance


there are plenty more differences but here are my main observations from these two cars. by the way i have CLK 350 and a Ducati 996. i get all the hardcore performance handling satisfaction from my Ducati. and at the end of the day when i come back from riding, the comfort of the CLK is so amazing, i would trade handling of my car for comfort any time of the year. also keep in mind that CLK is not a lincoln town car, it can hold its own.

by the way i'm 24 and have plenty of toys. all on my own *****es!

mguerrero

go with clk all the way ...... bmw has same old bland and hard interior....

cracker123

BMW == every one has one, mercedes is little more exclusive

I had the old BMW 330CI , now have a 05 CLK 320, I would prefer the CLK over a BMW 3 series coupe any day.

Rimless windows are awesome, and yes they will get attention.

termigni

CLK is even more exclusive than most of the MB. most MBs out there IMO are C, S, ML. CLK sits in a niche market where BMW finally realized to enter with their 335i coupe.

did someone mention everyone has 3 series?

Holson

I love the 335i Coupe just solely on looks and its engine alone and I choose the 335i over the CLK500.

BUT!

1) I HATE that "BMW-is-better-than-anything-else" attitude that many more BMW drivers seem to have than MB drivers. I bet they'd rather have a 325i than a CLK-DTM. Talking to them is like talking to some computer nerd about Windows .vs. Linux..

Why not look at an '04 CLK55 AMG? Those have 362 hp, amazing noise from the quad exhaust, and might be cheaper than a brand new 335i. But unfortunately... it's not a BMW.

I really love the 335i and I love many BMWs.. but the attitude of most of the owners makes me not want one.

Regarding the E46 M3. If you pick up a later one with the Competition package, I bet it's still more fun than a 335i. I saw a white one with cinnamon (?) interior and the CSL wheels (part of the Comp. Package)

man.. that was a hot M3.

cracker123

that is trure very hard to spot CLK's.

It is a head turner , of course it is not the highest mercedes but the design make it look very exclusive and sporty. Couple times when I was doing takeout some girls were saying how sweet the car looked ? I never heard **** being said about a BMW Coupe.

CLK's are a great car in the mercedes line.

C240Style

I love Mercedes and am a loyal enthusiast don't get me wrong. But, my friend just picked up the first US delivery of a fully loaded 335 coupe (came out to $48,xxx with all options), it's white with a red interior, navigation, the works. Let me tell you firstly, there is NOTHING cheap about that interior. It's extremely comfortable and then not to mention, that 300hp BMW claims is quite a bit off. On the dyno it's between 330-350hp. Then it's just like the S4 TT in terms of it's tunable engine. For about $1,200 you can get a chip that adds 80hp 80tq. Not to mention the car is fast on the road, and the gears are insane, we went 20-60mph in 2nd gear and he was at about 5500rpm (Redlines at 6800rpm). The car is smooth and has unbelievable handling, not to mention it sounds sportier than any other coupe around.

Reading this will make anyone a believer, but if you really want to believe, find your closest dealer, find one that hasn't been sold and test drive the damn thing. If I could get any car under $50,000 right now this would be it without a doubt.

-Andrew

ItalianStallion

Hate to say it, but thats my position too. I'd take the 335. Its brand new and performs better in every aspect. And I'd kill for that kind of tuning potential in my n/a 5.0 V8. And its cheap considering the car your getting. I also think it looks real hot.

I may want to go for an M3 as my next car, the new one should be insane...unless, of course AMG goes with a 6.3 Twin Turbo. If they stick with that torqueless engine, then I don't think I'm going to stick with MB.

How much are the CLK550's going for? If you can get that for around 50k I'd go for that. If not, 335 is the car.

transferred

You bet it is. Compettition pakage makes such a difference due to the CSL steering rack and the brakes are insane.

However, i think you meant csl-"style" wheels as unfortunately the wheels only look like the csl alloys but are not actually the lightweight versions

You can tune up a 335i to be quicker than my car in a straightline, but it won't have the flared body and race-car like nature of the M3s I6.

AndrewAZ

Just a word of warning about the 335i, I have read on several sites about the 335i turbos overheating after a hard for 4-5 laps on a track, the track was located in germany so I know it was not as hot as it is in Arizona. Also they reported that after some hard driving on the city streets the car overheated and shut down, at first they thought it was just the 1 car but the other cars on the test drive would overheat and shut down. So if you turn up the boost on the 335i and the only reason to do this is more HP and to drive faster, you will end up heating the turbo up even faster and cut the amount of endurance the car has.

Also another note the 335i does not have a LSD, so the more power you add to the car will not make a substantially quicker 0-60 or 1/4 mile time since the car can not put the power down, you will also end up replacing the right rear brake pad a lot since the brakes will try and act like a LSD by preventing the wheel from spinning.

now I am not saying its a bad car it just wont meet that ultimate m3 beater status like a lot of people thought.

MercedesFTW

IF you want to go for a younger look, go with the 335i.

Each car has it's own plus/minuses.

I'd take a CLK500...or maybe even a CLK55(but in this price range it would be 03-04...which means no quad exhaust, and old interior!).

clkcadet

First off, they are both GREAT cars.
Recently I replaced my CLK320 with a brand new 330 ZHP Convertible (ZHP is a special performance package option)

I just think the 2 cars are in different leagues. Im not into street racing and such but I do enjoy how this BMW handles and rides. I didnt have the bigger engine in my CLK but most say the handling is not much to brag about.

I cant explain it but the CLK just felt like an older car, by older I mean its meant for older people to enjoy not 20 year olds... I am also 22 and when I got that CLK I was 20, at first I liked it but I soon realized it is too soft for me and I would rather have a sportier car before I get TOO old and would need a 4 door... Now I feel this BMW is near perfect (I have the looks of an m3 just without the big engine but again I dont care for street racing etc)

The bottom line is that it comes down to personal prefrence, they are both great but you have to see which one suits you better... test drive both and you will see for yourself

blk350c

It is a very hard decision to make. the 335 has new technology and a nice engine. the clk500 has a dated engine with 3-valves per cylinder. if it were the 550, I'd say go for it. I don't trust a bmtroubleu with a turbo. do they even have much experience with turbo-charged engines?? The interior is absolutely atrocious on the new 3-series also. It is probably way more fun to drive, has a manual trans and handles better while sacrificing ride quality. The ride is brutal. Although after I lowered my clk, the ride is now a little worse(handles way better).

Go drive both cars and see which one you feel more comfortable in. You will know.

AndrewAZ

Yes BMW has a long history of using a turbo. Nothing wrong with the current CLK 500 motor 3 vales per cylinder does just fine having 4 does not make the motor any better you just end up for 4 that are smaller instead of 3 that are larger. But being both a BMW and MB fan I would chose the CLK over the 335i, CLK looks good and is in a class of its own, if you are under 21 go for the 335i over 21 go for the CLK the BMW 3 series is just to much of a "kids" car.

blk350c

Really, which of their production cars in the last decade have had a factory turbo???
never said anything was "wrong" with the 500 engine, it is just dated technology. mb has been using that engine for a long time(with a few updates). The only downside is the fact that a lot of them have to have lifters replaced for the tapping noise on cold start and it was the first year using the 722.9 7spd trans. I was just stating that I personally would not want a vehicle with the "old engine". There is a new, better(whether 3 or 4 valves) motor out there in the 550 with 80 more horsepower.

AndrewAZ

Well I am not a BMW expert, but all in the past 10 years the only turbo BMW I can think of are diesel, I know for a fact back in 1977 they made 320 turbos, and more recently in the 90 if I remember right they had a turbo sedan but it suffered from bad turbo lag. I am sure people who know more about BMW's history can easily make a list of all the turbo cars they have made, including race cars ect.

mrkbbd

the only turbos BMW has made have been diesels and we have not gotten them in the US. furthermore both cars are quite appealing, but the rear end on the 335 needs a diffuser or something to make it look lower to the ground. I'm happy with both my benz and my bmw so you really can't go wrong with either one.