"My totaled CLK?" - UPDATE... I got a new car
 

Well, I'm guessing that I may be the first US owner of a CLK500 to have one totaled. Here in the Houston flooding, my car got caught in the deep water. The engine seized up and about 1 inch of water got in the vehicle. Mercedes Greenway estimated the repairs to be around $40K. Farmer's insurance will total the thing :mad: :( :mad: :( :( . Oh well, it was a fun two months, and it seems like it will be a few months before another one is available. SO now I am debating... should I get an BMW E39 M5, a Lexus SC430, or a Mercedes E500? Any opinions? I guess its time to add my CLK to the "retired" list.

c'mon dude, get some shots of your car and post them and lets crack jokes and guess what kinda car it is!?

Why not another CLK 500??

Bummer. I live in Houston. Where did it happen? How long is the CLK 500 wait at Greenway

OK guys... I'll try to get some pictures as I am going to Greenway today to get my stuff out of the car. However, I do not expect the pictures to be very exciting. Flooded cars ar not nearly as exciting as actually wrecked cars. And unfortunately, there is no body damage to speak of, so it will be quite easy to ID. In order to fully experience my car, you'd have to smell the thing, its quite interesting. As far as the wait for a CLK500, it seems to be about 8 months at Greenway.

So what you plan to do with ur CLK ??

I'm moving to Austin on january and I'm thinking of buying Boxster. Is it true that texas flood a lot ? how frequent ?

u should move to sugar land.. never floods here..

plus there are a lotta nice cars ... lol

Farmers will declared "totaled" on any car if it will cost more then half what the car is worth to fix it.

all the Rockets player lives in SugarLand. my aunt, who lives in tx, was trying to convince my parents to live in sugarland when we first came to US, but after voting, we stayed in LA, CA. no offense, but i like LA much better than houston.

At least you are not the most polluted city in the US anymore! We are!
I wouldn't mind living in LA, but my wife would.

Re: Insurance company declared my CLK "totaled"
 

When did this happen? Sorry to hear that.
I drive my suburban when it rains really hard, that thing can take water upto the door cracks and not get any water inside the cabin or the engine.

i thought Detroit is the most polluted city in the US?

It has been told a few times that Houston is the most polluted, but last time I heard that was 6 months ago, may be Houston did something right for a change...........................well one thing they did right is to return to 65 mph city speed.

Pic 1 - Only a few weeks old :(

Nice fog light eh?

I think I'm gonna get an M5... I'd really like to get an M3 but the damned engines keep blowing up on them.

Notice The E class behind me? ... also totaled.. in front is a C32 AMG - totaled.. Elsewhere there is a 2003 SL500 fried...Greenway Mercedes had over 25 flooded cars... ouch

ouch...nice car...sad to see it go.

is that water in the foglight :eek:

Marv ..

How about the city of Austin ? Does it flood often ??

Austin does flood every now and then, but not like Houston does. I say that now, but this past July Austin had some pretty serious flooding near the Lake Travis area. But don't let that deter you from moving there... Austin is a great city to live in. I travel there at least once a month as I have a business there - and I always look forward to my next visit.

I love the way the rust looks on those big shiny rotors!!! So much for the S.S. CLK!

I really like the way the gear selector has been modified here to look more "primal". And all those pretty wires hanging out of my car.. the chics are definitely gonna dig that. Hey, at least I have resolved my "moose having sex with a dinosaur" windshield wiper problem.

we should meet up sometime.. i gotta get some service on the sl soon.. makin some grinding noise in the back..

Those pics are really heartbreaking. :( I am sorry man. :( :(

Hey thanks for the condolences... I just really feel sorry for the car. If the car has a soul, may it rest in eternal peace. I also feel sorry for whoever happens to buy the vehicle with a salvaged title. They will forever have problems with the car. I really just hope they don't try to resurrect the car.. or worse yet chop it up for parts... wishful thinking I suppose.

Anyone have any suggestions? I am either gonna buy a Porsche 996 Carrera or a BMW M5. Any votes?

M5.. no doubt .. ;)

P.S. Why dont you send me those AMG wheels for being such a good MBWorld-er.... :p

Go for M5 definitely. You won't go wrong. :D

Lana,

Actually I'd be happy to donate parts off the car to anyone.. except I don't think the insurance company would approve. As it stands now I think the insurance company will give me what I paid for it. That actually sucks because if I want to get a replacement for it today, I'll have to go to the secondary market where everyone who is selling is charging more than sticker every where I have looked :( :( :(

I just looked over the annual Miami International Auto Show.

FIRST CHOICE - Two stunning new vehicles for a TOTAL of $50,000:

1. The new 2003 G35 Infinity Coupe, 280 HP/250 Torque - w/48/60,000warranty: $35,000 and up, and

2. The Honda ELEMENT, a fun vehicle similar in appearance to the MB Gelaendewagen - but many innovative features such as SUICIDE side doors for $15,000.

SECOND choice: 2003 E 500 for $55,000.

go for M5 .. !!

I am confused? the vechicle was caught in water, so why does the interior look like someone went inside, and took it apart?

Sucks that you lost the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the dealership will be making more money on these "totaled" vechicles:

1) made money when they sold it to you

2) will make money for "totaling" it via insurance and taxes

3) will make more money when they part it out and sell the parts.

This is mere speculation, but I theorize that the reason my car looks like someone took apart the interior is because the following:

The dealership took apart the interior.

They had to in order to diagnose what was ruinied electrically. Actually I don't care that the dealership makes money. I just hope the insurance company doesn't.

I like that thinking, they already make a lot of money!

Get a 2002 or 2003 M3! The only reason the engines blow up is because people break them in incorrectly. You have to not pass i think its like 90 mph and 4000 or 4500 rpm for the first 2000 or something like that. If I were you, I would get the M3...and break it in within the first two weeks of having it. But if you don't want to get the M3...GET THE M5! Get and M car...you already have a Benz...

get the M3 if you want to save money. get the M5 for luxury and roominess the M3 can't have.:)

Well i was kinda joking but hey.. if its possible... i would love to take the wheels off your hands since it will probably be scrapped since it was considered totalled. :D
Let me know of any developments and good luck choosing your next car. Here's a thought though.... why dont you wait a few more months and get a W211 E55 AMG?

Just bought my new car...
 

I finally bought a new car...

2003 M3 Cabriolet
SMG II
Navigation
Xenon HID's
19" Rims
HK Sound
etc, etc... I hope I like it as much as the CLK :rolleyes:

Re: Just bought my new car...
 

Cool and congratulations!

Re: Just bought my new car...
 

Nice pick!!! I'm sure you'll like it just as much...if not more! Hope to see ya on the BMW forums now!

Re: Just bought my new car...
 

you'll definitely love it. I've driven my friend's SMG M3 once, and i love it, not as much as I love my c32 though...:D

how much was the OTD price, btw?

WOW,what a rare find for a Mercedes wrecker- a new CLK ready to be stripped!!

A lot of the parts can be saved on your car.All the panels,chassis and the wheels and a lot of the plastic and running gear.The insurance company will probably get quite a bit for the car when they onsell it to a Mercedes wrecker or parts dealer.

All the electricals will be trashed as well as any carpets,cloth,leather trim but a lot of the car including the engine and suspension,etc will be stripped down ,cleaned up and sold off.

Congratulations on your latest purchase!!

Frank, the price out the door was $66,218.39

I went and bought the extended warranty just in case the engine problem is not fixed by BMW... not that I plan to keep it that long, but it should be good for resale value.

$66k for a cabrio...wow, that's a nice deal. One of my friend got his jet blk M3 SMGII coupe for $64k OTD. he didn't even get the extended warranty yet, but the car IS fully loaded except the 19 optional rims.

OK,

So a few days after owning the M3, I have to say I like it. Its not nearly as "civilized" as the CLK500, but the handling is remarkable. Defiinitely has more "chic appeal" than any other car I have owned. But one thing I don't like is the sound of the engine.... Why does it sound like a weed-eater on steroids? What's up with that? My Acura has a brawnier sound than the M3? Anything I can do about this without making it sound ricey?

Well, it is a n/a 6 cyl. so I don't think there's much you can do about the sound. :(

My bro has an E46 M3, he hates the raspy sound at 5K RPM, I completely love it ~ you can hear it growling "I'm gonna whip your ass!!!" Great purchase, have fun with it!

OK, after having the M3 for about 2 weeks now, I can report that the CLK500 and the M3 are dynamically different vehicles that were obviously built for different purposes. I like them both but the Mercedes definitely felt more lush, but the BMW feels more refined, in terms of design bugs (save and except the engines blowing every now and then). The wipers are great, the ergonomics are top-notch, the trunk lind doesn't rocket up, and my knee does not hit the seat controls. Performance is outstanding, but will probably be the death of me.

However, I do have one major complaint... This "upgraded" Harman/Kardon stereo system... Oh my godness gracious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT THE HELL WAS BMW THINKING??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CONVERSATION WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS... "GEE HANS, DO YOU THINK WE COULD MAKE THE SOUND SYSTEM SOUND LIKE A GERBIL ORGY BEHIND EVERY SPEAKER GRILL? I DUNNO FRANZ... LETS TRY, AND IF WE SUCCEED, LETS CHARGE EXTRA FOR IT!"

The sound is just sinful... back in 1988, I had a Mazda B2200 pickup truck... and I swear to you all the stereo sounded better than the piece of **** in the M3.

Why would H/K let BMW hurt its reputation by putting such obvious garbage in a production car as a "premium" sound system. If I have to listen to that thing again, I swear I'll slit my wrists.

marv800 did you by any chance take creative writing in college?

:p Your posts crack me up, especially the one about the wipers on your former CLK.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Anyone haev a CLK500 for sale? I'd really like to get another one.

I have mine in the Houston Chronicle, but it is ~$2,000 over. How long is the wait at the Houston dealers.