tuga11

Hi guys,
I had my mind set on buying a 05 C230 sedan Sport after extensively reading the forums and figuring out reliability, gas consumption and maintenance costs.
That was until I parked beside a 05 CLK the other day and my indecisions between the car I want and the car I should get came back.
The car will be for my commute to work so to me reliability is key(not breaking down a lot) and parts not to be ridiculously price(or have alternative for non OEM parts)

My question to you guys is.......from what i read the Clk320 is pretty reliable but how about compared to a C230 kompressor? or compared to my old 01 ML320(which was pretty good I must add)

what are the known problems before 150 kilometers (93k miles). I hope to buy it with around 75 kilometers (45k miles) and only keep the vehicle until 150 kilometers (95k miles).

Is the CLK's 3.2 better on gas than my old 01 ML320 AWD?

I find the 05 CLK320 to be the one that fits my budget the best but I find some really good deals on 03's and 04's......are the 05 more reliable and is it worth saving a few bucks and get 03's or 04's.

thanks in advance guys.

bheng

if you want to save gas, get the CLKs with 7speed. and youd most like save more money on gas vs an ml320 just because the CLK is lighter than an ML.
the clk is pretty reliable. not sure about how it compares to the ML or the C.

and i think its all about preference. your bound to run into problems eventually.

gang1126

Make sure that 05+ has new interior,.

TheRemedy

Definitely get an 05 or newer, more updated. The CLK320 is a great car, and gas mileage is pretty good. And if you want it to last, I'd use OEM parts, and maintain it on schedule by yourself or a German mechanic (dealer, independent mechanic who specializes in these cars). Personally I don't think maintenance is expensive, and I'm talking about the dealer. I'd get the CLK320 over the C230 cause power wise, the CLK is a lot better than the C230 Kompressor. Plus you get more for your money. The CLK will do much better than your ML, I heard that the older ML's had reliability issues so. And if your gonna drive the CLK in snow, don't unless you got snow tires, cause last time I used the car in the snow the car didn't do as well as I hoped it would.

However, I love this car, it's my baby, I plan on keeping it forever so.

It's my photography buddy, and daily commuter

mo_1965

I can tell you about my experience with CLK 320 CDI (diesel) which I owned from almost new.

In nearly 3 years I have done 29,000 miles. I have had one service at the main dealer about 16000 miles costing me around $450 (US) and I have had two issues with the car:

About a year ago, got some rought running sound coming from cold engine which was caused by dirty air filter, replacing the two air filer at the cost of £80 ($150 US) sorted the problem out.

The second issue happend 3 days ago when the engine cut out while approaching a junction at slow speed and then I couldn't start the engine. However when the recovery vehicle turned up, the engine did start but with the engine management light staying on. And I haven't had the car back from maintenance yet, so I am not sure what exactly is wrong or the cost (although I was told, it should be covered by manufacturer's warranty).

In terms of mileage, driving in town (Bristol - UK) I get around 25 miles to a gallon. On motorway at 70-75 mph easily manage 45 miles to a gallon. It isn't too bad from a 3 litre engine which has had its speed limited to 155 mph.

There are some annoying glitches at times, but then again there is no such thing as a perfect car!!! Still the real question for me is would I buy another CLK? The answer is without a shadow of doubt (I am saving for the new 350CDI-again a slightly more powerful engine still gives more miles to a gallon!)

JuicedMB

My 04 CLK is a daily driver. I've had it for 19 months now.
The only issues that I have had was that the catalytic converters had to be replaced (warranty item) and there was a clicking problem in the dash (covered by my extended warranty).

I've had one A service about a year ago and will be having a B service coming up in a month or so.

I've been pleased with the car. It drives great, looks good, and makes my commute a joy.

If I was in the market right now, I would look at getting the latest model I can afford. Make sure you use tools like CarFax when evaluating potential purchases. My car was a one owner car owned by a corporation.

astropat

Get an 05+ cause of the interior... If you get any older, your interior already looks outdated. I've only had my car for about 10 mo and haven't had any issues. As far as gas consumption, I get around 19 city, and 25-27 on the freeway.

MB Dave

Some time I get 9mpg in the city but thats because of my lead foot ( but I drive a 500)