1iron

Sorry to sound like the nervous novice, but I am on this one...

We have 2 daughters, ages 7 & 10. They are infrequently in my car--once or twice on the weekend and occasional soccer game.

How much of a pain is it having only 2 doors with kids?

This is the only other issue that I need to resolve before I make the CLK plunge.

Ebrigham

Well, the kids are likely to bear the brunt of the "inconvenience" (i.e. you can make them put the seat forward and back as they get in and out). The seats are mechanized, so they should have no problems. And if working correctly, the seats should move back to their memory position. Spacewise, two girls of that age will fit fine, and the new pillarless design will give a sense of space not felt in the 208. When I was that age, me and my older brother often sat in the back of my mom's 300 CD Turbo Diesel and we had plenty of room.

Now, if your two kids are a real handful (ie. they like to scream, wrestle and pull hair when in the back seat), it might be better to get an E class if only to have them sit farther from your ears. If they are quiet and well behaved (and are not expected to sprout to 6+ feet tall in a few years), I say go for the CLK. I guess the only other real consideration is safety, which is of course make/model dependant.

RJC

The w209 seats operate differently than the 208 when allowing access to the back seats. The w208s are electric forward and back when you lift up on the release lever, on the 209 the lever actuates a spring loaded mechanism that pulls the seat up and forward...this allows more access (the up part) but is not as conveniant as you have to lift up on the lever to initiate and then keep lifting to get the seat all the way up and forward, then you have to push down on the seat to get it back. This looks like more co$t cutting to me :o

alex-gasman

No big deal, if you have to drive them EVERYDay,then it,s another story.
Seats operation is very easy, and back seat is quite comfortable and has plenty of space.
I love my clk-500, and this is my first coupe, but definetely not last.
Alex

Shine

It sounds fine, weekend car, two_daugther_father.....me,too.
Mother get the 4 door sedan,she drives them school everyday.

lucycat

for what its worth --

I had a Porsche 911, which is much snugger than the CLK, and my son rode in it's rear seat between ages 5 through 14, and it was never a problem for him or me, and there was no electric assists moving the seat forth and back.
Enjoy your CLK!

Michael T

My Dad always had two door cars. When I was young my Dad had a Chevy '66 Malibu and later a '74 BMW 2002.

I have had 16 two door cars myself over the last 27 years, my kids are 11 and 8 and they are the ones who have to crawl in the back.

Two door cars always look better and most always have better depreciation curves than their sedan equals.

Since my our child was born, I have had:

'75 MB 450 SL
'92 BMW 318is
'96 Corvette
'99 Corvette
'01 BMW 330 Ci
'01 MB CLK 430
'03 MB CLK 500

DKSNY

I've had the same issue's concerns for the past 5 years.
Started out with a 911 c4cab. Kids where 6 & 2. Worked o.k. as I only drove them occasionally and on weekends. We all love to take drives with the top down in the summer. Due to maintenence expenses, I switched to a BMW 330 CIC.

As I've been shopping for a new car, of course I was considering the CLK cab. After checking out the '04 at the car show, and taking my kids to the dealer to ride in the '03, I've decided on the E class.

As the kids are getting older, I tend to spend even more time with them, and the 2 door is getting difficult. In addition I'm 6' tall, and they want more room behind me every week.

Now that the kids are 11 & 7, and will be 14 & 10 by the time I consider getting rid of the car, I think the 2 door is just too inconvienent.
I love ragtops, and will probably get one again in a couple of years, but for now I'm going with the 4 door.

Just my 2 cents