tallison24

Two used cars:
1. 2005 CLK500 convertible with 52,000 miles, excellent condition with AMG pkg, nav, htd/ventilation seats, warmer weather life, stored lately in winter, private party enthusiast.

2. 2008 CLK350 convertible with 32,000 miles, excellent condition with nav, htd/ventilated seats, keyless go, two tone interior and wood steering wheel, dealer bought at auction.

KBB has the price difference at $12,000 which, frankly, means nothing to me.
Both prices are fair to more than fair.

Based upon your knowledge of Mercedes in general and CLK in particular in regards mainly, but not limited to, maintenance and longevity, is the 2008 worth that much of premium?

I will probably drive 5-7,000 miles a year and store it 2-3 months during various types of Ohio winters.

I appreciate your opinions, thanks.

Kevwood

Summer car? Get the V8. I must say I am jealous of the ventilated seats - somehow my GCC spec car came with heated and not ventilated

Mka77

If you are truly planning on driving it less than 7k a year I would do the 05.

Nachtsturm

The 500 without a doubt between the two. But, I'd go with this!

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

Close to you too.

elijah

500.

tallison24

Thanks for the tip. I'm more of a wood interior guy, but I do love the CLK55 look, though, so I saved it in auto trader to mull it over later.

I'm glad to see all are picking the 500 so far as it makes the most to me. I am 62 and am looking for a car I can keep forever. That's the reason I was hedging toward the newer one. I guess I can make a lot of repairs/maintenance with the extra $8,500.

Anyone out there with a different opinion?

Mka77

I wouldn't say it's an opinion but, I have no regrets in purchasing my 350.

Great gas mileage, ample power for us older folks to be just enough dangerous, and basically the same look as the 500.

Oh, and I saved some dough buying it over a 2 year older 500 with more miles. Just sayin'

Rudeney

It's a tough decision. At first, I'd say go with the V8. But then again, the performance differences are not night and day:

CLK500: HP = 302, TQ = 339, 0-60 = 6.0, MPG = 17/22

CLK350: HP = 268, TQ = 258, 0-60 = 6.7, MPG = 18/27

You will feel the extra torque on the V8, but the V6 is no slouch. From a practical perspective, I have concerns with both vehicles - the early 722.9 transmissions, such as used in the 2005 CLK500, were troublesome. By 2008, those early issues had been resolved. However, there are potential balance shaft issues with the 3.5 V6, but that's easy to rule out with a VIN check which we can cross-reference to affected engine serial numbers.

So, now assuming everything else is equal, you just have to decide - do you want the extra grunt of the V8, or the extra creature comforts in the V6? If it were me, I'd probably go with the V8 and save the $8,500.

Frank Rizzo

You hardly ever see 350's with keyless go.

I'm jus sayin....

tallison24

Ya I know and I'm a gadget guy too.

Rudeney

Well, then maybe the CLK350 is a better choice for you. I like gadgets, too, but I also like the V8 engine. And I like pictures of dead presidents.

elijah

Truly an amazing feature, couldnt live without it!!

M-bENZ

V8 all the way....

lazlion99

The 350 would the obvious choice if it had the amg package,IMO.

tallison24

It does not.

lazlion99

Without the AMG package the 350's looks is a bit too soft for my taste. I drove a fully loaded CLK350 for a few years. Very reliable car other than a couple of issues with keyless-go. e.g. few times it couldn't detect the key inside my briefcase left in the back seat - this happened while driving. Door on driver side would not unlock when approached. Door handle had to be replaced to fix it.

Schmitty63

I asked the same question about 6 months ago and the overwhelming response was for the '05 500. I went with the crowd and am verry happy i got the V8.

Nachtsturm

The extra performance of the 55 would be worth it to me, not to mention the exclusivity. You could always add the wood package. Looks like it has keyless go as well.

Wish mine had it.

cavkic

No brainer, the 500 is the way to go. I guess you don't care for the fuel economy, so if they're in about the same condition the 500 in that spec is a no brainer for me.

Good luck!

Edit: Just remembered, my aunt has that same V8 in her CL500 if I'm not mistaken, and it has done over 150.000 miles problem-free.

AMG_BENZ

What do you mean about $8,500? At first, I thought you were looking for a CLK for $8,500. I'd be very surprised if you manage to get a CLK500 for that price.

tallison24

Gas mileage is only a minor consideration.

tallison24

The $8500 is the price difference between the two. Both are good prices.

tallison24

I take it, it's been relatively trouble free?

tallison24

I have read about the transmission issues. One of which I read was a hesitation of up to 5 seconds. Never did see how that was resolved for those inflicted. Was it?

edit: I read it was a valve body/control unit replacement for approx $1800 to rectify. Any newer options/cost?

Schmitty63

Other than a few minor issues, none which are related to the engine (broken glove box latch and one of the top sensors occasionally going off when hitting large bumps). Mine only had 26k when I bought it.