Why are you hanging on to your W209?
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 319
Likes: 5
From: SoCal
C350 '12
209 to 203...
I no longer have my CLK (traded it a year ago for an R230), but all of things you guys say are 100% accurate. Even with the additional complexities of the soft top models, it's really a low-maintenance vehicle in terms of MBZ ownership. Being based on the W203 chassis, it's much simpler than other models - no dual-battery system to worry about or pneumatic/hydraulic suspension systems. The interior quality is much better than the W203 (e.g. more solid door pull handles). At ten years old when I traded it, my CLK really looked great inside and out. Most people had a hard time believing it was that old.
Keep driving, my friends!
Keep driving, my friends!
I miss the coupe and would NOT have bought the CLK if it had fixed back seats. While I can't get as much bulky stuff in the trunk of the CLK as I could with the hatchback coupe, you can still get a bicycle and other long things piled in there in a pinch.
WIth a light stone interior on the CLK, it is a bit more difficult to keep clean than black or grey interiors, but the interior still looks great. I'm still amazed that the 2 door kompressor coupe is basically the same car as the CLK with identical wheel base etc.
MBworld Guru
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,782
Likes: 1,011
NO LONGER ACTIVE
It's no surprise that you find the CLK to be much like your C coupe since the W209 is built on the W203 chassis. They share many parts. And that's a good thing as it makes the parts less expensive and readily available.
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 55
Likes: 13
From: Florida
12 E350 Cabrio & 19 C300
Picked up a very clean MY08 CLK350 Cabrio Steel Gray exterior with Stone & Wood interior last October and it is stunning! Had to put about ~$2K into her (new tires, soft top, etc) but well worth it... We get complements on it everywhere we go... We love the clean lines, classic MBZ look, beautiful leather/wood interior and performance in sport mode. We originally bought it as an "around town" weekend car but, we find ourselves wanting to drive it everyday. We hope to hang on to it for years to come!
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 295
Likes: 24
From: Edmonton Area
2007 CLK550 Coupe, 2003 CL600, 2012
I want to try to keep my 2007 CLK550 until the clock hits at least 200 000 km.
I'm at 116 000 now, so that's a few years for sure. I love how easy things are to work on.
I changed the cam solenoids without taking anything else off except some of the cam sensors. There was about a half a mm of clearence
to get the one by the oil filter out.
It drives great and can really turn a person into a renagade quite easily.
I put it into dyno mode the other day and went sideways in front of a cop, lucky he didn't chase me down.
I'm at 116 000 now, so that's a few years for sure. I love how easy things are to work on.
I changed the cam solenoids without taking anything else off except some of the cam sensors. There was about a half a mm of clearence
to get the one by the oil filter out.
It drives great and can really turn a person into a renagade quite easily.
I put it into dyno mode the other day and went sideways in front of a cop, lucky he didn't chase me down.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,364
Likes: 149
2012 C300 4MATIC Sport
Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 213
Likes: 22
From: Ghana, West Africa
1985(W126)500SE, 1994(W124)E420 1991(R129)500SL and The Mothership 2009 CLK550
If the cop wasn't yet a CLK550 owner, he was probably too busy observing the tire-roasting power, and wondering what was under the hood, to realize that he ought to have pursued and engaged that bandito on wheels.
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Newbie
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
2006 CLK 350 Convertible
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 268
Likes: 37
From: near Birmingham, AL
2014 E350 Sedan; 2025 GLB 250
Try Euromech Inc. Owner's name is Ben. He and all his mechanics are Brits. His phone number is 912.332.0215. His shop is in Midway - near Richmond Hill.
Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 213
Likes: 22
From: Ghana, West Africa
1985(W126)500SE, 1994(W124)E420 1991(R129)500SL and The Mothership 2009 CLK550
When it comes to affordable convertible top repairs, all roads lead to Top Hydraulics, who also carry out rebuilds of hydraulic cylinders sent in by customers who prefer to save by installing the refurbished parts themselves.
https://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/
https://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
2006 CLK 350 Convertible
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
2006 CLK 350 Convertible
When it comes to affordable convertible top repairs, all roads lead to Top Hydraulics, who also carry out rebuilds of hydraulic cylinders sent in by customers who prefer to save by installing the refurbished parts themselves.
https://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/
https://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
CLK350 209 2008
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 49
Likes: 2
From: Near Toronto, ON Canada
2005 CLK500 Cabriolet
I don't know why you guys are hanging on to these cars, but I can offer insight into why I just bought one.
It met some of my simple requirements first of all - seats 4, fits in my garage, and has a V8. I drove 5 of them locally and settled on the triple black one with 116KM (~72K miles).
I considered a number of other cars, but this one really caught my eye. The style may not be timeless, but it sure holds up 13 years later. It's an attractive car in my eyes for sure. My wife loved the look of it too, so that sure helps.
It has a solid reputation for holding up well, and I can live with the expected maintenance costs. I have a local independent I can leverage for the more complicated work.
I love the way it drives. It is not a sports car, but is sporty enough while being comfortable.
Love it!
It met some of my simple requirements first of all - seats 4, fits in my garage, and has a V8. I drove 5 of them locally and settled on the triple black one with 116KM (~72K miles).
I considered a number of other cars, but this one really caught my eye. The style may not be timeless, but it sure holds up 13 years later. It's an attractive car in my eyes for sure. My wife loved the look of it too, so that sure helps.
It has a solid reputation for holding up well, and I can live with the expected maintenance costs. I have a local independent I can leverage for the more complicated work.
I love the way it drives. It is not a sports car, but is sporty enough while being comfortable.
Love it!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,364
Likes: 149
2012 C300 4MATIC Sport
I won't let it go until I find a low-mileage 2012-2014 C300 4MATIC in silver and the AMG Package. I'll have to switch to a 4-door soon for family reasons.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 61
From: Atlanta Metro
2008 clk550 - Navigator - Frontier
Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 89
Likes: 1
CLK 320
Reading through this thread has made me so happy. So many reasons here I could echo, but bottom line is the car is gorgeous in pretty much every way. Every time I walk up to it I think, damn what a looker. How lucky am I?
I won't lie, I have put some love and cash into her, but the sheer joy of being able to experience owning and driving it makes the upkeep somehow appropriate in a weird way, and I take pleasure in having to look after it.
Not that long ago I had taken it in to my detailer to get cleaned up after a little weekend road trip - I was standing with some other people waiting for their cars to be brought around. When my CLK turned the corner I heard "Oh wow, whose car is that?" being said to someone there - 12 years on, and its still turning heads wherever it goes. There are other cars that I might get one day in addition to my CLK, but not instead of it.
I won't lie, I have put some love and cash into her, but the sheer joy of being able to experience owning and driving it makes the upkeep somehow appropriate in a weird way, and I take pleasure in having to look after it.
Not that long ago I had taken it in to my detailer to get cleaned up after a little weekend road trip - I was standing with some other people waiting for their cars to be brought around. When my CLK turned the corner I heard "Oh wow, whose car is that?" being said to someone there - 12 years on, and its still turning heads wherever it goes. There are other cars that I might get one day in addition to my CLK, but not instead of it.
