Stuntman Mike

Hi ya'll. Saw an '03 CLK 320 for sale here locally in Seattle for (what I deem to be) a decent price. It has 114k and an auto trans. The current owner has owned it 9 year and put 65k miles on it. They didn't drive it all the time as they have dogs..it was just a weekend car that is now useless to them. They replaced and upgraded the radiator to prevent the coolant in the transmission issue and have done the basic maintenance throughout their ownership. Interior is great, body is good (rebuilt title, bought that way, gonna do a Carfax and PPI) and it runs and drives great. New tires front, decent tires rear..all-in-all, it seems to be solid ride..and they're asking $3600 but I'm sure I can get it for no more than $3300..MAYBE $3000. I'm very familiar with BMW's and Audi's, we've owned many BMW's and a few Audi's.. I still own an S8 and with wife drives a Z4. I've looked online for reliability and maintenance info and I was pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming positive feedback from owners. I've even read that a 113 MAF and throttle body bolt right on and with no other mods, improve fuel mileage at least. I just want a car I can drive daily, suits my tastes (German cars do), looks nice and something I won't get upset if I get a door ding or so from on-street Seattle parking. I'm new to MB but not new to DIY maintenance as well as the costs in taking in to a good indy, so I will be budgeting out for that. In your opinion, are these a good car to accomplish what's mentioned above at the price mentioned above? TIA!

Rudeney

Hi Mike, the engine and transmission in the car are about as good as they get. With proper maintenance, they can last a lifetime. There are some common issues with other components in the car, but usually nothing horrible, and if you are a good DIYer, nothing you probably can't tackle. The price sounds right.

Stuntman Mike

Thanks, Rudeney. I also see that you post over on Benz World as well. I've been scouring the internet for as much info as I can use on the 03 CLK 320. I try not to get emotional or excited when purchasing a new vehicle, but all the info I've gathered about this particular model and it's price has me wanting to skip to Saturday for more than the usual reasons.. lol. It also seems to me to be one of those cars that looks much more expensive than it is. I have always had a liking of the W210 cars, especially the E430 Sport, but the look is now very dated. I still like it, but when a car depreciates that much where you can find decent, average mile examples for around $3k, that's scares me. But I am pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger on adding this to our German car fleet. I've already seen some modifications that I will likely do, such as using the 113 MAF and TB. Not at all expensive and even if it increases MPG and glides smoother off throttle it'll be worth it to me. Other than that I'm leaving it alone. My modding days are over for the most part.

C280 Sport

Coupe or Cabriolet? The M112 Engine is solid as a rock! It will last you a very long time. I would personally get a PPI before you buy it to make sure it checks out all good.

Stuntman Mike

Thanks for the response, C280 Sport!
Coupe. We already have a convertible, and in Seattle that's plenty! I personally like the look of the coupe more, both with the w209 and the model previous. As far as the PPI goes, yes, I'll be getting one, especially being a make and model I'm not familiar with. Even at only just over a $3k purchase price, the $100-$150 spent on a PPI is more than worth it..it'll either make you run from that thing, use it to negotiate a better price or at least know exactly what you're getting and what is needed or not.

Stuntman Mike

Not that this post garnered a lot of attention, as I'm sure a variation of this same question is posted dozens a times yearly, but I moved on from the CLK 320. From all I've read it would've been a great purchase, but the current owner was a flake and I was sick of essentially begging for him to carve out an hour so that I could come get it (I had already driven it and looked it over). He wasn't returning any messages until I told him that he has sold it to just please let me know..in which he replied that he didn't sell it, he was just busy. So I looked at a few more cars and ran across an almost showroom quality 05 BMW 330ci..one owner, maintenance records since new and the smoothest driving and shifting car I've ever driven! No joke, it drove like it was brand new! So back (never left) to the world of BMW's. I will admit that I still think the W209 looks "better", or more expensive, than the E46, but for the way it runs and drives and makes the driver feel, this E46 had this W209 whooped. Thanks for the info, y'all!

nkx1

That sucks about the seller. I never really understood why some sellers are so difficult. Some of them don't seem to understand that you're the customer and they need to offer decent customer service to secure a sale. Oh well!

In case you didn't yet purchase the BMW and you wanted something with a bit more power, the CLK550 coupe is a pretty fast car. It's more expensive, of course (and more rare), but I feel it's a bargain for what you get. I just got mine, so I can't personally attest to its reliability, but from what I've read it's pretty reliable.

If you already got the BMW, congrats, and hopefully it treats you well!