09 clk 350
 

Lol only joined to ask questions but hopefully I’ll have the chance to stick around! I’m looking at a 1 owner 09 clk350 with around 80k miles for 7k!! (Black/Cappuccino ) I have the carfax and it doesn’t have many maintenance records on there. I currently own a 01 Lexus that was given to me in high school and was a lemon for a couple years so I’m not too scared of maintenance and am transitioning into doing it myself. I was wondering if the maintenance record of the Benz is a sign of a great car or the worse is yet to come?? Any opinions and experience are greatly appreciated!

None of my cars will have Carfax maintenance records (except for tire), but I think they have very well maintained. :)

Any specific problems too look for or do they just happen by chance? Also are there any fluids I should change the moment I get it just as a preventative measure or to clear my head from any worries and be able to rest easy?

As Rudeney stated, lack of maintenance records isn't necessarily indicative that maintenance was not done, but at the same time, it's clearly not indicative that maintenance was done. Hopefully you can get a thorough pre-purchase inspection by a competent mechanic who can give you a decent idea of what repair/maintenance items it may need.

I'll be totally honest with you, while I really like my recently-purchased 2008 CLK, I'm not sure if I would buy it again if I could go back in time. Mine has had so many minor issues, it's really annoying (and expensive). And some of this is stuff I wasn't able to accurately identify prior to purchasing. Here's a rundown of stuff that I have had to deal with, and am currently dealing with. None of it is catastrophic, but the car is my daily driver, so it's aggravating. Some of the stuff I knew about before purchasing, some I didn't.

Fixed issues:
1. Leaking oil filter housing (replaced oil filter housing)
2. Leaking front shock and leaking motor mount (replaced both front shocks, motor mounts, and transmission mount)
3. Squeaking front sway bar (replaced)
4. Replaced forward thrust arm bushings
5. Various fluid changes (typical, no big deal)

Ongoing issues that need to be addressed:

1. Rough shifts in 1st and 2nd gear when cold (and occasionally slightly rough when warmed up). I'm going to try to replace the conductor plate with all solenoids to see if that does anything- if not, I guess I'll just drive it until (if/when) the transmission fails. Maybe I'll get lucky and it wont get worse, but I'm not optimistic.
2. Slightly rough idle (barely noticeable, but it's there and I haven't yet been able to figure out the problem)
3. When my mechanic replaced my two front shocks (which I supplied), he didn't recommend that I also change the strut mounts, so now my strut mounts creak; fixing this requires removal of the struts to replace the mounts). Sort of my fault for not thinking about this ahead of time, but still.

It's possible I'm unlucky and it's very possible (maybe even likely) that you would fare much better. But a lot of this stuff is at least somewhat common from what I've read here and elsewhere. So far, I've spent about a quarter of what I paid for the car on repairs, and I'm clearly not even close to done yet. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had all these issues on a Toyota or Lexus, or even a Corvette for that matter.

In any event, hopefully this diatribe is somewhat helpful for you in making an informed decision. Best of luck with your prospective purchase!

Thank you for you thoroughness it is exactly what I was look for! A few questions though. What mileage is your car and did you get buy from a dealer or private party?( Im worried on if the dealer might be inclined to lie about problems as much as an individual seller would). And how much is a ppi and would it be more economical to go to a MB dealer or a shop that specializes in MBs and what is the likelihood of one or the other missing a problem? Reading through these forums these cars are either super reliable with almost zero issues or a money pit, almost like buying one is just like shooting craps lol!

My car had 61.5K miles on it (give or take) when I bought it in March of this year. I bought it private party from a guy who happened to work at a Mercedes dealership. And yes, a dealer (especially one that only sells used cars) will probably lie every bit or more than an individual seller will. The difference is that individual sellers are often not professional liars, so you at least have some hope of discerning whether or not they are lying.

A PPI will probably vary depending on your locale and thoroughness of the inspection. I would expect to pay $100-$150 for a decent PPI, maybe more at an MB dealer (not sure). As to who does the best PPI's? I don't know to be honest. I would think a shop specializing in Mercedes (with a good reputation) would probably be your best bet, and if you're nice, you can probably watch the inspection. At an MB dealer, you really have no idea what the skill level is of the tech doing the inspection. You could get lucky and have it done by a competent pro, or you could get unlucky and get someone who half asses it and misses a bunch of stuff. And I doubt they'd let you watch.

CLKs (from my experience and reading) are nice cars when they're working well, but my perception and experience is that they are not as reliable as Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus, despite being on the more reliable end of the Mercedes reliability spectrum. If you don't mind putting some money and/or labor into fixing stuff, it's probably a good car for you. If you're worried about having to fix stuff, or if you want an impeccably reliable car, I'm not sure if Mercedes is the best bet based on the balance of probabilities.

Whenever I buy a pre-owned car, Unless I get a VMi from a dealer showing all the maintenance, I assume nothing has bee done. The first thing I do is an oil and filter change. I'll then do a brake fluid flush, and a transmission service. I also do all the inspections indicated by the "B service.

Coupe or Convertible? Overall the 09 CLK is a solid car. Last year of production helps too. If its a cab make sure the top works.

I bought my 05 from a local used dealer that specializes in higher end cars.

Here in Canada you're not getting ANY records unless you're buying from the owner. Too many privacy issues.

So I read TONS on this site, and bit the bullet.

I believe I paid more than I could have, but I like the unit I picked up.

I have a 3 year plan to get the maintenance caught up per Rudeney's suggestions, and am loving the car.

It's embarrassing how much I linger in the garage just looking at it, when taking out garbage or some other mundane task.

It got sold :( but the next day I found 08 clk 550 with 90k for the same price :) scheduled a ppi with the current owner just waiting until that day now!!

Lol the more I read it’s almost that this car is for anyone who is ready to take the leap of faith Lol!! HIGH RISK HIGH REWARD!!

I imagine that last part is gonna be me if I get it, looking it the window every 5 min just to look at it 😂