Getting close to picking one up and spoke to a mechanic who I was planning to do the PPI.

Once he heard which car I was looking to purchase he immediately said that I'm crazy to buy one of these due to the cost of keeping it running.

Very expensive parts and issues with alternator, electrical, top mechanism, etc.

Likened it to costs you would find with a Ferrari in terms of service.

Was surprised to hear that...would love some perspective from owners before I proceed.

The examples I'm looking at are very low mileage, but regardless a 7 year old car is still 7 years old.

Should I stray away from these machines?

Thanks.

 

Hello and welcome 993 Guy!

I think your mechanic is over re-acting. I own a cab which is 9 years old now. It has never given me any reliabilty problems except when I first bought it the engine mounts were changed under warranty.
As for servicing you get what you pay for. If the car is out of warranty there are many things you can do yourself which won't cost the earth (just do a search). I pay a side garage around £500 for a full service which the car tells me when (usually 1400mi) and I change my oil every 6000-7000mi which costs £80. The car gets around 16mi to the gallon with a heavy foot and all I then do is drive it.

What does cost the earth and is more like a Ferrari is when you want to do mods! Ha ha.

Ps. I did the 55 AMG conversion.
Hope that helps.

 

You have a 911. I used to have a P car. Next to a 911, the CLK is as dependable as a refrigerator. As for Ferrari parts, nothing could be further from the truth. I do my own work, so I’ll give you prices for parts. Labor is another story. If you do the work on your 911, you’ll find that the CLK is dead simple to work on (the fact that the engine doesn’t have to be dropped is another bonus).

Front rotors are expensive - $285 per side. Rotors are good for two sets of OEM pads. Mic them yourself, but two sets is it. The rear rotors are $60 each, and last about as long. The $15 driveshaft flex disks eventually wear out. Yes, that's $15, but don't ignore them. The transmission output shaft is much more. The $20 brake switch wears out every 5 or so years. The $45 crankshaft position sensor has been known to fail. The symptoms of this are when warm, the engine will crank, but not start. The car may start again after it cools off. Some people’s $155 mass airflow sensor goes kaput Over-oiled filters or filthy/ill fitting aftermarket filters MAY have something to do with it. Maybe. $65 Motor mounts are normal wear items. Ignore them long enough and the $18 transmission mount will go too. Instrument cluster pixels go bad (actually it’s the wiring, and the pixels stop displaying). The suspension will eventually need work. $40 ball joints, $30 steering damper, and if the tie rods are going bad replacing the entire $175 drag link isn’t a bad option. The cats (catalytic converters) will go out at some point. For those of us in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia, the only "legal" replacement is a dealer. Anywhere else you can just have new cats welded in (I'm not saying drive to Vegas, spend the weekend and have the cats replaced at ANY muffler shop, but yeah, that’s an option). If you’re handy, you can cut the old ones out and use exhaust clamps to install the new ones. The diff seals will eventually leak. I don’t have a price on that (my dealer did mine under warrantee), but I hear it’s not an expensive fix. A transmission service is $300 or so at my local dealer ($200 something the last time I had it done). If the transmission fails, one well known So Cal rebuilder does them for $2500. Very few people know how much a M113 (engine) rebuild costs, because they don’t come apart. The last time I checked, a shortblock could be had for under $5K. Don’t spill anything on the shifter. Ever. If so, that’s going to be an expensive soda/coffee. The $120 electric seat motors will eventually wear out.

I know nothing about the roof. The last “pseudo drop top” I had was a Targa. Other than that, have the car inspected at a dealer and buy with confidence.

 

Your feedback is greatly appreciated and after hearing from a few credible sources on this board, I will continue my pursuit.

Yet again another example of why this is such and important and great place to source info on these great cars.

Yes I do have a 911 (993) and have had quite a few over the years. Ironically it is one of the most dependable cars on the road if taken care of.

Hoping the W208 CLK55 will be the same as it will be my daily (I have a few cars to shuffle it with...but it won' be a garage queen).

Thanks again for all the feedback and please keep it coming.

Looking forward to becoming an owner and contributing here once I am.

 

I also was a bit hesitated with some of the mechanics telling me it cost an arm and a leg to keep the CLK55 cab. After finding a few AMG shops in the area, I was assured by real professionals, 20 years in the Mercedes business that AMG are the most reliable cars from the Benz line-up.,
You do not need to take it to the dealer for service if you find a good local AMG specialist. I'm sure there is one by you as well.
So, I picked up my CLK55 cab four weeks ago and really enjoying the ride. Go for it! It’s worth it. Good luck.

 

Can you give me the name of the Southern California transmission shop who does a an amg clk55 transmisssion rebuild for $2500.

 

The key is to do the labor yourself and source parts through places like autohaus dot az or equiv and NOT go to the dealer for everything out of warranty. I would not rec this car for my non gearhead brother who wants it turnkey, if it makes a strange noise he's off to the dealer warranty or not...... this will not be a good way to go.

I've found by relying on my frends here, buying on-line quality oem parts, and getting the STAR DAS diag system I have been able to fix most things on my car for cheap, with the exception of the fuel tank seal which you really want done by a professional.

 

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Can I offer you a leean spam sandwich?

 

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Sure, Sun Valley has them. Here's the link, $2500 with torque converter.