I've been shopping around online for a sporty little coupe to drive on weekends and during the summer, and I like the idea of an AMG Benz. The CLK is what I am looking for, and I just wanted to get an idea of what I am in for if I pull the trigger. I found a 2003 CLK55 near me for a little over 10 grand. It it just short of 100k miles, and the carfax sounds a little iffy. It has no service records until after a repo in like 2011, and it was owned by a "corporation", but it *looks* solid. I haven't been out to see the car myself, yet. I fear that if I do, I will buy it immediately without knowing what I am in for.

I was just wondering about common problems they tend to have, and any quirks, etc...

I know that being a performance german vehicle, it'll be a bit pricy on repairs, which from what I can tell are a bit lower than most other Benz's aside from brakes. Should I have it inspected at a dealer before purchase?

 

It is always a good idea to let a Mercedes service technician inspect an unfamiliar vehicle.
With the mileage one can expect higher and more frequent maintenance costs than average.

Repairs are minimal with this car unless it is abused. Interior and Exterior condition might be a tell tale.
The older these cars get the more a money pit they become but great fun. It helps to perform your own repairs.
Cheers, Gator


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Any good aftermarket warranty coverage for these cars? I plan to go look at the car this weekend, so I will get an idea of whether it has been abused or not.

 

I researched aftermarket warranties and there are two kind, cheap direct to consumer warranties like direct buy. And premium warranties offered through dealerships(like mercury). All cheap warranties get terrible reviews. Premium warranties get Better reviews but can run $4000 for 24 mos for a car like yours

The problem with all third party warranties is that you're betting that your sports car will require expensive repairs, the warranty company is betting it won't....but THEY hold the money, THEY decide whether your repair is covered! They're the house and the house doesn't like to lose.

A very common trick is that they set arbitration limits at $1000 or $1500. So of you do have a $4000 transmission repair, they can deny it, got to arbitration and only owe you$1000.
Oh, your transmission blew? do you have documentation of routine transmission flush? denied! You also agree that the jurisdiction for claims is their home turf, so to litigate, you need to retain a lawyer in backwater Texas or some such.

After thoughtful review I'll just bank warranty money and pay for repairs. A brake job on that car is $3k and NOT covered by any warranty, so calculate that into your maintenance/repair expense....and suddenly your annual repair budget, with warranty, could be $2000+/yr. Ad when your engine does blow the car is probably worth more parted out than repaired!