mnymakr

I am undecided whether it would be more beneficial to supercharge and add rims and body kit and sills and other goodies to my aging 2001 ; or should I take the plunge and order a new 2005 and not have any money for upgrades for quite some time. Are the changes worth the effort and would putting 30K+ plus (my alloted budget) into my 2001 a sound investment.

Hot-Clk

im my experience a Car is Never and investment. Plus once you add the upgrades you will Never be able to tread it in to a dealer and you have a pretty hard time selling the car whit no warranty or anything.
also if you were to supercharge your car you would be saying good bye to your warranty.

if i were you i would just go whit the w209. and if you want you can always put stuff in to that after time.

Good Luck

ima55r2

I was in the same boat at the begining of the year and decided it was better to go for the e55.

mnymakr

Did you trade your car in on the E55 or did you sell it outright ??
I think the problem will come with how long it would take to get a 2005 CLK55 in if its more than 5-7 months my car won't be worth 37-39K like it is now

I do think getting a new car is the best idea as well I just dont know if I can stomach starting over with $1000 payments again... arghh!

Is there anything about the 2005 CLK55 that you don't like? The E55 is beautiful I wish I had 85K to spend I would buy it as well.

Thanks for the inputs!!!

ima55r2

I got 37 for the trade in. Performance wise, there isn’t too much difference between the 208 and 209 and I decided the aftermarket sc wasn’t the way to go especially when the e was available just the way I would have ordered it. The new lease payments were the same for the 208 loan so it was easy to get out of the car.

If you were thinking about putting 30k in mods, live up to your screen name and use the earnings towards the payments on a no money down lease.

JamE55

Get the kleemann kit and you'll feel like you've purchased a brand new car seriously! And it'll be a lot faster than the 05 209 55!

Sleestack

The W208 was the first MB that I looked at and loved just for its aesthetics. The car had an aggressive stance and reminded me of a German muscle car. IMO (and pretty much every non-w209 owner I have talked to) the W209's design is pretty, but completely feminine. It looks like my wife's C32 with 2 doors. It just doesn't do anything for me.

That being said, the W209 is obviously superior to the W208 in terms of chassis rigidity, handling and steering feel. The recirculating ball steering of the W208 is a bit lacking in feel. IMO, if you aren't a track hound (but who buys an MB for the track anyway?), a W208 with upgraded suspension components and a Kleemann SC is the easy choice over the W209. It might not be the latest and greatest, but it will be faster than an E55 and will always be one of the coolest MB designs.

mtimmy

I would go for the upgrade,.


I have seen unlimited time of female driving a W209 CLK,.,.

but for W208., almost all are male.,.., W209 is just too FEMALE.... dont' fit my type plus., its not the fastest..... 349hp won't put you any where near the E55

mark4

To me the W209 looks like a hot woman!! :v

Fabulous E320T

Heh, in Moscow 90% of W208 drivers are women. And reputation of the CLK is "women's car". No doubt.

Machuse

im in a similar purdicument, should i get an old clk 55, because the styling fits my personality, or should i go for the new clk and have the latest and gretest but feminine features

rguy

Personally, I think you should drive what makes you feel comfortable. If you have to have the so-called latest and greatest, then the choice is pretty simple to get the W209. If you thirst for performance and that german muscle car/hot rod cool, then upgrade the w208. I have said it before and will say it again, the w208 will be a classic mercedes in two to three decades. It has a timeless look and a good overall package, especially on the 55.

You would be essentially paying again for the depreciation you have already taken as a loss and getting not much more to show for it and possibly less. On the other hand, if you didn't have a 55 and were looking for either a w208 or w209, your choice would be more difficult.

Kleemann may deliver the most horsepower and torque, but they don't warrant affected drivetrain parts and on a w208 with miles, I might go with a tuner that does warrant affected drivetrain parts. If it was a new car, I would say Kleemann all-the-way. RENNtech is one such tuner who warrants affected drivetrain parts, there are others I believe. Investigate and make a decision. Talk to the people at all of these companies, find out what they have to say. Some dealers are cool with modification, some definitely are not cool. Feel them out; perhaps anonymously would be best.

These people have been in this game a long time and can shoot straight with you about the ups and downs of modifying versus selling your car. Good luck with this and just remember to do business with someone who makes you feel comfortable with handing the keys over. Don't rush into making a decision. Take your time. Good luck.

BlackC230Coupe

Even tho the W208 would be fast as hell with a supercharger. I would still opt for the 209 stock. Its a pretty badass car. To me the styling is very nice, makes the 208 look really outdated when side by side.

cte430

How about a C55?

mnymakr

Not familar with a C55; have any pics of it??

Thanks

mark4

I just picked up our pewter 2005 clk55 last wednesday. it rocks!! i have not read the whole thread but if your still undecided go buy the 2005, nothing about it is wrong! its all amazing!!

zkagan818

i think the 209 55, is ugly, but the interior is pretty nice, so if you like nice interior then get it, unless you want to spend 10 grand on the 208 interior. If i was you i would get an m3, and use some of that extra money to hook it up.

mnymakr

10 Grand on the interior ; what will that get me?? I like the one touch open close roof and the new dash and the keyless go but the exterior of the 209 leaves a lot to be desired IMO.

As for the M3 I had one for 2 days with the SMG tranny it was the biggest POS I have ever driven it rattled somethin awful wasnt all that fast LOUD engine noise when you got on it. Cornering was nice a bit of understeer but the SMG is horrible Nothing at all like the ferrari paddle shift which I was told it was modeled after (not even close) and the interior looked and felt cheap to me not 55k worth at all.

zkagan818

The m3 smg is sick. An m3 is not a ferrari. A tuned M3 will always out do a 55k on a track. The car is amazing for how much money it is. It depends what you like. A 55k will go fast in a straight line, and i love the look of the 208's, but thats about it. It does not handle well and never will, its just depends on what you want, a car that is for racing or a car thats for crusing.
I have a race car, so i dont feel the need to have a street car i can take on the track, and i think the look of the 208 body is sick. All around the m3 is nicer then then any clk for the money. I like my clk just for the look, and originality of the body.

zkagan818

10 grand will make your interior nice. However you like it, watever your into. 20 grand will make it even nicer, jus depends what you like, check out my interior
http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/sho...W208_CLK_Class

mark4

Have you driven a 2005 clk55?

Mark4

mnymakr

No I have not driven the new 2005 CLK55; my dealership won't be getting one unless I order one from what I was told. The market here for that car isn't big enough to get one for test drives . I wish I lived in a big city like dallas or new york then I would have an opportunity to drive one without ordering it first. Plus I believe the new price is around 78-80K if I'm not mistaken (correct me if I'm wrong)


Wow that interior is definately a race car interior! Very nice! I got the 208 for looks and performance all in one and it was the only sporty car I could fit in. The ferrari and lambo were just too small and porche was very cramped with no trunkspace either. So I fell in love quickly after a drive around the block in the 55, and personally i think the new body style isn't to my liking although the improvements may very well outwiegh the styling miscues.

Kar don

new CLK500 is what I would get... 55 is overpriced for what you get. Or get the C55 for 58k.

BlackC230Coupe

for 58 u wont have all the good stuff the C55 needs. Might as well just spend a grand or 2 more for it all.