rwestiv

I'm looking to get a new ragtop, and I'm not really sure where to go.

I have a 2002 CLK 430 that is slowly running up on 50K, so I'm looking to get another car soon.

My issue is the fact that I am 6'5" and 375lbs. After a number of years of football my knees aren't what they once were.

The CLK is great, pretty good power, and it is VERY roomy inside in terms of legth and width.

I've retired to Idaho and so I only need the car for the summer. During the "Cooler" months I have a truck. My point being, I have the top down whenever possible (read: no rain), so I'm not so worried about headroom, assuming that my melon isn't sticking out too much.

Leg room, and room in the footwell (I wear cowboy boots, you can take the boy out of the country...) and room for my girth is the thing that I am most interested in at this point. I don't care if it's a 2 or 4 seater, I just want a comfortable summer car that has plenty of power and look nice.

Thanks for any input, and Go Gators!

GBA

jmf003

You asked the R230 forum so we need to encourage you to try one of the SLs.

I'm a pretty big guy myself--although at 6' 1" 275, I'm tiny next to you--and I fit into my Sl55 with room to spare. I think there's a decent chance you'll fit.

So go ahead and try one. Idaho in the spring, summer, and fall would be perfect country for cruising in an SL!

phonetics

you guys should go see 'Supersize me'

jmf003

Z-z-zing!

Wow. I can hardly let that comment pass without further comment.

Like Rwestiv, I was a college football player in days gone by but there are no adult recreational football leagues so I started playing ice hockey four years ago. It's a great sport; I wish I would have started playing much earlier in life.

I now play or practice hockey 2-4 times per week, year round. Games are 60 minutes long, practices 90 minutes.

How can I possibly exercise at that level given my body weight? It's simple: most of the weight is muscle mass, not fat. My body fat percentage is in the teens. My cholesterol level, blood pressure level, and resting pulse rate are also all boringly ordinary.

But don't just take my word for it: how about grabbing a pair of skates and we'll head over to a nearby rink for some drop-in hockey. If I'm like the "Supersize Me" guy, you should have no trouble out-skating me for 60 minutes. ;-)

absent

I'm 6'5" at 220lbs and it is hard for me to get really comfortable in the SL.
If I move the seat far enough ,the back side straightens up automatically making the driving position very uncomfortable.The new Bentley GTC or even a 997 Cab are much better in that regard..

CEO Alex

I'm a competitive bodybuilder...weigh in at 270-280lbs 6'3" (also considered to have a long torso for 6'3" so head room can come short in many vehicles) and was up to 340lbs. I fit perfectly in the SL55 and even fit well when I was at 340lbs. Would agree that the Bentley Continental GT/GTC is MUCH more comfortable (especially for width).

Ted Baldwin

.............I am not a big guy but I have had different types of MB's and I can tell you that the W208 CLK actually has the most leg room. This as you know is because you can move the front seats all the way back till they almost hid the back seats. My point is that you already own the roomiest MB and maybe dissappointed with anything else.

Ted

phonetics

holy cow... i dun think i wanna play hockey with u.... 375 pounds of muscles walking around on the street is scary enough..

Germancar1

Correct you are Ted. Both front seats will actually rub the back seats. I don't think any other MB does that now.

M

groupB

You gotta figure the newer CLKs offer as much room (if not more) than the previous model.

Another option is always the SL, of course, but (as I discovered when I bought my Solstice) it's not always easy to look cool getting out of a car that low.

rwestiv

Thanks for all of the input, with the obvious exception being Mr. Supersizeme (you try playing 16-20 games a year and smashing heads with 22 year olds who are fast quicker than a sprinter and stronger than a country horse).

I haven't really looked at the CLK63. If I'm going to spend six figures I just think I should be able to move up.

Additionally the Bently would be overkill here in Boise. As much as I like a nice car, I don't think I want a ride that screams "CARJACK ME PLEASE".

Maybe I'll look at the new 911s. I had one when I first started out in the league, and the biggest problem was the headroom. Maybe cabrio would be the answer.

GBA

phonetics

who would carjack a big guy like u?

StealthAuto

I think SL's are sweet but interior space is very limited. BMW 6-series are much more roomy though not as slick in my opinion.

Another great option is a Porsche. They have quite a bit of interior room.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Aaron

NOTA4RE

Same here. If I have the seat reclined where I want it to be, leaning way back, then the seat is to far forward. If I get the seat back where I want it then I am sitting straight up and getting a cramp. The part that really pisses me off is there is still a few inches of unused space behind the seat. I have looked for aftermarket seat rails to get the seat back further when reclined but there is nothing available out there currently.

I drove my car from NY to Florida not a comfortable ride but it was really fun.

CY

This is exactly how I feel about the SL's seating space...not sure how the really big guys fit....Im 6'2 200lbs.

crb49

This was discussed a while ago, but not necessarly limited to a convertible:

https://mbworld.org/forums/general-mercedes-discussion/159497-can-t-fit-sl500-comfortably-other-benz.html

I'm a bigger guy myself and understand the concern. I own a line of shirts with the line name of, "THE MAN" (Because everyone wants to be The .....).

One of the tees reads, "If You Ain't a XXL, You Ain't Nothin'!