CLK430 Opinion(s)

[Victor]

Being one hell of an opinionated place, I figured I'd check here to see what the consensus is on these things (talking W208 model). Anyone here own one or have an opinion either way?

Interested in good/bad expriences as I am thinking of buying one as a daily driver.

Cheers, Victor

[Z-man]

I had one for a couple of days back a couple of years ago. (I work for MBUSA Corp. Headquarters). They are a fantastic grand touring car, and have more pep than you can imagine. No, it won't smoke a Vette from a standstill, but it will push you back into the seat when you hit the loud pedal!

I like the older (1st gen) body style myself -- more masculine than the current model.

Relatively reliable car -- haven't heard too many complaints about them. And I truly thing they are a bit underrated.

If you can find a nice one, it is worth looking into, IMHO.
-Z-man.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Very nice. Very costly.

As with Porsche, maintenance and service costs are what kill you on these cars. The more you can do yourself and/or the better warranty you can get, the better off you'll be.

I have four years remaining on my SLK and have done all my routine maintenance myself. Otherwise my recent "B" service would have cost me $900+ at the local dealership (oil & filter change, fluid changes, etc - reasonably basic stuff - just make sure you document everything you do or else it can potentially void your warranty for failing to keep up with the recommended service intervals).

All of the M.B.s are really good cars. The bashing they've been given in recent years is highly overstated. They're still extremely well-built.

[m325ix]

I had one (2000 model CLK 430, w208), it was awesome ! I switched to 4 door e320 4 matic because I had a kid, longer commute and the CLK sucked in the snow, other than that it was a lot of fun. These cars can be had cheap but make sure to bring it to the good M-B shop and check it thru-out. Also make sure the CLK had all of the recalls done

[911teo]

I had a 2001 CLK 55 AMG. Fantastic car. I sold it only because I wanted a sports car and the Benz was not quite in the 993 league.

Still it would smoke the 993 and light up the rears in 3rd gear.

The torque was immense and the build quality very good.

The 430 is great value, with the big V8 but without the sticker shock of the 55!

[daepp]

My ML shares the engine, and I give that high marks for reliability. 156K with no problems

[Victor]

Yes - the service costs are the only thing that has me worried. There are a couple around with low miles (40-50K) so I reckon that will be my best bet. The dealers all say to factor in $1000 a year for servicing which sounds about right.

There don't seem to be any known weak points on these things though, which is somewhat reassuring.

[Victor]

IMO, the shape is dating pretty well.

[w21055]

Is that one yours? If so looks great!
CLK'S are great cars, looking at one myself. The main things that fail are the Mass Air Flow sensor (40-60K) and the o2 sensors.

[Victor]

Hi there - no, that one's not mine. I ended up with a silver/black leather one (35k miles!), fitted an eibach lowering kit and 18" AMG rims. I'll put some photo's up tomorrow. These really are almost too much car for the money......

[Victor]

Taa-daa:

[w21055]

Very Nice. I had those wheels on my E320. I love silver Benzs!