Am I A Moron?

[edgjhdsg]

Hey guys,

Thought I'd register here and ask a few questions, just to see if I've totally lost my mind.

I've been driving for about 4 years now, didn't start until I was 23 due to living in London and being a student, but having not seriously injured or killed anyone in that time, I'm now getting insurance quotes for "proper" cars that are affordable for someone who isn't the head of a major bank.

I've always wanted a nice CLK or C Class, and I'm seeing decent CLKs (200/320 and all inbetween) on Auto Trader/ebay for around £4k. Most are around 03-05, between 70-100k on the clock, all with MOT and good service history.

I'm just wondering if this is a wise purchase or if I'm mad and in for a long list of heavy repairs?

Various mates of mine when they graduated to their own first "proper" car, go for a Focus or a Golf around the same price. I'm seen as the nutter who is holding out for a Merc, continually told I'll wind up in a cloud of smoke with a heap of **** that will cost more to fix than I paid for it.

So I'm just looking for basic advice really. From reading around I've learned a Mk2 CLK (C209) is a good buy, not too complex but still a fantastic car, and I'm aware of the potential issues to watch out for (balance shaft, MAF, etc).

Thanks guys.

 

[daveenty]

There are plenty of Mercedes knocking about and running perfectly a lot older than what you're looking at. Reading about them on forums is good, but please bear in mind that no-one usually posts anything when the car is behaving and just doing what a car does best, i.e. working. People usually only post when they are having issues with the car.

I like the CLK, had a 208 a few years ago, and if you're after a two door coupé then it's certainly a car worth considering. Yes, repair bills can be high, but they're only relevant to the price the car was one new really. Someone will be along shortly to suggest the best engine (320 petrol was my choice) for your circumstances, though my suggestion would be to find a good independent servicing place (MB specialist) before committing to your purchase, even taking him with you to look at your potential new car. It could save a lot of headaches further down the line...

 

[edgjhdsg]

Cheers for the quick reply there!

I'm thinking the 320 petrol myself. Not utterly insane in terms of fuel use, but still a nice grunt behind it. It also seems to be the most popular one for sale too.

I suppose the main reason it seems odd to me, is that something like a CLK is seen as an expensive car, but plenty are for sale for the price of your boring everyday runaround.

Good advice on finding a Merc specialist. I note you're from the NW, as am I (north Cheshire specifically). Anyone you know of who you could recommend?

 

[dozypillock]

Cheers for the quick reply there!

I'm thinking the 320 petrol myself. Not utterly insane in terms of fuel use, but still a nice grunt behind it. It also seems to be the most popular one for sale too.

I suppose the main reason it seems odd to me, is that something like a CLK is seen as an expensive car, but plenty are for sale for the price of your boring everyday runaround.

Good advice on finding a Merc specialist. I note you're from the NW, as am I (north Cheshire specifically). Anyone you know of who you could recommend?

I have the C209 320CLK and love it to bits. I am a bit older than you, and hope to keep this car for many years, as it does everything I could possibly want, and as you say, it looks gorgeous as well. Read up about potential rust problems on them, and also make sure any glycol issues have been addressed though.

Neil

 

[Spin_bowler]

Good advice on finding a Merc specialist. I note you're from the NW, as am I (north Cheshire specifically). Anyone you know of who you could recommend?

MB Tech in Warrington seem to get good reviews on here.

 

[jotter22]

Welcome to the club....
I have an 04 clk cab and in the 2 years i have owned it apart from servicing i have only had to replace 1 rear number plate bulb and a battery (this being lack of use) i have the 320 and can not fault it in anyway it has just hit 80k and also lives out doors....Life's too short to always make the "right" choice listen to your heart and buy what you want.

Tony.

 

[daveenty]

MB Tech in Warrington seem to get good reviews on here.

That was going to be my suggestion too.

Never used them personally (mine always ends up in Birmingham ), but I have been there to a meeting once, and they seem to be good guys and, importantly, know their stuff.

 

[poormansporsche]

Not a moron

I had a 1999 clk 320. I payed 500 quid did 10,000 miles and didn't spend a penny on it ! There are goodies out there

 

[GP801]

I have a 2003 W209 200k. Had it from new. In terms of repairs 1 x multifunction switch, 1 x alarm siren. Other than that just routine maintenance.

 

[DrNick]

Conventional wisdom always says that a Mercedes is an expensive beast to fix and its vital to have a full service history, but does experience actually bear this out?
If we take away the exotic weird stuff and look at the run-of-the-mill vehicles, are they actually any more expensive than other makes to fix?
I only ask this because in my experience (which is a sample size of 1 which isn't statistically valid) the three MBs I've had have been very low cost in terms of reliability and any costs associated with unexpected repairs have been similar to other marques that have needed them (Peugeot, Ford and GM). My other experience has been with Toyota and Nissan and nothing has gone wrong at all with them so can't comment about costs.
So what about service history? Its good to know that the car has been looked after but the major part of any service is changing the oil and other fluids. Most other items are "inspect this", "look at that", "check the wear of this","polish that" which are all things that may or may not get done to any satisfactory standard. So a service history is no real guarantee of a good car, just that someone has changed the oil regularly and any obvious issues have been looked for. I'm not sure this means that a car with FSH is a better bet than one that doesn't have FSH, it just means that you have to be more careful in checking the car when you buy.
I'm not saying a FSH is pointless (far from it) - I'm just suggesting that not having one on an "average" complexity car is less important than its overall condition, especially with oils lasting longer than they used to.
So is an average MB any worse than other makes? Over to the panel...

 

[markjay]

Modern Diesel engines and their fuel supply systems are expensive to fix, across all marques. As are autoboxes, always has been.

MB's are not more expensive to fix than other cars.

What can help with the maintenance costs of older cars is that when a certain model is very common there's ample supply of low cost aftermarket parts. What makes repairs expensive on one model compared to other cars is usually when the parts can only be obtained from a main dealer.

At any rate, this does not affect older cars so much, because once the value of the car is down to low single thousands, any repair that is more than basic in nature will probably see the car written off anyway.

For such cars, serious engine problems can often only be resolved economically by replacing the engine with a second hand unit, at which point again the factor determining availability would be how common this model is.

In terms of labour costs, I don't see why repairing MB cars should take longer than other marques.

 

[Reggie-rock]

I like your thinking edgjhdsg as I am on my second CLK. My first was a 2004 2.7 diesel which was only a mistake as it was a diesel, and only achieved 28-32mpg as most of my journeys are under 10 miles and little heat came out the heater, but apart from that it was a very good car, just chose the wrong engine for my needs.
My present car is a CLK 350 convertible which I love.
CLK's are not too complex as they have conventional suspension.
Note the early W209's were not galvanised so be wary of pre 2004 cars.
A 320 sounds a very good idea, obviously buy the best one you can afford with fewest miles, but leave a little put by as with any used car you will find something unexpected.
Best of luck.

 

[Lit91]

I think you're in the wrong place to be asking this question, where most if not all users are owners of MB. All I can say, it is a beautiful car & I love mine.

But, if you are within a budget, any parts or repairs would be much more easily sourced for a Golf. Coming from the VAG family with a Seat Leon, I've noticed that parts are extremely hard to source for the w209, & if you're thinking of tuning/styling... you're in for a treat - with most prices being positioned at the extreme end, with POA pricing on batch manufactured goods - just means that they want to assess how deep your pockets are, prior to naming a price for the good.

So I'd say life would be much easier with a Golf, but the Merc seems to be in a different League/Class.

If I were you, I'd also have a look at equally as good Audi & BMW's.

Problem wise, any car can go wrong, but I'm swayed towards the German build, its much nicer than anything else, Japanese would be my second choice.

 

[Stratman]

If you're worried about horror stories of expensive repairs, then Mercedes will relieve you of one concern which the owner's of most other cars have.

You will not experience a cam belt snapping, with the consequent risk of a written off engine, as MB engines have chain driven cams. Neither will you have to have the non existent belt changed every so many thousand miles. Just keep to the recommended oils and filters, changed at the recommended intervals and sleep easy.

 

[markjay]

My 2006 W203 so far had only two minor faults (electrical) in 8 years.

Apart from that it only ever needed regular servicing which is very reasonably priced at Prestige Car Services (Olly).

It is the second most reliable car I have ever owned (the 1st is still our trusty old 1997 Toyota Previa which we had from new and is still going strong - nothing ever went wrong with it - though I doubt that modern Toyotas will prove as reliable).

 

[Reggie-rock]

The only trouble asking MB Forum members if Mercedes cars are a good buy, well most of us will favour them as I do.
If you asked if a ten year old Citroen was a good buy on a Citroen Forum you would probably have enthusiasts replying how brilliant they are as well.
Seek some independent advise as well on the internet.

 

[grober]

Look for a car that's had only a few owners and who all kept the car for some time. Cars that often change hands usually spell trouble. You must also find a good Mercedes specialist to look after it as MB main dealers service and repairs tend to be expensive [ big overheads] You don't want to subsidise the free coffee wifi and leather sofa "customer experience" in the service waiting area- you just want to pay for the car repair.

 

[chubbs111]

i have a 99 w208 and it puts a smile on face every time i drive it.

 

[nb_racing]

I think you'll be fine as you are clearly going in with your eyes open.
There are often newbies on here whos first post is something like "I bought a Merc xyz for £2000 and now the dealer want £500 to change the brakes, what a rip off, its a con, mercs are crap, this is ridiculous." etc etc.

Yes, some stuff is going to be expensive. But if you desire one, and are sensible about it, SERVICE it regularly, including the all important gearbox oil and filter, you'll be fine. Go for it. (don't buy a manual, or 4 cylinder!)

 

[DSB SL AMG]

+1 for MBTech, have used them for quite a few years...
Sometimes they have customers who let them know when they are selling / thinking selling their car, usually they know the full history and servicing etc having worked on the car, worth calling them to see if they know anyone selling a CLK within your budget...

Ask for Shane or Will

Mercedes service and repair specialists warrington, Cheshire

PS. Welcome to the forum!

MB Tech in Warrington seem to get good reviews on here.