Cheap CLK55. Too cheap?

[stereophoney]

Hello!

Not on ebay, but one i might consider looking at. It's a lot cheaper than others i've seen available. Is there anything obvious i'm not seeing?

I was looking at getting an R129 500SL, but liking the idea of the 55 more now, and don't know much about the finer details of the CLK. Are the wheels the correct ones, as not seen any other CLK adverts with these,

Mercedes-Benz CLK55 2DR TIP AUTO 5.4 2000

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. Would be a 170 mile round trip, so want to avoid it if it's an obvious dog!

Thanks

 

[redbaron]

Triple check for rust.

If the seller cares ask them why they havent cleaned the steering wheel... it looks grim.

Are the wheels genuine or aftermarket?

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Fake roof GPS ariel facing the wrong way.

You cant clean that steering wheel, they all go nastly looking on those 2 tone version

Boot badge position would suggest its had it resprayed, chances are there maybe rusty arches lurking also. if you view it, have a long look at them aswell as under the sills (poke around).

Knob has come off the stereo aswell from what I can make out.

Id ask for some close ups of the arches if your travelling 170 miles. if they really want to sell it they wont object.

 

[flango]

If the seller cares ask them why they havent cleaned the steering wheel... it looks grim.

I dont think it is dirt, I've seen a few like that the light colour leather wears down to the darker colour under it. We have a guy that comes in who owns a builders and is hands on. His S class looks exactly the same as that but it's wear and the car has only just done 70k, don't think this was one of MB's strong points.

It's too cheap though and things are cheap for a reason with the GPS ariel on the wrong way and the position of the boot badges, it would put me off and I wouldn't go 170 miles to look, is there no one on here close that could check it out for you?

 

[GP801]

The alignment of the nearside wing with the bonnet looks a bit iffy. I suspect its cheap for a reason.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Something is out of alignment on the front by the look of things. Zoom in (x2) on the front and check the gaps around the headlights, either the bonnet or the lower valance?

Not a big issue, but I can't see front fog lights as per the write up.

 

[stereophoney]

Thanks for the responses, this is exactly what i was after. Would never have noticed anything odd about the badges or aerial. Think i'll give this one a miss. Only other one for the same price is on ebay and looks very unloved.

2000 MERCEDES CLK55 AMG AUTO SILVER | eBay

 

[BTB 500]

I was looking at getting an R129 500SL, but liking the idea of the 55 more now, and don't know much about the finer details of the CLK.

At the risk of being flamed by CLK owners ... although the 55 is a great engine, the car itself is still basically a C Class i.e. M-B's budget model. IMO build quality is not really comparable with the R129, which was a flagship car designed before cost-cutting became a prime objective!

Not a reason to ignore the CLK, but something to be aware of.

 

[IanA2]

I've had a CLK55 and two 129's. CLK is long gone but I still have a 129.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

That said the 129 is a dinosaur in respect to its interior. The w208 maybe biased on a c class, but at least the switchgear feels modern and not from a bygone age

 

[Will]

Both of those are a bit too cheap for a '55. Good ones still go for nearer £5k or so - the £3k ball park ones will need a couple of grand spent on them almost straight away.

First one has wrong wheels on it, looks unloved and has clearly been through a less than attentive bodyshop (badges in wrong position, wing/bonnet alignment). Second one clearly needs a new front bumper (rare to find and very expensive new). That's before you consider any of the usual issues - rusty arches, outstanding mechanical/service issues etc.

To give you an idea - a service with a set of front brake pads/discs and a spark plug change will stand you in around £1k, tyres are around £500 a set for decent ones, etc. Remember, these were circa £60k+ cars new - parts and repairs can reflect that in some areas.

Normally the cheap examples of cars like these are cheap for a reason. Always worth a look if you're close by on the off chance, but as a general rule of thumb if it looks/sounds poor from the advert to begin with, expect to find more issues in real life

Buy a good one for sensible money though and you'll be very pleased IMHO. Mine has been great and hasn't given me a moment's bother in the 3 1/2 years I've had it. Great car, well equipped and still pretty quick today. Insurance is very cheap on a classic policy and I guess fuel consumption is fair for the size of the engine/performance etc.

Where abouts are you based out of interest?

Will

 

[V12]

The NS bonnet catch is a problem on 210 and 208 models. Could explain the bonnet alignment?

 

[kris83]

hi the bonnet on the right hand side doesnt line up with the wing . zoom in and compair it with the drivers side i wouldnt touch that .

 

[Will]

Could be bonnet catch - could be out of line. Poor attention to detail either way IMHO!

 

[joecash]

ask the dealer for the reg number and v5 document number so you can do an mot check as a starter

 

[joecash]

with VOSA

 

[AMG-Al]

Both of those are a bit too cheap for a '55.

Phew........

 

[stereophoney]

Thanks for all the answers. Not going to go look at it as seems it could be a lemon. I'll keep an eye out for some better ones!

 

[AMGeed]

Have a look through this site for a decent CLK. Well known place for buying Merc's.

Used Mercedes-Benz CLK cars for sale with PistonHeads

 

[stereophoney]

Have a look through this site for a decent CLK. Well known place for buying Merc's.

Used Mercedes-Benz CLK cars for sale with PistonHeads

Thanks. I'll add it to my list!

Ebay, Autotrader, Gumtree and now Pistonheads.