CLK500 facelift (5.0 , 7 speed)

[horatio]

Is your name actually Horatio, or is this a forum handle?

It’s been 10 years since I joined but no, I believe the name was a tribute to a great historical figure. It looks like this Mercedes... has sunk to a new low

 

[bolidemichael]

It’s been 10 years since I joined but no, I believe the name was a tribute to a great historical figure. It looks like this Mercedes... has sunk to a new low

Okay, I ask because I've only ever met two... and one is my son!

 

[Kam55]

Thanks for all interesting comments - I've read them all but did not respond to each so future readers have a nice and neat read.
Meanwhile, this has popped up on Autotrader :

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...edTrim=CLK500&radius=1500&page=1&modal=photos

The good stuff:
It potentially ticks the age bracket box (I could request vin to check the actual build date).
The colour is great and seems beautiful. Price is relative but within my budget. Mileage is quite low for the age.
Sunroof + lots of equipment (premium sound system would be cool)

Not so good :
wheels and interior style. I could always swap the wheels, but would need to accept the white leather. Black would be stunning on this body colour.
In terms of MOT history, it 50/50 mix of fail followed by full green mot. Mostly suspension components, suggesting a lot has been refreshed and perhaps made the seller fed up with the endless repairs?

 

[Kam55]

I don't see an edit button so I will just correct myself on the MOT's : I confused this car with another so my comment about 50/50 mix of fail/pass is not about this car.
This one has mostly had tire and suspension advisories . The difference is that the most recent MOT advises about severe deterioration of anti roll bar dust cover. The part seems to cost 30 pounds (Lemforder) per side.

 

[Phil1968]

I don't see an edit button so I will just correct myself on the MOT's : I confused this car with another so my comment about 50/50 mix of fail/pass is not about this car.
This one has mostly had tire and suspension advisories . The difference is that the most recent MOT advises about severe deterioration of anti roll bar dust cover. The part seems to cost 30 pounds (Lemforder) per side.

I would say that the fact it looks pretty standard & hasn't been mucked about with is a bonus? And the interior looks light grey to me.

 

[bolidemichael]

This is the type of vehicle to go for, I reckon. It is clean and has a caring owner.

EDIT: Potentially an Ars-enal supporter, so a negative. COYS

 

[Darrell]

I like that one. A lot.

 

[Skd884]

Not a v8 but quite unique -

2003 CLK320 Designo Special Edition SOLD

Find your dream classic car from over 10,000 private adverts plus many more trade adverts on Europe's No 1 classic cars site. 100% F...

www.carandclassic.co.uk

 

[Kam55]

Hi everyone

I went to see it yesterday. It was in South London , so may have been ****nal fan Very nice guy, probably the most genuine seller I have ever encountered.

Overall the paint work was great and grey interior + wood is amazing in real life (though this one needed deep clean). Everything seems to worked.
There was no oil leaks and seems like someone did PCV + right valve cover gaskets (but not the left /driver side).
However, I found the dreaded rust in the rear wheel arch (lip area) and decided to forgo the car. It was my first time i CLK and with 2 passengers I got scared at 1 point. The owner allowed me to go full throttle several times.

So gutted. Need to be patient.

P.S. I drove the V6 CLK in the past but I really want V8 or something with 300BHP + on board

 

[John]

That's a shame.

My old 2004/54 E55 had rust on the rear arches.

However, on the galvanised examples which the one you looked at would be, it should only be surface rather than your typical rusting-through game.

I rubbed them down with wet'n'dry and painted them using black Hammerite (car was dark grey) and you couldn't see them although they are rolled on an AMG.

That should be all it's needs although I grant you, even doing this was a PITA if you don't enjoy it.

I just wonder if you are going to find an example without that rust that is well cared-for given the age of cars you are looking at.

If you do find one, it could have had something similar done and you would think it was fine (i.e. they probably all do it eventually).

 

[Kam55]

That's a shame.

My old 2004/54 E55 had rust on the rear arches.

However, on the galvanised examples which the one you looked at would be, it should only be surface rather than your typical rusting-through game.

I rubbed them down with wet'n'dry and painted them using black Hammerite (car was dark grey) and you couldn't see them although they are rolled on an AMG.

That should be all it's needs although I grant you, even doing this was a PITA if you don't enjoy it.

I just wonder if you are going to find an example without that rust that is well cared-for given the age of cars you are looking at.

If you do find one, it could have had something similar done and you would think it was fine (i.e. they probably all do it eventually).

I was thinking a lot on the way back about galvanized vs non galvanized bodies and I actually noticed the same pattern as you have. The early cars rusted outside of the lip area, where the later ones don't rust beyond the inner lip. I guess this is purely due to stones hitting that area, and treated and protected with special paint, it could potentially work !

You are right - I may also buy something that had the rust treated and the owner may not even know about it if it was done before his time.

I used to own Mazda 3 (2004 plate ) , which loved rust and ended in the scrap yard when jack went through the floor one day ... It made me paranoid about what it can do in some cases !
The engine was very reliable though, 2.0 petrol from Ford.

 

[horatio]

Thanks for all interesting comments - I've read them all but did not respond to each so future readers have a nice and neat read.
Meanwhile, this has popped up on Autotrader :

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202007221542287?postcode=np123nq&advertising-location=at_cars&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&model=CLK&sort=price-desc&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&body-type=Coupe&aggregatedTrim=CLK500&radius=1500&page=1&modal=photos

The good stuff:
It potentially ticks the age bracket box (I could request vin to check the actual build date).
The colour is great and seems beautiful. Price is relative but within my budget. Mileage is quite low for the age.
Sunroof + lots of equipment (premium sound system would be cool)

Not so good :
wheels and interior style. I could always swap the wheels, but would need to accept the white leather. Black would be stunning on this body colour.
In terms of MOT history, it 50/50 mix of fail followed by full green mot. Mostly suspension components, suggesting a lot has been refreshed and perhaps made the seller fed up with the endless repairs?

That looks really nice. Great spec too.

These cars munch through suspension parts. It’s the same with any car like this, even Lexus. I had to replace EVERY front suspension part after buying mine. The whole lot.

It’s light grey leather. Mine has the same. Not what I would choose but it’s ok.

 

[horatio]

Skim read, just realised you viewed it!

04 will be galvanised but they all have some bubbling on the rear arches. You have to accept any 15 year old car will need some tlc after buying (even a really nice one) and these aren’t 2 a penny either.

 

[Kam55]

That looks really nice. Great spec too.

These cars munch through suspension parts. It’s the same with any car like this, even Lexus. I had to replace EVERY front suspension part after buying mine. The whole lot.

It’s light grey leather. Mine has the same. Not what I would choose but it’s ok.

It was pretty nice paint work wise, but needed some TLC inside the vehicle

I since went to view CLS55 AMG (2005) out of curiosity and found rust on both front and rear inside arches, stone chips induced. I came to terms with it now.

Meanwhile, this popped up : https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...onesearchad=New&model=CL&price-to=6000&page=1

It has same engine, gearbox and Strutmaster kit fitted in place of ABC. Price is good for my liking.

However, I could only see 2 past MOT's. I started looking deeper and found that vehicle is marked as EXPORTED by DVLA. I will be speaking to the owner on Sunday. The car is local to me.

Could this by a dodgy car, which was exporter to erase its history? Maybe it was written off and sent overseas where it got fixed.

Just my luck.

 

[John]

Yes, would be worth asking why that is the case - bit strange.

I'm always mistrusting until I am convinced what I'm being told is true!

I understand why the suspension gets replaced but it is a shame - ABC is great when working correctly.

Depends what you want the car for I guess i.e. are you just going for looks.

30mpg my rse! You might get that on the motorway at a constant speed with the wind behind you but you won't see more than 22mpg around town I bet.

 

[E55BOF]

I'm always mistrusting until I am convinced what I'm being told is true!

In my experience, it usually isn't...

 

[Kam55]

Yes, would be worth asking why that is the case - bit strange.

I'm always mistrusting until I am convinced what I'm being told is true!

I understand why the suspension gets replaced but it is a shame - ABC is great when working correctly.

Depends what you want the car for I guess i.e. are you just going for looks.

30mpg my rse! You might get that on the motorway at a constant speed with the wind behind you but you won't see more than 22mpg around town I bet.

It is very, very strange that the owner never mentioned that in the ad and ignored my email about the EXPORT thing.
I will ask for the reason before I go view but will not be surprised if the owner tells me he '' bought it like this and it's fine''

I always ignore owners comments about MPG's when it comes to performance engine. 0-60 is more interesting !

I did some reading on the ABC to Struts/Coils and people point out the fact that this aftermarket setup does not use swaybar and may be unsafe in hard cornering/emergency maneuver situation.
A few posts ago, someone said the ABC is great when it works. To be fair, I did want to buy a CL500 with that system but it was sold before I got there. The CL I posted above the only other choice that appealed to me spec wise.

To better describe what I am trying to achieve with my next car purchase (from most important to least important factor):

1) ENGINE : relatively reliable V8 (m113) and gearbox (5 speed)
2) LOOKS : Coupe - CLK or CL , preferably CLK because of lower parts / maintenance. No doubt , the CL500 looks beautiful in black and I would listed to my heart and get one if the right spec popped up.
3) PRICE: (up to 6k would be ideal) , but the budget is going up every month. I could also finance the difference if the car was from a trader

I did think very hard about AMG supercharged cars, but only because of lack of cars in the preferred category. I then checked one out and changed my mind.

I think it's a tough moment to buy a car right now. It should be easier towards end of the year as the supply and pricing reach the usual levels.

 

[John]

If the seller had been responding to emails and stopped responding, that would cause me to do the same!

I've never driven an NA CL or even one from that era but I imagine the supercharged version is a better all round car - which won't cost more to run than an NA realistically.

Bide your time and stuff will show up. Better to take your time and find a good one then buy a lemon and ruin the whole experience and regret it.

Supercharged is based on the M113 (M113K in fact) so as reliable - as is the 5g which is a very good gearbox.

The complexity differences between a CLK and CL are quite marked so you really do want a well-cared for one. These cars were getting on for £100k new so at best, with cars at 15 years old now, they can still be eye-watering to repair. In some ways, a C216 is better built and more reliable (based on the 221 platform) and may work in your favour but only if you like the looks. I had a 2013 CL500BE and it was a great car.

You can finance yourself (get yourself a loan). You might well do better on the APR and you are not tied to the car. I've bought many cars this way.

Yes, I think many will not be selling although even with a normal market, I expect there are plenty of turds to avoid!

 

[Kam55]

If the seller had been responding to emails and stopped responding, that would cause me to do the same!

The complexity differences between a CLK and CL are quite marked so you really do want a well-cared for one. These cars were getting on for £100k new so at best, with cars at 15 years old now, they can still be eye-watering to repair. In some ways, a C216 is better built and more reliable (based on the 221 platform) and may work in your favour but only if you like the looks. I had a 2013 CL500BE and it was a great car.

The seller has called me just now. I asked him about the EXPORT note. He said the car was exported to Ireland in 2005, and imported back in 2018. He has paperwork to prove.
He was surprised that I asked, because he supposedly saw my initial email and told me that he had already responded . He is my fellow country men too so we spoke in native language.

I then asked about the suspension - is it possible to buy single elements if something breaks. He said the current parts are still on warranty and will give me paperwork so I can use this if I ever needed the a coil or strut from US.
He also said that I need to account for duty / import costs but overall the cost is not horrendous at all. I will verify that when I see him.

Since its located fairly close from me, I will take a look on Monday and see how it feels/drives/looks and what history documents come along with it.
At least, I will have another Mercedes experience (have seen CLK500 & CLS55 AMG so far).

I will be very reserved though , as this could be a deep money pit.

 

[bolidemichael]

It sounds as though you don't get on with him, which isn't a good start.