Mini sold - now where are the CLK55s?

[///ajd]

Not sure if this is allowed under the Gen section, but I'm not allowed to post under the wanted section.

In any case to cut a long story short, many months ago I was thinking about buying Peters CLK55 before I missed out and he sold it to the chap that had the mint 190E cossie (I think).

The reason I couldn't buy was that I hadn't sold my Mini Cooper S.

However - yesterday the Mini has sold (hurray!) and I'm therefore to return to Merc ownership and I'm on the lookout for a CLK55 - Coupe or Cabrio - having been tempted by seeing Peters some time back. W208 or 209 considered.

Any advice on things to look for (esp on a W209 CLK55 Cabrio) appreciated.

Mods - if such a post is considered illegal / off side in this area, please delete - or better still move it somewhere appropriate.

------

update - I did have a look at this one today.

Mercedes : Mercedes CLK 55 AMG Convertible 2003/03

Some facts
3 previous owners, now on 4th - 03/03 car
Service History
1st service @10k in 2004, 2nd @28k in 2007, 3rd at 30k in 2008, 4th recently at 37k (this is from memory, so details maybe slightly out)

My perceptions / thoughts (which could be erroneous) :
Looked straight as far as I could see, wings never replaced etc.
Interior looked more tired than I expected for a 40k car, esp the drivers nappa - very shiney on seat and quite badly cracked on side bolster etc. I was quite surprised by this - is this normal? Is the nappa quite delicate / prone to wear? Certainly looked like it had done a load more miles than my 60k 330d.

I had a feel around the rear arches, but couldn't really tell either way whether there was any corrosion - felt a bit rough, but couldn't really see whether this was the start of some small blisters or just some road dirt etc.

Roof seemed to work OK but the whole car felt more creaky than I expected - again this could just be a cabrio thing, but I recall the one we had was very solid (this was 9 years ago though, so memory could be playing tricks!). One of the chrome flaps on the hood deck cover was not flush - a sign of anything?

Was up for £18500, current owner said they bought it in May for £18250. Owner said they had been offered £16500 and £17500 already and turned down the offers. Glass's guide has the car at :
Trade
Min - shed
£13,050
Med
£14,600
Top whack / mint
£16,100

Retail
£18,800

I went expecting to think it would be worth every penny of £16.5k, but if Glass's is in any way correct then it felt more like a £15k car. Maybe my expectations of a 6.5 year old car are too high - anyone have a similar mileage/vintage CLK55 around Bristol area that I could compare to?

 

[Will]

Hi AJD,

It was me who bought Peter's CLK55 and I've been very pleased with it

It might be worth dropping a PM to member 'Baldguy' (Greg) who has recently bought a 209 CLK55 - perhaps he'll have some buying tips or can advise on some examples that he might have already looked at?

Cracking cars, must be quite nice to hear the '55 V8 with the roof down etc

The 208 CLK55 is almost identical performance wise to the 209 replacement (~ 20bhp?). I like some of the 208 features over the 209, and likewise I do like some of the 209 features over the previous model (such as the drop-down rear windows on the coupés etc). Overall, I prefer the shape of the 208 coupé, a little more 'masculine/chunky'? - but it's all down to personal preference and budget. FWIW, the 209 is no less susceptable to corrosion from what I have seen, other than the fact that the cars will be generally newer. Have seen early 209 CLK55s with rusty arches, just like most 208s can suffer!

Awesome cars for the money though. Glass's guide prices are for trade buyers, people who are buying cars cheaper than what they're worth in order for them to build a profit margin into the vehicle - I wouldn't expect most private buyers to accept trade prices for their cars unless they're desperate, as why else bother with the hassle of selling privately?

Mileage doesn't seem to be a problem from what I have seen, I'd be more concerned with condition, service history, spec etc than 30/40k miles either way.

Overall after 2/3 months of ownership, I still really like my CLK55, but I have to say that once the novelty of the power wears off, it can be a little uninspiring. It drives no different really to a regular CLK, and the amount of times/places where you get to use 350bhp is quite limited. If I had a ~ 20 mile daily commute along decent dual carriageways/A roads/motorways it'd be an awesome car. But for weekend use - perhaps not quite so perfect, although certainly still fun to drive and very powerful.

I'm keeping it for a while yet, certainly until the new year I would think (having spent about £2k on it since purchase ). But I still have an itch for another older/classic/retro car - something like an aircooled 911 which I will have to do something about at some point.

All the best with the search

Will

 

[///ajd]

Hi Will,

Interesting points - I too prefer parts of the W208 over the W209 - the interior feels more solid and I love the pointed star on the bonnet.

Price wise obviously private sales are usually between the top trade and retail price - but usually alot nearer top trade than retail (say you typically get about 25% of the difference). Hence why I expecting to have to pay over the £16,000 top trade - i.e. £16.5k - but having seen it, now I'm not so sure it was really worth top money, so I assume this would affect private value as well as trade? Then again as I said, perhaps I'm being too hard on a 6,5 year old car.

I'm also considering a G50 911 - I'd love a backdated 3.2 - but these take rust and risk to levels as yet undreamt of by W208s with blistered arches! Some sobering stories on Impact Bumpers recently!

 

[Will]

That's the one thing that worries me with running something like an old aircooled 911. I've seen/heard/read of so many cars costing ££££s when stuff goes wrong. Eg, a guy I know put an '86 3.2 Carrera in for a clutch change. Came out with a £4k bill in the end - lots of worn bits and pieces in the gearbox, and other 'whilst it's all apart' type jobs.

I like to attend to some of the maintenance on older MBs myself but I know that a lot of old 911 jobs would be a little tricky for the DIY mechanic.

I like 964s but the oil leak/engine rebuild type problems are of concern. And they all seem incredibly tatty, even the moderately expensive ones.

I guess though over the years they're not bad cars to run as they lose next to nothing in depreciation now, so what you spend on maintenance can balance out.

Don't give up on 208 CLK55s if that's what you really want. There are nice ones out there, just takes a bit of patience and a lot of searching

Will

 

[peterg1965]

That W209 '55 Cab looks lovely, I do like Jasper Blue. It looks expensive though, particularly for a pre facelift. Greg (Baldguy) will offer advice I am sure.

I too have been looking at 911s! The 996 would be the one for me - post 2002 3.6 facelift C4 Cab - C4S at a push, a lot of car for the money if bought very carefully.

 

[///ajd]

Hi Peter

What would you say the CLK55 was worth?

All the stories of IMS failures (no warning, £7k new engine) put me off 996s - and from what I can see 997s aren't immune either. When I got the Mini MOTd this week I did have a kick around the Porsche garage in Bristol (its next to the Mini garage) and their 997s are very nice. I had a sit in a few which was probably a mistake as it did make me want one - their showroom appeal is frankly immense. They had a couple of Panameras too which is much better in the flesh/metal than in pictures (but still a bit awkward).

I did hear a rumour that post 03 996s were less prone to engine failure, but I'm not so sure there is much evidence either way - I'd be interested to find out if there is any truth to it.

 

[peterg1965]

I would not pay any more than £15/16K for that CLK55. Sounds as though the owner is a bit of a chancer, having oned for 5 months and wanting to sell at a profit. Turning down £17.5K, if indeed that is true, sounds stupid to me. Just my view, but what do I know!

Have been researching quite a lot on the 911 996. RMS failure and total engine failure is not that common. I think marque websites bring the issue into sharp focus. However, I wouldn't ignore the problem and would have a comprehensive PPI on any car I fancied purchasing and would probably factor in a RMS change as a precaution and a decent third party warranty. They are a lot of sports car for the money though. I caught the Porsche bug whilst testing a Boxster at OPC Bolton - what a dealership and what a selection of cars!

Good luck with the '55 search.

 

[///ajd]

I tend to agree - I think its a £15k max car personnally, but as the owner buys and sells things for a living I've a suspicion they won't budge and will wait for someone who may well pay top dollar.

You've probably already seen this, but part 4 is well worth a read (its grown loads since I last looked, so I've not read it in detail yet).

Hartech | Porsche boxster engine repairs, Porsche engine repair, Porsche 996 engine repairs, Porsche engine problems

I thought IMS (Intermediate Shaft Bearing failure) was actually a different issue to RMS, but could be linked. As I understood it RMS failure in itself is not a major problem, just annoying.

 

[peterg1965]

I tend to agree - I think its a £15k max car personnally, but as the owner buys and sells things for a living I've a suspicion they won't budge and will wait for someone who may well pay top dollar.

You've probably already seen this, but part 4 is well worth a read (its grown loads since I last looked, so I've not read it in detail yet).

Hartech | Porsche boxster engine repairs, Porsche engine repair, Porsche 996 engine repairs, Porsche engine problems

I thought IMS (Intermediate Shaft Bearing failure) was actually a different issue to RMS, but could be linked. As I understood it RMS failure in itself is not a major problem, just annoying.

Hartech are very close to me - about 30 miles. I have already exchanged emails with the owner, a great bloke who is willing to talk me through the problems and pitfalls of a 996 purchase. I have heard from others that he is generous with his time in chatting to Porker Newbies. They also run a great monthly maintenance and warranty plan and the website is hugely informative.

 

[///ajd]

Just read the thread about the £31k engine required for a low mileage E55 (Kompressor).

Crikey.

Whats the engine in a CLK55 cost?

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Just read the thread about the £31k engine required for a low mileage E55 (Kompressor).

Crikey.

Whats the engine in a CLK55 cost?

For a brand new engine? I'd guess at probably something like 10 - 15k?
Gearbox would also be pretty pricey I imagine £4k ish???

 

[EDZ649]

For a brand new engine? I'd guess at probably something like 10 - 15k?
Gearbox would also be pretty pricey I imagine £4k ish???

£27K plus VAT for my SL600 Gearbox extra!

 

[A-AvantGarde]

£27K plus VAT for my SL600 Gearbox extra!

Wow

Did that include fitting? Everyone thinks parts prices kill older cars, the labour is a major factor too...

 

[EDZ649]

Wow

Did that include fitting? Everyone thinks parts prices kill older cars, the labour is a major factor too...

Plus fitting! Good job I didn't need to have a new engine eh?