One of the rarest mercedes, a w208 clk with no rust!

[Abdul]

I want a rust free W208. Loved the 3 I had. Unfortunately all rusty lol.

Enjoy OP.

 

[twinstar]

I think the earlier cars were better at resisting rust.
Some of the older pre-facelift cars have held up pretty well, considering the age they are.
I

Your car looks great BTW and congratulations on finding your very own hens tooth

That’s a lovely thing. I remember seeing these (brand new) parked outside trendy wine bars in the late 1990s, and thinking “one day” if I continue to work hard and I’m lucky. I’ve not given up, maybe one day.

I sense a travel of eBay and AutoTrader coming on.

I think.thats the thing with these old clks, it's like 23 years ago since they.were introduced and I still remember seeing one for the first time. It was like.mercs suddenly became cool and such a major change from its predecessors. I guess its reliving the old days and where we were in our lives at that time, I was in my early twenties. They weren't by any means the best car merc ever produced but they were affordable. It's that reason that they are disappearing, people always saved the amg,s, etc but these just got used and abused. Xr3s, golf GTI,s, minis, etc all went through the same thing but look at them now. I feel like keeping hold of a nice w208 or any unloved and undesired old merc is just about reliving the good old days when they were out of reach for many but without spending the ridiculous money that other modern classics are bringing. £10k in an old xr2 or £750 in my old clk is a no brainer for me.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

I think.thats the thing with these old clks, it's like 23 years ago since they.were introduced and I still remember seeing one for the first time. It was like.mercs suddenly became cool and such a major change from its predecessors. I guess its reliving the old days and where we were in our lives at that time, I was in my early twenties. They weren't by any means the best car merc ever produced but they were affordable. It's that reason that they are disappearing, people always saved the amg,s, etc but these just got used and abused. Xr3s, golf GTI,s, minis, etc all went through the same thing but look at them now. I feel like keeping hold of a nice w208 or any unloved and undesired old merc is just about reliving the good old days when they were out of reach for many but without spending the ridiculous money that other modern classics are bringing. £10k in an old xr2 or £750 in my old clk is a no brainer for me.

You are right, I’ve just bought a 1999 320 cab for less than a grand, it needs some jobs but it should be a satisfying project returning it to standard

 

[Hawkwind]

Also generally people expect to pay huge repair bills if anything goes wrong with an old Merc.
Add to that some rusty wheel arches and the average buyer runs a mile.

The W208 is essentially a very reliable car, most if not all problems will be caused by lack of maintenance.
Factor in a transmission service, fluids, belts and filters and unless you're very unlucky, you'll have a great car
and on a budget, if you can do the work yourself.

Here's mine

 

[HB]

I remember by brother paying £23k for a '99 320 (Facelift) in 2003...!

Carl my late father bought my mum a new one in 99. 320 coupe with the AMG kit and wheels £52k. We ran it till it had 180k on the clock. Other than regular good services with original parts, all it needed was a maf in all these miles. We had it resprayed twice in its time with us. It was such a lovely car that we simply didn’t want to sell it. Bombproof engine but sadly failed it’s mot in 2013 due to - rust.

 

[ChipChop]

That is a stunner as well Hawkwind.

Pity it's not silver then it could be your Silvermachine.

I'll get me coat.

 

[Darrell]

Quentin Wilson raves in about the older models. I think he’s bought one to demo the reliability as well.

Of course you have now got me looking for one for the coming summer so be prepared for some questions.

 

[Darrell]

You are right, I’ve just bought a 1999 320 cab for less than a grand, it needs some jobs but it should be a satisfying project returning it to standard

We need photos or we won’t believe you.

 

[clk208]

Mine was a V reg also- coupe. Bought at 6 and a bit years old for a bargain approx £7k given it was getting on for a £50k car to the first owner. Gave me 6 years of trouble free motoring, surface rust aside. After having a few bits treated twice and it coming back again I needed a change and wanted a W219 since it was released so picked one up.

Amazing robust car the CLK though, no mechanical problems and felt/looked classy at the time. Remember parking next to an A5 at the time and still thinking I’d rather have the CLK.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I remember by brother paying £23k for a '99 320 (Facelift) in 2003...!

I paid £18k for my ‘99 230k in 2001

 

[twinstar]

I paid £18k for my ‘99 230k in 2001

Its great to see everyone sharing their memories, that's what owning an old merc or any other old car is all about, it shouldn't be about investing and storing cars for future financial prospects, it's about living times gone by and getting a little bit of pleasure out of it.

 

[clk320x]

I paid £18k for my ‘99 230k in 2001

Any pics?

 

[Ted]

My 320 with just about every extra - hids, bose, electric/heated seats and much more. Cost me £5k in 2010. Lovely car.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kRnZ9LyR8wZ7rSTq7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/D3Frn8oJYH8WJ15a8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eDcPsYQFy7W5dgfK8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tFQpBo5dsxFqGqop9

 

[Deleted member 11979]

We need photos or we won’t believe you.

Here tis

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Darrell]

1999 (V) MERCEDES CLK320 CONVERTIBLE 3.2 PETROL AUTO TAKEN IN PART-EX HPI CLEAR! | eBay

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Any pics?

CLK230K 006

• Deleted member 65149
• Mar 18, 2012

CLK230K 005

• Deleted member 65149
• Mar 18, 2012

CLK230K 003

• Deleted member 65149
• Mar 18, 2012

 

[Deleted member 65149]

And one more of the old girl to show what could be achieved from a decent sized petrol car even back then.

CLK230K 009

• Deleted member 65149
• Mar 18, 2012

 

[clk208]

And one more of the old girl to show what could be achieved from a decent sized petrol car even back then.

CLK230K 009

• Deleted member 65149
• Mar 18, 2012

They were indeed good on fuel. Even my 320 would easily see above 35 on a brisk london- manchester trip. I’ve got some similar trip computer pics somewhere.

 

[Hawkwind]

Looks like all the well preserved ones are older. Mine's a 'V' plate as are most of the others, with exception of the 'T'.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems the cars that come after about 2001 suffer badly from rust (or should I say, even more so?).

 

[SpoonJar]

Paid £3200 for mine in 2013. Body had a few small scratches but no rust. Forward to now and the arches are still good, the only rust starting to show is on the bonnet between the headlights and around the bootlid keyhole. Going to get cracking on them soon.