Surprising to see so many tatty CLK55s...

[Will]

Just browsing eBay earlier on (as you do) and was surprised to see the number of tatty CLK55s out there.

I wouldn't class mine as 'mint' as it's 8 and a bit years old and has around 70k odd on the clock, but I do try and look after it.

By comparison, it surprises me to see the condition of others out there of these cars that were quite expensive new and not all that old realistically?

55 CLK AMG Mercedes on eBay (end time 26-Apr-10 20:06:22 BST)

2001 MERCEDES BENZ CLK 55 AMG AUTO on eBay (end time 22-Apr-10 20:36:14 BST)

In comparison to this one with 300k miles - doesn't look too bad considering!:

2000 X rg Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG auto on eBay (end time 22-Apr-10 18:13:11 BST)

Why are so many of these cars quite so tatty at such a young age? I don't remember expensive/top model MBs being so badly maintained a few years ago. I've had cars twice/three times the age of these in far better nick - can't all be down to build quality.

Will

 

[clk208]

I suppose for some the appearance of a small amount of bubbling / surface rust somewhere on the car leads to a downward spiral of not bothering to maintain properly.

When I was looking for my CLK 4 years ago I viewed loads of 320s that were incredibly tatty - damaged interiors, steering wheels that didn't line up straight, odd/half flat tyres, cheap aftermarket stereos, "lost" histories and these were only 5-7 years old. Add on another few years and a couple of owners and I guess they will be even worse.

 

[buccal]

I wouldn't class mine as 'mint' as it's 8 and a bit years old and has around 70k odd on the clock, but I do try and look after it.

Will

I think your being a bit hard on yourself Will,

I reckon many would think yours is now an immaculate car.

 

[Will]

Thanks Alex - and I know what you mean, your '55 is likewise in beautiful nick But what I'm surprised at is how there's so many tatty ones out there. Just seems odd that many of these cars are in such poor condition after 8/9/10 years, when clearly they cost a lot of money new.

Seems as though people are a lot more 'casual' with their attitude to ownership these days?

 

[d w124]

Thanks Alex - and I know what you mean, your '55 is likewise in beautiful nick But what I'm surprised at is how there's so many tatty ones out there. Just seems odd that many if these cars are in such poor condition after 8/9/10 years, when clearly they cost a lot of money new.

Seems as though people are a lot more 'casual' with their attitude to ownership these days?

Will:Many of the pre 2000 AMGs change hands so many times as they`re affordable,but in same time it works better for you and Alex

 

[Carl Gosney]

I was looking at some clks & i did notice that they was not look after like you expect one bloke use hes for his Drum Kit on back seats had to be redone just shows you they dont care i mean if it was a ford you could understand lol...

 

[Gridlock]

It's aspirational luxury for a low cost of entry - but then you find running costs are.. surprising.

I battled this when searching for my 43, in the end I've got one that yes, is suffering from rust but has a service history and owners that gave me confidence in the important mechanicals - and I knew going in that it would probably cost a significant %age of the purchase cost to keep running.

 

[kth286]

I dont think it is a car that most people aspire to own - you see them in silver, next to say a peugeot, and they look similar - just another wedgy googly eyed modern tin box.

It just not ooze class like the previous classic shape Mercs.

 

[mickl]

I dont think it is a car that most people aspire to own - you see them in silver, next to say a peugeot, and they look similar - just another wedgy googly eyed modern tin box.

It just not ooze class like the previous classic shape Mercs.

personally that's why I got my CLK as it's a sleeper Q car and not attention grabbing. The Jag XK coupe I had before attracted lots of attention, both good and bad. There are too many dicks on the road....sign of the times I suppose.

It all depends I suppose if you want to go 'LOOK AT ME!' or not.

 

[Will]

I dont think it is a car that most people aspire to own - you see them in silver, next to say a peugeot, and they look similar - just another wedgy googly eyed modern tin box.

It just not ooze class like the previous classic shape Mercs.

Thing is, aspirations aside, these were pretty expensive cars new not all that long ago (£60k+ 8ish years back).

I still think it's unusual to see relatively expensive cars become quite so tatty in such a short space of time. They haven't been all that cheap for very long either - hence they must have suffered mainly in the last couple of years, or there have been some very careless owners with plenty of cash.

Surely if you'd spent £60k on one when they were new, or maybe £30-40k when they were a couple of years old you'd look after it well?

 

[Vlad]

Not aspirational???

The W208 CLK still remains highly popular. Infact I understand that it's one of the most searched cars on autotrader and as for the CLK55 it's a damn fine car to drive and it's lack of flash adds to it's Q car appeal. I think the reason that there are a number of cheap ones out there is that these are the ones run on a shoe string. When you start looking for one with good service history, low'ish mileage, good bodywork the price starts heading into the £9k bracket.

 

[buccal]

Is it a number of owner's thing?

The two owners previous to me certainly did nothing but lavish attention on the car, but then after paying £60k+ and then £20k+ respectively you would expect it.

 

[gaz_l]

I battled this when searching for my 43, in the end I've got one that yes, is suffering from rust but has a service history and owners that gave me confidence in the important mechanicals.

I searched long and hard before parting with my cash when I bought my C43, for this very reason - it didn't really have rust issues (apart from a scab by the boot lock, which seems mandatory on 202s), but it had had only 2 owners, the previous one had owned it for 5 years and lived in Knightsbridge. I figured if you can afford to live in Knightsbridge the costs of keeping your car in tip-top condition are of little concern and the service paperwork bore this out. "Wanted for nothing" springs to mind, and that's the best way to buy a car of any description, Mini or Mercedes..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[Vlad]

I dont think it is necessarily a number of owners issue....I think that its because the cars are aspirational, you will always get some buyers over stretching themselves to buy the car and then they find out that they cant afford to run it and they then end up selling it on within a short period of time.

Alternatively like a lot of high end cars, they are bought, run for a year, owner gets bored and sells it on to get the next fix in something else.....hence why you see quite a lot of CLK55's with a high number of previous owners.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I think there's a danger that maintenance can be compromised if a car is almost constantly changing hands, as it's sold before it becomes a problem for that owner. Hopefully the minority but something to be aware of.

A friend sells his cars before he has to spend any money other than fuel and insurance. He started by selling cars before they needed a big service or repair, then any service or repair, and now even sells the car before road tax or MOT expires!!??

 

[rossyl]

By comparison, it surprises me to see the condition of others out there of these cars that were quite expensive new and not all that old realistically?

55 CLK AMG Mercedes on eBay (end time 26-Apr-10 20:06:22 BST)

2001 MERCEDES BENZ CLK 55 AMG AUTO on eBay (end time 22-Apr-10 20:36:14 BST)


Will

I must say i don't think the 1st one if that bad - the driver's door looks like the typical check strap issue. The steering wheel also only needs a little leather dye I'd imagine. Servicing would be the main thing.

The second car is however a bit of a mess!