CLK 230 Convertible

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Hello and welcome to the forum :D:D that one looks nice, do check carefully the conditions of the rear wings around the wheel arches,,unusual in that car is a manual
 
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SteveX

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Thanks I was looking for a manual in sillver, so to find this was good, but it is 150 miles away from me!

Still I am tempted to look like I said.

Are they mostly reliable mechanical wise, and as for the electrics etc so they stand the test of time?

Running cost wise the insurance is roughly the same as my current car, I'm running a 2.5 v6 at the moment, so I assume petrol will be similar or a little less. Servicing wise I am used to £500ish per service.

Thanks,


Steve
 

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The drive train is first class and no real electric problems so do not worry on that score
 
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Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. I'm really sorry I didn't respond to your last post, I thought I had so, I apologise for being rude, and thanks for your replies. I ended up not being able to find a nice CLK at the time and so gave it a rest for a bit.

As it happens, I've still looked around on autotrader and ebay from time to time, but haven't actually purchased one.

It's now the end of a rather miserable summer, although I have managed to get some time in my 996 surprisingly, in the past couple of months going back to the MG pretty much full time has not been the best. I decided that I was really not happy with the quality of the ride and driving it to / from work so I advertised it this week and sold it.

So anyway, as a result here I am - and what car came back to haunt me? The thought of a nice CLK! The CLK convertible is now an itch I need to scratch and I feel would make a great comfy daily driver for my commute, if we are lucky enough to see a nice autumn or spring day the hood may even be able to come down!

I took a look at this one yesterday as it looked nice in the pictures and was local:

http://www.alliedconsultants.co.uk/...garde-tip-in-lechlade-gloucestershire-2469325

I had high hopes, but it was such a shame. The passenger rear arch is completely rotten to the point lots of metal has come apart, split and has been forced downward. It's not visible in the pictures, but the rust is now working it's way up the outside of the arch and the wing. Also where the bumper on the same side joins the body, there is a two-inch gash bubbled up and actually rotten through the metal.

All four alloys are kerbed, and the boot lock is rotten.

To make matters worse, the power hood was not properly operational, there is a bar missing on the blind - no biggie but the sales chap promptly bodged the switch with a wheel bolt to get it working....

Rear pads are non-existent, I'm not sure how they are working, again not major, an easy fix but annoying.

To add insult to injury though the SRS light was stuck on, I was told they had looked at it but couldn't work out what the issue was.

The nail in the coffin really was that the variable timing system sounds like a coffee grinder - a light touch on the throttle and the engine grinds and rattles like crazy at idle, very audible even with the bonnet closed.

Amazingly, aside from all of this, the old girl drove fantastic and was extremely responsive and tight to drive bless her.

I told the dealer my concerns, and that although I far from expected a new car, and that I would be prepared to do some of the work myself, I was not happy with the clatter from the engine and the SRS light / rust. He wasn't prepared to sort any of these things, and didn't want to budge on price either. His assessment was that he had others lined up to see it, and they may not be as 'fussy' as me, so sadly I walked.

Shame really, as it drove well and could be a nice car, but required too much work with the dealer offering no assistance (which was odd, seeing as he also told me he couldn't shift convertibles this time of the year and just wanted it off of his forecourt!).

Anyhow, the hunt is now on. I liked the low down torque of the 230, but they seem far and few between with reasonable mileage on and with a good spec. There are a lot of 320's around, but for no gain in performance and loss of economy / low down torque I'm not sure whether they will be a good choice.

I've seen a couple of nice looking 430's not too far away with reasonable mileage, but I'm not really sure it they will be too heavy on fuel or not. The parts and servicing isn't an issue, but there is a limit on how much I want to throw at the oil companies and tax to the government - they already get enough off of me! I'm looking at around 1999-2001 year wise with a budget set at 4k.

At present I would plan to be using the CLK for a modest 60 mile commute three times a week, and travel to my shooting club once a week which is an extra 30 miles, I don't like to budget more than £40 - £50 worth of fuel for this arrangement a week (around 200ish miles), so I'm not sure that would be achievable in either the 320 or the 430.

I appreciate it may be a tall order with the limit I have placed on the fuel and the budget to purchase the vehicle, but hope it's achievable.

Any way, thanks again :) And sorry for the long post!
 

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Hi there,

For what it's worth MAKE SURE you drive a 320 before you buy a 230.

It's in a different league performance wise (not sure where you got the "not much gain in performance" from - vastly smoother, only uses about 1mpg more and you will get an auto which is essential if you want to re-sell a mercedes (The foot operated parking brake just doesn't work with a manual at all - and most people buying a merc want auto) - I certainly don't even include manuals in a search for a car.

Make sure if you DO buy a 230 manual you pay MUCH less than for an auto (about £1000) because it will need to be that much cheaper for you to re-sell it on again.

I drove a 230K before I bought my 320 - and there is absolutely no comparison at all - 320 is in a whole different class.
 
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SteveX

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Hi there,

For what it's worth MAKE SURE you drive a 320 before you buy a 230.

It's in a different league performance wise (not sure where you got the "not much gain in performance" from - vastly smoother, only uses about 1mpg more and you will get an auto which is essential if you want to re-sell a mercedes (The foot operated parking brake just doesn't work with a manual at all - and most people buying a merc want auto) - I certainly don't even include manuals in a search for a car.

Make sure if you DO buy a 230 manual you pay MUCH less than for an auto (about £1000) because it will need to be that much cheaper for you to re-sell it on again.

I drove a 230K before I bought my 320 - and there is absolutely no comparison at all - 320 is in a whole different class.

Hi There,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I'm not after a 'fast' car, but I do want some good low down torque as I don't want to be driving the engine high up the revs to get it moving - I'm looking for a swift but relaxing drive that has enough torque to overtake if required without thrashing. My other V6 although had some reasonable torque around 3k had to be 'worked' to get it up to speed.

I actually want an auto, so that's good that most of them are.

I'm heading to the the Bealieu motor museum tomorrow, as it happens I noticed this one isn't too far from the direction I am going in:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...w/postcode/sn34pd/page/3/radius/100?logcode=p

Sounds like a good price, mileage is a little higher than I had hoped, I quite like the color. Not keen on the alloys but these can always be changed for other MB CLK ones.

If you could let me know your experience of driving the 320 vs the 230 that would be great. I've done some searches, but they just generically say that the 320 is 'smoother', that's great, but I hear it lacks the low down torque of the kompressor which is concerning, as long as it has the low down torque for easy driving and doesn't run a large premium over the 230 on fuel etc for no gains then I would be happy.

Thanks :)
 

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so you do roughly 210 miles per week?

just to play devils advocate, have you thought about a diesel, if you want low down torque? i have a 220 cdi c class and its ample in performance, averages over 46MPG just pottering around from home to my partners house 4 miles away, and although the CLK convertible is a bit heavier, i think it might just about tick all your boxes! it depends on what you would describe as 'reasonable mileage' though

just a thought
 
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television

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The is no CLK diesel pete,,welcome back Steve, the 320 are good
 

turbopete

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The is no CLK diesel pete,,welcome back Steve, the 320 are good

im sure ive seen a few 270 cdi's around. they may be a lot later though and possibly coupe only
 
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turbopete

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Not soft tops Pete

you are correct, of course. shame really. they would make great cars, and a much better alternative to the diesel A4 cabrio
 
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SteveX

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Thanks for the replies and the welcome back :)

I don't think the diesel is an option for the age and price I am looking.

I've been spending hours reading posts on the forum using the search function. It seems the general view is the 320 is nicer than the 230, has more grunt and is smoother.

But I'm confused on fuel costs, most say that the 230k in reality is no different from the 320, and some people are saying the 430 is in reality not much different to the 430?

All I know is that I really don't want to spend much more than the aprox £12 I spend a day to do the 60 mile journey in my second car (mostly A road cruising) trip. It can cost me up to £15-£20 if I drive the Porsche in a rather 'spirited' way, but I reserve that for a rather different mood and I'm not looking to replicate that cost in my second car that I will be using simply to cruise effortlessly to work in :)

I guess I will drive the 320 tomorrow if it is available and see if I fall in love, and from there. My head hurts a little though, as I keep going round in circles thinking if there is really very little difference in the 430 to go and test that as well.

Many thanks!

P.S what did you think of the Blue 320? The 'milky' lens covers can hopefully be cleaned up.
 

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Yes just sand and polish them, many threads here on doing that, it does look nice from the pictures
 

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I'm heading to the the Bealieu motor museum tomorrow, as it happens I noticed this one isn't too far from the direction I am going in:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...w/postcode/sn34pd/page/3/radius/100?logcode=p

Thanks :)

What a gorgeous car for 3k ! Love it. Headlights look a little "opaque" so may be some bargaining to be done there, Go and see it, if it checks out, get it bought !

We had a 320 clk, awesome mile munching car. It was a diesel though, and they didn't do the soft top in diesel.
 
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SteveX

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Sorry just to add, it seems parts are all relative apart from a couple of things, insurance is identical in all models for me, £305 using 7 years of my NCB on the MB, for the 230k, £295 for the 320 and £310 for the 430.

Tax is also identical and cheaper on all than the V6 I just sold.

It's really down to the best cruiser, and sticking to the fuel budget I've set.


Thanks,
 
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Great thanks for your opinions Oily and Television - really appreciated :)
 
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For my sins this is the back breaking car the CLK is destined to replace:

mgz1.jpg


I owned a ZT prior to this for my 'cruising' car with the KV6 which actually I loved and had for three years, but it was eaten by rust that couldn't be stopped after paying three separate places for repairs. I fancied a change and moved to another newer KV6 as I covered 50k reliably in it, but alas could only live with the newer one I bought it for 8 months, the KV6 was fairly smooth but low down torque was lacking. I was never really a fan of the 'wing' either. This car was bumpy and the ride too rough - no refinement, so it just wasn't 'me'.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I haven't made the switch to a CLK to late and can find one that hasn't been eaten alive :)
 
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And here is the 'old girl' who will forever be with me! :)

my996A.jpg



MP16.jpg


I'm really hoping a nice CLK will replace the silver one soon!
 

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