Pug 206 owner looking to buy a CLK soon!

[thelegacy]

Hello I have just joined the forum. I am a male, aged 21 living in London.

I currently own and have owned for over three years a regular Pug 206 1.6 90BHP car, done various mods etc the car is kinda slow and handles really badly.

I plan to keep the car till the summer, latest autumn and sell for a Mercedes Benz.

I have been looking at the CLK range 1997-2002, which looks lovely. Given that I am willing to pay insurance costs up to £1000 per annum on a car like this, I have been looking at the CLK 200 and 230 lumps. The break horse power difference between the two units is quite big at just under 60bhp! I would prefer to spend my money on the 230 as I have read that the 2.0 litre is very underpowered for the CLK.

Also I am looking to install a custom audio system as I have with my current car, notable a 12" Subwoofer and component speakers amped and ran off a Pioneer DEH-80MP Head unit.

I wanted some advice as to what to look out for in these models. I plan to do as much research as possible before investing some of my good earned cash in one. I have a budget of around £5000 and am looking at the older models (1997-2000).

I realise I would probably be able to get a car with around 80k on the clock which is quite a bit, but I have been told Mercs run forever (if looked after)

When would be the cheapest and best time to buy? What should I look for models and options wise? My budget doesnt give me much choice now, but in 6-9 months time the prices should fall a bit more surely?

Thank you for your input.

 

[jberks]

Service history is all. As you say, a well looked after example will go forever. An abused one can be a money pit.
Check for any corrosion. Rarer on the 98-2000 clk but this was built during the rust years so watch out.
If the battery is original it may struggle with your ICE so a new one could be prudent. Alternatively, (unless you're a Genesis fan) try turning it down and keeping the windows closed

Seriously, great cars and as they're based on the W202, generally pretty bullet proof. The supercharger does give the 230 some serious grunt but check for whines or nasty noises from that area as they can wear out.

 

[Geezer]

Hello I have just joined the forum. I am a male, aged 21 living in London.

If you're looking for a date then there are a couple of likely old birds on this forum!! :twisted:

 

[thelegacy]

If you're looking for a date then there are a couple of likely old birds on this forum!! :twisted:

HAHA, funny! I wrote that because as you know in the UK, age tends to be a good gauge of how much insurance companies like to rip off the individual. In my case, a CLK 320 would cost around £1200 a year to insure, whereas the C230 is £900. The 320 is a group 17 afaik whereas the 230 is a group 15, falling in the group 1-16 category. Although I currently have 2 years NCD, approaching three I wouldn't want to waste my money on insurance.