Mercedes Clk230 Kompressor

[syfon]

Hey all,

I have recently sold my Skyline (R33 S2 GTS-t) as I am looking a buying a luxury coupe. Now I have my sights set on a Mercedes CLK230 Kompressor 1999-2000. I have had a look at a few (dealer & private), but i'm not 100% sure what to expect with these cars.

I am aware that Mercedes-Benz cars are always built to a very very high standard (these CLK's are all manufactured in Germany) as you would expect when paying $100,000+ brand new.

I have driven one and could "feel" that the car has been in a front end accident. The TCS (traction control system) was not working and the fuel gauge etc was not working either. Now I am also aware that Mercedes can cost an arm and a leg to repair.

My mum owns a 2004 C240 V6 Elegance - the traction control system and sensor screwed up and Diesel Motors took 3 trys to fix it/replace the sensor (fortunately the car was dealer warranty so it didn't cost us anything). So i am kind of aware with maintenance costs and so on. I am also kind of aware what to expect with a Mercedes (CLK) as I have driven one and my parents have owned a few Mercs.

Basically what i want to know from you guys -

• Do you know anyone that owns a CLK? (230 Kompressor or not i don't mind)
  
• Do you know anywhere i can read/find reviews on the CLK? (1998-late 2000 models)
  
• Have you ever owned a CLK/had experience working on them?
  

I am going to have a look at a 99' CLK230 Kompressor on Saturday at a dealer in Osborne Park (WA). It has 130Km's, full Merecedes-Benz log-books/service history, Midnight Pearl Blue, full electrics (seats, mirrors, sunroof, etc), heated front seat, cd stacker - all of the Mercedes options. Price is $22,999 - i'll see how low they will go.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

Cheers,

Jason.

P.S. Please no "they are sh!t cars" etc!

[Johnny]

not saying they are Sh!t cars but the models in those years were when merecedes increased profits from 1 to 3 billion dollars so their cars were build not as well as they should have been; except for the e-class in that series....was still good.

recently they decided, after dropping down the customer satisfaction survey to 8th from bottom, they dropped profits from the 3 back to 1 billion to engineer their cars with ultra-quality in mind.

if you want a mercedes, id advice against it as the engines and drivetrains were simply sold off to chrysler 300c, crossfire and ssanyong; says alot.

the new generatin of merc are much better; c-class taking 9 years to develop and as you saw in the commercial, door hinges that can hold 90kg, ceramic coated dash for scratch resistance and 4weeks straight on the dyno at 7000rpm for the engine.

the clk your looking at has thin paint, light doors and an engine which bmw topped in the era - paint on the older models used to weigh like 25kg.

my advice, buy an e46 bmw 3-series as the quality is amazing or buy an older merc.

-Johnny

[syfon]

I appreciate your adivce Johnny, however i have spoken to a few people that have owned them and have been told that the build quality in that era was top-notch. I can understand that the build quality of the later model CLK's may have been improved, however when paying $100,000 for a brand new car in 1998-99-00, you would expect the build quality to be right up there with the rest of the prestige brands.

With regards to the E46 3-series - i am not too keen on them and not too many for sale in WA that are good condition etc. Mind you, if one came onto the market at the right price and had the m3 mods, leather interior, sunroof etc, then i would seriously consider buying it.

[Brad3416]

the clk 230 was the most sought after, 230 having the slightly larger capacity engine ,and still being pretty decent on fuel. engine wise and box wise they are very strong. as german gear normally is. Electrics werent super crash hot and some had some minor probs, switches and lights not working every now and then. Nothing to major tho.

Best thing to do is make sure that you get a warranty with one, that way your covered for anything.

Reviews are a bit hard to find, best bet is to find euro forums and look around on there.

I personally wasnt a huge a fan of the body shape. But the drive was always good.

Dealer isnt Westpoint by any chance?

Edited September 17, 2009 by Brad3416

[syfon]

Yeah i have heard of some having a few small electrical problems.

The car is owned by Aussie Muscle Cars in Osborne Park, but for sale thru one of their subsidiaries Autohaus.

What's the go with dealers having to provide a warranty on used vehicles?

I've always liked that body shape - some deep dish rims and lowered and they look sweet

Nah not westpoint star or diesel motors mate.

I also spoke to the head service managar at Diesel Motors (his name is Jason, friends with my parents), and he said that model CLK are built very tough, and if the car has had a decent life and serviced properly etc etc then you shouldnt find any problems with them at all.

[Brad3416]

yeh, same as every car, long as its looked after. and jason is a good bloke, knows what he's on about, i used to sell used cars at diesels so i know the service boys there.

with any dealer you get 3 months warranty,provided its under 12 years old and under 120 or 180km's cant remember, look at the back of the pink slip where the car details are, its all on there. they have to provide that by law, they will prob try and sell you some aftermarket warranty to go with it, these are ok, but to get really decent cover you need to get the highest cover, you find with the entry level ones the major stuff isnt really covered.

[syfon]

Ok no worries. Also where i work, i can check the car on our work systems to see how many owners its had, if its an Australian compliance model etc etc, so that is handy on my behalf.

Cheers for your advice - i'll look at this CLK this saturday and post here to let you know how it went etc

[Johnny]

I appreciate your adivce Johnny, however i have spoken to a few people that have owned them and have been told that the build quality in that era was top-notch. I can understand that the build quality of the later model CLK's may have been improved, however when paying $100,000 for a brand new car in 1998-99-00, you would expect the build quality to be right up there with the rest of the prestige brands.

With regards to the E46 3-series - i am not too keen on them and not too many for sale in WA that are good condition etc. Mind you, if one came onto the market at the right price and had the m3 mods, leather interior, sunroof etc, then i would seriously consider buying it.

cheers mate, didnt wanna bag ur choice; they were well made but not compared to the earlier models or the latest ones.

I have an e46 325i which i got new in 04 n its one of the best quality cars ive owned; having some relatives with the same year mercs and the quality jst aint there; again well built, jst not as good a the beemas of the age.

Hope you find what ur looking for, but im jst worried u pik up a smashed/repaired merc n its jst not the same; resale value and maybe some chassi wobble on the freeway.

Im thinking of selling my e46 but as mine is in perfect nick with 30k on da clock im searching for a higher price than your budget would probably allow but if ur interested u can pm me about it; not tryna persuade u, jst an option if the merc thing dosent work out.

good luck with the hunt mate, definitely ask any questions on this forum as people would love to give u advice n help out.

-johnny

[syfon]

Brad, i just spoke with the dealer selling this Midnight Blue CLK230K.

Here is a photo of it, said he will email me some more.

[jetblack]

hey mate,

i would stay away from the 230k and get the 320 instead. the 4cyl is too small for such a heavy car also sounds like shit.

i have had a couple of mercs and currenly driving a c200 kompressor w/ 19 carlssons eibach suspension, remus exhaust, kleeman pulley kit, and ecu flash.

coming from a skyline i think you would enjoy the drive of the bmw alot better as the handling is not even a comparison.

i have had both clk and e46 and the bmw is alot more fun to drive handles very similar to the r33 also just make sure you get it in manual.

if it has to be the clk get the 320/430

merc is good for cruising they pretty drive themselves im now bored of my current merc and will prob be going back to an r33 gtr/330ci or fd series 8

hope this helps

[08r3308]

seen one yesterday , dumped nice rims , was perfect i really liked it and it was in smick condition

they look real good with good rim and suspension combo

[GTR-N1]

I know that you don't seem that keen on the Beemers, but I have to agree with Johnny for several reasons...

Getting a E46 328Ci

1) more bang for your buck (being only 1 grade below M3 until the 330Ci came in)

2) VANOS system is extremely efficient for power delivery

3) uses much less fuel than the Merc

4) in the eastern states, there are plenty of technicians, diagnosticians who can plug into the DME which readily reveals fault codes.

I'd hope that out west it's the same compared to the number of Merc technicians (charging a lot less than dealerships)

5) E46 BMs have very few probs compared to the E36 variety

6) more options for your buck on the BM

7) 328Ci engine has had a long history of reliability

8) corners better than the Merc

Merc is better with steering feel & feedback thru' the wheel.

BM radios have poor reception (unless upgraded)

Driver door lock motors can seize up.

but that's all I can think of atm...

Ask Neil, he can tell you more about E46 BMW pros and cons

[Shiraz200SX]

Merc is better with steering feel & feedback thru' the wheel.

BM radios have poor reception (unless upgraded)

Driver door lock motors can seize up.

but that's all I can think of atm...

because that's really what you look for in a car.... lol...

[Shiraz200SX]

Merc is better with steering feel & feedback thru' the wheel.

BM radios have poor reception (unless upgraded)

Driver door lock motors can seize up.

but that's all I can think of atm...

because that's really what you look for in a car.... lol...

[GTS4WD]

After driving several of these, a 2.3L just doesnt have enough power.

In all seriousness mate, your GTST would give you more thrills.

First time I planted my foot in a 230 I thought to myself, "is this it?!"..

I used to work at Merc and drove 95% of the current merc fleet.

320 is the one you really want mate.

Mercs can be a pleasure and a pain in the arse to work on.

Usually, when a car comes into the workshop (a merc dealer that is) you plug in the diagnostics program called STAR. Then the car tells you what it needs, (brake pads on front, etc etc etc.) which can make it a breaze to work on them. This though is what makes them such a pain in the arse! All the ECU's in the car (and beleive me when I say there is an ECU for almost everything in it) all communicate with one another. So what appears to be a fault within one area of the vehicle may be caused by a seperate operating system. This is not too common but usually takes many man hours of diagnosis in the workshop.

Take a look at what Audi, BM and perhaps even Alfa options are. I have never worked on either of them.. but you may find something you prefer from them around the same price..

Besides.. you just cant beat itialian styling..

[Johnny]

I know that you don't seem that keen on the Beemers, but I have to agree with Johnny for several reasons...

Getting a E46 328Ci

1) more bang for your buck (being only 1 grade below M3 until the 330Ci came in)

2) VANOS system is extremely efficient for power delivery

3) uses much less fuel than the Merc

4) in the eastern states, there are plenty of technicians, diagnosticians who can plug into the DME which readily reveals fault codes.

I'd hope that out west it's the same compared to the number of Merc technicians (charging a lot less than dealerships)

5) E46 BMs have very few probs compared to the E36 variety

6) more options for your buck on the BM

7) 328Ci engine has had a long history of reliability

8) corners better than the Merc

Merc is better with steering feel & feedback thru' the wheel.

BM radios have poor reception (unless upgraded)

Driver door lock motors can seize up.

but that's all I can think of atm...

Ask Neil, he can tell you more about E46 BMW pros and cons

Hey Tez, we are and always will be beema fans!

Forgot to mention the sunroofs man on e46's, they break 9 times out of 10; the design was flawed from factory so there no way of getting around it lolz, mine has been stuck since i bought it so i havent used the sunroof in 6+years. BTW im talking bout the visor, not the motors or the mechanical section in any way.

Have had no problem with the reception of the radio, although that shark fin may not work so great if you are in a poor reception area

another +1 on beemas is u can service them yourselves, i do mine much better than the stealerships and use better oils, plugs, fluid, brake pads etc.

jst want to let everyone know that i sold my beema to a relative to buy my r34 gtr, missed it so much i bought it back within a year...shows what an impression it made on me as an engineering feat as well as a great feeling car.

-Johnny

[syfon]

At the end of the day, i wont be buying a CLK230K for the power or handling - if i wanted that i would buy a GTR. My maximum price is around $22-$23K.

I appreciate all of your advice/thoughts - much appreciated!

Keep it coming!

[syfon]

So i took your guys advice and i went and brought a 323Ci 2000 E46. I know you can get the 325Ci with the updated front end etc etc, but i am quite happy with this 323Ci.

I ended up choosing the BMW as they are more sporty, more fun to drive. This 323Ci has sunroof, leather, woodgrain, 8speaker stereo - it's practically top of the range bar the stereo. It's got some go but it definately ain't no Skyline!

Anyways. cheers for your advice guys, i think i made the right choice. Soon to come will be dark tints, deep dish rims and HID's

[GTR-N1]

Congrats Jason!

They're so well behaved thru the twisties. Damper/susp'n setups (even on a non-M3) are to be admired.

Onboard computer gives out heaps of info.

Joining Roadfly BMW to check on BM technicians where you are?

Look forward to pics!