2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK from North America - Comments

The A/C seems to have a mind of it's own. It decides when I want to breathe the outside air or recirculated air. And chooses my fan speed for me every now and then.

Other than that, I haven't had much go wrong with it in my first month of "pre"ownership.

I've always wanted a German Luxury powerhouse-of-a-car. When I spotted this beauty for less than half of its original price of $60k, I just had to test drive it. And sure enough, I was taken in, and decided to take her home.

The leather seats are comfortable and breathable. The previous owner had opted out of getting the heated seat option, so I'll be a little chilly in the seat come winter.

The interior gadgetry is convenient, albeit a bit confusing. There are 2 CD players; a multi disc and a single disc. And a DVD nav. (first year option) player which is not touchscreen. Believe it or not, the car actually comes with an aux. mp3 plugin. You wouldn't recognize it if you saw it; a small silver port, installed in a random location on the right side of the inner glove compartment. The Harman Kardon speaker system isn't the most enjoyable, but it beats the one in my previous car.

The 300hp, 5.0L V8 is a work of art. Plenty of torque, coupled to a 7 speed automatic transmission (first year option on this car for the CLK500 only). A sport and comfort driving mode are offered. There is a noticeable change when Sport mode is activated; the revs seem to hold longer. I cannot seem to keep from grinning-n-gunning in this car. 0-60 times don't even matter. This car makes 300hp almost seem excessive, with it's throaty exhaust note, engine hum and seamless gear changes, as it accelerates to 60 and beyond.

The exterior appearance is breathtaking to say the least. Built on a stretched version of the C Class W203 platform, this particular CLK came with Mercedes' signature color, Pewter. Having always admired the pillarless B design, and modern day conveniences, this auto seemed more suitable then my personal favorite, the BMW 8 series. This one happened to come with an AMG appearance package and staggered 18" AMG wheels. The windows come with an attractive transparent blue tint unique to the CLK500. I park this car far away from other cars for 2 reasons: so no idiots hit it with their doors (even though it has side moldings), and because I enjoy looking at it from a distance.

The single fault I have with this car is the fact that the previous owner did not choose the bixenon headlamp option. Instead I'm left with bright white HIDs, which aren't bad mind you, but seem to detract from a car of this caliber.

Overall though, I'm extremely impressed with this car.

Does it cost a lot to own one of these beauties? I'm thinking of purchasing one, a 2005 CLK500. Maybe a 2006 CLK350, but skeptical about the CLK350s reliability.

I'm the original poster. As far as cost to own, I've only had mine for a few months but so far I haven't ran into many issues; maybe it's a little too early to tell.

My wife has taken it in for various little issues, and the response from the dealer has been, "that's covered under warranty."

Seems like the warranty covers nearly everything on the car; although the dealer did tell us that if we take it upon ourselves to have someone other than Mercedes replace something, that it might void the warranty on that part if it's not a Mercedes spec'd part. So far, the car has been perfect. I'd recommend if you do go for a CLK350 to make sure you get one with the 7speed, not the 5speed. The 5speed is known to have some issues, but that could just be an isolated incident.

Honestly though, you'll have waaay more fun in the CLK500. It has gobs of torque, and gets up and goes in a hush. I like having the extra power on tap when I get the "speed" itch.

I just got a 2006 CLK-500. Love it, it has enough grunt for me and handles nice. It was a lease return, so I have the dealers repair record. Looks like only real dollar issue was differential seal. I still have 1 year warranty left so we shall see... My only problem is the key fobs are both broken, but I guess I can get new ones, maybe warranty.

I bought my mom's CLK320 1999 with only 20,000 miles on it. While she owned it, she maybe spent 4,000 in maintenance and repairs. It is such a beautiful car that handles extremely well. However I owned it for 2 years and dumped $6,000 into the money pit. The A/C, headlights, O2 sensor, drivers window, sunscreen in back window, etc... And these were not cosmetic repairs, they were vital to the function of the car. Needless to say I sold it and cut my losses!!

To the poster with the CLK320. 20k miles and $6000 in repairs for the trivial items mentioned does not sound credible. If you spent such an amount, you would have had receipts to specifically detail the problems mentioned and to back up your claim.