USED Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet (97 - 03)

My car

Generally speaking a disappointing and expensive experience. Owned an 02 car for several years and covered 100k miles. Inside looks and feels nice. Fits four people and drives well. Not bad on fuel and went ok (needed a bit more oomph when over-taking) but had more problems with the car than I expected. Electric seats packed up twice, instrument display failed (pixalated, a common fault I believe)Sat Nav had to be replaced,alloy wheels corroded, ball joints were showing signs of wear at 50k (as advised by Merc) At this stage the car wasn't 3 years old and after I moaned like hell Merc replaced joints under warranty. Alternator went down taking the battery with it, had to be Merc repaired as only they have the parts (£770 for the pair!)Expensive servicing and Merc even charge an extra £5 to clean the screen. Without doubt the most uncomfortable car I have ever owned, numb bum after a couple of hours (a long drive required a fleece to sit on) Merc to deal with were fairly incompetent (damaged car when serviced, not returning calls etc) But, worst of all, is the body corrosion. IT STARTED TO RUST. It was 5 years old and corrosion was evident around the rear wheel arches and boot lock. Also small "stars" of lifted paint on the door but evidently that was my fault. Work done under 30yr corrosion warranty but a quick blow over won't fix this. Even that work was sub-standard and we returned the car to have it re-done, Came back with fresh damage and overspray. Never again.

My car

I have owned a "51" plate 320 cab for the past 12 months. Overall, the car is an absolute joy to both look at and drive.As stated in other readers reviews, I have had L.E.D problems in the instrument cluster. The temperature,clock,and gear select displays are hit and miss as to whether they work or not.

The tiptronic gearbox is an absolute dream.I cannot praise it enough. The engine is very responsive although the accelerator feels very heavy at first and takes some getting used to.

With the roof down, it can get quite blowy at speed. The wind deflector cures this problem excellently though.

Some people may think servicing quite pricey. To be the owner of such a prestige marquee, I actually find them quite reasonable but then I did research the additional costs before purchasing.

Fuel consumption is very good. I average around 34mpg on the motorway and 20mpg around town.

I would definately buy another CLK. Roof up,it looks great. Roof down, it looks great and you never stop getting people turning around to admire the car.The throaty growl of the 3.2 V6 is also sublime.

My car

I purchased a used 2002 model in 2005 and kept it for 10 months after stepping out of a '99 Citroen Xantia diesel that i'd owned for 4 years. Mistake! I was expecting a quality vehicle with that star on the bonnet. I'll list the problems i had with the vehicle 1]at 32,000 miles bottom ball joints replaced along with steering rack damper. 2]two motors replaced in drivers seat, one in passenger. 3]failed switches for electric seat adjuster. 4]seats not returning to pre set position after being tilted forward not forgetting the handle that snapped off. 5]l.e.d. readout in instrument cluster replaced after some pixels disapeared. 6]failed attempt by dealer to remedy embarrasingly loud hand brake release. 7]faulty drivers side rear window mechanism. Causing damage to window seals and runners [which are not covered by warranty as they are considered wear and tear components]although replaced through persistence. 8]rust on front wing and mega stone chips on bonnet from what i would consider too thin paint or maybe poor quality finish. 9]rust around rear boot lock resprayed by dealer. 10]intermitently faulty cruise control

I've lost all faith in mercedes cars and would only consider bying another from the time when they engineered and built their cars to last. i.e. w123/124 series.i quite fancy a '85 280ce pillarless coupe as i read nothing but praise from the owners of these cars. I wonder if you'll read the same about the recent models in 20 years time!

My car

This car is a nice, sedate cruiser. It's underpowered, compared to V6 and V8, when pushed hard.

I have had series of niggling problems, though. There have been problems with the front suspension, resulting in replacement of the ball joints. The window rubbers get a beasting in the summer, and have needed two replacements. The yaw sensor has been replaced, as has a window motor, and the whole ragtop had to be replaced to fix a simple rear demister problem - what a silly design.

Early signs of rot at wheel arches have needed attention, and recently, the auto selector pin needed to be changed, and there is a foreboding gearbox oil leak - the car has only done 55,000 miles. All work done has been done under warranty, otherwise it would have been a crippling expense.

Mercedes-Benz has definately disappointed on this one, and should sort out quality.