used CLK 55 AMG - opinions

[revelations]

Hey guys,

Looking at picking up a used W209 (2002-2009) CLK 55 AMG next year. It would be used as a DD here in the winter and summer.

I would be performing most of the work myself and I fully realize that spending several grand on parts every few years (eg front brakes) are part of owing a German high performance car.


What are your opinions on:

a) reliability of the vehicle in Calgary in the winters

b) general cold/snow drive ability of the vehicle (with studded snow tires)

[brandon]

I had a 2002 CLK 55 AMG, right when the warranty ran out I had major computer failures that bricked the entire car. Lonestar wanted half the value of the car to fix the issues..

I wouldn't touch one to be honest.

[Redlyne_mr2]

There is a reason why theyre cheap used.

[revelations]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
There is a reason why theyre cheap used.

That is an understatement - W209s can be found for <$6000.
They are vehicles designed for the life of the warranty, after which you will be investing a lot in parts (I do most of my own labour).

I was more curious if anyone has found/heard of specific issues related to winters here (eg. ECU fault in -20c).

[InRich]

That really pisses me off. These high end expensive cars only being built for the lifetime of their warrenty. Makes me NEVER wanna buy a BMW or Benz

[03ozwhip]

Originally posted by InRich
That really pisses me off. These high end expensive cars only being built for the lifetime of their warrenty. Makes me NEVER wanna buy a BMW or Benz

wait a minute....

[revelations]

Audi/BMW/MB are in the same boat but you can add Range Rovers to the list as well. These are vehicles that are bought new by unsuspecting folks and then (should be) bought used by those who KNOW what they are getting into.

At least the CLK doesnt have air shocks that have to be replaced - prob >10,000$ if the whole system is done, in an S55 for eg.

[Mitsu3000gt]

It's all how it was taken care of. I've owned several off warranty German cars with zero issues, and we have a 12 year old BMW 5 series in the family still that has not had one issue outside routine maintenance. There's always going to be horror stories out there with every brand.

If the car was bagged and poorly taken care of, yeah I for sure would not want to own one off warranty. They are expensive to work on because they engineer them a little too much haha.

As for these cars specifically, a friend had one and the engine was rock solid but he did have to do a few minor things to the car otherwise. It ate rear tires like crazy too.

If you've already resigned yourself to spending "several grand" on parts every now and then, just buy a nicer/newer car with all that money to begin with and you will probably be a lot happier at the end of the day.

[revelations]

I wont be driving the car enough to justify the massive, depreciative losses associated with a newer German vehicle.