[mcgsxr]

In all I drove 5 different CLK's before the triple black one.

This 2005 one is coming home.  Paid Thursday, will be delivered Monday.



Should be great fun when the snow melts.  It will live in the garage until then.

The 2009 Fusion will remain my daily, and my wife will daily her 2014 RDX.  This will be a pure fun car.

[Scott F.]

Nice My wife has been looking at those too, except a white one.

[bladesmith]

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/729380292/overview/

[mcgsxr]

That is a nice coupe you linked to Bladesmith.  The 5.5 motor has more power too, though they did have a some issues with a crank sensor for certain ones.  Easy to verify with the VIN if the motor falls outside the affected range.

Here is a shot of my clubs in the trunk with the roof able to go down - just so the priorities are clear!

[mcgsxr]

Weather finally improving around Toronto.

Had the chance to clean up the car, drop the top and go driving.

What a satisfying mix of power and comfort this is proving to be.  Easily the smoothest car we own, in spite of being 13 years old.  The power of the V8 is everything I had hoped for, and it is a good GT experience on the road.

[Woodsea]

This is my fun car.

[mcgsxr]

Cool color combo Woodsea!  I really enjoyed the hardtop 3 series convertible I drove, but ended up with the Merc in the end.

[mix4fix]

Weather finally improving around Toronto.

Had the chance to clean up the car, drop the top and go driving.

What a satisfying mix of power and comfort this is proving to be.  Easily the smoothest car we own, in spite of being 13 years old.  The power of the V8 is everything I had hoped for, and it is a good GT experience on the road.

I have been watching a few YouTube automotive related channels were they bough a used Mercedes and fixed them. I think certain models are cool but beware of the repairs. If the hydraulic suspension fails, that whole system is crazy expensive unless you replace with a standard aftermarket setup which gets away from what makes Mercedes.

[Woodsea]

Thanks mcgsxr.  I made sure that I got the ski pass thru so I could haul my clubs.  They fit perfectly, even though the bagboy cart does not lay flat in the back seat, nor is there room in the trunk.
Enjoy the sunshine!

[mcgsxr]

I think certain models are cool but beware of the repairs. If the hydraulic suspension fails, that whole system is crazy expensive unless you replace with a standard aftermarket setup which gets away from what makes Mercedes.

Very fair comments.  Just because a car depreciates 80% does not mean that the repairs won't be 100%!

In my case the CLK has a decent reputation for reliability.  The 5.0 V8 has a very good rep, it has been around a while in various cars/SUV's.

The CLK has traditional suspension vs the air ride in the E and S class, so there's at least 1 thing I never have to worry about failing and costing me tons of unexpected $.

So far it has been pretty easy stuff - new engine intake filters, new cabin air filters, new wipers, a new brake light bulb and 2 struts for the convertible partition on order.  Under $500 including the mechanic's review when I bought it to ensure I knew what I was getting into.

Had a nice 60 mile top down drive today over lunch.  Man that feels nice in good weather!

[dolsey01]

Very fair comments.  Just because a car depreciates 80% does not mean that the repairs won't be 100%!

In my case the CLK has a decent reputation for reliability.  The 5.0 V8 has a very good rep, it has been around a while in various cars/SUV's.

The CLK has traditional suspension vs the air ride in the E and S class, so there's at least 1 thing I never have to worry about failing and costing me tons of unexpected $.

So far it has been pretty easy stuff - new engine intake filters, new cabin air filters, new wipers, a new brake light bulb and 2 struts for the convertible partition on order.  Under $500 including the mechanic's review when I bought it to ensure I knew what I was getting into.

Had a nice 60 mile top down drive today over lunch.  Man that feels nice in good weather!

Your recent acquisition had me looking around locally.  I was surprised to see many CLKs with well over 200K in Mileage.  There was one close to 300K!

That really bodes well for the long term reliability of these cars.  Congrats on your new ride and best of luck with it! 

[mcgsxr]

The stock stereo leaves a lot to be desired.  It is the uplevel Harmon Kardon setup.  To my ears the sub is non existent.

My best friend has a 2003 911 convertible, and after much playing around with placement we settled on a Bazooka tube 10 inch sub in the back driver side passenger seat.  He is 6'8 so no one can EVER sit behind him anyway.

I am only 5'8, so I have some room behind me in the CLK...

I have begun construction of a custom sub enclosure that will fit in the rear driver side footwell.  Effectively turns the car into a 3 seater, though it will be easy to pull out the sub for carrying 4 (not often so far).

I will have my local car audio place install a sub amp for me.

I will post some pics of the enclosure once installed.  I have the JL 10 woofer in hand, and the box is nearly done.  Just have to carpet it, and install the binding posts etc.

Good fun this car, with a little more bass I think I will be all set.

[mcgsxr]

I should be able to get the binding posts and driver installed over the weekend.  Amp goes in the car at the end of the month.  I can test the sound in my Ford Fusion, as I have an amp in that.

A few pics of the build.

[mcgsxr]

Its never easy is it?

Buying a used car, you never really know what you're into, until you open it up and find a few things.

I finished up the sub, paid for an amp install, and then discovered that my stock amp was not outputting a sub signal, so simply adding a sub and amp was not initially possible.

I also uncovered a blown woofer in the drivers door. 

And that a previous owner had installed some other audio gear in the past.  There are speaker wires installed from behind the stock head unit to the trunk.  The stock wiring harness has been "butchered" according to a local shop I have used on and off for 15 years.

So, I had 2 choices.  Leave it, or fix it.

I opened the wallet, and decided to fix it.  I will run a simple 2.1 system, completely replacing the stock setup.

Bought a modest head unit and 4 channel amp (will be bridged to run 6.5 components in the stock door locations).  Having high end (their top of the line Performance series - below their Elite series) Focal separates installed at the end of the month.

So, what started as just adding bass has turned into a full system rip and replace.

Should be fun when its done!