I have been thinking of acquiring a 2004 Mercedes CLK 500, for use in Southern California, where it will see a fair bit of freeway driving, and so I thought there would be no harm in asking Nairaland's car owners if there is anyone currently using this make, model and year of Mercedes V8 cars, and who might be willing to share some first-hand knowledge.

My Ogun worshiping religion forbids the use of anything smaller than a V8 engine in my personal cars, so my questions are of course directed to those who selected the V8 model of CLK, namely the CLK 500, dating back to 2004.

Is the car relatively reliable, and not requiring frequent trips to the mechanic's shop ?

Have you noticed any rust issues with this car ?

I am choosing the 2004 year, to avoid the engine balance shaft issues that started appearing in 2005. Is this a good choice from the standpoint of general mechanical soundness of the car as a whole ?

Any insights into what to look for when buying this car would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Nice car it should last for a long time if properly serviced

Its a Mercedes and they are cheap when they reach the time for service intervals because of the cost.

Be prepared to shell good money for repairs and if you can do it yourself enjoy

sultaan:
Nice car it should last for a long time if properly serviced

Its a Mercedes and they are cheap when they reach the time for service intervals because of the cost.

Be prepared to shell good money for repairs and if you can do it yourself enjoy

Thanks for this good review of the CLK. Sultaan. I was amazed to learn that the CLK500 currently sells for much less in Lagos, than it does on the US West Coast, even at today's exchange rates. This might be due to the preference for 6 cylinder engine cars in Nigeria, over V8 engines, such that V8 engine equipped cars are sold relatively cheap in Nigeria, due to low customer demand for them.

What sets the CLK500 (C209) apart from ALL other Mercedes cars made after the year 2000 is the fact that the CLK500 is the ONLY Mercedes V8 powered car that does NOT ride on that notorious and failure prone SLS/ABC hydraulic suspension. With the notable exception of the CLK500, ALL other V8 Mercs made after year 2000, from the E Class to the S Class, to the CLS Class, and the roadster SL Class, tragically rolled off the assembly line with that overly complex hydraulic suspension which, as it ages, can cost as much as the entire vehicle to repair.

So, after many hours of research, I arrived at the conclusion that the 2003/2004 Mercedes CLK500, with that lean and mean 5-liter engine, riding on simple old-school springs and shocks, is the absolute prefect chariot for the discerning driver who wishes to ply those SoCal freeways in luxurious comfort, while protected with the added safety margin offered by that decisive V8 passing power, unleashed with hurricane strength at the slightest tap of the accelerator pedal.

I really like the look of this car, and most of all I appreciate the simplicity and durability of its suspension design. I would be very grateful for any other feedback on the 2004 Mercedes CLK500, from anyone who uses one currently, or has owned one in the past.

How can I become a member of that religious sect, that loves V8 upwards?
Does that Ogun God give us voucher for fuel + maintenance?

Lexusgs430:
How can I become a member of that religious sect, that loves V8 upwards?
Does that Ogun God give us voucher for fuel + maintenance?

Ogun is a caring God with a human face, Oga Lexus, therefore fuel subsidies are automatically given out to ALL devout worshipers who have successfully completed a full 7 years and 7 days of continued membership in the religion, during which time parishioners' compliance with the V8 rule will be verified via random, surprise car engine inspections conducted by mobile Ogun priests dressed in full traditional regalia.

Jakumo:


Ogun is a caring God with a human face, Oga Lexus, therefore fuel subsidies are automatically given out to ALL devout worshipers who have successfully completed a full 7 years and 7 days of continued membership in the religion, during which time parishioners' compliance with the V8 rule will be verified via random, surprise car engine inspections conducted by mobile Ogun priests dressed in full traditional regalia.

Just when I thought I could be led to the V8 shrine for the initiation rites and escape my years of worshipping at the 4 cylinder altar. Why is the membership qualification so tedious, 7 long years? No pink slips?

From experience I have a friend who owns a 2005 e500 w211. Same M113 engine found in the clk500. I have to say it is a very good and reliable engine. If it is speed u are looking for, that motor does 220kmh with no sweat and room for much more. However the w211's air suspension spoiled all the fun. The car is currently up for sale and going for 1.8m incase anyone is interested.

Oga jakumo when are you going to upgrade to obatala W12 engine?

king406:
From experience I have a friend who owns a 2005 e500 w211. Same M113 engine found in the clk500. I have to say it is a very good and reliable engine. If it is speed u are looking for, that motor does 220kmh with no sweat and room for much more. However the w211's air suspension spoiled all the fun. The car is currently up for sale and going for 1.8m incase anyone is interested.

Hello King, and thanks for this response. My first preference, when it comes to a used V8 Mercedes would have been the E Class or the S Class, BUT, as you have noted here, that air suspension is the kiss of death for any vehicle that has aged more than five years since it was new, which is why my search led me to the CLK family of V8 Mercedes coupes.

The 2005 E Class W211 that your friend owns will most likely never sell at all, since that air suspension can cost as much as $7K USD, which equals about 3 million naira at today's exchange rates, just to fix the suspension, amounting to one truly ridiculous price to pay for ANY repair on ANY car. One gets the impression that all those expensive, top-of-the-line Mercedes cars built with air suspensions were never intended to last beyond say a year from the time they were new, which is about the length of time a very rich car owner would use any vehicle, before upgrading to this year's mode.

In my opinion, year 2000 was the point at which Mercedes engineers decided that there was no financial incentive to produce cars that can be bought used and discounted in price, by the poor after a few years of use by the rich. With the introduction and continued use of air and hydraulic suspensions in Mercedes cars, the message evidently being sent out, is that if customers cannot afford to buy a brand new Mercedes car, then they should not buy ANY Mercedes at all, and should settle for an old Toyota.

My target year for the Mercedes CLK remains the 2003/2004 time window, during which true automotive greatness was achieved, for a fleetingly short time, never to be repeated again. There simply is NO other Mercedes made after year 2000, which retains the simplicity of a standard shocks and springs, YET, is powered by the almighty Mercedes 5-liter V8 engine. In short there is but one undisputed freeway JagunLabi in current existence from the Mercedes factory, and that is none other than the 2004 CLK500, along with the 2008 CLK550.


Chai ! Engineer Nurey wan kill man pikin with igbese. That 12 cylinder engine don pass my own power o, lie no good. Even Ogun when command me to dey use only V8 engine Mercedes, no go gree make I buy moto with 12 cylinder Catapila engine for inside.

Jakumo:


Hello King, and thanks for this response. My first preference, when it comes to a used V8 Mercedes would have been the E Class or the S Class, BUT, as you have noted here, that air suspension is the kiss of death for any vehicle that has aged more than five years since it was new, which is why my search led me to the CLK family of V8 Mercedes coupes.

The 2005 E Class W211 that your friend owns will most likely never sell at all, *since that air suspension can cost as much as $7K USD which equals about 3 million naira at today's exchange rates* just to fix the suspension, amounting to one truly ridiculous price to pay for ANY repair on ANY car. One gets the impression that all those expensive, top-of-the-line Mercedes cars built with air suspensions were never intended to last beyond say a year from the time they were new, which is about the length of time a very rich car owner would use any vehicle, before upgrading to this year's mode.

In my opinion, year 2000 was the point at which Mercedes engineers decided that there was no financial incentive to produce cars that can be bought used and discounted in price, by the poor after a few years of use by the rich. With the introduction and continued use of air and hydraulic suspensions in Mercedes cars, the message evidently being sent out, is that if customers cannot afford to buy a brand new Mercedes car, then they should not buy ANY Mercedes at all, and should settle for an old Toyota.

My target year for the Mercedes CLK remains the *2003/2004 time window during which true automotive greatness was achieved* for a fleetingly short time, never to be repeated again. *There simply is NO other Mercedes made after year 2000* which retains the simplicity of a standard shocks and springs, YET, is powered by the almighty Mercedes 5-liter V8 engine. In short there is but one undisputed freeway JagunLabi in current existence from the Mercedes factory, and that is none other than the 2004 CLK500, along with the 2008 CLK550.


Chai ! Engineer Nurey wan kill man pikin with igbese. That 12 cylinder engine don pass my own power o, lie no good. Even Ogun when command me to dey use only V8 engine Mercedes, no go gree make I buy moto with 12 cylinder Catapila engine for inside.

He has already fixed the suspension. I don't know where you got the amount from but it didn't cost anywhere close to that. They changed the so called 'balloon' for 40k each.

I agree with you, but I also disagree with you on saying that 2003/04 was the year that automotive greatness was achieved. As a man who loves Mercedes I know what all the predecessors are capable of. Yes, at the time they were made they really stood out from everyone else, back then when the 190E series came with 230bhp was a lot, it was the most powerful saloon car as at 1990. From Jeremy Clarkson's words '2001 was the year of Horsepower crisis'. But those numbers are laughable now. I feel Mercedes keeps on achieving automotive greatness year after year. Just take a look at what they're up to for 2017 models. So I think there are absolutely so many Mercedes after year 2000.

king406:


He has already fixed the suspension. I don't know where you got the amount from but it didn't cost anywhere close to that. They changed the so called 'balloon' for 40k each.

I agree with you, but I also disagree with you on saying that 2003/04 was the year that automotive greatness was achieved. As a man who loves Mercedes I know what all the predecessors are capable of. Yes, at the time they were made they really stood out from everyone else, back then when the 190E series came with 230bhp was a lot, it was the most powerful saloon car as at 1990. From Jeremy Clarkson's words '2001 was the year of Horsepower crisis'. But those numbers are laughable now. I feel Mercedes keeps on achieving automotive greatness year after year. Just take a look at what they're up to for 2017 models. So I think there are absolutely so many Mercedes after year 2000.

For sure Mercedes will occupy pole position in the technological race to perfect automotive science, but it is only the very wealthy, who can afford to buy a new Mercedes car every production year, that will ever get to experience the full capability of each new computerized innovation that emerges as automotive engineering advances on its relentless march towards a high-tech future that may soon be dominated by self-driving luxury car offerings from Mercedes and other car manufacturers.

Then you have car enthusiasts like me, who are as far removed from great riches as a carpenter is from brain surgery, yet who wish to own a Mercedes car that once commanded between $60K and $100K when new, and are therefore only able to afford the purchase of a top-end Mercedes as a used car, made affordable by a few extra miles and years on the odometer.

It is from the standpoint of my being a POSEUR who is a COUNTERFEIT rich man, that I describe the year 2000 as a watershed year in the world of Mercedes automotive design. My point is that for anyone determined to own a V8 engine Mercedes car that will NOT cost a fortune to fix in the event of air suspension problems, the 2003/2004 years CLK500 (C209) family of coupes is the ONLY production V8 Mercedes car classification that was NOT built with that infernal pneumatic/hydraulic suspension system.

For the V8 Mercedes car connoisseur, therefore, the most suitable Mercedes V8 car that came stock with standard, affordably replaceable shocks and springs, AFTER the year 2000, would be the CLK500 Mercedes Coupe, made in 2004. A car owner of limited means like myself can operate a CLK500 for quite a few years, and be faced with little more than routine maintenance, and tire replacements, since this model car does wear out tires faster than most, as one of its very few design specific drawbacks.

My enduring love for UNFAIRLY USED Mercedes cars can only be fed in the same manner as when mice gather under the dinner table to fight over scraps that fall off the plates piled with food during a feast in progress. With this in mind, I am fated to remain the foraging junkyard rat who recycles the toys of the rich, and puts them back on the highway restored to near-new condition, but at a tiny fraction of the price when the vehicle was new.

Check out some more pictures I pulled off the net, and feast your eyes on the subtle contours of the CLK500, this understated masterwork of German engineering.

Jakumo:




For sure Mercedes will occupy pole position in the technological race to perfect automotive science, but it is only the very wealthy, who can afford to buy a new Mercedes car every production year, that will ever get to experience the full capability of each new computerized innovation that emerges as automotive engineering advances on its relentless march towards a high-tech future that may soon be dominated by self-driving luxury car offerings from Mercedes and other car manufacturers.

Then you have car enthusiasts like me, who are as far removed from great riches as a carpenter is from brain surgery, yet who wish to own a Mercedes car that once commanded between $60K and $100K when new, and are therefore only able to afford the purchase of a top-end Mercedes as a used car, made affordable by a few extra miles and years on the odometer.

It is from the standpoint of my being a POSEUR who is a COUNTERFEIT rich man, that I describe the year 2000 as a watershed year in the world of Mercedes automotive design. My point is that for anyone determined to own a V8 engine Mercedes car that will NOT cost a fortune to fix in the event of air suspension problems, the 2003/2004 years CLK500 (C209) family of coupes is the ONLY production V8 Mercedes car classification that was NOT built with that infernal pneumatic/hydraulic suspension system.

For the V8 Mercedes car connoisseur, therefore, the most suitable Mercedes V8 car that came stock with standard, affordably replaceable shocks and springs, AFTER the year 2000, would be the CLK500 Mercedes Coupe, made in 2004. A car owner of limited means like myself can operate a CLK500 for quite a few years, and be faced with little more than routine maintenance, and tire replacements, since this model car does wear out tires faster than most, as one of its very few design specific drawbacks.

My enduring love for UNFAIRLY USED Mercedes cars can only be fed in the same manner as when mice gather under the dinner table to fight over scraps that fall off the plates piled with food during a feast in progress. With this in mind, I am fated to remain the foraging junkyard rat who recycles the toys of the rich, and puts them back on the highway restored to near-new condition, but at a tiny fraction of the price when the vehicle was new.

Check out some more pictures I pulled off the net, and feast your eyes on the subtle contours of the CLK500, this understated masterwork of German engineering.

I almost got tempted by your thread to delve into a merc CLK 500.
I went e-shopping, found one with 108k miles under £2700.00. That was very tempting, but since the God's have not yet taking off the restriction on ownership, inline for vouchers. I simply respect myself.............

Lexusgs430:


I almost got tempted by your thread to delve into a merc CLK 500.
I went e-shopping, found one with 108k miles under £2700.00. That was very tempting, but since the God's have not yet taking off the restriction on ownership, inline for vouchers. I simply respect myself.............

In your shoes, Oga Lexus, I would would circle back and buy that car, provided that it is from the "good years", namely 2003 or 2004. Living in the UK where you are, petrol prices are not friendly to a V8 car owner, but if you do a lot of motorway driving, you will find the V8 does not consume that much more fuel than do the lesser engines that came with this same car. Alternatively, you can maintain a smaller car for your daily commute, and save the CLK for those all important nights on the town, during which you ARE, what you drive.

Jakumo:


In your shoes, Oga Lexus, I would would circle back and buy that car, provided that it is from the "good years", namely 2003 or 2004. Living in the UK where you are, petrol prices are not friendly to a V8 car owner, but if you do a lot of motorway driving, you will find the V8 does not consume that much more fuel than do the lesser engines that came with this same car. Alternatively, you can maintain a smaller car for your daily commute, and save the CLK for those all important nights on the town, during which you ARE, what you drive.

It was surely from the air suspension free era. My previous sojourn on the V8 arena was my old Lexus. Did I like the car, yes. Was it comfortable, yes. Infact it ticked all the YES boxes, but the frequency of top up at the gas stations.
Can I be tempted again, YES (well, not until the vouchers come rolling in).....

Jakumo:




For sure Mercedes will occupy pole position in the technological race to perfect automotive science, but it is only the very wealthy, who can afford to buy a new Mercedes car every production year, that will ever get to experience the full capability of each new computerized innovation that emerges as automotive engineering advances on its relentless march towards a high-tech future that may soon be dominated by self-driving luxury car offerings from Mercedes and other car manufacturers.

Then you have car enthusiasts like me, who are as far removed from great riches as a carpenter is from brain surgery, yet who wish to own a Mercedes car that once commanded between $60K and $100K when new, and are therefore only able to afford the purchase of a top-end Mercedes as a used car, made affordable by a few extra miles and years on the odometer.

It is from the standpoint of my being a POSEUR who is a COUNTERFEIT rich man, that I describe the year 2000 as a watershed year in the world of Mercedes automotive design. My point is that for anyone determined to own a V8 engine Mercedes car that will NOT cost a fortune to fix in the event of air suspension problems, the 2003/2004 years CLK500 (C209) family of coupes is the ONLY production V8 Mercedes car classification that was NOT built with that infernal pneumatic/hydraulic suspension system.

For the V8 Mercedes car connoisseur, therefore, the most suitable Mercedes V8 car that came stock with standard, affordably replaceable shocks and springs, AFTER the year 2000, would be the CLK500 Mercedes Coupe, made in 2004. A car owner of limited means like myself can operate a CLK500 for quite a few years, and be faced with little more than routine maintenance, and tire replacements, since this model car does wear out tires faster than most, as one of its very few design specific drawbacks.

My enduring love for UNFAIRLY USED Mercedes cars can only be fed in the same manner as when mice gather under the dinner table to fight over scraps that fall off the plates piled with food during a feast in progress. With this in mind, I am fated to remain the foraging junkyard rat who recycles the toys of the rich, and puts them back on the highway restored to near-new condition, but at a tiny fraction of the price when the vehicle was new.

Check out some more pictures I pulled off the net, and feast your eyes on the subtle contours of the CLK500, this understated masterwork of German engineering.

its a beast and DIY car,one of a kind