Greetings. I'm a long-time Porsche and BMW owner venturing into the M-B world. Interested in moving from an E46 M3 to a CLK 430 and have a few questions. First, there are considerably mixed reviews on the the reliability of these cars, ranging from effectively repair free to a complete owner's nightmare (constantly breaking down, prohibitively expensive, etc.). What's the story? what have been owner's experience and any "words to the wise" regarding years, conditions, resale value, handling/performance from a "real driver's" point of view in comparison to BMWs, and so on. What to avoid and what to look for?

Secondly, what are the better venues for purchasing these? On a now considerably "downsized" budget, I'm looking for the CLK 430 (I believe) in the range of 1999 - 2003 (black -preferably).

Thanks in advance for any help on this matter.

Richard Matson