My Mother-in-law has a '02 MB CLK 430 Coupe w/55k miles and an extended 100k warranty. Said she'd sell it to me for $26k. I've never owned a Benz (though drooled over them often) so I have no clue if this is a good deal or not. I've read about the electrical problems in the '02 model, but she says she's never had a problem with it...and she's not the type to just say that to unload a car on me. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

 

Here, that's a "fair" price. Not great, not bad, but mutually in the middle.

As far as whether you will like the car, that's a different story altogether. Actually, from a business MBA perspective, it depends on whether your personal priorites are in alignment with the competitive priorities of Mercedes. Basically, "quality" is evaluated differently by each type of person, that's why there exist so many different car companies.

Here's is an example. I have bought three brand new Hondas in my lifetime, and have sold all of them before they were six months old. I can't stand them. I know they are considered to be a very high quality product, because of engine life, and tight control over variations during production, so that each Honda is very close to the intended design without flaw or variation. But, and here is the problem, I don't like the design. They're not sturdy enough for me to feel safe, and that little pipe in the door they brag about, doesn't make me feel any better about the car.

Here's what I see in my Mercedes cars, and if you can relate or appreciate these attributes, maybe you will like them too. It is sturdy, I feel vey safe in the car; if there is a pile-up, I'm quite sure I will be able to open the door and walk away. It's durable; I have one with 350k miles that has not one tear in the seat, and still looks great. It's luxurious; unlike some cars that feel like they are made out of all plastic. It's respected; I rarely get bullied on the highway, or door dings. I can maintain it; the dealers here are great.
They are reliable; I don't know what other people are doing to their MB cars, but my clk has over 100k and has never had ONE problem. Well, just wearable stuff like tires, brakes, and oil changes, but that doesn't really count. It is economical; yes economical; finance companies love MBs, and give great rates, and modern fuel injection makes the cars amazingly fuel efficient, if you keep your foot off the floor.If these things mean anything to you, you might like the car.

Charles

 

When dealing with electronics, you gotta remember it's either hit or miss. Like computers. Some work forever without a single problem, while you have another, same kind and everything seem to be glitching every other week.


Then again, just about any car after 1999 is filled with electronics and most of them have their notorious glitches. The Benz gets the bad rep because naturally there are usually more electronic gadgets packed in the car than most cars and two, when something goes wrong on one of these $50,000+ brand new vehicle, the owner probably will be 1) quick to get it fix. 2) quick to complain a whole lot faster than say a person that buys a $20,000 civic. Some will let the Civic basically break apart before saying or complaining that it's a problem even though the glitches and signs been there a while.
As bluesilver says, it depends on how you look at it and what you are looking for. I can't stand Honda/Toyota basically because both of them feels so cheap and boring, and not to mention have a harsh ride, too much wind noise, and feel way out of place if I decide to go to a fancy resturant or something. Not to mention that it certainly don't give you that vault feeling of a Benz in case of an accident. (Mercedes-Benz have been notorious for having one of the lowest fatality rates in the industry.) Not to mention they are comfortable, luxurious, and looks good anywhere no matter what Benz you are driving, from the entry C-Class, a mid eighties 190E or to the 07 S-Class or the W126, they all look like something you can park at a five star hotel without gettting crazy looks. To me the Honda is about as interesting to drive as sitting in a eight hour lecture about someone's pet Iguana. That may may suit some people fine, and they like Honda. But remember this, they don't say "Once you go Mercedes, you never go back." for nothing.

 

Thanks so much for the replies. Excellent points and I truly had no idea how safe Mercedes were considered...makes me feel much better. And you're absolutely right that more people are going to complain about a product than praise it so readily...I'm in marketing...you'd think I'd just know that second-nature by now with ANYTHING! lol...

One other question, as far as maintenance is concerned, what is your experience on how often to do service such as oil changes etc? The dealer told me you should go in every 7,500 to 10,000 miles for oil changes...another (Carmax....ew I know) told me every 3K like every other car and that the dealer was just saying that...for various reasons (can ya tell I'm a bit overly naive when it comes to this?) I'm in Texas, so the heat and dust alone are notorious for dirtying up engines and such.

 

I'm in Texas also. Have the same car you are looking at 2002 Black CLK 430. I've said this on the site before. It's the best car I've ever had. I agree with the things above about the electronics. I've had a couple of nagging issues, but nothing with the engine or handling. I feel safe. I feel like I'm in the Lap of luxury. I feel like I can keep up with just about anything(actually I feel like I can beat anything.). I think the car will probably run for a long time. It tells you when to schedule maintainance.....usually somewhere between 7,500 and 10,000 miles. I think that if we all stay on those schedules, the engines of these newer models will turn out to be just as long-lasting as the MB of the 80's.

They do say that once you own a MB, you never want to go back.....it must be something they pump into the A/C. I'm crazy about them now. Perfect blend of luxury and performance. Get good tires. It will make all the difference in the world. I could ramble on forever....let us know what you do.