CLK 500 Convertible
A practical and super-swift daily driver that’s hard to beat for fantastic value
COST NEW £45,000 VALUE NOW £6000-£7000
Imake no apologies for picking two millennium Mercs this month. The Stuttgart brand is the hottest it’s been for years thanks to Lewis Hamilton, success in F1 and the halo-effect of the AMG sub-brand. But there are still lots of 2000-on Mercedes that are miles cheaper than they should be. Take the W209 CLK 500 Convertible. Despite its suburban looks it’s almost as quick as the CLK 55 AMG, hitting 60 in just 5.3sec. Top speed is limited to 155mph but that 24-valve 302bhp M113 V8 is good for considerably more. At the launch in 2002, one German magazine claimed a de-restricted top end of 170mph. The CLK 500 is a real sleeper, with most used buyers going for the more economical smaller-engined versions and ignoring the muscle-car potential of this plain-looking drop-top gem.
That’s why prices are so low. A private seller in Manchester has an ’03 convertible in blue with 47,000, full Mercedes service history, two owners and original bill of sale for £6495, while Motors Ltd in Milton Keynes has another convertible in silver, on an ’05 plate with 54,000 miles and ten stamps in the book for £7699 – outright bargains, especially considering there are only a few hundred convertible CLK 500s in the UK.
Owners don’t report big problems and the only serious area is transmission fluid changes that need to be done every 40,000 miles. Airflow sensors fail, gearbox mountings split, boot and bonnet gas struts wear and the power steering reservoir will usually need a new plastic O-ring seal, but that’s about it. For such brisk performance the CLK 500 is pretty blameless. I’ve run a CLK 200 convertible for five years and can report all W209s are well made, reliable and easy to live with. Giving the underbody regular blasts with a jetwash helps reduce the build-up of mud around the lips of the front and rear wheelarch that causes rust. The first 500s had five-speed tiptronic autos, but 2005-on cars got the seven-speed ‘box and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. You don’t get the rumbling exhaust note of the CLK 55, sharper steering or the kudos of an AMG badge, but the stock 500’s demure looks don’t attract unwanted attention or higher insurance premiums. The ride on the standard car is a lot more composed than the AMG version too.
I don’t expect any huge increases in value, but the CLK 500 convertible is a Merc that’s woefully undervalued because so few buyers are aware of its prodigious abilities. A well-bought, sensible mileage example won’t go down in price and has the potential to gently increase by a few thousand quid. But forget all about appreciation and see this car for what it is – a well-made Porsche-baiting four-seat drop-top for the price of a three-year-old Fiesta.
‘It’s woefully undervalued because so few buyers are aware of its prodigious abilities’