If you’re like me, you and your fellow car enthusiasts likely spend a fair amount of time lamenting how modern cars are a pain to fix and far more complicated than the models that came before it. I am genuinely curious if we will continue to see barn finds of cars made in the last 10 years be worthy of discovering or if their on-board technological systems will be too complex to deal with in a deteriorating state. This 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK350 Cabriolet is an interesting find as it’s offered with no reserve and has under 40,000 miles from new. It’s not exactly a barn find, but it is certainly a well-preserved example of a car that’s typically used up by this point.
If you found a drop-top Mercedes of any model variety from the 1960s up through the early 90s sitting in a garage with low miles, you’d have a significant find on your hands. Models like the classic Pagoda, the 190SL, and the 280SE are highly desirable collector cars that can dip into the low six-figures when found as survivors with no major alterations. Even the mass-produced R107 from the 1980s has begun to creep up price-wise for the best examples, which has a lot to do with the fact that Mercedes generally builds a fine convertible with plenty of buffering from the wind and exceptional highway manners. The CLK350 is a competent driver as well, but is it a future classic?
When Mercedes built this car, it was trying to plug a gap in the lineup after the W124 coupe and cabriolet were dropped as the classic E-Class line was retired. The CLK was not based on an E-Class but rather the entry-level C-Class; however, its looks were clearly based on the upper market model. Power came from either a V6 or a fairly brawny V8, and as the entry-level model, this car has the former. The interior is in excellent condition with only a coating of dust on the dashboard to note, and I’m sure a proper detailing would make this CLK look fantastic. The model obviously has the full assortment of luxury and power features despite its C-Class roots.
The seller has attempted to sell this car a few times for a fairly ambitious Buy-It-Now price and then offered it with a far lower ask of $15,500. That seems reasonable to me, but a few things are working against the seller: for one, the market is a bit soft on cars like these at the moment, as pleasure vehicles seem to be taking a back-seat to just getting by with the payments on a daily driver. The other is the fact that this car hasn’t achieved collector status just yet, so it will be purely someone’s sunny day driver for the time being (see my reference to pleasure vehicles). Still, there’s always that moment in time where you wonder if you should buy a car now when it’s a borderline steal. What do you think a fair price for this low-mileage CLK350 here on eBay would be?
To me the last real Mercedes convertible made was the R129 from the Bruno Sacco era. Same to be said for the W124 and W140 chassis cars. That was when Mercedes transitioned from the best or nothing to built to be competitive and let the bean counters and designers build the car. I have owned and worked on the above mentioned cars. They drive and feel like nothing else built today. The CLK before us is a typical disposable car that will have no parts support and really offers nothing special over its competition. The real hidden gem is a R129 and while they have a hydraulic operated top the problems with repair are overblown and are actually quite simple to rectify. These cars will have their day.
Those seats are killer..love them. The rest of the car doesn’t do anything for me and yeah I would just be worrying about the first thing to break. That is definitely a valid point about todays cars electronics making them virtually unsavable in the near future due to the cost and complexity. GLWTA
These cars are for the guy who thinks he’s getting a Mercedes convertible on the cheap. Au contraire.
Terrible presentation. Back it out into the light, wash it and dust the interior before you photograph it, otherwise I can’t take it seriously. That lead pic makes me wonder how many mice have been bedding down in that car’s nooks and crannies, chewing on the wiring.
These cars are a fun weekend driver however you’re one funny noise away from a big repair bill. I’ve owned a ‘13 E350 Cabrio (A207) which is the successor to this car for 3 years. It only has 27K miles. Really nice car, drives well and is comfortable. Nice CLK’s frequently cross the auction block in the mid teens. If you don’t care about having the three pointed star on your hood, weekend fun could be less worrisome with something that isn’t German.
There’s no such thing as a cheap “real” Mercedes. This is NOT a “REAL” Mercedes, as some of you have opined. I drove a C-Class convertible a few years back; it was HORRIBLE. Extreme body-flex, steering that didn’t return properly from steering around a corner, among other things not to mention the over-inflated price.
I own an 05 C240, which is a very nice car. Drives and handles nice. I put new brakes, horns, tires, plugs and wires in it. A beautiful car as far as handling, but I’d def swap it for a Camry and be just as happy. I have a thing for Toyotas.
It’s a good price for a Mercy D conv that’s been serviced properly with milage this low. Beautiful color and solid appearance. No Mercedes should be a daily driver in my opinion. This car has years of pleasure for any won’t to be Mercedes owner and the penarch to match. I’d pay 15k for it given it’s condition.