Today, out of curiosity I test drove a pre-owned 1999 Mercedes CLK 320 at my local Benz dealership. The CLK 320 has a 3.2 Liter V6....similar to the 4th Gen Max's 3.0 of course. I have to say first impressions....I liked the style and the comfort of the CLK. I thought it was extremely hot looking and the intrumentation was very stylish as well (as one would expect from a Mercedes) Why would I compare a used CLK to the Max??......cause the CLK new starts out at atleast 45K! The used one I was looking at was around 30K. Anyways....I have to say that I was so disappointed with the performance of the CLK's engine in that of compared to the Maxima. Bottomline, as I do not want to make this a long post, though the CLK is very impressive, the Maxima far exceeds the CLK in performance...and thus I'm happy that I will continue to keep my Max Lata!

 

hell dont try to test a clk 430, one handed me my *** a few months ago

 

I got day-rapped by E430 not too long ago¡¦ it wasn¡¯t pretty sight.
Even with my NOS and POWER of 5 speed I would say it was no match...

 

I gave a ride to a good friend who has a 2001 clk 320 when I was still driving my bro's 93 Max SE 5sp. She was amazed at the power, but not impressed with the handling (I give her that one since it's 205k miles and original suspension). Anyways, she like the 93 Max cuz it also had 5sp.
I've yet to give her a ride in my 97 GXE 5sp, all stock. And I've yet to drive her car. One of these days...
And yeah, I got pulle don hard but an E430...totally my bad! For some idiotic reason I thought I could take that ****, but nooooooo.
Jae

 

damn whats the e430 have under the hood??

 

As the name suggests, a 4.3 liter V8.

275hp/295tq, AWD/RWD... oh yeah, and a $50k+ price tag

 

too bad clk's don't come in stick.

 

Benzs usually feel slower than they are. They have a very heavy throttle. You have to push the pedal really far to make it go, this feels slow. My dad's S500 is like that. But, once you get it floored, the thing flys.

 

yes they do

 

No they dont.

 

it can be special ordered you can get a 6spd with a CLK .. ask your dealer

 

I just did. I emailed my local dealer, Jack Ingram Motors. We'll see what they say...or do i have to go in and (*wink *wink *nidge *nudge) give them the secret handshake?

 

maybe its because i am in greenwich

 

I'm pretty sure they will tell me that the CLK230 Sport Coupe comes with a 6-speed manual. But the CLK 230 is not the same car as the bigger CLK320, CLK430 and CLK55.

 

the clk 230 is available with a 6spd tranny readily, the other ones are special orders that u gotta wait a few months for.

 

 

dollar for dollar. i'd take a new Maxima over a used CLK.
spaciousness, comfort wise, insurance, maintenance, the maxima fits the bill.. yeah the benz might get you more chicks.. but i already have one

 

yeah, but you'll be twice as cool with two chicks

 

Are you actually using anything that moron posts as backup? You know better than that.

 

Yea maybe if you live in Germany you can get a 6 speed, but not in the US. The CLK isnt offered in manual....unless you go to Renntech and pay $$$$$$ for a special conversion.

 

like i said before.. i can order a 6spd CLK from the Greenwich MB Dealer..

yeah Ben i thought about htat..i take that back

 

You are ordering a tuner car then because MB USA doesnt offer a 6 speed manual in the CLK. Now in the SLK you can, but thats a different model

 

Are they that much faster than our maxima even with supercharger or turbo charger under the hood?

 

You can get a 6sp tranny swap done by renntech but i was talking from a US dealership and not having to wait forever.

 

i ran a 01-02 clk 430 with about 160 pounds of crap in my car , pulled on him in 3rd but could'nt pass him traffic came up along with my exit.

 

Just get a Flowmaster for your max.

 

First...you cannot order a US Spec CLK in stick, period.

Stick is a factory option on:

c230
c240
c320
Slk230
Slk320

Yes, in Germany you can order a ton of them in Stick and they have many many many more models of each car.

Secondly, driving a MB is different then any other car on the road. You can't just mash the pedal. You really need to "learn" the car's peak power points. No joke. My '03 will be the 14th I have had the oportunity to drive regularly, therefore I consider myself very used to MB's.

Nissan has an amazing engine, feels much more the 190 rating, nobody doubts that, however the CLK weighs so much more then the Max. Yes, its supposed to be a "Coupe" which means sporty or whatever, but thats not why people buy a MB, if you want performance {and no quality} go for a BMW, plain and simple.

Erik

 

if was feeling argumentative i would just order the damn car.. when it comes.. take pics and not buy it.. but lose my deposit.. just to prove a damn point

 

There is no factory manual for the CLK in NA....320,430,500,or AMG55. You could probably have the car shipped via the dealer to Renntech or Brabus and they will happily do a 6 speed conversion for lots of money. Its the same thing as going to my local BMW dealer and special ordering a 470 hp M5.

 

damnit its special ordered from germany

 

Fine...but then its NOT US SPEC...kinda what I said. Yes it can be had, but its not a typical order, and it will not be US Spec, don't care what the dealer tells you, MB only makes the model's listed as US Spec.

Erik

 

that wasn't the original comment Nick made.. he said "too bad clk's don't come in stick." and i said yes they do.. Ben said no.. and thats why we are here.. where its US Spec or not.. my point is it can be ordered from a US MB dealer.. it takes longer to get here .. but you can get it.. that has been my point all along

 

You cannot order "grey market" cars from dealers anymore. A Euro Spec CLK isnt US legal, so it cannot be sold in the US. Therefore a US spec Mecedes-Benz CLK isnt offered in stick. If I had the money I can buy a Lotus Elise, but for track use only.

 

if i had the money i'd get an M5.. that would make me happy.. but for now my black beauty will do

 

Its a little of both sides though...most of you guys are right in diff. ways.....You cannot get a Factery clk 6-speed, but u can order it, but not factory order, which means before they get the car, they will send it out to barbus or Renntech to do the install of a 6 speed. Put it this way, if there was no Renntech or Barbus you would not be able to have a 6 spd clk. Oh, btw my friend has a 99 and i just finished making his hybrid intake. I still get him by a car or so. We went on the freeway till 115, on my *** the whole tie, but i still got him . I personally would never get a mercedez, those things are in the shop all the time for maintanance. Recal this and Recal that. Squeeks here and Squeks there. They look pretty, but im much happier in my MAX.

 

You are wrong about the 320's.

Daniel

 

the s/c'd V6's and tt'd V12's run mid 12's - mid 13's depending on the model.

Daniel

 

2K2THEMAX - Your first post...which part was I wrong on?

2K2THEMAX - Your second post...No stock Benz runs 12's...there is only one tt 12...its the cl600...not even close to 13's. And your talking about all AMG models...that wasn't even the reason for this 3 month old post.

Erik