I just bought one of these cars for 1000 bucks , it's only needed spark plugs , a new fan , and coolant flush . The poor guy had only water it . Lol. I give him the money and drove it home a hundred mile ride . I fixed what was needed and man. This car is a total sleeper . And I believe alot of people sleep on the clk 550. If your a collector of mercedes this is a must have. Super fun car . And perfect for city traffic driving.
Finally! A review of the CLK550 has been lacking on RUclips for 11 years. Very good work sir. These late W209's 550s are a particular gem for Mercedes enthusiasts. Mainly because unlike most V8 Mercedes they lack the problematic air-suspension and are therefore not overly complicated to own. They're properly fast cars as well, with 382 horsepower & 391 pounds feet of torque they're not far off of the W211 E55's performance. When the CLK550 Coupes were new in 2006 it was a known fact that they were decently quicker than the rare W203 C55 AMG's. Interestingly, many of the CLK550 Coupe buyers didn't opt for options like ventilated massaging seats, rear-sunshade and parking sensors all of which would be found on those blank buttons on the center console.
Just picked up an 07 CLK550 with just under 50k and I would agree with everything you wrote. The combo of the fantastic 5.5L V8, the b-pillarless coupe design, and the conventional suspension sold me on the car. It's a wonderful Grand Tourer, but a little less sporty than I had hoped. The biggest gripe I have is the throttle and transmission shift mapping. I've always driven manual trans cars so I knew I'd be at least a little disappointed in the transmission. "Comfort" or economy mode is miserable. I think it upshifts every time you hit 1400 rpm. The standard mode is OK for commuting, but that's about it. It really needs a sport mode. The throttle pedal has a very long throw compared to my last car and seems "lazy". You really have to put your boot into it to let it know you want to go. I hear there is a fix with a Sprint Booster which re-maps the throttle response curve. I think that will be my first mod. Overall though I am really happy with it so far. I love dropping all the windows down and just cruising.
@Commentor1 There is a rocker with a "S" and "C" on it. My understanding is that they stand for "Standard" and "Comfort". Comfort is basically an economy or bad weather mode where the trans upshifts at the earliest possible rpm.
The “C” is comfort mode. The “S” is sport mode. I was told by a MB tech that the transmission mapping adapts to your driving patterns. The more aggressive you drive, the transmission apparently adapts and changes the shift points accordingly.
I have a 2007 CLK 550 convertible with about 50k miles on it and I absolutely love it. It has never given me one bit of trouble and it's fun to drive. Excellent review and video!
This is awesome man. I'm a service tech for Mercedes and was thinking about getting one of these... this sold me on it I think. Good video brother, keep it up
Commentor1 You’re right, I may have gotten lucky. It’s sucks that you had that experience, I love my 550 so much and for the prices people can pick them up for I wanted more people to have the experience I’ve had. Did you get rid of the car? The manifold isn’t ridiculous to replace, I’ve heard it can fix the problem.
I was watching the video and then I misread your sub count as 198k subscribers and said “well I’m not surprised” and then felt lowk sad when it was 19.8k. You deserve many more subs bro I actually love your style. First video of yours I watched and I subscribed within like two minutes. Great stuff.
Do it, just make sure you get one that was well taken care of. I just found a clean and very well maintained one two months ago and I am absolutely loving this car so far (2007 CLK 550 coupe).
The buttons on the dash go like this: driver's heated seat, parktronic, rear window sun shade, esp. Then the other side goes: lock/unlock, rear headrests drop, alarm, passenger side heated seat. My CLK 220 CDI has all of them!
Great review, one of the most detailed in depth look at a 550 on youtube. Sucks the car is the ultra base model 550. Its missing so much your video could of easily doubled in length if it was a loaded car. I've seen 320 or 350s with more features than this car to be honest.
It is my understanding that the 2007 Clk550 was fitted with the AMG appearance package and upgraded suspension due to the termination of the 2006 Clk55 and the introduction of the Clk63 in 2008. The performance of the Clk550 was advertised by MB as 5.1 seconds from 0-60 while the Clk55 was advertised to be 4.9 seconds. It is believed that MB did this because the Clk55 purchasers paid about $10k more. Subsequent acceleration times available for the Clk550 in many U-Tube videos have documented that the Clk550 is closer to 4.5 to 4.7 seconds from 0 to 60. I have had a 2007 Clk550 for 12 years and 146,000 miles. It still accelerates great. I have spent relatively little on repairs but I maintain it well. I still have about 40% left on the original brakes. I’ve replaced the tires 3 times.
I have a 07 clk550 and it has AMG on the exhaust and wheels but not the motor. It is really fast! I've had it two years now and love it. Always contemplating trading or fixing it up.?? I'm always worried about a expensive fix
What city are you from? I have a CLK550, but with a black/tan combo interior with carbon fiber accent instead of the wood. It makes a huge difference in the "age" of the interior. Combine that with the aftermarket radio with a 9" screen and it makes for a really nice updated look. Let me know if you ever want to do a Part 2 follow-up with an interior difference.
You’re not wrong, well you probably see the CLK500, the CLK550s are rare even for the convertible. The coupes are very rare, under 400 for each year of production for the US. Mind you that’s only over three years.
Is it worth getting the same model on 180k miles with full service on the engine? The price is 6k for it? Cant take a decision if is worth getting it 🤔
Im going through the same thing but with 140k and for 5k 😂, so far everything I’ve heard has me sold , they are rated 4.7/5 on reliability, one thing to watch out for is the head sensors other than that they seem to hold up well
Hello Zack! When I saw you on Gingium's "Pros & Cons to Owning a Rotary Powered Car!", I was a a huge fan of you. I found your channel after joining a RX7 page and seeing a video of your's on there. It's good to see you man. I'm a big car guy myself, and I am looking to get a RX7 project car. We'll see how well that goes haha. Keep in touch with me if you want man!
it was a nice review, but you almost didnt show much of the car looks, no idea what the rims look like up close, spoiler?, trunk space? cigarret lighters?. heated seats?. engien space?. battery front or rear? brake calippers? HID head lamps?. fuel tank?
I have the convertible version with almost all the options except bluetooth phone which is stupid that it's even optional at this price point. But yeah. It's a nice cruiser and it GOES!
@@VanishPenguin would u think e550 would be a good choice i’m just scared of airmatic but both clk and e i’m looking at have amg pkg. i think the e550 is almost built better as well.
no one has mentioned it but the missing buttons are due to the fact that this is the coupe model not the convertible so it doesnt have the convertible buttons.
Hell yes, if the car is clean and has been well maintained (service records), and if the serial number is beyond the potentially problematic range of the early M273 V8 engines, which means that you should look for a car with the serial number beyond 2739...30088611.
@@paweltarnowski383 appreciate all the info! I didn’t grab it , it road smooth but the sound and feel to engine seemed off. I’m no car mechanic but the car just seemed like it needed some work lol so I got nervous n passed up on it. But I’ll be sure to use the info you shared. Thanks again
Wow, not sold on the looks? The CLK is well known for it's pillar-less beauty, & also the iconic Mercedes Benz look, that it shares with the CL series. They aren't the same cars by any means, but share the pillar-less style & a similar front end. I bought a 2009 CLK 550, with the AMG package back in 2014. As was alluded to by The Rzarectah, it was a cabriolet, LMAO! In fact, the only issues we have ever had with the car is the cabriolet being on the fritz after 6 months of owning it. One of the reasons my wife wanted this car was to go to track days with the MBCA.Then it was determined that we could not run on a track because we did not have a roll bar, in spite of the fact that the car has built in roll bars. The backseat"s headrests pop up in a t3nth of a second if the car exceeds a certain angle while moving. So, I came up with an alternative plan and my wife bought pristine 2003 CL 55 AMG. Now nearly 400 horsepower and 391 ft/lbs of torque are nothing to sneeze at, but nearly 500 horsepower and over 500 ft/lbs of torque are better. The CL 55 AMG Ais a dream car of mine so when I was given permission to find one to buy, I was excited, to say the least. Oddly, I found one within 100 miles of our little farming community. Also, the man selling the car was a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief. Having spent many years in the military and working on other government projects, I have known many Master Chiefs and they were all detail oriented men who kept duplicates of every file they ever touched and sure enough, the man had every piece of paper associated Roth the car since it came off the boat from Germany. Aside from the cqbriolet issue on the CLK, neither car has had any serious problems. For a fun car to drive short distances, the CLK is the car to drive. If you are going on a road trip. The CL 55 AMG is the car to do that in. As another person commented, the CLK is not loaded down either every whiz bang item in AMG"s option group. The CL 55 AMG, on the other hand was the first road car with adaptive cruise control, then there's the hydraulic suspension, better known as ABC, active body control. These cars get a bad reputation for problems with the ABC when in fact the system works fine, as long as the system is maintained properly. AMG estimates that the engine and drive train are good for 500,000 miles, again, with proper maintenance. In case you were wondering, my wife was the first one to drive the CL 55 AMG over 100 mph! They are both wonderful cars, and remember that Ed Bolian drove a 2004 CL 55 AMG when he shattered the best time in the Cannonball Baker race a few years back and if you ever get the chance to drive a CL 55 on a freeway, you will understand why he chose that car and how it managed to "stay under the radar", pun intended.
Nice Review; but you didn't show another cool feature of this car the lack of B-pillars, so when you put all the windows down there is just a giant opening causing air to flow trough the cabin kinda like a convertible.
I have the clk55 amg, the transmission makes the experience boring. That said, if one wants a good gt, it meets that criteria. If one wants a drivers car, choose a BMW.
I have a CLK 550 and I have to agree with this statement. To me, this a German version of the Camaro or Mustang, but with a far better build quality/fit and finish. The handling is reasonnably good, but it's not sharp like a true sports car. I love it for what it is, but if handling was my priority, I would probably indeed look elsewhere, perhaps BMW.
@@issakjimenez5600 The M273 engine in this car is special. I doubt the Acura or the G37 are a match for the instant torque and the sound of the V8. However, they most likely have a sportier handling. It all depends of what your priorities are.
If you want to publish a report of a car, why don't you figure out how it works , which button does what etc. instead of filling the blanks with blablabla?
![ARGENTINA vs. BOLIVIA [6-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C3wPtKNbAOA/mqdefault.jpg)
I just bought one of these cars for 1000 bucks , it's only needed spark plugs , a new fan , and coolant flush . The poor guy had only water it . Lol. I give him the money and drove it home a hundred mile ride . I fixed what was needed and man. This car is a total sleeper . And I believe alot of people sleep on the clk 550. If your a collector of mercedes this is a must have. Super fun car . And perfect for city traffic driving.
a clk 550 for 1000 bucks? or 10 thousand bucks?
Finally! A review of the CLK550 has been lacking on RUclips for 11 years. Very good work sir. These late W209's 550s are a particular gem for Mercedes enthusiasts. Mainly because unlike most V8 Mercedes they lack the problematic air-suspension and are therefore not overly complicated to own. They're properly fast cars as well, with 382 horsepower & 391 pounds feet of torque they're not far off of the W211 E55's performance. When the CLK550 Coupes were new in 2006 it was a known fact that they were decently quicker than the rare W203 C55 AMG's. Interestingly, many of the CLK550 Coupe buyers didn't opt for options like ventilated massaging seats, rear-sunshade and parking sensors all of which would be found on those blank buttons on the center console.
Just picked up an 07 CLK550 with just under 50k and I would agree with everything you wrote. The combo of the fantastic 5.5L V8, the b-pillarless coupe design, and the conventional suspension sold me on the car. It's a wonderful Grand Tourer, but a little less sporty than I had hoped. The biggest gripe I have is the throttle and transmission shift mapping. I've always driven manual trans cars so I knew I'd be at least a little disappointed in the transmission. "Comfort" or economy mode is miserable. I think it upshifts every time you hit 1400 rpm. The standard mode is OK for commuting, but that's about it. It really needs a sport mode. The throttle pedal has a very long throw compared to my last car and seems "lazy". You really have to put your boot into it to let it know you want to go. I hear there is a fix with a Sprint Booster which re-maps the throttle response curve. I think that will be my first mod. Overall though I am really happy with it so far. I love dropping all the windows down and just cruising.
@Commentor1 There is a rocker with a "S" and "C" on it. My understanding is that they stand for "Standard" and "Comfort". Comfort is basically an economy or bad weather mode where the trans upshifts at the earliest possible rpm.
charged How it treating you? I have to tell you, I’ve had mine now 3.5 years, I still couldn’t be happier. It’s a car that grow on you.
Commentor1 Yes, it can switch from comfort to sport. Not much changes other than transmission mapping.
The “C” is comfort mode. The “S” is sport mode. I was told by a MB tech that the transmission mapping adapts to your driving patterns. The more aggressive you drive, the transmission apparently adapts and changes the shift points accordingly.
I have a 2007 CLK 550 convertible with about 50k miles on it and I absolutely love it. It has never given me one bit of trouble and it's fun to drive. Excellent review and video!
give me some money bro
I’ve never heard any question the design of the 2nd gen CLK. It’s a beautiful car.
This is awesome man. I'm a service tech for Mercedes and was thinking about getting one of these... this sold me on it I think. Good video brother, keep it up
Commentor1 what’s wrong with it?
Buy one, owned one for years. Never been a headache. And always brings a smile. Hope you bought one by now.
Commentor1 You bought the wrong one unfortunately. Some of them did have engine issues. It’s rare but you bought one with those issues.
Commentor1 Also, it might be the shop you’ve been bringing it to.
Commentor1 You’re right, I may have gotten lucky. It’s sucks that you had that experience, I love my 550 so much and for the prices people can pick them up for I wanted more people to have the experience I’ve had. Did you get rid of the car? The manifold isn’t ridiculous to replace, I’ve heard it can fix the problem.
I was watching the video and then I misread your sub count as 198k subscribers and said “well I’m not surprised” and then felt lowk sad when it was 19.8k. You deserve many more subs bro I actually love your style. First video of yours I watched and I subscribed within like two minutes. Great stuff.
My exact thoughts^^^ great content!
I’m saving up for one my dream whip will be mine in 2020
Sloppy Seconds how is the dream coming along?
You get it
I just picked one up man did u get yours??
Probably driving a Ford Pinto
Do it, just make sure you get one that was well taken care of. I just found a clean and very well maintained one two months ago and I am absolutely loving this car so far (2007 CLK 550 coupe).
The buttons on the dash go like this: driver's heated seat, parktronic, rear window sun shade, esp. Then the other side goes: lock/unlock, rear headrests drop, alarm, passenger side heated seat. My CLK 220 CDI has all of them!
Great review, one of the most detailed in depth look at a 550 on youtube. Sucks the car is the ultra base model 550. Its missing so much your video could of easily doubled in length if it was a loaded car. I've seen 320 or 350s with more features than this car to be honest.
It is my understanding that the 2007 Clk550 was fitted with the AMG appearance package and upgraded suspension due to the termination of the 2006 Clk55 and the introduction of the Clk63 in 2008. The performance of the Clk550 was advertised by MB as 5.1 seconds from 0-60 while the Clk55 was advertised to be 4.9 seconds. It is believed that MB did this because the Clk55 purchasers paid about $10k more. Subsequent acceleration times available for the Clk550 in many U-Tube videos have documented that the Clk550 is closer to 4.5 to 4.7 seconds from 0 to 60.
I have had a 2007 Clk550 for 12 years and 146,000 miles. It still accelerates great. I have spent relatively little on repairs but I maintain it well. I still have about 40% left on the original brakes. I’ve replaced the tires 3 times.
Mercedes always played that game of under rating their non AMGs like they did with the CL55 vs CL600.
I have a 07 clk550 and it has AMG on the exhaust and wheels but not the motor. It is really fast! I've had it two years now and love it. Always contemplating trading or fixing it up.?? I'm always worried about a expensive fix
Ours has 213k miles. Still purs like it did 14 years ago! It’s cherry.
I don’t think the CLK550s got different suspension, we also had a C55 and it rode much harsher and overall handled more like an AMG.
@@RossEnzo i would agree it has a harsh fide
What city are you from? I have a CLK550, but with a black/tan combo interior with carbon fiber accent instead of the wood. It makes a huge difference in the "age" of the interior. Combine that with the aftermarket radio with a 9" screen and it makes for a really nice updated look. Let me know if you ever want to do a Part 2 follow-up with an interior difference.
There's another cup holder at the right of the center console (press that sort of a square cut thing).
The missing buttons are for the heated seats.
It seems like Mercedes made 3 times more Cabriolets than Coupes of the CLK550. Every one around me for 500 miles is a Cab.
You’re not wrong, well you probably see the CLK500, the CLK550s are rare even for the convertible. The coupes are very rare, under 400 for each year of production for the US. Mind you that’s only over three years.
I bought a used one last week. It has aluminum rims I like the look of the black ones better.
"Its good what it is and it knows it"
Great Job! I haven't seen one video where someone actually gets in the back. Sold me on the car!
I have european model,387 hp,different exhaust sound than yours,fantastic car,thanks for posting.
Thanks bro! Think I’m going to get one because of this vid!
I love the clk. C209
Is it worth getting the same model on 180k miles with full service on the engine? The price is 6k for it? Cant take a decision if is worth getting it 🤔
Im going through the same thing but with 140k and for 5k 😂, so far everything I’ve heard has me sold , they are rated 4.7/5 on reliability, one thing to watch out for is the head sensors other than that they seem to hold up well
Hello Zack! When I saw you on Gingium's "Pros & Cons to Owning a Rotary Powered Car!", I was a a huge fan of you. I found your channel after joining a RX7 page and seeing a video of your's on there. It's good to see you man. I'm a big car guy myself, and I am looking to get a RX7 project car. We'll see how well that goes haha. Keep in touch with me if you want man!
it was a nice review, but you almost didnt show much of the car looks, no idea what the rims look like up close, spoiler?, trunk space? cigarret lighters?. heated seats?. engien space?. battery front or rear? brake calippers? HID head lamps?. fuel tank?
I think this is a very handsome motor vehicle. =) I like your channel btw. Subbed!
I have the convertible version with almost all the options except bluetooth phone which is stupid that it's even optional at this price point. But yeah. It's a nice cruiser and it GOES!
You are right about how harsh the car is. It feels more tame than an older 5 liter v8. There's more torque but it's almost engineered out
Nah, the 550 V8 are geared taller than the 500 (7 speed). I would know because i have an e550, and it would still spank a comparable e500
@@VanishPenguin would u think e550 would be a good choice i’m just scared of airmatic but both clk and e i’m looking at have amg pkg. i think the e550 is almost built better as well.
no one has mentioned it but the missing buttons are due to the fact that this is the coupe model not the convertible so it doesnt have the convertible buttons.
Doug posted a Mercedes and you posted a Mercedes. What a coincidence!
Everyone forgot to mention there is not headlamp washer jet sprays And and auxiliary cord to plug in phone or a cassette adaptor to listen to music
Thats y im getting my radio replaced
Looking at a coupe 5.5L V8 - 61,000 original miles. One owner wants 7500$ worth it ??
Hell yes, if the car is clean and has been well maintained (service records), and if the serial number is beyond the potentially problematic range of the early M273 V8 engines, which means that you should look for a car with the serial number beyond 2739...30088611.
@@paweltarnowski383 appreciate all the info! I didn’t grab it , it road smooth but the sound and feel to engine seemed off. I’m no car mechanic but the car just seemed like it needed some work lol so I got nervous n passed up on it. But I’ll be sure to use the info you shared. Thanks again
Nice i found one at that price with around same mileage just needs motor mount and has some rock chips
Thanks man!
I enjoyed the review :)
Wow, not sold on the looks? The CLK is well known for it's pillar-less beauty, & also the iconic Mercedes Benz look, that it shares with the CL series. They aren't the same cars by any means, but share the pillar-less style & a similar front end.
I bought a 2009 CLK 550, with the AMG package back in 2014. As was alluded to by The Rzarectah, it was a cabriolet, LMAO!
In fact, the only issues we have ever had with the car is the cabriolet being on the fritz after 6 months of owning it. One of the reasons my wife wanted this car was to go to track days with the MBCA.Then it was determined that we could not run on a track because we did not have a roll bar, in spite of the fact that the car has built in roll bars. The backseat"s headrests pop up in a t3nth of a second if the car exceeds a certain angle while moving.
So, I came up with an alternative plan and my wife bought pristine 2003 CL 55 AMG. Now nearly 400 horsepower and 391 ft/lbs of torque are nothing to sneeze at, but nearly 500 horsepower and over 500 ft/lbs of torque are better.
The CL 55 AMG Ais a dream car of mine so when I was given permission to find one to buy, I was excited, to say the least. Oddly, I found one within 100 miles of our little farming community. Also, the man selling the car was a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief. Having spent many years in the military and working on other government projects, I have known many Master Chiefs and they were all detail oriented men who kept duplicates of every file they ever touched and sure enough, the man had every piece of paper associated Roth the car since it came off the boat from Germany.
Aside from the cqbriolet issue on the CLK, neither car has had any serious problems.
For a fun car to drive short distances, the CLK is the car to drive. If you are going on a road trip. The CL 55 AMG is the car to do that in. As another person commented, the CLK is not loaded down either every whiz bang item in AMG"s option group. The CL 55 AMG, on the other hand was the first road car with adaptive cruise control, then there's the hydraulic suspension, better known as ABC, active body control. These cars get a bad reputation for problems with the ABC when in fact the system works fine, as long as the system is maintained properly.
AMG estimates that the engine and drive train are good for 500,000 miles, again, with proper maintenance.
In case you were wondering, my wife was the first one to drive the CL 55 AMG over 100 mph!
They are both wonderful cars, and remember that Ed Bolian drove a 2004 CL 55 AMG when he shattered the best time in the Cannonball Baker race a few years back and if you ever get the chance to drive a CL 55 on a freeway, you will understand why he chose that car and how it managed to "stay under the radar", pun intended.
I should have said that I bought the 2009 CLK 550 for.MY WIFE! Ooopss!
Wish there would have been more vid of the car vs the person.
I dont understand I literally have a 2007 clk 550 amg n it doesnt look like ur interior or ur front bumper im like wtf do i have???
When you get in the back seat, there is a lever under the front seat to tilt the front seat forward. Do your homework.
wheres the flame stickers on the side? :( XD
It’s 382 horsepower and 388 pounds feet of torque
Nice Review; but you didn't show another cool feature of this car the lack of B-pillars, so when you put all the windows down there is just a giant opening causing air to flow trough the cabin kinda like a convertible.
I have the clk55 amg, the transmission makes the experience boring. That said, if one wants a good gt, it meets that criteria. If one wants a drivers car, choose a BMW.
I have a CLK 550 and I have to agree with this statement. To me, this a German version of the Camaro or Mustang, but with a far better build quality/fit and finish. The handling is reasonnably good, but it's not sharp like a true sports car. I love it for what it is, but if handling was my priority, I would probably indeed look elsewhere, perhaps BMW.
Can anyone tell me if these cars are expensive to maintain compared to the 328i
Sami Sabeeh Yes,any premium car you purchase wether it be Chrysler or Bentley will have a up-charge for maintenance or parts
I have 193k miles on mine, as much as an accord. Seriously
Commentor1 what’s was so expensive to fix? And what are you comparing to?
How ironic that a coupe has more rear leg room than a C-class.
Comfort, sport,turn off esp and let the wheels spin my boy!
Empty switches for heated seats
This or an Acura TL type S? Or an G37 coupe?
I'm in the same market
@@issakjimenez5600 The M273 engine in this car is special. I doubt the Acura or the G37 are a match for the instant torque and the sound of the V8. However, they most likely have a sportier handling. It all depends of what your priorities are.
🏆
This car is "coop". It's coupe COOP-EH ffs
Different pronunciation in America dude
Imagine getting one shot at life and your parents name you Hans Peter Wurst...
If you want to publish a report of a car, why don't you figure out how it works , which button does what etc. instead of filling the blanks with blablabla?
Garbage review only showed interior