zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?
At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:19

Nice Price or No Dice 2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430

Today is supposedly the bargain-hunter’s biggest day of the year and since we don’t want to be left out, our contender is a Mercedes that’s going for practically peanuts. Let’s see if that actually is a bargain, or if it’s just plain nuts.

Let me ask you; do you use those disposable storage containers as your go-to leftover packaging resource? You know the kind I’m talking about, the ones that you’re supposed to not care about sending home with a dinner guest and never seeing again. Yeah, me too.

The we looked at on Wednesday was originally intended by its maker to be like those disposable succotash sarcophagi. It was meant to last a few years, working reliably, and then be shuffled off to a junkyard once used up. The thing of it is, our 210 didn’t play by those rules. That’s obvious by it still being around, over four decades later. That’s got to mean something. Sadly for the seller, it may not mean getting the $5,500 asked for the car. At least that’s the way 67 percent of you leaned in giving the car a No Dice loss.

Image for article titled At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?

You might not recall it, but a pre-pandemic tradition for many here in the U.S. was to push back from the Thanksgiving feast, fighting off a Tryptophan-induced food coma, and go stand in line outside of a big-box store to be among the first to grab the insanely hot sales that started in the wee hours of the annual Black Friday shopping frenzy. Ah yes, good times.

These days, Black Friday is more like a week’s worth of holiday deals and most of us just order online and spend the day after Thanksgiving watching football and eating leftovers out of the remaining disposable plastic containers we have lying around.

Image for article titled At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?

That’s not to mean that we can’t still find reasonable deals out there for Black Friday, and I’m here to bring you a car that may just be one of those.

This sports some AMG accouterments, as well as 200K on the ticker. That’s a lot of mileage for an old German car, but then this is also quite a bit of German car, so it may all balance out.

First off, let’s consider the specs. Being branded as a 430 means that this Benz’s marching orders come from a 275-horsepower 4.3-liter M113 V8. That’s paired with a five-speed automatic, which was the standard kit for the car.

It also has the “Sport Package” which adds the bodykit and wheels/tires from the CLK 55 AMG. That all made for some pretty reasonable performance and handling back in the day, with looks to match. According to the seller it still “runs and drives excellent.”

Image for article titled At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?

Aesthetically, the important stuff seems to be all there. The top is only shown raised in the ad, but it looks intact and perfectly serviceable in that position. The AMG kit and wheels do show some war wounds, notably a cracked vane in the front valance and some curb rash. Other issues include headlamp lenses that exhibit a good bit of yellowing and clearcoat on the car’s back end that is going AWOL.

Image for article titled At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?

The interior could also stand some love. The steering wheel wears an aftermarket cover that doesn’t look bad but might hide some ugliness underneath. The bigger issue is the failure of the trim in the back seat area. That’s pulling away from the backing and looks pretty ratchet. There’s also some staining on the carpet and grime on the door handles. Other than those fairly minor grievances, however, it all seems livable.

The title is clean and while the car is offered as for-sale-by-owner, there are some indications that the seller might actually be a dealer. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and in fact, might just play into our demand for a Black Friday deal. Let’s take a look at the price and see if it follows suit.

Image for article titled At $2,900, Is This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 a Black Friday Bargain?

The owner/seller is asking $2,900 for the car, and as we just discussed, this is a lot of car. The question for you is whether it’s a decent deal at that price.

What do you say, would you jump on this CLK at that $2,900 asking if you were in the market? Or, do the miles and condition mean a guaranteedno-sale?

You decide!

Modesto, California, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Sep 23, 2024
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Sep 23, 2024
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Sep 23, 2024
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Sep 23, 2024
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Sep 23, 2024
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Sep 23, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved