I ordered anew CLK320 on January 5, and have yet to take delivery from the dealer her in Florida. I started out with a white/black top and ash interior, the only option being a dealer installed cd changer.

After having received the 2001 brochure fromt he dealer with the certainty that I would be now receiveing a 2001 model I have changed my order to brillient silver with an ash top and ash interior. It has been since the early 80's that I have has a silver car so I am looking pretty forward to that although am not sure which will look better the ash or black top?? Also I have added the multi contour seats and the voice activated Motorola Timeport digital cell phone/cd changer package to car. Being in real estate on the phone alot the dealer thought it would be a practicle option for me.

Now tonight I saw the color combination I ordered in a 430 and am trying to decide if the addtional 60 hp and amg wheels and trim are worth the extra $7,500. sticker price??? I have pretty well decided against the comand center and xenon headlamp package. A friend of mine has the comand center and had to have the whole computor system i nher 320 replaced then on another occassion the system malfuntioned. As for the head lights they look great when others come at you with them on however is the blue tone worth nearly $1,700.???

This car will be a vehicle that I hope to enjoy for approx 5years and then perhaps hold as a future collector car. Since I have waited this long and delivery should be by October I just want to make sure that I am making a wise decission.

I have 2 friends with the 320 and they feel fine with the performance and power. The dealer encouraged me to go with that model for it would hold its vcalue better and the performance difference is not that noticeable. There is a thir friend of mine that went from a newer SL 600 to a clk430 and they are selling it now however they claim that they have a new one ordered in the slate blue addition.

The only common complaint heard from the 2 320 drives is the visibility when backing up is not good at all when the top is up. Also trunk space is really tight. One of these friends traded a 92 300e and also is not used to the 2 door for 4 passengers concept. This will be my every day vehicle although I have a S320 the I will keep for when we need to haul guests or clients.

Sorry for the long post. Look forward in your feed back.

Great site by the way


Jim FL
95 S 320
White/ash interior
67k miles

Hm, this question has be discussed before, if my memory serves me right. However, here's my brief thought about it...

If you are ONLY looking for a open-top touring car, then CLK320 is more then enough for your need. HOWEVER, that 60hp extra in CLK430 will drop a full sec off 0-60 time. Also, AMG bodykit and Wheel together worth more then $7500, consider engine a free upgrade when you go for CLK430 VS CLK320 + AMG kit + Wheel/rubber.

As for Xenon, they are NOT just for the look. They are not only look good, but will enhance night lighting dramatically. Once you have them, you WILL NOT go back to halogen lights. Xenon is at LEAST twice as bright as halogen. To me, it's well worth the price, and makes me feel safer when driving at night.

Go for CLK430 if you can. It's more rare(I have seen bunch of CLK320s since the introduction of CLK, but have only seen about 8 CLK430s), and may be more desirable in the years to come.

Andy Kuo

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<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
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[This message has been edited by akry (edited 07-17-2000).]