Seller here, happy to chat and answer any questions! Take care and happy bidding!

Last day of bidding! Wishing all bidders and potential futures owners luck. I was rewatching my CLK’s YouTube videos last night, felt bittersweet about finding it a new home. I do appreciate everyone’s kind words, thoughtful comments, and private messages. I’ll plan on being available and tuned in at auction close to answer any final remaining questions. 

Happy bidding and good luck!

@LWB250 Hi, I replied to your private message and am unsure why you were unable to receive it. I’ve since replied to your second message as well. If you wouldn’t mind confirming you received my reply that would be great. Thank you!

Thank you for all of your bids, interest, and comments/questions! Hope you all have happy holidays!

@LWB250  Haha, yes indeed it's one of only three CLK's that I've seen in or around the Madison, Wisconsin area. They other two are silver CLK350 convertibles. 

@Evans Thank you!

@Evans much appreciated! I’ve got a lot of love for this car. I haven’t been a part of any MB enthusiast platforms or groups like this. I wish I would have been a part of this sort of community during my ownership period. 

Hello and welcome to the auction for my 2003 Mercedes Benz CLK 500. I really appreciate you taking the time to view, interact with, and bid on what I consider a very important car to me. I consider myself a lifelong automotive enthusiast and have a deeply rooted passion for the Mercedes Benz brand and consider it a benchmark against every other auto manufacturer in the marketplace. Maybe you can relate, but whenever I visit my local Mercedes Benz dealer, I feel like a kid in a candy store. I also consider myself a Mercedes Benz enthusiast. This car was my first Mercedes Benz and retailed around $60,000 when new. The first generation CLK, specifically a 1999 CLK320 meant a lot to me as a close family member of mine had that vehicle. This was my first “introduction” to the Mercedes Benz brand and thus set the standard for what a German luxury sports coupe meant to me. Having the opportunity to own and operate the second generation CLK satisfied a lifelong automotive dream of mine. I have as many original accessories as you can possibly have for this car including the original hardcover sales brochure and "CLK" keychain. To me, this vehicle is a true Mercedes Benz to its core. Why? It’s a German luxury sports coupe, with RWD, and a 5.0 liter M113 V8 engine. Early in my automotive days I was ignorant of what RWD offered. Today, with both experience, research, and maturation, I realize that RWD offers a true separation of handling and driving dynamics. The sensation of being “pushed” in a RWD vehicle as opposed to being “pulled” by a FWD vehicle is a noticeable difference. As the second owner, I took tremendous pride in all of the facts above and therefore, I treated this car with the care and diligence it deserved. I'd be happy to share digital (PDF) resources that I've accumulated like the owners manual, service manual, sales brochure, and VeDoc directly from Mercedes Benz. As you can see from the service records, I spared no expense in maintaining the vehicle only at two Mercedes Benz dealerships. Because this vehicle was my very first Mercedes Benz, I treated it as if I was the first owner because again, it was my first Mercedes Benz. Personally, I am not “mechanically” inclined and have not personally worked on the vehicle in any capacity. You’ll notice that all of the factory recommended and preventative maintenance including all service, repairs, accessories, and warranty claims were all 100% conducted through my authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership. I would never consider taking this car to a “Jiffy Lube” or independent tire shop. The car deserved more. I realize some of you have trusted German mechanics, I was never fortunate enough to find this person or place in the Madison, WI market. Hence, why I paid for and enjoyed the many amenities of going to Mercedes Benz dealership for service. This vehicle is truly stunning both inside and out. Upon first purchasing this vehicle in October 2014 my close family and friends thought that I had purchased a 2 to 3 year old certified pre-owned Mercedes Benz. When people found out it was at that time an 11 years old Mercedes Benz, they were shocked. I’m happy to say that the vehicle has aged quite gracefully, both mechanically and cosmetically. This vehicle satisfied my lifelong desire to own a black on black Mercedes-Benz. Even better, this was a childhood dream of mine to drive a true rear wheel drive, 5.0 L V8 German luxury sports coupe. The pillarless design pays homage to the early Mercedes Benz coups and makes for a timeless open air feel when all the windows are rolled down and the sunroof is open. Here’s an interesting fact! This M113 engine had a very long lifecycle and was featured in other 2003 models such as the E500, ML500, CL500, S500, SL500,  and the G500 (G-Wagon). When compared side-by-side with those models, the CLK500's 0-60 performance was the fastest at 5.7 seconds. Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the Mercedes Benz brand. To me, this remains the epitome of the brand. I’ll try to explain why: This car balanced the best of both real-world practicality. The four-passenger coupe (not a fussy convertible top) with large trunk space (unlike SL’s) and performance of a naturally aspirated bulletproof V8 that pulls relentlessly with an especially sweet 1,200 - 2,000 RPM rumble (without the concern of turbos or superchargers). Lastly, for me, I actually preferred or maybe I just convinced myself that the CLK500 was superior (to me) than the CLK55 AMG. This may sound strange, but it made perfect sense to me in that a true handbuild AMG like the CLK55 AMG’s performance comes not only at a price tag of the car itself, but also higher insurance premiums, stiffer ride quality, worse fuel consumption, and higher operating costs both in maintenance, repairs, and accessories for somewhat marginal real-world/practical benefits. I looked at this car as a “rolling restoration” and continuously strived towards treating the car as if I was the first owner and “restoring” the car’s fluids, parts, and accessories to its original mechanical and cosmetic glory. You may be wondering about the vehicle life in the midwest (originally in Chicago, IL & during my ownership period in Madison, WI.) especially during winters. This is a valid question and concern and I will do my best to shed further insight into my vehicle during this ownership period. My ownership began in October of 2014 in Wisconsin. Between October 2014 and Fall of 2018, I never drove the car in the winter. I had a second vehicle I used solely in the winters and thus annually winterized this Mercedes Benz in a heated and insulated garage from approximately mid-November to approximately April. In late 2018, I decided to sell my winter vehicle and purchase a set of factory authorized Mercedes Benz fitted winter tires. My goal was to downsize to one car with the understanding that I would use my wife’s vehicle in the winter and have the ability to rarely drive the CLK in the winter on an “as-needed” basis. This was a part of my agreement with my wife to retain this CLK. On the rare occasion I drove the car in the winter, I was pleasantly surprised that I never had wheel spin and that the traction control light never went off. This was likely for two reasons, one the vehicle was in “Winter” mode as opposed to “Sport/Summer'' mode. Also, I drove very gingerly. You’ll notice that the tires are headed into their four “winter” and still have 9/32” of tread depth remaining. As you can see from the underside photos taken in 2021, the vehicle shows little to no signs of rust other than “surface” oxidation according to my Mercedes Benz service advisor. I made sure to run the vehicle through my local car wash with an emphasis on an underbody wash whenever I did drive the car in the winter. Please note, the vehicle was garaged both at home and at work for my entire ownership period. You may be wondering why I’m selling. Due to wanting to start a family, my wife and I have decided that a medium sized SUV would be more appropriate for this new life stage we’ll be entering. I will happily check on this auction numerous times a day and will do my absolute best to be responsive to any thoughts, questions, concerns you may have as a potential bidder and future owner of this beautiful low mileage example. As you can see from the meticulous service and maintenance records that I provided, I've tried to be fair, transparent, and honest in the vehicle's current assessment and condition. I wish you all the best, happy holidays, looking forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions of this vehicle, chassis, and engine. Happy to chat with The MB Market staff, bidders, and answer any thoughts, questions, or provide any additional clarification on my ownership. 

@Steaknshrimp500 Thank you for sharing your experience! I agree wholeheartedly with you and congratulate you on getting a CLK550! What a beast it must be.