At $6,700, Could You Have Designs On This 2001 Mercedes CLK 430 Designo?

The original owner of today's Nice Price or No Dice CLK 430 is said to have been the wife of a Mercedes dealership owner. The mantra of "happy wife, happy life" suggests this Benz was well cared for during those years. Let's see if we care at all about its price right now.

When it comes to brand backing, no group is likely more avid than a carmaker owner's club. No matter what you drive, a club will likely take about fifty bucks a year for the privilege of hanging out with like-minded souls. On the club's About Us page, the MG Owner's Club boasts of being the "World's largest single marque car club." That's a curious claim, since the Porsche Owners Club claims it is the largest.

Regardless of such spurious bragging rights, the 1953 MG TD we looked at on Thursday would grant its next owner entry into the MG Club, and at $10,500, that next owner could brag to other club members about the deal they got on the purchase. At least that's the takeaway from the comments you all posted, and the energetic 82% 'Nice Price' win the classic roadster enjoyed.

Since yesterday's MG showed we were okay with dropping our tops, let's look at another convertible today, albeit one that's more modern, far more cosseting, and has twice the cylinders.

This 2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 represents an interesting tactic Mercedes used to position a model with E-Class styling and pricing, but based on the smaller, cheaper C-Class. Mercedes debuted the CLK in 1997 as a coupe, available with naturally aspirated or supercharged (Kompressor) four-cylinders, or a V6. Two years after launch, the coupe was joined by a convertible, built by coachbuilder Karmann in Osnabrück. At the same time, the CLK added a V8 to the range: the 275-horsepower, 4.3-liter M113. The only transmission available on the 430 was a five-speed 5G-Tronic automatic, making these cars cruisers, not bruisers. The model would go on to sire the CLK 55 AMG with an even larger, more powerful V8, and serve as the spiritual basis for the V12-powered mid-engine CLK GTR (cue Wayne and Garth "We're not worthy" meme).

The standard CLK proved fairly popular, selling more than a quarter million cars over its six-year model run, with a little over 80K of those finding their way into North American garages.

This drop top is notable for its history—as noted, it was initially owned and cared for by a Benz dealer family—and its spec. According to the ad, this CLK came from the factory with an upscale Designo Espresso interior featuring Nappa leather in a color that evokes memories of a beloved baseball glove from one's youth. That's matched with burlwood trim on the dash, steering wheel, console, and door trim. The matching piping on the factory floor mats is also a very nice touch. The pictures in the ad show some delamination of the leather on the driver's door card, but otherwise the interior looks to be in great condition and without any aftermarket crapola.

Craigslist

The exterior is painted Charcoal Metallic with a matching black canvas top and appears to have no major issues. Five-spoke AMG alloys have been fitted, with spacers to better fill the wheel arches, giving the car a solid, aggressive appearance. Those wheels appear to be totally free of curb rash and are wearing Continental tires. The seller says that this was originally a Texas car, so it's completely rust-free underneath.

As for the mechanicals, things are looking up as well. The ad notes the mileage to be a reasonable 116,000, with about 36,000 of that added by the present owner over the past 8 years of ownership. That's about 4,500 a year, which isn't all that much. The ad notes a litany of maintenance and repair work done on the car over that time and those miles. That work included the expected fluid changes and wear items, plus motors for one of the windows and the convertible top. When not being driven or worked on, the car has led a life of garage-protected bliss since new, or so the ad says. The seller also claims the car to be "...an extremely reliable car, and it pains me to sell it."

Well, painful or not, the decision has been made, and now the clean-title car is up for grabs. Per the ad, the seller prefers old-school phone calls over texting and advises, "If the ad is up, it is available."

As a fancy-pants Mercedes with unique features and a solid history, this CLK 430 should be worth considering at $6,700. One more point before we delve into that: Hagerty recently noted that 1997-2002 CLK 430s are on the rise, up 26% on average over the past year. It's fairly unique in that distinction, since most of the other cars highlighted in Hagerty's list of "Five Cars Gaining Value in a Split Market" are supercars like the Lamborghini Diablo.

With all that in mind—and no, there won't be a test later—we now need to discuss that $6,700 asking price. What's your take on this seemingly well-cared-for Benz at that outlay? Does that seem like a screaming deal for a Designo-imbued convertible? Or are there extenuating circumstances that might make that feel unfavorable?

You decide!

Portland, Oregon, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Hat tip to FauxShizzle for the hookup!

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