Just to be clear, we couldn’t book a hotel as an alternative as I needed to get back to London for family commitments that weekend. Do you think this was a good idea?
Love the Merc, get rid of that hideous grille and put the original back on with the 3 pointed star on top of the bonnet leading the way, have it detailed, and enjoy a comfortable, reliable cruiser that seems to age gracefully....hey just think of it as a starter legendary CLK GTR LEMANS super car haha
The nearest train station would have been over an hour drive away, nobody could have given us a lift in time with all of our luggage, and yes, probably would have cost hundreds, whereas with the Merc I’ll likely make money
@@somalianpirate47 Well ours was completely problem AND somehow rust free up to 18 years of age and 280k km-s, where we sold it. If you maintain them well they really are reliable cars, just gotta be careful about rust.
What I struggle to understand is how a LR specialist who produced a “to fix” list as part of their arrangement with your channel, and has been all over the underside of that vehicle to do the suspension failed to spot brake pipes that were about to go pop. I’d be pretty upset and I am sure they must be seriously embarrassed at missing such a dangerous fault.
I think I would be pretty upset with the specialist you have just spent 3k with who have had it up on a ramp replacing suspension arms and I thought you mentioned front brake components. “Really not a great advertisement for them to miss something like corroded brake pipes”!
Joel, you are going to adore that car. I used to own a CLK 320 2003 model, it was a MK2 model tho but same engine as yours i suppose. This thing was really reliable and really ahead of its time. I actually went with it from London To Greece in summer 2020 and back, in total of around 6.000 kms (with 1.000km driven in Greece) car was really reliable. But i unfortunately had to sell it because of ULEZ. I hope you enjoy the car. 🙂
Those "been bags" are actually reusable moisture absorbers which are quite useful this time of the year,... in an old convertible... with a potential water leak or two ;-) Re; Range Rover Life, I do feel your pain Joel having owned a V8 RR myself. One thing that I remember the most from my 2.5 year ownership is they (Range Rovers) absolutely love the taste of your wallet on all accounts, not just the Go Go juice. You throw a bunch of parts at it and the following day the Range Rover decides it wants some more ... usually the expensive, main dealer only parts.
Would not have known that. So the technical term would be 'desiccant bags', like the little inserts shippers put in boxes to suck up moisture from the air. A home-made way to do that is to fill a pair of old socks with kitty litter and stick them underneath the seats and in other areas of a car's interior.
Only a true petrolhead would make the man maths work to making buying an old Merc seem like a logical option! Brilliant! Damn you Joel, now I’m on the Bay of E looking for one.
Awesome purchase! Dump the Range Rover! I want to see road trips with this beast! And some detailing, getting it in mint state, maybe tune up that 3.2l to the limit
@@itsjoel oof Bentley is one of the most unreliable cars ever re sold. Even tho I am also a fan of Bentley if you think your range rover is bad, just do a whole lot of research first😂
@@timothydolk3606 only difference is the Phaeton W12 is naturally aspirated whereas the Conti GT/Flying Spud are twin turbo. Also, the pre VW Bentleys are very reliable, with a ludicrously understressed big-block pushrod V8 coupled to a General Motors automatic gearbox (Turbo 400/4L80E) which is commonly used in drag racing with up to 5000bhp being put through it... the later V8s used a VAG reworked version of the Bridgnorth big block, coupled to a ZF autobox (not quite as strong as the old GM box, but more ratios, better economy and still robust enough to withstand up to 1100Nm torque). Even since they discontinued the big V8, VAG has continued to employ its manufacturer, Grainger & Worrall, to do all their prototyping work. G&W also cast and build Koenigsegg's engines, which have to withstand extraordinarily high boost pressures and high RPM.
Loved this one! A mate and I went halves on one of these when we were at uni, bought it with 166k on the clock for £750. It was quick and kept us poor due to insurance and fuel. Some great memories in that thing.
That Merc is a hidden gem. Looks a beauty & will be infinitely more reliable than the Rangie. The Rangie will be great for content (and your mechanics bank balance) but awful for your bank account and stress levels! I think the Merc looks great alongside the BMW & Porsche in your driveway. Keep the old girl & get her done up, will be cracking content.
So your Range Rover "Specialists" missed your brake lines on your own RR, didn't they also lend you the RR to do your Scotland Trip? which broke down! Time to find a new specialist I think.
I once, back in about 2003, bought a Volvo 440 for £37 in Ipswich where I was staying for the weekend. It was cheaper than taxi fares. I then drove it back to the North East of England, used it until the tax and MOT ran out and sold it for £84 on ebay.
I've had 3 CLK's all cabrios and never had a problem with any of them, the last one was a 3.5 it was a such a great car, I actually owned this car twice, I traded it in for a RR vogue and missed it so much I went back to the garage and bought it back from them 2 weeks later, the RR gave me so many problems I'm glad I had the CLK to fall back on, I eventually sold the RR. I do understand that when a RR is going good they are the best, but it's just not worth the hassle when they go wrong. Love the channel keep up the good work..
Keep that beauty ! Or at least spend some more time with it. Would love to see it detailed and restored a bit, these models ars massively underrated, as is this era of Mercedes. An era of comfort that was centered around feel and quality, rather than gismo's. And it's also quite a lot more reliable than your range rover 😅. Love your content, would love to see more of this (nowadays quite rare) beast !
I have the same model and year here in Spain, albeit with around 40K miles on it and in pretty much as new condition. The engine is immensely reliable the only issue you may have on that generation of Mercedes in the U.K. is rust. Having watched a few of your videos now I would think you would be better off tidying up the Mercedes and getting rid of the Range Rover before the next inevitable breakdown. Would also drive better with smaller original wheels, I’d also change the silly after market grill.
Love this car! Not a fan of the aftermarket grille and it’s missing bonnet ornament but it looks like a wonderful machine! I have an E-class of the same era and that single wiper is one of my favourite unique quirks. I would love to see more content with this budget Mercedes if possible and kinda wish you would keep it 😂, love the video and your channel!
Great vid mate! I own a FFRR L405 and I bought a CLK320 convertible this summer as a “project” with a view to it being a future classic and I love it! Just make sure the roof works, get it detailed and drive it some more! Those 3.2 V6 engines are bombproof and when tidied up they’re a real head turner in the summer with the roof down! I paid £1000 for mine and it came with a private reg which has since been valued at £400 so realistically only paid £600 but I’ve already spent a further £1500 on preventative maintenance, gearbox and coolant flush, springs all round, new sound system, upgraded lights all round, wheels refurbished and new tyres and an engine seal kit and spark plugs to do myself over the winter. Enjoy it mate, you won’t regret it 👍🏻😎
My friend used to have a clk320 convertible in blue years ago. Only spent short amount of time in it but having top down a summers day with that v6 sound was a good feeling
It is a very reliable car. I have the 99 e320 sedan and it's a smooth, decently powerful car. The engine is a 3v twin spark engine and is the first v6 mercedes ever made, even basing the v8 varient off of the v6. Even with the miles climbing up itll still be reliable. I'd keep it as a back up car or the ol beater. And the coupes are pretty cool and stylish in my opinion.
Bean bags are moisture absorbers - microwave them to 'reset' them. Then stick them in the Rangie behind the trim either side in the boot to prevent moisture in your electricals!
Welcome to the world of Merc! The foot brake is a quirk common to all the Mercs I've driven. I had a 99 CLK 230K Cab for 9 years. Totally reliable, great cruiser, lovely in summer with the roof down. Servicing and MOTs were suprprisingly cheap. Merc have always claimed low TCO, and I must agree. On my second Merc now, and loving it. Had one Land Rover - a Disco3 - never again!
Get it a good detailing fix up the paintwork and you have a very cheap reliable future classic car . Sell your Range Rover and find a good P38 (not easy but they are out there) instead and both cars will definitely increase in value while you enjoy them. Sean
Would be good to see how they clean that roof up, my C70's roof is going the same way as I drive the 35i every day and I bet I'm not the only one. Good vid mate.
I’d absolutely see what can be done with that interior. Knowing Mercs it will come up really well, as will the roof with some Renovo roof cleaner and weather proofer (easily the best stuff and you can hang on to it and use it on your Porsche). From a content point of view perhaps drive it to Stuttgart? And you need to get rid of the Rangie. It’s gonna break you man.
Agreed on the renovo re colouring. But I found Johnson's non perfumed baby shampoo cleaned my Saab roof better than the renovo cleaner (which took forever to stop foaming, and I used tent water proofer,which is 1/3 the price of the renovo proofer.
Honestly, with how much trouble that Range Rover has been I think it’s a question of how much longer will it be affordable to even keep on the road. I’ve always liked that shape of CLK and if I were in your position, I’d sell that and the Range Rover, then buy a CLK55 AMG.
Those bean bags seem to be silica bags which suck moisture out of the air, as convertibles never seal properly. If that is what they are put them in the oven for 90 min on lowest heat to drive the water out.
Perfect car for a road trip to the Riviera once it's sorted. If ever you do sell, you should make your money back easily. Just put some period correct wheels and the correct grille back on it...
Awesome video and a great purchase!! You should definitely take it to be detailed… might be worth doing a light restoration on it. Get the bodywork smart repaired and get it back on a nice set of original wheels… enjoy it and bin off the Range Rover!
You should get the cosmetics painted, valet it and run it for a few years, it will not cost you a fortune and it’s a great car, right engine great wheels, you will not be disappointed.
The bean bags are humidity bags, they absorb damp, then you warm them/microwave them to dry them, then re use. Implies that the roof leaks/the drain channels are blocked?
Yes I think you did the right thing buying it. Why not keep it. You could do something crazy with it like make it amphibious, or try to restore it to its former glory on a shoestring budget. Then sell it.
Those bean bags are to put by your front and back windows and they are meant to help demist the windscreens when it’s cold overnight etc. I’ve never found them that effective though
Don't give up on the Rangie! It can be a love hate relationship, patience and a good garage is what is needed. I have had 2 L322's, first one was more of a hate relationship but the one I currently have is amazing, reliable and had for 4 years. I feel you though, tough when it keeps bringing up faults.
Get it fixed up! It deserves a better life! Just make sure to get the underbody coated with some Dinitrol or something, so it doesn't rust. Mechanically though, these cars are gems! Some of, if not the last reliable Mercedes cars mechanically.
Keep the merc, and get some tinkering done, especially to that exhaust 🤣 On a serious note do it up with some servicing and ivalet etc and sell it for profit 📈
You can buy a cheap merc or bmw from that time period and they last and don’t cost a fortune to maintain. I owned a bmw e36 coupe on 64,000 sold it on 160,000 and had relatively low maintenance costs. Later stuff even on low mileage costs a fortune.
Everything that happened made for a great video in the end! My advice is to get rid of the Range Rover and keep the Merc. The RR will keep emptying your bank account, I know from experience.
Hey Joel, would really like you to do a clip on what went wrong with your Range Rover brakes. I have a 2003 L322 also and would like to avoid a similar failure...
When I travel very long distances overseas I always make sure I have some cash set aside to buy a cheap runner in the event of a catastrophic breakdown, and actually UK is one of the cheapest counties to buy a basically ok cheap runner. People who live in the UK complain about road tax and insurance costs, but honestly UK is not bad for tax and insurance, and used cars are amongst the cheapest in the world. On the Range Rover, loss of fluid on one side at the rear should only bring down one brake circuit, the other should at least allow you to limp along at low speed with the ability to brake and stop. The pedal will go down an alarming long way, but it should still work. Brakes can fail on any car and are not at all unique to Range Rover, this is why MOT testers often fail brake pipes on the first sign of corrosion.
Love the video, what a great find & the video of your experience was awesome. You had to get home, so I think you did the right thing 😃 Get it detailed and sell it if thats what you want to do, I'm sure you will get your money back plus more. Well done Joel.
Chin up Joel as you and I both know better the devil you no , let’s take a moment to think about the people in the newer cars loosing 1000sin depreciation 1000s on finance payments and still having maintenance to do once it’s sorted your going to enjoy it , I have been through all this with my s type , rover 75 , and my e class looking forward to updates as and when you can 🤗
Not sure if it is answered but the bean bags are dehumidifiers which you can microwave. Saw the Instagram post about needing a car and I thought this might of happened. Shame as the Range Rover is objectively nice.
A valet would definitley be good, you can probably keep it as a winter beater and then sell come spring when convertibles are back in season. More or less get your £1k back minus running costs.
Great buy, do it up, get it detailed properly and get the paint and interior as good as it can get without painting it. That would be a good daily and easily double your money when you sell it, I actually think it looks cool.
Not sure on the colour but that was a great deal for a future classic. The owner reviews are excellent as are many UA-cam vids. These are so cheap right now, get the right colour and have it detailed it looks every inch the 30k car it was. Not many real 4 seater verts out there so pretty useful for a couples day out sightseeing. Sold my e36 last year, getting this merc next.
I have a 52 Mercedes CLK 320 Avant gaurd great car mine is similar condition to your red one Bordeux red I think colour maybe.. I have owned it 5 years.. It needs work New brakes all round..calipers and discs. Bodywork at some point needs attention. They are really good on fuel £55 it cost me wales to London and back it was at 99p a litre days.. I would love to see a valet video on it.. More so it would be really interesting see exactly what body work needs doing Mine is a lilac colour with blue coloured roof interior on mine is really nice just needs cleaning up. But on the bodywork side i am not sure to which way to go with it get small local repairs and then one day a full respray but my subframe needs addresing first so may go to underside of car and have those areas covered..
Never seen a Mk1 CLK with that grill, looks great! Would be good to see a video on getting it detailed as it has got plenty of life left in it, Plus you would make a bit more when you sell
Just to be clear, we couldn’t book a hotel as an alternative as I needed to get back to London for family commitments that weekend. Do you think this was a good idea?
Joe Bezos
You'll sell it the other end in London for double and it'll pay for new brake lines!
Love the Merc, get rid of that hideous grille and put the original back on with the 3 pointed star on top of the bonnet leading the way, have it detailed, and enjoy a comfortable, reliable cruiser that seems to age gracefully....hey just think of it as a starter legendary CLK GTR LEMANS super car haha
The nearest train station would have been over an hour drive away, nobody could have given us a lift in time with all of our luggage, and yes, probably would have cost hundreds, whereas with the Merc I’ll likely make money
Great idea!
I'd love to see that thing detailed, they're immensely reliable cars and deserve a better life.
Engines are great, bodies rust and fall apart as soon as you even think of moisture
Trust me they are not reliable mine was a complete money pit
@@somalianpirate47 Well ours was completely problem AND somehow rust free up to 18 years of age and 280k km-s, where we sold it. If you maintain them well they really are reliable cars, just gotta be careful about rust.
@Teamgeist yea, u just bought a lemon. buy a good car.
@Teamgeist the obvious twit is you, speaking through your arse and probably never having owned one.
Definitely bring it to get detailed!
Love detailing videos!
Will be coming soon!
What I struggle to understand is how a LR specialist who produced a “to fix” list as part of their arrangement with your channel, and has been all over the underside of that vehicle to do the suspension failed to spot brake pipes that were about to go pop. I’d be pretty upset and I am sure they must be seriously embarrassed at missing such a dangerous fault.
I'd look into the CLK as well as the rear lines corrode easily along the underpan and rear axle.
I think I would be pretty upset with the specialist you have just spent 3k with who have had it up on a ramp replacing suspension arms and I thought you mentioned front brake components. “Really not a great advertisement for them to miss something like corroded brake pipes”!
Dump the Rangie, get all the mods off that and fix it up. Love it.
I'm sure it'd been said, but it doesn't say much for your Landrover "specialists" in Richmond
Joel, you are going to adore that car. I used to own a CLK 320 2003 model, it was a MK2 model tho but same engine as yours i suppose. This thing was really reliable and really ahead of its time. I actually went with it from London To Greece in summer 2020 and back, in total of around 6.000 kms (with 1.000km driven in Greece) car was really reliable. But i unfortunately had to sell it because of ULEZ. I hope you enjoy the car. 🙂
Καλά του είπες ρε συ. Του έτριξες τα δόντια
@@mrkyy9868 σκασε, ρενο μονο
Those "been bags" are actually reusable moisture absorbers which are quite useful this time of the year,... in an old convertible... with a potential water leak or two ;-)
Re; Range Rover Life, I do feel your pain Joel having owned a V8 RR myself. One thing that I remember the most from my 2.5 year ownership is they (Range Rovers) absolutely love the taste of your wallet on all accounts, not just the Go Go juice. You throw a bunch of parts at it and the following day the Range Rover decides it wants some more ... usually the expensive, main dealer only parts.
Would not have known that. So the technical term would be 'desiccant bags', like the little inserts shippers put in boxes to suck up moisture from the air.
A home-made way to do that is to fill a pair of old socks with kitty litter and stick them underneath the seats and in other areas of a car's interior.
Range Robber more like!
@@paddrivers ... 🙈🤣👍🏼
Only a true petrolhead would make the man maths work to making buying an old Merc seem like a logical option! Brilliant! Damn you Joel, now I’m on the Bay of E looking for one.
8:55 the mono-wiper is actually quite genious, it covers more than regular wipers with 2 blades, because it extends up at the same time it wipes
Awesome purchase! Dump the Range Rover! I want to see road trips with this beast! And some detailing, getting it in mint state, maybe tune up that 3.2l to the limit
Definitely get it valeted. Especially with the hood being so filthy it’ll be a good test!
Keep the Mercedes!
If you ever decide to sell the 7 series, I would love to see a VW Phaeton as a replacement!
I’ve always loved the Phaeton, but what about a Bentley continental flying spur?
@@itsjoel oof Bentley is one of the most unreliable cars ever re sold. Even tho I am also a fan of Bentley if you think your range rover is bad, just do a whole lot of research first😂
@@timothydolk3606 the Spud and Phaeton are the same damn car...
@@richardharrold9736 I didn't know that my bad
@@timothydolk3606 only difference is the Phaeton W12 is naturally aspirated whereas the Conti GT/Flying Spud are twin turbo. Also, the pre VW Bentleys are very reliable, with a ludicrously understressed big-block pushrod V8 coupled to a General Motors automatic gearbox (Turbo 400/4L80E) which is commonly used in drag racing with up to 5000bhp being put through it... the later V8s used a VAG reworked version of the Bridgnorth big block, coupled to a ZF autobox (not quite as strong as the old GM box, but more ratios, better economy and still robust enough to withstand up to 1100Nm torque). Even since they discontinued the big V8, VAG has continued to employ its manufacturer, Grainger & Worrall, to do all their prototyping work. G&W also cast and build Koenigsegg's engines, which have to withstand extraordinarily high boost pressures and high RPM.
Loved this one! A mate and I went halves on one of these when we were at uni, bought it with 166k on the clock for £750. It was quick and kept us poor due to insurance and fuel. Some great memories in that thing.
That Merc is a hidden gem. Looks a beauty & will be infinitely more reliable than the Rangie. The Rangie will be great for content (and your mechanics bank balance) but awful for your bank account and stress levels! I think the Merc looks great alongside the BMW & Porsche in your driveway. Keep the old girl & get her done up, will be cracking content.
So your Range Rover "Specialists" missed your brake lines on your own RR, didn't they also lend you the RR to do your Scotland Trip? which broke down! Time to find a new specialist I think.
This is why buying the rangie was such a good call, all sorts of content presents itself!
I suppose that’s a positive way of looking at it!
Hi Joel . I'm first. Good to see you . It was the time to got a Mercedes ! It's a very beautiful car and pretty reliable.
Have a good day Joel ! 👋
I still think you're mad for doing this but what's even crazier is that it was the best option financially! 😂
I once, back in about 2003, bought a Volvo 440 for £37 in Ipswich where I was staying for the weekend. It was cheaper than taxi fares. I then drove it back to the North East of England, used it until the tax and MOT ran out and sold it for £84 on ebay.
I brought a mondeo in Lincoln for scap price at the time 60 pounds drove it home to grimsby and sold it a week later for 700 pounds
I've had 3 CLK's all cabrios and never had a problem with any of them, the last one was a 3.5 it was a such a great car, I actually owned this car twice, I traded it in for a RR vogue and missed it so much I went back to the garage and bought it back from them 2 weeks later, the RR gave me so many problems I'm glad I had the CLK to fall back on, I eventually sold the RR. I do understand that when a RR is going good they are the best, but it's just not worth the hassle when they go wrong. Love the channel keep up the good work..
Keep that beauty ! Or at least spend some more time with it. Would love to see it detailed and restored a bit, these models ars massively underrated, as is this era of Mercedes. An era of comfort that was centered around feel and quality, rather than gismo's. And it's also quite a lot more reliable than your range rover 😅. Love your content, would love to see more of this (nowadays quite rare) beast !
I have the same model and year here in Spain, albeit with around 40K miles on it and in pretty much as new condition. The engine is immensely reliable the only issue you may have on that generation of Mercedes in the U.K. is rust. Having watched a few of your videos now I would think you would be better off tidying up the Mercedes and getting rid of the Range Rover before the next inevitable breakdown. Would also drive better with smaller original wheels, I’d also change the silly after market grill.
yes the grille has to go lol
Love this car! Not a fan of the aftermarket grille and it’s missing bonnet ornament but it looks like a wonderful machine! I have an E-class of the same era and that single wiper is one of my favourite unique quirks. I would love to see more content with this budget Mercedes if possible and kinda wish you would keep it 😂, love the video and your channel!
Keep it for a while, it's a nice car with a bit of class, it would be interesting to see how it scrubs up.
Great vid mate! I own a FFRR L405 and I bought a CLK320 convertible this summer as a “project” with a view to it being a future classic and I love it! Just make sure the roof works, get it detailed and drive it some more! Those 3.2 V6 engines are bombproof and when tidied up they’re a real head turner in the summer with the roof down! I paid £1000 for mine and it came with a private reg which has since been valued at £400 so realistically only paid £600 but I’ve already spent a further £1500 on preventative maintenance, gearbox and coolant flush, springs all round, new sound system, upgraded lights all round, wheels refurbished and new tyres and an engine seal kit and spark plugs to do myself over the winter. Enjoy it mate, you won’t regret it 👍🏻😎
My friend used to have a clk320 convertible in blue years ago. Only spent short amount of time in it but having top down a summers day with that v6 sound was a good feeling
It is a very reliable car. I have the 99 e320 sedan and it's a smooth, decently powerful car. The engine is a 3v twin spark engine and is the first v6 mercedes ever made, even basing the v8 varient off of the v6. Even with the miles climbing up itll still be reliable. I'd keep it as a back up car or the ol beater. And the coupes are pretty cool and stylish in my opinion.
Bean bags are moisture absorbers - microwave them to 'reset' them. Then stick them in the Rangie behind the trim either side in the boot to prevent moisture in your electricals!
Love my old 260E as well! Still the comfiest seats I have ever had in a car, and I'm currently driving a Jag XJ8
What a great purchase, I watched the detail video first and you really did well it came up beautifully
Welcome to the world of Merc! The foot brake is a quirk common to all the Mercs I've driven. I had a 99 CLK 230K Cab for 9 years. Totally reliable, great cruiser, lovely in summer with the roof down. Servicing and MOTs were suprprisingly cheap. Merc have always claimed low TCO, and I must agree. On my second Merc now, and loving it. Had one Land Rover - a Disco3 - never again!
The bean bags you mentioned are supposed to remove moisture you can buy them on Amazon
Get it a good detailing fix up the paintwork and you have a very cheap reliable future classic car . Sell your Range Rover and find a good P38 (not easy but they are out there) instead and both cars will definitely increase in value while you enjoy them.
Sean
Them engines with a massive intake makes that v6 roar into life
I actually own one of these! It’s currently sat in my flats car park under a cover! But I own one as-well! Keep it around for a minute!
Congrats on the new car, we also have just bought a convertible mercedes for £1000, it was a 2000 slk 230 though so much smaller.
Would be good to see how they clean that roof up, my C70's roof is going the same way as I drive the 35i every day and I bet I'm not the only one. Good vid mate.
Always wanted one of these, love the classic Mercedes shape. I’ve owned a 2008 CLK for a few years and has to be one of the best cars I’ve owned!!
I’d absolutely see what can be done with that interior. Knowing Mercs it will come up really well, as will the roof with some Renovo roof cleaner and weather proofer (easily the best stuff and you can hang on to it and use it on your Porsche).
From a content point of view perhaps drive it to Stuttgart?
And you need to get rid of the Rangie. It’s gonna break you man.
Agreed on the renovo re colouring. But I found Johnson's non perfumed baby shampoo cleaned my Saab roof better than the renovo cleaner (which took forever to stop foaming, and I used tent water proofer,which is 1/3 the price of the renovo proofer.
@@brianiswrong wow cool. I’ve never heard of that trick, will definitely try it.
Honestly, with how much trouble that Range Rover has been I think it’s a question of how much longer will it be affordable to even keep on the road.
I’ve always liked that shape of CLK and if I were in your position, I’d sell that and the Range Rover, then buy a CLK55 AMG.
Will have to see how much longer I can endure this Range Rover lifestyle. This is my first merc, so hopefully it gets me into the brand
Definitely go for the valet... also love to see more videos on this mercedes. Maybe keep it for a couple of months :)
Those bean bags seem to be silica bags which suck moisture out of the air, as convertibles never seal properly. If that is what they are put them in the oven for 90 min on lowest heat to drive the water out.
Perfect car for a road trip to the Riviera once it's sorted. If ever you do sell, you should make your money back easily. Just put some period correct wheels and the correct grille back on it...
Awesome video and a great purchase!! You should definitely take it to be detailed… might be worth doing a light restoration on it. Get the bodywork smart repaired and get it back on a nice set of original wheels… enjoy it and bin off the Range Rover!
i have one of these same year, that car will never let you down.
You should get the cosmetics painted, valet it and run it for a few years, it will not cost you a fortune and it’s a great car, right engine great wheels, you will not be disappointed.
The bean bags are humidity bags, they absorb damp, then you warm them/microwave them to dry them, then re use.
Implies that the roof leaks/the drain channels are blocked?
Yes I think you did the right thing buying it. Why not keep it. You could do something crazy with it like make it amphibious, or try to restore it to its former glory on a shoestring budget. Then sell it.
detail it, then get that scuff on the bumper buffed out, relist it for £1500. easy profit its a well looked after car
The way that single wiper works it actually clears more screen than two.
Quality bonus content!
Those bean bags are to put by your front and back windows and they are meant to help demist the windscreens when it’s cold overnight etc. I’ve never found them that effective though
Don't give up on the Rangie! It can be a love hate relationship, patience and a good garage is what is needed. I have had 2 L322's, first one was more of a hate relationship but the one I currently have is amazing, reliable and had for 4 years.
I feel you though, tough when it keeps bringing up faults.
Why play Russian roulette with reliability?
There are numerous SUV's with similar cache and capabilities that are far more reliable and durable
Get it fixed up! It deserves a better life! Just make sure to get the underbody coated with some Dinitrol or something, so it doesn't rust. Mechanically though, these cars are gems! Some of, if not the last reliable Mercedes cars mechanically.
Keep the merc, and get some tinkering done, especially to that exhaust 🤣
On a serious note do it up with some servicing and ivalet etc and sell it for profit 📈
Please keep it and detail it! Two cabs in the collection, what an ideal pair
I've got same color, same engine c208 waiting to have some spare money to be restored. Such underrated cars
Great Vid mate as always. Keep up the good work 👍
Love the 80s style sound track towards the end as you drive through the night. Nice one ☝️
What a nice CLK 😍 Please make a deatail video of it ✅
i think keep this car, detail it and straight pipe it. It's a lovely cruiser + covertible for a £1000
Show it some love…. It got u guys home safely 👍
Yes, get it detailed
Get it detailed and change the alloys to the R302 Mercedes wheels and it’ll look a treat👍
Think you did the right thing for sure. Glad all is ok and wish you the best. Excellent vid and a positive spin. Hope all works out well man 😃
Love your videos mate I lost my dad on 14 th oct they keep my mind busy thank u mate
I’d love to see that given a freshen up Joel
Them bags are an indication theres a water leak somewhere,common on old drop tops! Moisture absorption things
Perhaps I missed it with the windy start to the vid., but what is the mileage of the Merc.? They are usually unbreakable and very comfortable.
You can buy a cheap merc or bmw from that time period and they last and don’t cost a fortune to maintain. I owned a bmw e36 coupe on 64,000 sold it on 160,000 and had relatively low maintenance costs. Later stuff even on low mileage costs a fortune.
Everything that happened made for a great video in the end! My advice is to get rid of the Range Rover and keep the Merc. The RR will keep emptying your bank account, I know from experience.
Hey Joel, would really like you to do a clip on what went wrong with your Range Rover brakes. I have a 2003 L322 also and would like to avoid a similar failure...
We bought a clk320 for £600 and we loved it
Those were very nice cars when they first came out and are still desirable. It needs a good wash and detail
My friend has an L322, and forever getting it repaired, nice to drive, when it's not in the repair shop.
I love videos like these Joel!
When I travel very long distances overseas I always make sure I have some cash set aside to buy a cheap runner in the event of a catastrophic breakdown, and actually UK is one of the cheapest counties to buy a basically ok cheap runner. People who live in the UK complain about road tax and insurance costs, but honestly UK is not bad for tax and insurance, and used cars are amongst the cheapest in the world. On the Range Rover, loss of fluid on one side at the rear should only bring down one brake circuit, the other should at least allow you to limp along at low speed with the ability to brake and stop. The pedal will go down an alarming long way, but it should still work. Brakes can fail on any car and are not at all unique to Range Rover, this is why MOT testers often fail brake pipes on the first sign of corrosion.
Great video Joel 👍🏻 what a bargain and great way to get home. Detailing for sure!
Mercedes is a keeper. Nice car particularly on Cabrio guise. Nice purchase for £1000
Old cars like the Merc excite me more than expensive super cars. Great video as always mate, best of luck getting the RR home
Wooden sticks and that little device were air fresheners to hang from the rear mirror! Like a cinnamon stick or what have you.
Never seen those wheels before, they look really cool!
Definitely brings the ol' Merc up a bit in styling.
Brilliant. Looking forward to this. Cheers, Jon.
joel i can tell you now mate that these vids will make your channel big dude ...brilliant content bruva
Love the video, what a great find & the video of your experience was awesome.
You had to get home, so I think you did the right thing 😃 Get it detailed and sell it if thats what you want to do, I'm sure you will get your money back plus more.
Well done Joel.
Chin up Joel as you and I both know better the devil you no , let’s take a moment to think about the people in the newer cars loosing 1000sin depreciation 1000s on finance payments and still having maintenance to do once it’s sorted your going to enjoy it , I have been through all this with my s type , rover 75 , and my e class looking forward to updates as and when you can 🤗
Not sure if it is answered but the bean bags are dehumidifiers which you can microwave. Saw the Instagram post about needing a car and I thought this might of happened. Shame as the Range Rover is objectively nice.
I love how helicopter chartering is thought of as a reasonable option...
Nice Mercedes at a good price too, Range Rovers are awesome car but the moral of the story is make sure you have good breakdown cover and deep pockets
Old Mercs are great! Comfy cars, they do use a bit of fuel though.
A valet would definitley be good, you can probably keep it as a winter beater and then sell come spring when convertibles are back in season. More or less get your £1k back minus running costs.
Great buy, do it up, get it detailed properly and get the paint and interior as good as it can get without painting it. That would be a good daily and easily double your money when you sell it, I actually think it looks cool.
Not sure on the colour but that was a great deal for a future classic. The owner reviews are excellent as are many UA-cam vids. These are so cheap right now, get the right colour and have it detailed it looks every inch the 30k car it was. Not many real 4 seater verts out there so pretty useful for a couples day out sightseeing. Sold my e36 last year, getting this merc next.
I have a 52 Mercedes CLK 320 Avant gaurd great car mine is similar condition to your red one Bordeux red I think colour maybe..
I have owned it 5 years.. It needs work New brakes all round..calipers and discs.
Bodywork at some point needs attention.
They are really good on fuel £55 it cost me wales to London and back it was at 99p a litre days..
I would love to see a valet video on it..
More so it would be really interesting see exactly what body work needs doing Mine is a lilac colour with blue coloured roof interior on mine is really nice just needs cleaning up. But on the bodywork side i am not sure to which way to go with it get small local repairs and then one day a full respray but my subframe needs addresing first so may go to underside of car and have those areas covered..
Love this channel, and as a Range Rover owner who *always* has his car at the mechanic, I feel your pain 😭
Never seen a Mk1 CLK with that grill, looks great! Would be good to see a video on getting it detailed as it has got plenty of life left in it,
Plus you would make a bit more when you sell
Your creativity always impresses me!
Some good content to be had from that Merc. An appreciating model. Get it cleaned up and I reckon you won't lose a penny on it.
A good point about filling up with E5.
Definitely get the cheap lifesaver Merc detailed, you owe it that 😉