Lexus Is200 To Mercedes Clk230?

[JPWilson]

Hi guys...

Im posting this here as i always get some really good feedback and opinions, plus a lot of you have driven other cars....

I have a friend that has a Mercedes CLK230 Kompressor and he asked if id swap it for my IS200.

Same year, less miles etc...

Anyone think it would be worth doing, has anyone driven that particular car and has some feeedback on it?

I know its got a 2.3 engine with a supercharger....

Ant advice welcome... ;-)

[noby76]

apart from hearing stories of the merc models rusting due to age, cant think of any issues without you googling it tbh.. not sure if they will handle as well as the IS but will defo pull in staright line from that supercharge engine.. worth asking your mate why he wants to swap..

[JPWilson]

Well he's never had a Lexus and i've never had a Merc... its got one small bit of rust under an arch, which id get sorted...

Mine has some paint issues, slight bumper damage and being Keyed...

Just might be nice to have a change, thought id ask here as so many people here have driven Mercedes before and could probably give a comparison.

[noby76]

I will say go for it mate.. so long as you can insure and run it why not? enjoy when you get bored you can always come back to a Lex.. must admit I always loved the look of those CLK Mercs when they came out in late 97 early 98 they started the bubble eye headlight trend .. not sure how long superchargers last on those models just like a turbo charger a supercharger might not last the lifetime of the engine so worth making sure the charger is functioning ok to avoid big bills... I would just opt for a 320 model as its NA so wont require boost replacement at some point plus makes more power than the 230 Komp.

[JPWilson]

Yeah i have looked at the 320 but as this would be a straight swap, it would cost me nothing... unfortunately he has the 230 Kompressor.

Its done 127k which is less than my Lex, service up to 120k so it all seems ok..

I always get the feeling that id swap and then 1 month later it would explode and id have nothing ha ha

Ill chuck an image in so you can see what its like, let me know what you think mate?

[noby76]

looks good... full valet and alloys clean will bring out the paint work again. I think they solid cars minus the rust they tend to suffer with age.. take a test drive and if its mechanically sound i.e engine, gearbox and supercharger all working OK, then why not... some light smoke tints and AMG Deep dish alloys all round and you rolling JP :winky:

[JPWilson]

The paintwork looks pretty good, on one of the other photos its god bird ******* on it, he said he hasn't cleaned it for a month or so...

The alloys are the only thing i don't really like about it, as you say... i would in time get some better ones, if you had a choice, which alloys would you put on the car...

Pictures please ha ha ;-)

[noby76]

I think this models always wear these alloys well. but if you cant handle attention then don't fit them lol as they do draw a lot of attention due to their deep dish look. more of a Pimp daddy look... but am getting old these days lol so I leave things stock on my cars..

[JPWilson]

I like those, i think they look really good on the car... Bet there really cheap as well ha ha ;-)

Im trying to find some info on the supercharger.. i think its an Eaton roots supercharger, wanted to see the reliability and if its likely to last a while, they are not cheap....

[noby76]

yeh it makes it look something like this compared to the existing ones. yeh i'll say research as much as possible before you commit to the swap..

[JPWilson]

Im drooling a little bit over that Mercedes... Looks so good with those wheels on it

[petayV8]

I looked at CLKs when looking for a luxury auto car. really nice motors. I bet the suspension is nice, sometimes find the IS a bit firm for my liking. I treat it as a luxury saloon after all, i know its a sport saloon lol

[JPWilson]

Hi guys.. Just a quick update.

I'm both annoyed and glad today... Just driven a 300 mile round trip to look at the Merc and it was ropey as hell!!

Supposed to have one small patch of rust on an arch, once I started looking at it, it had rust on all the arches, they were all bubbling as well, all inside the arches were bad as well. Looked at the MOT and it had multiple advisories for corrosion on the arches, sills etc.

Inside was not good either, bits of broken plastic, dirty and then he started it and I don't know what a lumpy engine sounds like but if I had to guess then this was it.. Sounded like it'd been smoking 200 Marlborough a day for 10 years... Then when I put my Lexus next to it, well it's not even worth commenting.

Needless to say I left it there, the good bit was the drive... I don't do a lot of long driving and my car does not feel 12 years old, it pulls lovely, the inside is a really nice place to be... I've realised it's definitely the car I want to keep ;)

[bobbyc]

That must be very annoying, but it is clear your Lexus has plenty life left in it and when compared to a similar age and mileage Merc it seems to have won hands down.

[noby76]

Hi guys.. Just a quick update.

I'm both annoyed and glad today... Just driven a 300 mile round trip to look at the Merc and it was ropey as hell!!

Supposed to have one small patch of rust on an arch, once I started looking at it, it had rust on all the arches, they were all bubbling as well, all inside the arches were bad as well. Looked at the MOT and it had multiple advisories for corrosion on the arches, sills etc.

Inside was not good either, bits of broken plastic, dirty and then he started it and I don't know what a lumpy engine sounds like but if I had to guess then this was it.. Sounded like it'd been smoking 200 Marlborough a day for 10 years... Then when I put my Lexus next to it, well it's not even worth commenting.

Needless to say I left it there, the good bit was the drive... I don't do a lot of long driving and my car does not feel 12 years old, it pulls lovely, the inside is a really nice place to be... I've realised it's definitely the car I want to keep ;)

that's really annoying 300 mile trip and was all waste of time.. well I least you got to rediscover your IS again during your drive.. yes the CLK is a stunning looking car when done up and valeted like the one seen above but they are notorious for rusting where as I haven't seen any rust on my 12 year old IS3... have you test driven one yet?? all I can say is its an improved IS200 Sport worth considering if you want a change from the 200..

[North west beast]

Could have told u so lol, keep the lex,now u know why he wanted to swap lol

[JPWilson]

He's off my Xmas card list... Lol

My car is a million times better ;-)

[Flakmann]

Not surprised at the outcome. Mercs went through a bad patch `98 to `03 with rust problems. To combat this in 2003, they re-introduced using galvanised sheet steel in body production. This affected different models in different quarters of `03

Poor painting procedures were also blamed, together with the introduction of water based paints.

[JPWilson]

Yeah I'd looked into all the issues but was assured the car was fine, fine must mean awful in different parts of the world ;-)

Glad to be keeping my Lexus, which just doesn't miss a beat..