2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG

“I have owned the AMG for the last 2 years, having used it mainly as a weekend car to enjoy with the top down while listening to that superb engine note,” explains the vendor, Tom.

“It has a strong service history with a lot of stamps in the book, with six of those at Mercedes-Benz dealers and the rest at independent specialists. It passed an MOT in May of this year, with no advisories. I’ve also had it serviced within the last 200 miles at Mercedes-Benz Exeter, who carried out an ‘A’ service. Prior to that, in August 2021, Mercedes-Benz Exeter also completed a full ‘B’ service for me.”

Recent work of note in the last 18 months has included the following.

• Replacement OEM tonneau cover rams for the electric roof mechanism
• Replacement wheel speed sensor and Bosch battery
• New gearbox sump pan, gasket, oil filters, seals and gearbox oil, as well as a transmission service
• New front track rod ends, o/s/f lower arm (2022 MOT advisory)
• New bleeder valves and brake fluid change, new brake hoses (x4)
• New OEM NGK spark plugs (full set)

“In addition, the roof mechanism has been recently serviced, as well as the roof itself being treated, re-coloured and waterproofed to present it in its best condition.

“It’s such an elegant vehicle, yet one that has snarling performance from that 5.4-litre AMG V8; it’s equally adept at firing you down the road or simply cruising effortlessly, when required.”

Tom cites the arrival of a C63 AMG for turning his wife’s head. “The CLK55 AMG is now getting used far less than I would like, so it’s time we passed ownership on to someone else to enjoy it for the summer and beyond. I will be sad to see it go, as it’s one of the stylish cars of its era and still gets many comments from admirers to this day!”

The Bruno Sacco-penned lines of this generation Mercedes-Benz are really starting to mellow nicely, and today provide a good-looking modern classic proposition – our vendor pinpoints that as one key reason he himself bought the vehicle, “It really is an elegant car, and to my eyes perhaps one of his most timeless shapes.

“Overall, this is a really well looked after example. As you can see from the photos, the bodywork is generally in excellent condition for its age.” The paintwork presents very nicely, with panels displaying nice even shut lines.

“For complete transparency, there are a few areas which a discerning buyer needs to be aware of: there are two areas where there are slight paintwork blemishes and these are just above the passenger door handle, and the passenger-side front wheel arch – again, both can be seen in the pictures. There are also some small stone chips on the bonnet, and a few on the flanks, both commensurate with the age of the vehicle”.

The alloy wheels present well, although the next owner could well decide to refurbish them. Tyres are matching Continental items, each with a decent amount of tread remaining.

Up top, the recent restorative soft-top works have ensured that it is now in ‘as-new’ condition.

It’s a smart exterior picture.

The alloy wheels present well, although the next owner could well decide to refurbish them. Tyres are matching Continental items, each with a decent amount of tread remaining.

Up top, the recent restorative soft-top works have ensured that it is now in ‘as-new’ condition.

It’s a smart exterior picture.

Black leather interiors can often provide dark, brooding environments – no such, worries here, simply lower the top and hey presto, let there be light. In fact, the silver alloy dashboard and centre columns mean that even if it were a tin top, this car’s cabin would provide a light and airy proposition.

The leather, and there’s a considerable amount of it, remains in very good nick, with the +2s in the rear (as expected) looking brand new. Heck, even the driver’s seat (and wear prone outer bolster) remains sharp.

Carpets are excellent, as are door cards – although, there’s a touch of light creasing in the latter’s leather. No biggie, though.

Again, Tom is brutally honest with a couple of need-to-know snippets, “the Command screen has no picture, albeit the CDs and radio both still play as normal. There is also a faint intermittent clicking from the dashboard from time to time upon start up, but which stops quickly”.

All electrics function, including the all-important roof mechanism (helped by those new tonneau rams) and the electrically adjustable, heated front seats which are simply a must for a convertible.

Mechanically, Tom reckons the car is spot on and drives beautifully. As previously mentioned, it benefits from that recent ‘A’ service carried out at Mercedes-Benz Exeter and in turn, from the ‘B’ service the year before.

The service book shows the following:

• 7953 miles – ‘A’ service, Mercedes-Benz Croydon, 18/05/2005
• 14,702 miles – ‘B’ service, Mercedes-Benz Southend, 04/07/2007
• 18,060 miles – ‘A’ service, Mercedes-Benz Bishops Stortford, 17/07/2009
• Invoice for ‘B’ service at Mercedes-Benz Dartford, but no stamp!
• 25,664 miles – ‘B’ service, MotorAld Ltd, independent Mercedes Garage, 20/08/2013
• Invoice for ‘B’ service at Autotech Warwick, but no stamp!
• 53,161 miles – ‘A’ service, Autotech Warwick, 21/06/2017
• 60,150 miles – ‘A’ service, ALI Autocars, 29/06/2021
• 63,461 miles – ‘B’ service, Mercedes-Benz Exeter, 22/08/2022
• 63,825 miles – ‘A’ service, Mercedes-Benz Exeter, 22/08/2023

With the bonnet up, you will find a lovely looking, clean engine bay, with those three evocative letters ‘AMG’ sitting in pride of place.

The included V5c document in the Merc’s history file indicates a total of eight owners from new. You will also find the all-important service book, as well as invoices for the recent work carried out by Tom (totalling circa £1200). In addition, there is also a further selection of invoices from earlier in the car’s life, which again indicate the preventative and enforced maintenance carried out on the vehicle.

Finally, you will also find a recent online vehicle check showing no outstanding issues with the car in terms of outstanding finance, having been stolen, imported/exported or written off.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to an excellent standard.

Fancy a smooth drop-top cruiser with the ability to turn very quickly beastly under a heavy right foot? Well, here’s your chance, because this CLK55 AMG provides a serious dollop of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

In good condition, enthusiast owned and with attractive mileage and a decent history, we think it will realise somewhere between £10,000 and £15,000. What would those sorts of figures get you in the new car world? The answer is, not very much at all.

Buy it, factor in a little something, something for maintenance and get ready to go motoring in true Noughties style.

5.4-litres of V8 brutality in top-down form sounds good to us, how about you?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located at the vendor’s home in Okehampton, United Kingdom; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.