MB quality control has picked up esp. if you go for Dec.03 onwards production. CLKs provide elegance, luxury and style with a sport/performance package that no car can match...period! There can be irritating problems but it's usually worth it considering how you end up hooked on a 209. frankly , I don't think any American & US car manufacturer's can compete with the Japanese when it comes to quality control..eg. Lexus etc. One more thing... Watch out for the CLK 350 on the road soon. Frankly...if you can afford it..you can't loose with any V8 CLKs. After having said all this...no one can predict who ends up with a lemon!!
Best of luck!
Best of luck!