AMGnut88

i drove my c55 from NY to savannah GA and back for a wedding last weekend and she was a tank almost 1900 miles and not a problem.

bzliteyear

Nice car...looks well optioned, and nice wheel also. I LOVE my CLK55 w/ the same engine. My only comment is that depending on the age of your kids, perhaps you'd consider getting an E-class. The W210 E55's are super reliable and a bit more spacious(and better than the old 540i that we also had), and probably in the mid-teens. If you're going to stay in the mid-$20's, I think you can get a nice/clean W211 E55(almost)...and much nicer interior.
Let us know what you decide. Good luck.
Patrick

Chedeng88

I was in your shoes several months ago when I was looking for a sporty back-up coupe or sedan . I also test drove most of the cars you've listed above plus a G37 and an IS-F. Long story short, I went with the C55. It had everything I wanted -- power, decent driver feedback, nice interior (and needed -- 4 doors for the family man) at the right price point.

When I have decided that it was the one, I didn't pull the trigger right away on the first or nearest C55 I saw. I patiently waited for months for the right C55 to pop-up, checking ads almost daily, sending inquiries and haggling. The waiting paid off as I got one in excellent condition for $7K less than KBB value.

The one in your link seems to be in pretty good shape. The asking is a little too high though. Edmunds TMV is just $21.8K, so make sure to haggle and make the missing OEM rims a bargaining chip. I'm also curious why it recently failed emissions. So make sure to do a PPI before closing the deal. Goodluck!

jbgator

What was I thinking? I posted here last fall when I was negotiating on a C55. I couldn't quite come to terms on the car and 4 weeks later found an E500 that was nearly flawless and priced well. I rationalized that as a DD, I would be fine with the disconnected feel of the car has and that it was 'quick enough'. https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/crazy.gif

Well, five months later, I am looking again. The bank would happily let me spend stupid money on a car, but I just can't rationalize anything to far north of $30K. No matter what I test drive or look at - I keep coming back to the C55. This week I drove a 996 911 which was a blast and I looked at an E46 M3, but just couldn't bring myself to even drive it (feels very "I just graduated from college and look what daddy bought me.").

I am looking at the C55 in the link below. It is nearly flawless, but is missing nav and Xenon headlamps. The dealer is asking north of $29K and I think the car is worth $26K - any thoughts?

http://www.straightlineautomotivegro...allas/1022724/

JB

Viper98912

That car isn't worth even $20k. It's got no options. Plus, look at the different colored center caps on the wheels. I think we've seen this one before.

F1Bobby

There are some nice ones out there!

jbgator

Nice catch on the center caps. Can't believe I missed that since I noted the tires were mismatched. Obviously a wheel swap. Looks like I will be placing the E500 on the market and begin a gain.

Thanks guys!!

merc21491

Great write up! I have my eyes on an '05 C55 but wasn't sure how the car would hold up with daily stop and go traffic.

The commute from Riverside County to San Diego County can be a bit painful sometimes.