PeteyV

Came across this 2005 C55 on autotrader while I was looking for cars. It has lower miles for its year and looks to be in a "good" condition from the pictures. I contacted the seller and asked him a few questions.

When I asked about maintenance history he said that he did not regularly maintain it and only put on 27K in the 6 years that he had it.

I asked how many owners and he said he is listed as the 4th but the dealer that got the trade in was the 3rd.

He sent me some photos on my phone and I noticed that the wheels have some paint chipping and curb rash which I am okay with because I will use them as a winter set.

The Mercedes badge is missing on the engine cover and the passenger side air intake tube is bent at the front of the grill. He says the car has never been in an accident but this looks like it may have been in a front end accident.

I wouldn't be able to go down and see it in Houston because I am in Detroit so I would like someone elses input on this because I have never purchased a car out of state.

I got the VIN from him so I am going to run a carfax.

What other questions should I ask?

http://autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...5D%5D%5B%5D%5D


Link works now.

Rahulio1975280C

Just wanted to note that the passenger side air intake tube has an indention in it by design.

Example: http://www.mmsean.com/benz/engine.jpg

thtguy

the star on the engine cover pops off easily. I lost mine right after I bought the car. by did not maintain it regularly... did he do service based on time, still though? because over 6 years time it still needs certain services done, even if sitting.

PeteyV

I just realized that after looking at a few more C55's. Now I feel bad for even mentioning it to him.

Is that your engine? Because thats really damn clean.

PeteyV

I noticed that a lot of the C55s I've searched on autotrader were missing the badge on the engine cover so I figured it must have just fell off. The owner really did not do any maintenance besides oil changes. He had some kind of service done for an oil leak and got the spark plugs replaced 3 months ago but he said he would get back to me with a photo of the service receipt.

I asked him if the car ran good and if there was any choking when he starts it from a cold start. He told me that there was a whine at first for a few seconds but went away and that it might be from the turbo in the car.... I said "excuse me, but this car does not have a turbo."

I took that as some what of a red flag or maybe I would get this car for a really good deal.

Rahulio1975280C

Don't feel bad, I thought the same thing when I bought my C55. I thought the dent in the tube was from a bad wreck, but after sifting through a few images online, it was obvious is was molded that way.

Not my engine bay, but it does make me want to give my car a good wash!

Rahulio1975280C

That whine is very typical and annoying (at least to me) for the Mercedes-Benz M113 engine. (the engine in the C55) I think it is the air injection pump. It is something to do with cold start emissions. When starting from cold, this pump makes a loud whining sound, but as the engine controls go into different modes, the pump stops and the whine goes away fairly quickly. It is a normal operation as far as I am aware.

I highly encourage you to try to get a PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) done before you fork over the cash. The C55 is one of the cheapest AMGs to own in terms of repairs and maintenance, but you should start with a very clean slate.

///AchMeinGott

What's the price/mileage since we can't get a link?

PeteyV

Sorry I forgot to add that in here. It's $13000 with about 74K on the odometer

blacksage

There is a nice one in Chicago if you check craigslist.

Nice car though, but I think you can get a better deal if you keep looking.

As others have said, the whine is typical and it is NOT coming from a turbo

PeteyV

I think I saw that one. It has about 70K miles and it has the stone colored interior and silver exterior. I would like that one if it was not stone color interior. What I'm looking for is specific. Pewter Metallic with black leather, BIX and COMAND.

blacksage

It is rare to find one that is not silver or black.

I've been searching CL nation wide. I found one the same color as the one in your original link. Is that Pewter? I thought Peter was different...

I am looking for a Mars red C55 and I do not want to pay more than 11K or so. I only see two on autotrader right now. It is just a weekend thing so I'll wait til the prices drop another 1K or so.

It has the stone interior though

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/4936392594.html

EDIT: the colors on my phone and computer are completely different. That one in the autotrader link is pewter, and I think the link I provided is granite grey...but definitely not the same color. Sorry!

c32used

I think if you have VIN to do carfax it's best choice...any routine maintenance recommended and not done you should use to get price lower so you can do it.