Nomad79

I think i've found the car of my dreams. I love the cl65, but want to make an informed decision before i purchase one. Looking at the 2005 - 2006 models, because i prefer those body styles to the new ones and they fit in my budget! however, i've never owned an MB or another high performance car and wanted to get an idea of the total cost of ownership.

So here are the questions I have. Thank you in advance, I appreciate your advice and help.

Warranty
I am trying to get something that is a CPO car, but if that fails, does anyone have recommendations for an aftermarket warranty that i can purchase right now? I would like to get something pretty comprehensive that covers the ABC, electronics and anything else that is expensive to fix.

Any other tips on picking a warranty? any clues I should look and try and avoid?

Maintenance
I'd like to know that maintenance schedule and cost for the maintenance.

When and how often do the front brakes need to be changed and how much does this cost (i've heard its $4K). What about the rear brakes? And, is this cheaper on the CL 600 instead of the CL 65?

How often does the oil need to be changed, how much does it cost and is it better to do oil changes yourself?

Any other regular maintenance that I can do myself?

When are the A and B services due and how much do they cost?

Anyone from Austin, TX?
If you have tips on a good mechanic that is cheaper than a dealer?

Also, if anyone is willing to teach me how to do some of the maintenance, i would be happy to work out some sort of any arrangement/barter.

Once again, i appreciate your time in helping out a newbie! I am totally smitten and cant think of another car right now, but simply cant afford to be stuck with huge and unexpected repair costs. Just looking for ways to plan and minimize my exposure.

Thanks.

NRL

Hi Nomad79,

I took the plunge and bought a pristine 2005 CL65 with just over 60k miles for $35k. And I absolutely enjoy it.

I did as much homework about the CL65 and hunted for one every day. Autotrader, Google, searchtempest (Craig's list), Ebay.

I had the same requirements that your are looking for, CPO, warranty, etc..
Then that day came when the stars aligned and I found one..

When you do find one you really really like, there will be some options that may have to let go.

In my case, the car was pristine, one owner (Grandpa), easy miles, no warranty, all receipts and repairs done at FJones, all issues fixed from day one till the day I bought it and also it was local purchase.

What really made me buy it was it was local to my location and I got to see it, drive it, smell it, and fully check it out, inside and out. Check for leaks, engine, the ABC hoses, intercooler pump, ABC levels, etc, etc.. Had a great opportunity to lift it up on a rack and remove the underneath plastics covers and check out everthing, transmission, diff, abc hoses, pump, etc.. looking for leaks current or past.

The ultimate would have been if it had CPO warranty or some sort of warranty but sometimes you just have to balance it out and go for it if you want the "one". I looked and looked for one with warranty but it was about 7k to 15k more.. so I went with just putting money away for that rainy day.
Yes, it's a risk but a calculated and studied risk.

I also plan on doing as much maintenance by myself. I have found other pristine used cars and have had great success in doing it my self (oil, brakes pads, etc) and found a good independent mechanic to work on them (rotors, belts, spark plugs). I will never go to the stealership and would need to absolutely be dragged to go there for any work if forced too.

Even though they are getting cheaper by the day, but that doesn't mean the CL65 is junk. I'm a AMG newbie and wanted to own and experience that AMG V12 Turbo and really didn't care it was the newest model..

I'm sure eventually you'll find the "one". Best advice is be ready with the money cuz there will be others right behind you wanting to buy it.

Good Luck

Nomad79

NRL, thanks. I am going through exactly the same kind of search right now. i hope something pops up in the austin, houston, dallas san antonio area so i can go through the same inspection. so far i have been that lucky. Still, searching is half the fun!

StarPower

Routine maintenance (A and B service) is due around ~12,000 mi. They each include an oil change and various inspections and routine maintenance. Most of it is stuff you can do yourself.

Other wear parts like tires and brakes cost a lot more than on a normal car. The 65 brake rotors specifically are a lot more expensive than the 600 or 55 rotors. I'm sure you can get the parts for a lot less than $4k and do the work yourself.

The other thing that will cost you the most on these cars is the accessories. There are a lot of complicated systems on these cars, and regardless of who does the work (dealer or independent) parts are expensive. Luckily, most of these aren't pressing repairs (the car will still start and drive), but some of them can cause other parts to fail if left for too long (e.g. the softclose door latches can leak air causing the pump to eventually fail).

Nomad79

Thanks. i think i should be able to find a good independent mechanic here, which will help a lot.

jeffw666

Mercedes will rape you on parts......

example:
Spark Plugs - $29 each
Oil - $10 qt

Yes these are things that you can do yourself.... plugs can be a bit of a job since you must remove lots of stuff before you can even see them.

Rotors should last 2 sets of pads.... you can get pads for $200 if you look. Rotors can be had for $900 each.

Don't even as about ABC repair. You will cry.

A - Service ... seems like my last one was $500
B - Service ... seems like the last one was $200

Bottom line is if you want to play, its going to cost you.

NeSSuS-GTE

Thank you NRL for sharing that insight and experience. I too am looking to make that calculated risk on the CL65.

For me the most critical step is that hands on pre-purchase inspection. Usually that requires some degree of locality, which is the first hurdle I'm encountering.

Otherwise, it seems that if I have a little bit of money to play with and some DIY skill, a relatively pain-free 60k+ CL65 can be a reality.

AZBENZ-CTSV

ABC issues are a killer $$$$ and very much a reality that it will happen sometime during your ownership. Still one of the nicest looking cars around.

retardedmunk

you tell me??


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uP1HxRw-Ws

EKCL65

The CL65 is only expensive to maintain if you go to the dealer who wants to rip you off any time you are there.


I just did all four break pads for my 2005 CL65 (did not have to do anything to the rotors) for under $350 work and labor and parts included. Bought the pads online and went to an outside mechanic who charged $100 per axle to swap out the pads.

Dealer wanted $1800 to replace the 4 pads and it got done as good as at the dealership for under $350.

Service A and B are also a rip off. Just buy the parts for the oil change (oil, filter...) and have the outsize mechanic do the inspection and the oil change. If you have use the benz dealership just request a standard oil change from them and not the service A or B and it will cost you much less. They want to make more money so they will most likely look at everything else without you having to pay a ridiculous price for what is essentially an oil change and 5 min of look here look there.

PS. The 2005-2006 CL65 is one of the best cars for the money. From what I saw they only made 194 of them so I am sure the price will stabilize and start going up soon. I bought mine 4 years ago with only 13K miles on it and all the optional features so it was basically brand new for 1/4 of the new price... it was so mint it still had a factory (in German) windshield sticker on it

Skizz

Holy 6 year old thread bump, Batman!


Kudos for using the search button, tho.