yellowjackets49

Hey Guys!!

First post over on the dark side (former BMW owner ), and I wanted your thoughts on something. I grew up with BMWs all through my childhood years, rebuilt transmissions, engines, suspensions, the whole lot. Never had a MB...then I had a ride in my Boss' S550. Wow. That was a car. Im a college student, so I am a few years away from owning my very own brand new MB (always open to donations though ).

I am currently in between cars at the moment, and am trying to look into some Mercedes, and have gotten a few pointers from owners/previous owners...Then I found a 2001 CLK55 AMG. Stunned. Beautiful car, and while at the upper edge of my price range, still very doable. My question is, am I stupid? I do have a job and a regular income that I will be setting aside some for maintenance, but admittedly, I don't have tons of ca$h laying around. This example of the CLK55 has 180,000 miles, but seems to have been regularly maintained. What is the durability like on these cars? I searched the web and didn't find too much about them, surprisingly. Is this a poor choice? Im just smitten by that V8 though...call it forced seduct- i mean induction. What are your thoughts (relevant or not)?

Cheers!
Trevor

nycphotography

You're a mechanical guy... I'd suggest just making sure you have second car laying around (a functional but beat up honda civic for $800 comes to mind). That way if the unthinkable happens... you can manage while you source parts and make repairs.

The backup car is an approach I've personally used at several points in my life.

yellowjackets49

What are some good places to buy parts? I have been googling, but seems parts are somewhat difficult to come by (maybe just me...)

-trev

Scott Simoncic

What about a 430? Yes, the 55 AMG has the allure of being an AMG (which is why I have one) but I bought a 430 first, it was a phenominal car, still very quick... I would just describe it as 75% of the AMG in almost every way... Things are expensive on the AMG, like the front brake rotors, other than that it's pretty similar to the 430 maintenance wise... Drive a 430, see if you like it, they are VERY good cars with a great engine. I would say if you can get a 430 with 80-120K miles that's well cared for quite a bit cheaper... Again, I know it's not an AMG, and the illure of an AMG is intoxicating, which is why I went from a 430 to a 55 AMG, but there are lots of things I miss about the 430. And really.. Most people don't know the difference... If it's cleaned up, the W208 is beautiful, and mine still gets lots of compliments, as did my 430. Seriously, if you're not really rollin' in it money wise, it might be worth dropping to the 430, just for now and then getting a 55 AMG when you have a little more cash floating around.... At that point you might just want to pull the trigger on a W209.

yellowjackets49

What differs between the 430 and 55 AMG parts wise? I am having a hard time tracking down parts for the CLK55 AMG. My (perhaps incorrect) understanding is that thy share a lot of common parts- the engines are even built on the same block (?) so that the increased repair costs come into effect with brake jobs and suspension. It's an AMG just a hair over 5k. ITS SO TEMPTING.

MagmaRed55

Most of the parts are the same, except for all the awesome ones! Hahaha no but a lot of the general maintenance parts are identical except the front brakes... those will set you back, but can be easily budgeted. Personally I wouldn't wait to buy a w208. Those things are getting hard to find. Good luck either way.

GatorMB

Waiting or not, I just replaced my front brakes with rotors and you can not budget these.

The W208 430/55 are a great starter chassis in performance and luxury supercar market.
W208 based off of W124 has many merits of E class and C class. The later W209 is all by itself.
The W124 is a legend and the W208 defines post W124 efforts. (rare chassis is CLK).

While searching for parts W210 often gets attention for W208.

Cheers, Gator

MagmaRed55

By budget, I meant that brakes don't usually just crap out. If you pay attention you can pretty much know when you will need to replace them and save your money accordingly. I wasn't referring to the price, that is always outrageous.

GatorMB

Agreed, The parts are over rated because they are rare. The front brakes were under rated when the car was new. The BMW comparison had more efficient braking but Benz farmed the quest to AMG via Zimmerman of stugart who manufactures many Porsche components.

I am not complaining because this is my first rotor replacement on a 200,000 mile car. Hammer machine

Cheers

MagmaRed55

I agree 100%. Mine has 130,000 and I'm just starting to notice a slight lip on the outside of the rotor. So as soon as she comes out of winter storage the brakes are among the many things that will be dealt with. Luckily, I don't accumulate a lot of mileage so I won't need to worry about them for sometime after they are replaced.

yellowjackets49

Another question I had- Coming from BMW's, there is a plethora of repair info both on boards like these, and other sites; not to mention the presence of Bentley Repair manuals (most valuable tool in the world). I know MB has WIS, is this an electronic equivalent to Bentley? I'm just curious/have some trepidation because there doesn't quite seem to be the same level of DIY threads as for the, say, e36 m3. Are these cars harder to work on? I only do my own maintenance, because I can trust my hands a lot better than I can the hands of anyone else. haha

Yeah, the front rotors have some wheel hop in it under braking, so I may have to budget for a non warped set soon...but you're right- I'm more concerned with the catastrophic failure stuff- is there anything on this car that will explode? (like the Porsche 996...) I am meticulous in my maintenance habits, but don't necessarily have the money to throw at a car in case a $2000 part fails suddenly. Also, Im finding for the most part- parts are reasonable, because they tend to be shared with the w208 CLK series, or the M112 motor, am I right?

I do appreciate everyones input- it's kind of scary to make this leap as a college student, even as handy and experienced under the lift as I may be .

Cheers
Trevor

yellowjackets49

Also, no double post intended- the mileage on this car is 180k...any reason for concern (it seems to be well maintained/records)?

YamiR46

I have about 215k right now on my 55 and have no problems besides one of the motor mounts going out. If you can find a good indi specialist you can maintain the 55 for pretty cheap

MarcusF

If there were a Bentley for the Benz, how many people would buy it? Think about it, if you have a 911SC, it's $130 for the manual. Need one for the Carrera? Pay again. And again for the 964, again for the 993, again for the 996. Every car, it's pay again time. Get a 2012+ WIS and that one piece of software covers every MB from the mid '80s forward. Including the parts, wiring, codes, electrical, service, and repairs. You literally enter the VIN, and every service for that car is available. I've owned a P-car and I've owned paper manuals. I prefer a digital manual. How about price? Type in "Mercedes WIS" on ebay and you can choose which vendor to pay $20. Of course, you may want to get a copy you KNOW won't have malware. But wait, there's more, I know several people who have paid nothing, nada, zip. Someone burned them a copy, they installed it, and they were done.

A Mercedes is not hard to work on. If you're wondering why there aren't 500 threads on pulling an M113 head, you may have the wrong perspective. How about, "Why is it that some forums for some manufacturers do have 500 threads where 500 different people have pulled the heads?"

floridawriter

Engine, transmission, drive train, suspension, brakes, some interior pieces: the equivalent of an Mcar versus an standard BMW.

Scott Simoncic

Compared to BMW say E46 330ci or M3... These cars are quite a bit less needy in the form of maintenance and repairs... Not that E46's are bad cars, in fact they're great... But these 208's just keep going without much intervention. They are also very easy to work on in comparison. I've only ever had issues with my A\C and only on my 55, and I think its just because I need a new receiver / drier.... No leaks, just end up with moisture and air in the system. You can also replace the brakes with calipers and rotors from a 230 Sport (cross drilled rotors) or an early 209 AMG, 500, ETC and save some money. You'd also have better looking calipers, but they wouldn't be quite as amazing as the two piece rotor setup, though you would probably never notice. Again though, drive a 430 just to see, because they are fantastic cars, obviously the 55 is amazing, but both are really good.

floridawriter

The M113 engine is a relatively simple engine: no variable cams so none of the R&R required of the Vanos. The crankcase vent system is simpler than the BMW V8s, and easier to repair. The water pump is belt driven rather than electric. There is no V8 water valley pipe leakage issue like with the BMW V8s. I think the timing chain tensioner is more reliable than BMW's. The 722.6 transmission is bulletproof and proven. It's a very reliable system. Of course any engine is subject to wear and failures, based on how it was maintained and treated. Older Mercs might be more susceptible to engine mount failures than bimmers. Every brand has its traps.

PelicanParts.com

We may be able to assist you with parts buying.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/Mercedes-Benz/index-SC.htm

We also have lots of tech articles and a tech forum if you have any issues and are needing help with DIY.

Nachtsturm

Allow me to play devil's advocate for a second...

If your maxing out your budget at 5K, I would recommend something else. Buy something reliable and cheap while in school, save up money. Then the money you would have spent, put it on a down payment on a newer Benz once you have established your career.

They are fun cars, and overall quite reliable. However...

My 01 had 25% of the mileage your potential one has, and I had to replace the seat motor, motor mounts, dash bulbs, CD player, xenon ballast and valve cover gaskets.

Ensure the RMS is not leaking, and ensure all bushings are in good shape. It can get expensive fast. Front rotors alone will be circa $500.

With all that said, I still loved my 2001 CLK55, and wish I kept it. It would compliment my 05 quite nicely.

My .02. If I were looking for something frugal and fun to drive, I would be looking at a SN95 Mustang GT.

floridawriter

Good advice. For an AMG especially you have to be able to survive the cost of parts even if the car is reliable. My 05 55 is in the shop now chasing a strange problem with the evap system. The replacement part specified by MB doesn't fit the car - the new part has a higher resistance than the old part and the car doesn't recognize that the part is installed. So far I've spent over 1500 on this issue and it's not yet solved. College is expensive enough without adding to it. Find an old Mustang GT or a Z28 for fun and treat yourself after you graduate.

Scott Simoncic

Actually I would do the same, but with a Z28 or SS.... Or Trans Am... You can pick up a really nice LT1 97 Camaro, or an LS1 Z28... Endless Mod capabilities, cheap repairs, plus a pretty sweet looking car that's quick as hell.