Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to buy a C55 AMG. I got offered a '05 model with 48k on the clock, two previous owners, light blue color (not gray I don't know what it's called in MB language) and grey interior. The price is $19,995. I'de like to know from all you here if that's a good deal or not?

Thanks!

 

It could be a good deal but it could also be a bad deal. Does the car have a factory CPO warranty? It should have a year left. But if it doesnt that means there may have been an issue that voided the factory warranty.

For instance, it the bumper has been repainted for any reason that may void the CPO. So, it is usually in the best interest of the dealship to not paint the bumper if there is a scratch or slight blemish. This way the can can still be sold as CPO for the balance of the warranty.

My C32 was purchased as a CPO with over a year left on it. The rear bumper had a small scratch and the front bumper had similiar. But the rest of the paint was flawless. I had to use the CPO warranty once for a bunch of small things which came out to over $2K. My car also had 43k on the odo.

So, $20K for a C55 sounds cheap. But also it could be a sign of the times for used luxury car sales.

Good luck!

Miguel

 

The dealer states that there is a remainder of the factory warranty. But I'm afraid it's going to run out before I buy it. The CarFax report indicates a first registration date of 12/01/05 and that is tomorrow. Which means the 4 year warranty period will be over by tomorrow. The car is not at a Mercedes dealership but a regular auto dealer.

 

Well surely the price is attractive but let the buyer beware! I would be a bit concerned about the history of the car. Is the car available for a extended 3rd party warranty? That may ease some fears. If not there are a few nice cars available that there are no stories about but they are a bit more money! Good luck!

 

Under $20k does seem a little low.....

Also, factory warranty is only 4 years I think? So yes it's basically over. Extended warranties are not transferable.

Since it's not CPO, you want to have it looked over with a fine toothed comb by a professional MB expert shop.

Good luck.

 

Thanks guys for all your feedback. The Carfax came out clean, no title issues or accidents reported. The dealer says the B service was just performed (I don't know enough yet to know what that means) I haven't seen the car in person yet, it's at a dealership in Salt Lake City and I'm in Ohio. Thinking of going down there soon to check it out. Would it be enough if I took it to a MB dealership and run a full inspection on it? What specific problems should I be looking for?

BTW any members here from the Salt Lake City area?

Thanks.

 

just get it and buy the Chrysler bumper to bumper warranty make sure you can get it before you purchase the car.

 

Does Chrysler still offer warranties on MB? I can not see that on their site. Didn't Daimler AG sell Chrysler off?

 

Basic points:
Drive it, and put it on the lift. look for any leaks, undercarriage damage, or fresh suspension parts. spin each wheel to see if any rims ar bent.
Push every button on the dash, test every door button: these cars are notorious for little electrical annoyances.
Carefully look at all the seams and joints under the hood, around the strut mounts, headlights, radiator.
Look at all the seams for all the body parts, there should be NO variation.
Measure the distance of each tire from the body, all the way around, in front and behind the tire.
After its been warmed up, with the driver's door open, and your foot on the brakes, slowly go from drive to reverse and back a few times: there should be no jerk and no clanks or noises.
While cruising, let go of steering wheel and apply brakes: shouldn't shimmy or pull.
As far as the engine, you should have a mechanic check it if you don't know what to listen for, or look for in the exhaust.
If you put you hand over the exhaust, it should be a nice, even pulse, with a little bit of steam. (Obviously no smoke).

 

BTW: Carfax is good to eliminate a contender, but it doesn't guarantee a clean bill of health; If the damage was repaired by a local body shop without an insurance claim, it won't be on the Carfax history.

 

My advice, is this. If you are comfortable with the costs to properly maintain and repair an AMG, then buy it, drive it and have fun with it. I have owned two AMG's and neither had an extended warranty and while I did all the regular maintenance and some repairs, including some major work on my old C36, I never felt that it was a nickle more costly to own and operate or repair than my daughter's Honda Civic SEi. In fact both have been more reliable than the Honda. That should speak volumes to you.

However, it you are taking a major stretch just to buy the car and are so concerned about possible repairs that you feel you need an extended warranty (the pay me now option), then back up and reconsider your choices. The AMG is a very well built performance sedan and is not cheap to take care of. A major failure is a major bill. I have found that AMG's are cheap to fix compared to say my old Porsche. But that is a relative comparison. Compared to a chevy they still cost about twice as much to own, fix and maintain. They are really hard on rear tires too, lol

Irish

 

Ask around there are threads regarding this, but the search function sucks and I cannot locate it. People have been giving the persons name and phone # to contact regarding the warranty. It's really a great warranty from what I have read and you should really consider getting one.


https://mbworld.org/forums/cl55-amg-...pair-bill.html

These cars are pretty solid and I have over 90k miles on my car without any real problems and you will love the car. I can't imagine driving anything else really unless it was another AMG.

 

As far as warrantees, I didn't get one, and I bought mine with 60K on it(out of warranty). I spoke with a few friends about 3rd party warrantees and they had similar stories about the company giving them a hard time for claims, and trying to list claims as regular wear and tear instead of failure, etc. So I decided to 'self' warranty.
I've had my C32 for two years now and would have been pretty dissapointed forking over my premium every month for basically no claims.
In those two years I've had the following go wrong, which from what I ve read on this and other forums, seem to be the list of most common situations:
1) Radio amplifier (two weeks after I bought it!) which cost me $300 used from a junkyard on eBay, and I replaced my self. It's in the trunk, has about 4 screws to mount it and plug/unplug the connections...done; worked great since. Would have been about $900 for a new amp at the dealer.
2) The drivers seat heater didn't work when I bought it, but I haven't replaced b/c I'm in Florida. But if I do, I've read it's about $650 b/c they replace the whole cushion. I've read that spilling fluids in the seat will short the heater and cause the failure. The pass side works fine, and that's the one that matters b/c that's where my gf sits.
3) I broke the driver window switch b/c I pulled up too hard and popped it out. When I got it back into the module the auto up/down for my windows doesn't click, so I have to hold it all the way up or all the way down. (The other three windows are still auto up/down) However, the module that holds all for switches for the windows is about $120, and I'm sure I can replace it my self...if I ever get around to it. (BTW, its the same module used in a LOT of german cars..BMW, Audi...)
4) A very common problem on these is a connector arm that positions the HVAC vents inside the dash. The original one is made of plastic, and they break, so you'll hear a stead click-click-click as the climate control system continuously tries to position the vents, that aren't moving, b/c the arm snapped. The replacement part is stronger to remedy that design flaw, is about $18, but the trouble is in the replacing it; its behind the dash, and I haven't bothered to do it yet.
Maintenance:
Fuel filter was $95, installed.
These cars wear front suspension bushings because of the aggressive suspension and my aggressive driving (which you will do too, trust me) and those are about $50 plus $150 install, you can't do that yourself, unless you have a hydraulic press lying around.
Oil changes are about $90, because it uses Mobil1, but that also means the oil easily lasts for 10-15k miles.
If you get really good tires (which you should) they's run you just under $400 a set up front and just under $500 a set in the rear, including mounted and balanced, and most people on here will agree that you can expect anywhere from 20-30K miles out them, depending how you drive and which tires you get, but the rears will wear quicker.
(Added)===
Recommended transmission service that I am going to do this month (recommended btwn 90-100k according to my mechanic) wherein he will change the fluid, filter, gaskets and a few internal wear parts, will cost me $250. I have been lucky and found a good inexpensive Benz only shop, and I've heard from most that their service prices are slightly higher.
He also discovered my sway bar linkages are worn, which will be 60 parts, 90 labor. ($150 total both sides)
I have to replace my brake rotors (they can't be surfaced, as they are xdrilled) and the nice ones will be about 140 each rotor, nice pads are about 130 each (oem, which suck, are about 70) and 150 labor installed. ($690 total using nice parts, $140x2, $130x2, +$150 labor)
===
That's it. I've put 40k very enjoyable miles on it in two years, and passed 100K last month. It's six years old, but after a good detailing, it seems like its one: the interior doesn't seem to age. Once it's warmed up, I don't hesitate to drive as aggressive as I want to, and tomorrow, the b1tch comes back for more. Do that with lesser (read:american) cars,and within a few months, they're a mess.
As far as comparing maintenance to american cars, well, put it to you this way: I'll still be doing $90 oil changes, while they're doing $2000 tranny rebuilds.

 

+1
I just wish they hadn't stopped using superchargers.
My next one is a CLS55 AMG, but I have to stay below '06 because after that they went to N/A or turbo.

 

PS: It's not really maintenance per se, but my drivers license took a few hits my first year until I settled down a bit ( several speeding violations, two 'improper starts' for lighting up the rears, and a reckless for going over 100)
Definitely get a radar detector, it pays for itself the first time it saves you.
BTW, even with a perfect license, comp/collison insurance on these is more expensive than average, so get a quote and make sure to factor in a ticket or two your first year.

 

Wow! This forum is awesome, That's a hell of a lot of information that would've otherwise taken me ages to search and find on the web. BTW I've come across another car with 68k miles on it. I'm leaning more towards that one because the other car is all the way in Utah and I'm in Ohio.

Is there going to be a huge difference between a car with 48k miles and 68k miles? When do the major tear & wear start showing? And what sort of tear & wear should I be expecting to see in a car with 68k miles? What are the parts that tend to fail around this mileage?

 

Barely a difference in my car between the 60 when I bought it and the 100 it has now, two years later.
The break point is 60, where I believe the warranty ends.
I wouldn't trust dealers with a car that has less than 15k per year, I've heard they can roll back miles with a special unit...then again I've never seen it done personally.
However, If you come across a private owner that has other nice cars and has taken care of their C32 and it has only 10 k per year, that I might believe. It all comes down to the one you are buying, but these cars are built to last, especially the drivetrain. If I had to do it again, I would look for an '04 with Xenon, and then put that one through the regular tests. I don't think that applies to the C55, I think those all have Xenon.

 

I came across another car from a private seller, one owner car 35k miles and a month of factory warranty left. He might be willing come down to about $21k. But the downside is it doesn't have Navi, Xenon lamps/ headlamp washers etc. What's the price difference with one without these options?

 

Its not so much the resale, its the fact that such a nice car without xenons is bit of a bummer. I really wish I had found one with Xenons, but the Nav, I could go either way.
I heard the Xenons are about $1400 factory installed. There are aftermarket Xenons, but the computer doesn't like them.Don't recall the specific problem, but the computer has to be reprogrammed for Xenons vs halogen. If I ever get them, I'm going to spring for a dealer install.