I was wondering guys, i'm in the market for a c55 and have 3 choices so far one is the car in classified section: blk on blk80k, decently loaded 18,000
second is local:silver on blk 60k pretty much stripped(no navi, no bix) 19,000
third: silver on black 60k loaded, and 19" rims 20,000(looks the best)

any issues i should account in while making a choice, should i get the warranty(as the mileages are pretty high)? if yes any recommendations?
any major issues with these cars at these miles?

ill be using this car as a commute to college so a lot of diving around 40 miles per day plus during the summer 70miles round trip to the ocean so mileage will pile up.
so should i stay away from these higher mileage mercs?

all responses are highly appreciated..

Well its always a roll of the dice with a higher mileage car. If there is a warranty in place or a warranty is available then going with the high mileage car is not so scary! If the car has been modded and has no warranty (warranty may be voided because of the mods anyway!) then you will surely be on your own.
In the nature of full disclosure mine has just turned 30k miles and has a warranty to 100k so you see where I am on this!

it's funny cus you're in the exact place i was back in october. i'm also a 19 year old college student with a c55. i went onto craigslist.com and looked for one and found one local and mb of san francsico with 39k miles and fully loaded black on black c55 with no scratches, dings, etc. i purchased mine for $25,500 with existing warranty and another year from cpo. i got very lucky. spend the money and get the best is all i can say. don't buy one with one problem for cheap, because that usually means 90% of the time that there's tons of other problems with it. amazing commuter car though! i put almost 40 miles on mine every other day.

thank thats what i though to do..
just save up a bit more and get one with lower miles and warranty

I bought a 48k mi C55 and have put another 10k on it since. There's someone on here who has over 100k on theirs.

Issues are gonna happen, it all depends on how you can handle it. I had a bixenon ballast go out (which I got for free from a friend and installed myself) and also had to replace an idler pulley (which I did myself and cost me $17 brand new). Had to replace a torn leather shift boot, which I just ended up buying a better looking knob+boot brand new online from a CLK500 for $110 and installed it myself.

Issues are going to happen, it's just how you're willing to handle it.

If you're going to be commuting that much, make sure you also buy a gas station . Other than that, check that the engine isn't leaking oil anywhere around the seals. Especially the airbox. Make sure car hasn't been in accident. Open up a savings account for speeding tickets, and you're all set! It's a great car, and you will love it!

defiantly check for oil leaks around the head gaskets.

i bought mine with 48K and it now has 105k. so far, I've had to replace the alternator, MAF sensor and motor mounts. I do all the work myself and it's not too hard. The motors themselves should be pretty bulletproof if taken care of. When I changed my motor mounts last weekend, I was happily amazed that there isn't a drop of oil anywhere on my engine. It actually looks like new. I sometimes run a 150 shot of NOS, but I have not modded my car other than the 2nd cat delete. I think age may have an equal affect on these cars as mileage.

I got my car with 45k miles last May and it now has 63k. So far, the MAF has gone out but I replaced it myself to save money. It seems now that both the left and right motor mounts are on their way out. My mechanic also told me that there looks to be an oil leak around the rear main seal (very labor intensive ).

I bought mine with 26k on it and so far the power steering pump went out, but thats a rare occurrence.

I am leaking a little bit of oil around the heads but thats a cheap fix as well.

I have a whining noise that is most noticeable when cold, and it changes pitch with RPM. I was thinking it might be the P.S. pump. I've had this noise since I bought the car however, and no ill affects have come from it yet. How did you pump fail? were there any warning signs?
~Mike~

^ Put a stethoscope to your idler pulley as well

Good call. I'll try that tonight

~Mike~

Pay a dealer and have it inspected. Nothing ruins that new purchase feeling like finding out the last owner suffered from "Service Evasion Syndrome" AFTER the money changes hands.

In general, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are very dependable. Buy a good one, do the maintenance, and it will last several hundred thousands of miles. If the maintenance is skipped, or Pep Boys [or any incompetent mechanic] is allowed to "perform the service", or the car is abused, this could get very expensive. You don't want to buy "that" car.

I got mine around 60k miles and im at almost 100k now. I drive this car all over the place. It's still running good only thing that I need right now is engine mounts 100k service and my alarm siren went out.

so could i conclude that the common high mileage issue with c55 is leaking gasket and some minor(easy DIY) electrical gremlins.
how much would it cost to fix the gasket?

What's a fair price to pay for an 06 with 130k

$12-13k I'd suspect. I bought my 05 with 86k miles on it for $14k 18 months ago.

Well I'm in the minority here I guess. I purchased mine a few years ago with, as I recall, 24k miles on it with a warranty. Initially I drove it on the weekends and I took it to work a few times but it's mostly a garage queen. It just turned 38k miles this last week and I have put on 470 miles since the last service a year ago.
The warranty has expired and I think that the price of a warranty on what is basically a 10 year old car doesn't give you the bang for the buck any longer especially as much as I drive it.
My car doesn't have Nav which for me is not that big of a deal. My CLK550 has Nav and in the 3 years I've owned that I probably have used the Nav 6 times.
The bottom line is this. Find a car that has been maintained as required. I think that a car that been modded is nice because it's faster but that opens up a lot of questions on wear/tear and abuse. If you just want to blast it around then cool but these are pretty cool cars and as I recall there were only 1299 made on 2005 and a hell of a lot fewer than that in 2006.
If you're worried about a warranty, then stick a couple hundred bucks in the bank every month as a car fund and if something goes south then draw the money out of that.
If nothing happens you still have the cash...
These cars a great machines. Yes, they are surely not the fastest thing on the planet but they are fun to drive and you're not behind the wheel of a KIA (no offense!) hoping that your friends don't see ya.
Regards,

Well, way to bring up a thread that's over 4 and a 1/2 years old.

Here's my update since my last post in 2010 - I've put on another 90,000 miles since my post.

Haha I don't understand how people don't see the dates on these old posts

July 2012, bought my 2005 for $14k with 64k miles. However it's important to note it was a salvage title vehicle in driveable condition (i.e. someone had totaled it and had it repaired). I wouldn't recommend a salvage title unless 1) you've got a lot of $ to spare for a mechanic for repairs or 2) you're willing to do a lot of work yourself to save the $ and get the car back into peak condition (i.e. suspension overhaul, lots of bushings, mounts, gaskets, etc.)

I suppose this is all pretty good news for me, considering I'll be looking into 20-40k mile ones lol.

The only question that I can't seem to find an answer to clearly, is it the valve covers that start to leak, or the head gaskets? One obviously being much easier a task to handle, but people seem to like to mix those terms up.

Guys, give him credit for searching the forum for the best answer.

Since he wants updated information on the same subject, I applaud him for not starting another new thread on the same subject. I really don't think the resurrection of this thread was a mistake.

I was actually thinking this when I was first writing my response, that hey, someone must've been using the search function. But really, only half-credit for not starting out his post with "I was searching the forum and sorry for bringing back an old thread"

Valve cover gaskets. I've replaced mine. It's a pretty straightforward job and only about $50 in parts.