Hello Folks:

My apologies to anyone offended by this MBWorld and BenzWold cross post.

I've composed a long and boring post, then I deleted it and boiled everything down to the following paragraph.

Should a middle class person purchase of a 2006'ish C55 AMG for a daily driver, or is this a recipe for heartbreak and financial ruin, analogous to a child riding a tricycle into the middle of a busy freeway?

Thanks
Larry

 

The C55 is one of the best options out there if you just really want to try the MBZ AMG marque.

It has proven to be one of the most reliable AMGs and a used one is relatively easy on a middle class' budget.

 

lol. I think a better question would be the cost of maintenance for a year of ownership, then you should do the math.

 

If you can't afford it, and the maintenance don't buy it. "middle class". You do know how large of a category that is, right?

 

But when you think about it, it's pretty specific. His income does not reach the levels of upper class members, but it exceeds that of lower class income members.

 

Kind of a weird way to ask the question...You can be "Middle class" with a income of say $80,000 a year and be single. Live pretty high on the hog and drive a AMG. If you are a family of 4 and cannot budget the upkeep or even purchasing price of one then no its not the car for you. Are you single person? or have a family? If you have a family I will tell you right now the W203 will not do it in terms of space. Just look at upkeep, inscurance, gas, repairs. Then tell us if you can or cannot afford one. That is all up to you.

 

The C55 has proven to be fairly reliable and less expensive to maintain relative to some other Mercedes. You likely won't have to worry about major repair items that have plagued some other AMG models (IE:glycol contamination causing transmission failure, AirMatic air suspension etc..). Some of the minor issues you may experience with the C55 include valve cover gaskets leaking, crank position sensor and voltage regulators that may go bad. The engine and the transmission are bulletproof.......

 

Pitfalls of a "middle class" dude driving a C55:
1. jealous neighbors key your car if in a tougher area.....
2. you might get more middle class tang than an astronaught! watch out for panty-droppa syndrome.

Seriously..... the C55 is a relatively low cost way to get into an AMG...... I picked up my 20K mile clk55 for 21K USD...... lower than the price of a camry ....... I did get a bit carried away with mods...... so that is prob your biggest risk.

It does help if you are a bit handy with tools.

GL.

 

Didn't sound like he was asking about himself specifically. But if he was, yeah... don't buy it.

 

I would encourage you to drive an AMG whenever possible! My c32 has been a very reliable daily driver. Nothing is more middle class than doing maintenance yourself and I enjoy the engineering challenge these cars pose to my humble garage bay.

The petroleum consumption is a bit high, both in premium fuel and expensive wide rear tires.

Clark Howard's rule is to not drive a car worth more than half your year's salary and kids, mortgage, security and being debt free come first. Other than that, you only live once!

 

Thanks Everybody:

I'm single, living in Portland, Oregon.

I know how to turn a wrench, and feel comfortable with the DIY for replacing engine and tranny mounts I've read in these forums. I don't have serious facilities, like air, in my garage.

I've been looking for a 2006 Volvo V70R (that year is the sweet spot), but haven't found anything interesting.

I had no idea AMG's of this vintage were available at 150% of the price of the Volvos.

I drove a 2006 C55 with 38,000 yesterday. They're asking $26,000.

To my eye, the car is beautiful. White with pale grey interior. I'd prefer black on black. .

It's hard to find a Volvo that age with less than twice the mileage.

The car was delivered to California, and has spent about two years and twenty thousand miles in Boise Idaho.

I was nervous on the test drive and concentrated on trying not to hit anything. I don't feel I gave myself the full AMG experience. I wasn't comfortable throwing an unfamiliar vehicle into corners. The Go peddle seems to work pretty well. I'm more interested in performance through curves.

The seat seemed odd. The seat back supported each side of my rib cage below my shoulder blades with broad firm contact parches, but didn't support my spine. I wouldn't describe it as uncomfortable in the short test drive. I'm not sure if this would be an issue on an extended trip. I've never felt that from a car seat or chair before. I'm 6'4" tall, but not particularly broad for my height. I didn't mention it to the salesman, so perhaps there is an adjustment I didn't do.

Two of my buddies, and buddy's wife, have purchased a new Suburu and two Nissans in the last couple of years. Each for about the price of that C55.

My last ticket or accident was decades ago. Insurance liability coverage is only $20 a year more for the C55. Full coverage for damage that isn't my fault, is $300 more than the Volvos I've been looking at.

A concern, of course, is maintenance. The independent garage Botta, formally RipCity, recommends an annual that runs $1,500 if I remember correctly. The insurance guy told me there is also a 50K mile service.

One piece of good advice is to avoid a car that has been thrashed over it's life. Are there tell tail signs that would indicate it this is the case? Signs that a dealership with its own shop wouldn't erase?

I can go on and on.

I appreciate all the responses.

Thanks
Larry

 

Lower the mlg the better....
I would not buy from an enthusiast that put mods on it......
Car Fax / and records are your friend.......
Stay away from modd'd cars... IMHO.. unless you know the seller.
They are really not bad to maintain.....
GL.

 

for reference: I bought my '05 C55 last June. 43k miles, all records, fresh tires and great condition throughout- $19k

 

don't forget to budget for gas too!

 

Awesome car, you won't regret it. Just post a bunch of pictures of the car on here when you get a chance and we will tell you if we see anything suspicious. Just listen to the car at idle and keep driving it for any strange sounds and do a visual check. It's actually a fairly simple car compared to ALL amg's.

 

Just do it.. You will love it more than any other cars in same price range.
26k seems a lil high for 06 C55.. You probably could find better deals here on MBworld.. Good luck!

 

Mine for 15k but im bout to hit 100k. Still strong as nails though! lol

 

My C55 has 120k miles and is running well.

You will not spend a lot of money on the car as long as you take care of it. Unfortunately, I ended up buying my C55 with a ton of issues. Since purchase I had to replace: Power steering pump, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, engine mounts, transmission mount, tie rods, thrust arm bushings, and starter.

Will not be expensive if you know where to buy your parts and do the work yourself or have a good shop who will charge you decent labor rates with your parts.
I only purchased the car as it had zero accidents.

Back to your car, the lower the mileage the less issues it will have, but the more expensive it will be. If you consider a car in the higher mileage range, and many things have been replaced that are known to fail like in my case, it can be a viable option as long as it hasnt been hit/ has been taken care of.

Also, I am single, 23, and almost a full year in my first job out of college, so this car cant be too expensive if I can afford it ha

 

Depends on what you call middle class. If you can afford your mortgage/rent/bills and have enough disposable income to spend on mods/repairs on your c55 without sacrificing other necessary things go for it. Personally, if I had kids I would sell my c55. I just have my house and not married yet (although everyday I hear the gf making wedding plans...), no kids = more fun money.

I've had a few expensive repair bills (right after my aftermarket warranty ran out) for the c55 but nothing major. Power steering pump went out (rare), MAF went out (Don't use K&N intake filters!) and my voltage regulator. No major engine/transmission issues to speak of.

 

this below!

 

Larry,

I've got an '06 C55 with 33,000 miles. I purchased the car new over 6 years ago now. Car has been trouble free since day 1. I think if you can find one with low miles on it, you will have many years of trouble free driving. I change the oil once each year (about every 5,500 miles). Aside from tires and gas that's all that is required. Forget about $1,500 in maintence - that is crazy. I have not spent that in 6 years (tires aside) - not even a fraction of that. Engine is bulletproof and the car is built like a tank. Really, it is just incredibly reliable. You won't be disappointed.

Good luck finding one.