nathandimond

I'm in the market for a quick sport sedan and I've taken interest in the C55. I've read many threads that say the C55 is a pretty reliable as far as AMG cars go with few common faults. What I want to know is when a problem does occur or when parts need to be replaced when performing regular maintenance, how much do the parts differ in price as compared to a C350 of the same year? When comparing to other German makes, the majority of Mercedes parts are cheaper than that of BMW and Audi. And because the engine is hand built, can it only be serviced at the dealer?

alboogiee

Did you see this thread? AMG vs Non AMG ownership

C230 Mulac

I don't know about Audi but definitely cheaper than BMW as far as parts. I know my VW isn't too bad and Audi is basically the same car, but Audis are a bit more complex and luxurious so I would guess they may be a little bit more for some of the electrical stuff.

As far as maintenance costs, I've got a pretty well documented list of costs in my thread (see link in signature). It's highly dependent on if you are doing the work yourself or not. If you DIY, not bad at all. If you take it somewhere, unless it's someone you know and/or trust, they'll charge you a lot of $$ just because it's a MB.

alboogie, FYI your link didn't work for me

C230 Mulac

btw, non-AMG vs. AMG however, my C230 was EXTREMELY reliable, C55 has been much more costly. However, my C55 was a salvage title so I've had a handful but my thread will give you a good idea about cost of certain parts. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. I feel like I've done just about everything on this car (almost)

Sorry for double post

ghiaguy

As far as AMGs go, I think the C55 would be a great budget choice. Choose a well maintained one and you will be just fine. Check motor mounts, control arms, and valve cover gaskets as those are pricey/common faults. I went into mine based mostly on mileage, but it wasn't cared for as well as I'd hoped. I ended up running the gauntlet of usual fixes, but it really wasn't too pricey. Now my car is tip top, and provided some local fukstik in a Prius doesn't total it, I plan to drive it for many years!

C230 Mulac

raphman

Just go with the C55 man, you won't regret it. The non-AMG C-class sedans are stupidly underpowered, IMO. Since the C55 isn't chock-full of the other tidbits that cause massive repair costs and/or headaches in other AMG sedans (forced induction, speed-adjusting ride height, etc), everything is straightforward and simple. When I was shopping for one, I researched for well over a month and I'm very satisfied with my decision to get one. The scheduled A and B alternating maintenance, performed every 10k miles, is around $650 - not bad at all. You can definitely have it serviced by a shop familiar with MB, doesn't necessarily have to be a dealer. The uncommonly expensive parts are actually the little things (shifter base trim, for example, goes for $150... for a little piece of chromed plastic!). I traded my 2013 Focus ST with 7k miles for my '05 C55 with 77k and have ZERO regret - the ST was fun and all, but the power this thing puts down is nuts. Plus, it's seksy as hell!

nathandimond

That's what I was hoping you guys would say. I've been cross shopping the C55 with other performance packaged cars for that added satisfaction of knowing you have something special. The BMW I drove wasn't special enough and all the Audis I looked at were fugly. I wish the C55 came in a manual but I understand the 5A is pretty robust.

raphman

It is, I find it an amazing trans, even though only a 5 speed. One cool thing i learned about this trans - when you're in C (comfort) or S (sport) shifting mode, you can still use the shift buttons behind the steering wheel to downshift if you know you'll need to speed up soon. The trans will still automatically shift up for your if you floor it, and when you want it back in full auto, just shift up until you see the "D" gear on the dash.

amgen

It´s a very rare car: 4.600 sold worldwide.
Compare that to 40.000 C63...
I´m very happy with it´s exclusivity.

RenC55AMG

It probably doesn't mean much but my C55 with 100k miles has seen MUCH less shop time than my sister's R350 and my mother's CLK350.