I tried a search, but only came up many pre 03 problems, ABC problems, and some single car numerous problems which is probably not common...

So what do we have to look for in buying a 03 CL600 with 40k km or 04 CL55 with 55k km

both in black, 600 with amg pack and 5 spoke but the 55 looks a bit low, probably lowered as it's also got a roof spoiler...

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/ctd/1005314708.html

http://www.buysell.com/root/detail/B...5_AMG_493.aspx

I'd personally prefer the 600, but both cars are still a Merc in reliability.... it's really a hit or miss I guess....

 

CL55 all the way!
How much thay want for it?

 

I've sent Email to them, but they're yet to reply... both of them... want to see if they're got any history of collision or maintenance etc...

Why 55 all the way? it's higher mileage and afaik the 600 only misses the right most button on the top, which I've got no idea of what that is.... and it's supposed to be most comfortable and quiet?

 

Hmm, this is a tough decision. It really depends on what you want. The 55 will get better gas millage. I have a CL600 v12 bi-turbo I purchased with the Brabus mods (body kit, 20" rims, sport exhaust, etc). I really got a great deal on it. I like the exhaust on mine because it has 4 pipes out the back and looks so sweet.

The CL600 is very quite (double pane glass) and I love the double stitched leather and the suede roof.

Between the 2 cars you showed, The CL55 looks nicer. The price the guy is asking for the CL600 may be a bit much. If you shop around you will find better deals. They both have pretty much the same horse power. But, if you get the ECU and Transmission upgrades you can take the CL600 v12 biturbo over 700+ horse power. A true super car. The v8 cannot go that high. If you can get a CL600 with the extra modification already done then I would go that route. They are both great cars. I personally think the 600 is amazing though.

Take a look at the photos of mine ( I have more pics in my album under my profile) and you will see what I mean.

 

Reply from the 600:

"For starters, this piece has 39000 kms and when we purchased it 3 weeks ago from Mercedes Financial. We sent it immediately in to Mercedes Benz for service as we do with all Mercedes Benz's we purchase. we received the vehicle back from Mercedes 2 days ago and had pictures loaded immediately. We will be contacting Mercedes Benz on monday to get every possible record they will offer us.We are offering this piece with a 3 year 60000 km aftermarket warranty from Global Warranty.There havent been any accidents on this CL and we have both the ICBC declaration sheets and Carproof.There arent any recalls and the services are up to date."

interesting... no recalls? thought the ABC recall is for all w215?


I've yet to get a reply from the 55...

 

The 600 is the way to go. You can't beat the tt V12 for smoothness or power. If the ABC is covered under the extended warranty, the 600 is even more attractive. Make sure the all of the components are covered.

 

Another vote for the 600. That car is the ultimate sleeper

 

The CL55 AMG is a rarer car and has the performance capabilities to keep the sportiest cars in its sight or out of sight.

600s throw belts and this can cause catastrophic breakage in the engine. The 600 also runs on 6 cyl to save fuel, yet the poster above said the 55 still gets better fuel economy (not that it should matter) and certainly has better acceleration and handling.

All CLs have double pane glass and are comfortable and quiet, but only 55s have hand built engines and a racing pedigree combined with a limited production run.

Put those factors together and the the 55 is the clear favourite to me.

AMG should stand for All Mighty God and that is what real power and perfection is all about!

Either way, YOU win!

 

Maybe it is just my part of the country but the 600s, whether they are S Class or CLs, are much rarer.

 

How may CL55's are produced vs 600's?

What belts are you referring to the 600 throwing?

Where do you get the information that the 600 uses cylinder deactivation to save fuel?

Seriously, where do you get that the 55 has better acceleration than a 600?

It certainly doesn't appear that the CL55 is quicker than the 600 according to Dragtimes.com:
http://www.dragtimes.com/compare2.ph...ame=Compare%21

 

Not sure about the W215 but in the UK the W220 S600 came with ZAS, a cylinder shutoff as standard. This was available as modest priced option on the rest of the S Class range.

I'd be interested to know if this is something that came to the US too, and if not whether it could be retro-actively installed onto a W215/W220.

 

The 600s throw belts? by that you mean it'll have the belts broken prior to recommended timing belt change?

What you said I believe is about the non supercharged 600, then yes, it's slower and better fuel saving than the 55, but the 600 I'm looking at is a 03+ which is the supercharged 600 with better performance and even rarer as far as I know. Cylinder deactivation is not available in 03+ as there is turbos on both banks of the cylinders...

The 55 have yet to reply, hope they will by tomorrow... I want to know his price... if it's close to the 600 or more expensive I don't think I'd consider it, as it's got higher mileage despite 1 year newer.

 

Serpentine belt has been known to slip and cause problems in 600. Oil seal and oil cooler leaks that can be very expensive to fix also on S/CL600 cars.

Speed limited to 130mph vs 155mph for CL55.

Stronger engine, sportier suspension, self adjusting seats, F1 steering wheel shifts and stouter brakes found in AMG.

The rest is up to you.

 

Excuse me but the CL definitely does not run on 6 cylinders. That is bullsh*t, especially with my 10-12 miles per gallon in the city. Obviously you do not own one or have driven one. The V12 purrs (absolutely buttery smooth) so different from any other engine, it is distinctly obvious to the ears and the feel of the engine. I have no clue where he got the belt issue from. I have never had that problem and have never heard of it.

There is no comparison to the CL55 and CL600. The CL600 is in a league of it's own.
Why do you think they have been selling at nearly $200,000? There is much more difference between the CL55 and the CL600. Why do you think the CL600 weights 350lbs more? The V12 only weights 50 pounds more than the V8. That other 300 pounds goes for things like extra leather (it's everywhere), suede headliner, suede visors, sound deadening material, extra spot welds etc. Massage seats. Mercedes turns the CL into a true exotic with the CL600. Dive one for 2 blocks and you will feel the difference right away. On paper the CL55 is fast due to it being 350 pounds lighter, but in my opinion, the CL600 feels much stronger. The shifts seem to be slower and smoother in the CL600 over the CL55 though. If you can find a CL600 and can afford it, get it. Your getting a lot more than just 4 extra cylinders for your additional $18,000. If you want the wheels and ground effects of the CL55, get the sport package with it or add a Brabus kit.

And for SOLO, the '03 you are looking at is not supercharged. It is Bi Turbo. and 493 horses. Which is more when you change out your exhaust or many other things you can do.
I suggest you research somewhere else other than this forum. Top speed is 155, I have gone that fast in mine on a few occasions. I believe many people are giving you false information. Just simply Google "'03 CL600 Specs" and Motor Trend or some other site will come up. Also wikipedia is a great source. Or even just swing by the MB dealer and ask questions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_CL-Class

 

what did you pay Expomc for your CL600. looking for one in Houston, thanks

 

CL600 for the smoothness and CL55 for sportiness. I drove them both before I purchased and went with the latter. The sound of a car is really important to me and the CL600 just didn't have the exhilarating growl I get from the V8. They both are right at the 500HP club, so acceleration differences were nominal. At low RPM however, CL600 pulls like a freight train.

Also to clear up a few things, the CL600 is not 200,000 dollars, and as far as luxuries go, I noticed barely a difference. My CL55 has double pane glass, massaging seats, suede headliner.

Bottom line, check the used prices, they are the same and perhaps the CL55 goes for a little more, same year same mileage. If one was the clear winner it would probably be reflected here.

 

It comes down to if you like a V8, get the CL55, and if you like the V12, get the (W215) CL65.

 

wow, someone bumped a old thread. lol

Got the 600 already since the summer, 03, 80k kms, black non amg with parktronic, without staggered.

love it this way too, non amg since it'll mostly driven by my parents, not me... well, it's my mom's car, and vacation car for me when I come back to visit them. Not much problems, only a park sensor needed to be replaced, and sometimes the fogs flash when I lock the car... still couldn't find what's wrong... but since when pressing lock twice would make it go away, it's no big deal.

And the quietness cruise is a great feeling feels almost the same at 50, 100 or at the speed limiter, which comes up so fast I'd want to delimit it since it's non amg, it's the lower limit.

and non staggered is a plus too since I can rotate them whenever I feel like it. :p

Oh, and since we've already have 2 V8s at home, we try not go for a third one. hahahaha

 

Ah nice, What kind of upgrades are available for both considering ECU and delimiting ect?

What did the OP originally go with?

I hate it when people don't finish stories. =(

 

The 600(is Not an AMG) no shifters buttons, no big brakes, no monster 6 piston calipers, no quad exaust, 600 is classy not sporty at all and definitely not a leag of its own, now the 65 is a different story. I went thru the same battle before i purchased my CL55 ///AMG, sure you can make the 600 a monster horsepower increase with just a simple tune, but getting the monster brakes would run you about $6-$12k alone, NOT a HANDBUILD motor and proudly signed AMG performance non sport seats, and their is no engine sound on the 600, my 55 growls like some real Muscle, besides AMG vehicles hold their value a little moreespecially considering the heart braking decrease in value the CL went from a $100-$165k depending on options to now todays market went to $20k-45k depending to milage and year ball park number nationwide US. just my two pennies, so it comes down to performance Vs Luxury. The choice is yours, mine was 55

 

To clear up some of the inaccuracies in here:

The 600 V12 motors are all hand built, just like the AMG motors. This is the same motor from the Maybach.

The 600 is faster in a straight line.

Cylinder deactivation is only on the non-turbo models (prior to '03).

The 600 specific reliability issues, such as oil leaks, are generally only on the non-turbo models (prior to '03).

The 600 is almost definitely a rarer car than the 55. Real numbers seem hard to find, but from what I've read, the CL600 may be the most limited production Mercedes made. Rarer than both the 55 and 65, with only about 300 made per year. For comparison, they made 500 SLRs per year.

Can someone post a picture of a CL55 brake?

 

2003+ R230s have same brake size (front) on 55's and 600's. However, on 2003+ W215, 600's brakes are smaller than that of the 55's

Oil leaks do happen on 2003+ 600's as well.

It's a "never ending debate". It's cheap enough now that one, if wonder, should get one of each

 

To saint- you are clueless! How is the 600 rarer the re 65? 65 was in product only from 2005-2006 the 600 from 2001-2006 now do the MATH, and u obviously have clue about the brake if you think they are the same size. Educate yourself before you make your faulty jesters, and please no assumptions! Just facts---------keep it real u prob never even seen these car in real life. Lol

 

Neglecting the fact that I own a 600... so yes, I have seen them.

You'll notice that I made six statements, the first four facts, and the last two I noted were opinions ("I have a feeling"). So you're correct that I made an assumption and stated it as such.

I was referring to production per year. Here are AMG production numbers: http://www.topgearage.com/?p=260
Assuming 300 600's per year (which is hard to verify, so this is an assumption) you can see that Mercedes made more 55s each year than 600s. The number of 65s per year is pretty close, as well. I still would stand behind my assertion that the 600 is generally a rarer car than the 55, based on annual production numbers, which was the point being made.

As for the brakes, instead of adding your own opinion, why not post a picture so that we can actually compare your 55 brakes against my 600 brakes? As pointed out, sometimes they use the same brakes on AMG and non-AMG models.


SLCL, out of curiosity, what are you basing your statement on regarding the brakes? I have seen this debated before, with no empirical evidence.

 

Voila. AMG on the left, 600 on the right