ive never owned a benz. i am very close to puling the trigger on a 03 cl500 with 45k miles for $21,000. what am i getting myself into?
how much are these service As and Bs? what are they?

im hoping for the best but planning for the worst... so with that said, what can i expect to go wrong and how much can i expect to pay?

i know im being vague, but any advice and/or experiences to share are welcome and much appreciated.

thanks!

 

I would not buy the car due to extremely high maintenance costs, primarily those associated with the ABC system. Repairs can easily run over $5000. I would go for a later model with a warranty as the quality is better so I understand. I have an '02 CL with about 38k miles on it and I will probably let it go at about 50k miles due to the above. What you pay for these $100,000 cars today is only a small part of what the cost may end up being.

 

The answers all across the board on this one. The warranty companies are likely making money, although you can hope that they are "wrong" and you are getting the better deal with this model given we all know these cars are expensive. I've had an '04 for almost 3 years now and am glad I passed on the warranty. I would have lost money on it. If you can afford a 5-10K hit every once in a while, don't get the warranty. If such a thing would knock you out and you need the peace of mind, get it.

 

I don't think you can get a decent warranty on these older CL's (older that '05). I did quite a bit of checking and found that many companies that would cover the CL in the past no longer want any part of them. I found a few that would cover my '02 CL with the exception of the ABC system. The one that I found that would cover ABC wanted about $12,000 per year, utterly crazy.

 

back in feb of 06 when my father bought his 02 cl500 he tried looking for one but 1) it was very hard to find (especially being in california) and 2) he just decided not to go for it afterwards

 

I picked up an 01 (first mistake) CL600 a few years ago and the maintenance has been a nightmare. I love the car and it is sweet when everything is working. Unfortunately for this particular one, that only comes in about 3 month spurts. I was able to get a warranty and it paid for itself in the first year. Its to the point now where Im thinking they are litterally just going to cut me off one day, because Im well into the 20k range on repairs. The ABC finally went this weekend. When I dropped it off yesterday my service tech (who is now like the brother I never had) said he was going to go ahead and ask the dealership to put me on the payroll since I was there more than he was. I could go on, but its starting to hurt too much.

Warranty is Easycare-Totalcare by the way.

 

i feared a response like this, but i needed to hear it.
Its a shame that such a gorgeous car is such a pain to own... well without a warranty that is.

i really appreciate all the feedback. you guys have prevented me from making a regrettable decision. i have made horrible investments before (jaguar s-type being one of them) and im not in favor of making another one.


PATENTMAT: your car is BEAUTIFUL! simply stunning. i love it!

Thank you all!

 

Investment?!?!? This car is the furthest thing from it

Ya, it's really got a lot of upkeep. I mean, every time something breaks, minimum $500 from what I've experienced on the CL. But yes, she is a stunning vehicle, it's pretty much my favorite benz ever built (the W215). If I really had some money to throw, I'd buy an 05 or 06 CL65. By far the most beautiful car I've ever seen (that and the 997 twin turbo)

 

BUY the WARRANTY, itll be worth it. Buy the CL, bring it home, do a complete hand detail. stand back and be amazed on what a beautiful machine it is.

BUY the WARRANTY and enjoy the ride make sure it has atleast the AMG bodykit...

 

about 1 year ownership, 03 CL600, did oil and filter change once, did repair once, repair came to about 10-11k... both front suspensions changed and both coil packs changed, bought the parts off parts.com, it's half the price at least from what the list price was. but still came to 10k+ after labour and other minor things while at it like spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter etc...

 

check the classifieds on here theres a nice white 03 for sale

 

www.tech2protection.com will warranty the car including the ABC system. They are the best aftermarket provider at the moment. They are quite reasonable. They range from 2K to 4.5K depending on the length and mileage. They will not accept a car with more than 80K on it so keep that in mind.

If you like the car and you can afford it buy it and treat yourself. Don't listen to any cry babies and downers that always complain about money. A car is a horrible investment.....but who cares....we only live once.

Which ever car interests you, make sure that you take it to a shop that can run the full diagnostics to check the status of the vehicle. Check the CARFAX as well.

The CL500 is a gorgeous and excellent car considering the technology involved. The 215 is timeless. Just make sure that you get the warranty considering the cost of repairs. The car will go 200K easily as long as you stay up with the services and you don't mistreat the car. It's all relative.

Buy the car......you will love it.

Good luck.

 

Anyone else know anything about this company, Tech II Protection:

http://www.tech2protection.com/quote.html

 

Tech 2 protection is the administrator. Warrentech is the underwriter. In other words, they hold the paper on the warranty. Warrantech is out of Bedford, TX. They have an excellent rating in the insurance industry. They also have excellent status and reviews with D&B.

Good luck.

PS. I have their policies on both of my cars. (01 CL500 and 04 CL55)

 

Have you had any claims?

 

so why does your side profile show 03 CL55??? just wondering

 

Gaazmon.....your question is irrelevant to the thread......I buy and sell cars when I see a good deal. I just picked up the 04. The 03 does not have a warranty. The 03 is on it's way out.

I've had minor claims on the 01. They took care of it without any issues.

This is as far as I'm going to go with replies. It's obvious that some of you have way too much time on your hands and are borderline bored. My time is very limited and I've given you plenty of info for you to investigate on your own.

My last tip for the peanut gallery.......when talking to the warranty company reseller, make sure that you ask them who is the policy admin and who underwrites the policy. Do your research and the rest is common sense.

Best of luck to all of you.

 

just looking out for the OP. sometimes you get people who just come on here to promote a product/service for their own benefit and their info doesn't match up.

 

I suggest thoroughly checking out Tech II Protection before buying a policy from them. The BBB rates them a "F", their lowest ranking.

http://www.fortworth.bbb.org/commonr...ompid=86060022

 

so i guess my comment was not unfounded

 

Yeah, you just gotta wonder about some people. I don't know what his problem was/is but there are those that just don't belong of forums. We asked him a couple of questions and he gets bent out of shape. Perhaps he works for that insurance co. I thought something was wrong when they quoted me $2500 for four years/50k miles to cover my '02 CL500. I would have jumped all over that if they had a good reputation. No other company wants to touch these cars unless ABC is excluded, and most don't want them at all.

 

i know. i mean again, i'm just trying to look out for the guy. he's not buying a toaster or a plasma tv, he's looking to buy a car which originally MSRP's for about $100K, with $100K type car maintenance expenses.

OP, did you buy the car???

 

no no, did not buy the car. i do appreciate all the help and feedback.

sorry you had to deal with the guy peddling tech 2. i got a laugh out of the whole thing though.

 

lol no worries bro