this is my first post here .... I am currently looking to buy a CL55 but dont know what or why to buy an 02 vs an 03 ... well besides the fact that I can save some money .... do I understand this correct is the 03 the first year for SC from MB?
and also what is the best to buy one besides the usual places EBAY and **** like that ... I dont want to buy one from an auction never trust those places ...
any help I would appreciate .... thnx

 

Yes, the 2003 was the first year of the supercharged engine as well as the mid life facelift and interior update.

 

Don't know if your interested in an 04 or 05 CL55. I have a friend who works for an MB dealer in the NY Metro area that has one of each for sale Silver w/ charcoal interior at reasonable prices. The 04 has 8700 mi and the 05 has 23 mi. PM me if you want his contact info.

 

I wouldnt mind a 04 CL55 I am also looking at a 2002 CL600 thats on ebay really confused would love to have that HP but also I think CL600 plenty of car ... I presently drive a 2003 S500 and a 2002 Chevy HD with a 8" Lift love that thing but want to trade up to something a little different ... I also have this 1998 Corvette sitting in the garage since new with 2500 Miles on it .. got tired of it so it just sits there plenty of mods to car but not to the looks of it looks stock ..... I was planning on giving the S500 to wife she getting rid of Tahoe ... what a dilema

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...spagenameZWDVW

 

Get an '03 or newer, unless of course you like using a lot of gas just to get passed by a benz with half a V12. :p

 

ok sounds like a deal just help me find a 03 CL55 with low miles for a god price and I buy it .. of course once I do this I will come back here and get advice for mods ....
and I really dont know what mods it would need anyway..... maybe wheels ?

 

If you plan on modding it, I'd get the V12, just make sure that it's an '03 or newer (turbos). It can be modded much more effectively and easily than the V8. I'd suspect that the preowned prices on an '03 55 are about the same as an '03 600.

 

Actually I dont I would want to make too many mods to it dont want to have a prb with it take it down to MB and they tell me youre screwed so now you have to pay us 20K to look inside the engine .. LOL

 

what do you guys think of this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...spagenameZWDVW

why would they change the head unit ... for this Eclipse is it really an upgrade ?

sorry for the questions ... they are willing to sell it for 69K

 

well its been rather hard finding the right car ... anyone of you guys know of a CL55 that is for sale with some mods I would prefer a 2003 since I dont want to spend a fortune .. thanks

 

YO MANS I AM NEW AND I AM WONDERING this forum is bout okay sukkas

 

it is only 10g i got a coupla cars right now

 

wth are you saying?

 

here is a copy of what I wrote on the standard CL forum, you may want to read the whole thread, here is a copy and paste I don't feel like typing it all again:

Lexlyf is correct Phat Ho. The most overriding concern you should have with buying a CL is warranty work. The CL is an amazing car. One of the best coupes in the world. In my opinion, the best actually. But it is not the most reliable, sadly. Its still more reliable than like a Ferrari.. or an Aston Martin, but you have two things working against you. TONS of electronics in this car, and a car that is VERY expensive to repair.

If you think you are getting a good deal on a car, you can lose ALL your savings with one trip to the dealer. There are a number of board members here and at benzworld.org that have older CL's and live with some problems as they are just too costly to fix.

My power folding mirrors are not snapping back to place right now. They have been working on it for 3 days. Its a minor issue, but I would be horrified of the bill. I have actually had a repair bill, covered under warranty, that was close to $30,000. Think about that. They couldn't locate the problem so they just started replacing parts. Turned out to be a very simple thing at the end.

If you are going to keep this car for a while, you do not want to be without a warranty.

Now there are aftermarket companies, and some members have had good luck with them. But know this... it is the dealer's OPTION whether to accept your warranty or not. They don't like it because they have to prove the work, then wait to get paid. Some are afraid of certain companies and will not do the work at all. The only warranty that obligates every MB dealer to work on your car and covers pretty much everything, is the Mercedes Benz CPO warranty.

So to me, this is critical. You can try to save some money on a used car from a used car dealer or some auction, but you are one ABC suspension problem away from losing all your savings.

So how do you get a CPO warranty? You will not get it through a used car dealer. Only an MB dealer.... or, you make a private party transaction between you and another owner whose MB is CPO. Problem with that is there aren't many private parties that sell CL's. Most get traded in because the owners are affluent and don't care.

Here is my recommendation. Find the car you want at an MB dealer. You can search through MB's website of all USA dealer's inventories. These cars will generally be clean, not having been pulled off a levy in Louisiana. They haven't been sitting in some used car dealer's lot with every employee taking turns at taking it home because its the coolest car on the lot.

Once you find what you want, narrow it down to a few vehicles, and start bargaining. Tell them you get another one at such and such place and price. They are there to sell cars too. And I find they are more willing to bargain than a regular used car dealer. They have lofty prices because some poor older couple will walk in that can't tell a CL from a motorscooter and they pay top dollar. But I have been able to bargain with MB dealers some substantial amounts. Don't be put off by the high original asking price. If you live in a cold climate, buying a CL in the dead of winter is the best thing to do.

At an MB dealer a CPO car will have an extra year of warranty only. You will have the choice of another year, or two years of going beyond that extra year. I recommend you do it. Even if you don't use it, it will make the car much easier to sell as the next buyer will be in the same shoes you are in now.

You just have to be patient, and search. And remember, that the cheapest car to buy is not the cheapest car to own. Pay more for a good car. Most of my friends who are in the car business told me that I paid Waaaay too much for my car. They were all wrong. I bought a cherry one-owner car after searching for a year. I knew CL's better than anyone. I picked up a very low milage, garage queen that had every option in the right color.

So don't panic. Find the right car. When it comes time to sell, you will get a lot more money back for it. And your investment will have been a much wiser one than if you bought cheap, spent a ton of money on repairs, then sold cheap because it was not so desirable a unit to start with.

I think you know the options:

CL2 AMG sport package (about 5K new)
Keyless Go (about 1K new)
Parktronic (about 1K new)
Distronic (about 3K new)
Trunk Closer (about $600 new)
Tire Pressure Monitoring (about $600 new)
Ventilated seats (standard on the 600, option on the 500).

1 year extended CPO warranty starts the day your factory warranty ends. Always ask for the car's "in service" date. Thats the date the warranty started. You can buy a 2003 whose warranty started in october 2002, or you can buy one that started in January 2004. Obviously one car is more valuable than the other. This should be one of your first questions.

Also, I know you are considering a 500, but from a financial standpoint, a 600 may be a better option. It is a car that was significantly more expensive, and has already taken its hit. It is much more rare, and as a used car, you are getting more for your dollar.

I still know the CL market very well. Feel free to PM me or e-mail me with cars you find and are unsure about. I will definitely give you advice and insight.

Good luck.

 

well it looks like I finally found one that I can go for .. now just to iron out the details .. it has some options .. but would like to know where and how much to get parktronic installed and can that be done by the average guy .. or do I have to hire a MB engineer?
btw can I activate that phone with any service that I want ?
not too familiar with the phone and how it works .. I use Verizon here in texas

2003 CL55
18K miles
Distronic
Keyless Go
Electronic Trunk Closer
Moto Phone

 

congrats. Nice car. There is a way to retro parktronic, its about $1000 to do it retro... www.mbenznl.com, I think its Steve you want to talk to. As for the phone, it depends on if its a CDMA ir TDMA phone, you can take it to any Verizon store and they wil tell you if they can activate it or not. If you have the wrong one, you can find the other type on e-bay fairly cheap.