Hi,

New to the forum. In search of a cl55 black/black. I was wondering a couple things from actual cl55 owners;

How do you like your cl55?
Do you believe it is worth the sticker value?
How many mpg does the cl55 get?
and is there another page where i might be able to receive for technical stats?
What class of insurance does it fall in?
I honestly do not have enough to pitch for a brand new cl55, but was wondering what is the life expectency for this car?
Is there certain of years of this vehicle that have more problems than others?
Which years should i look at ?
How many miles do you think would be prime as buying a pre-owned cl55?
Thanks, id appreciate the info...

 

Welcome Viktor, I love the CL55, after coming out of a 911TT. Huge upgrade in ride quality for my sorry old butt.
I don't think any car is worth its sticker, that's why I buy used, enjoy the car for a year or so and try something else. (So many cars, so little time.)
Higher insurance cost, obviously releated to replacement and displacement.
Not certain about problem years.
I think you can get an '03 with 25k or less miles for 59 or 60.
Look at the completed listings on http://motors.search.ebay.com/search...&fsop=9&fsoo=2, the cars aren't selling fast.
Don't overlook the CL600, you can probably save a few thousand versus the AMG.

 

this is good discussion, please get it going, I am in the market for 03 cl55 as well. I was gonna get the o2, but with huge upgrades in 03 and up, you would be hard pressed not to buy and 03

 

I have an '03 CL55 with 24k miles. I love the car. It's been my daily driver since I bought it new. I realize that it is not a sports car, but the ABC suspension (I leave the button on all the time) and all that power sure make it fun to drive.
Someone said "I love Mercedes because they're so simple." By that I think he meant that my mother-in-law could drive this thing and not be intimidated by it. When you just want to relax and get somewhere, it's a very comfortable and efficient ride, but when you put it in manual mode and put the hammer down, this car is a lot of fun to drive.
No, I don't think it's worth the sticker price, but I'd happily pay that much to get another one. I like the car that much.
I get 14 mpg around town and approx. 19.5 mpg on the highway.
Yeah, the insurance is pricey.
The CL600 has the similar performance on paper, but most people who have driven both say the CL600 pulls harder. What you are giving up is the hand built AMG engine, suspension and brakes. I'll take the AMG every time.

 

> How do you like your cl55?

I love mine ... I lease used, seriously considering keeping it. I usually get bored of cars in just a few months.

> Do you believe it is worth the sticker value?

Hmm ... tough one ... I got into mine used about this time last year, 2003 at ~30K miles for $72K. It was one of the lowest priced at that time (needed and has had some minor work done by me and the friendly MB dealer). Per the above posts, you can get better deals now.

I used to say that "If a guy can afford $125K for a car, the CL55 is a bargain."

But what is weird is that E55's used don't run a whole heck of a lot cheaper than CL55's used. So, if you get a CL55, CL600, or CL65 new you will take a huge hit on depreciation, even with the current discounts.

On the other hand, I drive mine everyday and even drove it through the Chicago winters. I'm getting my money's worth. I can't imagine a Porsche, Aston Martin, or Ferrari coupe being able to be driven daily all seasons for 40K miles without falling apart and looking like a rat's nest.

> How many mpg does the cl55 get?

It's about like a V8 SUV - I drive some rural and city everyday, no high speed highway, and average 14 mpg.

> How many miles do you think would be prime as buying a pre-owned cl55?

Most important is factory warranty remaining. You can find an MB dealer that will fix most everything that goes wrong with these things if they are still under factory warranty. Mine is in better shape now that when I got it, it has about $10K worth of "minor" issues resolved on it, both cosmetic and mechanical.

As an aside, a 2003 CL55 that sells for 50K to 60K will probably have that amount of issues needing resolved as well.

So ... sweet spot right now, in my opinion, is to find a 2004 that didn't sell until 2005, or a 2005. They will have roughly three years left on the factory warranty. Since the warranty is also ends at the 50K miles mark, back-out how many miles you plan to drive a year to balance years remaining and mileage.

 

Ooooh, wait a minute mclaren. I traded an '01 911 Turbo for the CL55, it had 43k miles and it looked and drove great.
The bottom end is bullet proof and the interior (being all leather) wears like iron. The fact that it's AWD would help you enjoy Chicago winters.

Rumor has it the AM's and Ferrari's fit your comment but in my experience, the Porsche is built for the long haul.

 

it has about $10K worth of "minor" issues resolved on it, both cosmetic and mechanical.

that is a lot of dollars for repairs on one year, so are you really screwed if you get one out of warranty?

 

I believe so ... yes. But this is subjective on my part, what bothers me might not bother others. Also, this is a batching of 3 years of items that the previous owners didn't address including ~$3500 in there for getting the COMAND system replaced.

Being general, my advice is that one should understand that things that need to be fixed will be expensive. But it doesn't seem to be any worse than Audi's I've owned.

I sometimes run through my head the notion of getting a non-SC 2002 CL55, putting on the Kleemann or RennTech SC, and getting the Kleemann EGS done. Mainly because the non-SC's have more axle torque multiplication. I'm always stopped on that notion when I consider what I would need to do get it warrantied for a long term (StarMarked or independant).

DFW - I'll retract on the Porsche comment :-).

 

well said, mclearn, I realize that maintaing the car is a different story and one can't cry poor when driving a cl55. I also wanted to opt for the 02 model and do some mods cosmetically and engine wise, but with plenty of upgraders in o3 and up it has already been done for me anyways. so money well spent.

 

are you guys getting the chirp sound associated with superchargers like sl55 do.
is it annoying or barely noticable