Looking at a 2008 CL63
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Joined: Nov 2009
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Looking at a 2008 CL63
Hi Everyone,
I have been a member of MBWorld for not quite a year but have been lurking for years. In that time, I have been shopping off and on for an AMG car. I had originally looked at a W211 E55 but decided it was just not big enough for me – I’m 6’ 7” and 215 pounds (I believe that’s just over 200 cm and just shy of 100 kg). From there I went to the dark side and ended up with an e63 M6. My current DD has 235,000 miles and I have started looking for a replacement. The M6 is just not the best DD for me. I can go more into the reasons why I got to looking at a CL, but that would be a little off topic for the post.
I have found a local 2008 CL63. I am far from a Mercedes expert (and even less of an AMG expert) but there are alot of really sharp people on this board so I thought I would post my observations and ask a few questions.
So here is the car;
So here are my questions.
I have been a member of MBWorld for not quite a year but have been lurking for years. In that time, I have been shopping off and on for an AMG car. I had originally looked at a W211 E55 but decided it was just not big enough for me – I’m 6’ 7” and 215 pounds (I believe that’s just over 200 cm and just shy of 100 kg). From there I went to the dark side and ended up with an e63 M6. My current DD has 235,000 miles and I have started looking for a replacement. The M6 is just not the best DD for me. I can go more into the reasons why I got to looking at a CL, but that would be a little off topic for the post.
I have found a local 2008 CL63. I am far from a Mercedes expert (and even less of an AMG expert) but there are alot of really sharp people on this board so I thought I would post my observations and ask a few questions.
So here is the car;
- 2008 CL63
- 35,000 miles
- Classic black
- The asking price is about $70,000
- Options include Night Vision, Rear Camera and Sport Package, it does not have distronic but as far as I can see, it has all the other gizmos and doo dads that one finds on these cars.
- The in service date was May of 2008 and is a one owner car
- In April of 2010 it was a Lemon/Mercedes buy back in California
- The paint is in good condition with a small amount of scratching and swirl marks.
- The front and rear tires are mismatched (Continental on front and PS2’s on the rear) but with plenty of tread left.
- Both front and rear rotors have significant wear and will likely need service soon. In addition, the front rotors are not cross-drilled. Is that normal, are these not OEM rotors?
- There is a small amount of curb rash on one wheel, otherwise they are in good shape.
- It is a smoking car, although the dealer claims it is a non smoking car. The lighter and ash tray have been changed out, but if you look down into the lighter there is alot of oxidation from hot cigarette ashes falling in there.
- One of the fog light lenses is cracked.
- The front lenses have some hazing from sand (kind of surprising from CA)
So here are my questions.
- If one could get a warranty to 100,000 miles is there any reason to shy away from such a lemon.
- $70,000 still doesn’t sound like enough of a discount for a lemon when I see CPO 2008 CL63’s with asking prices in the very low $80’s. The dealer went to great lengths to explain how he was losing money on the deal. I don’t make money on every transaction I make, I’m not sure why a car dealer would expect me to think they need to make money on every transaction they make.
- Oh Yeah, what’s up with the rotors not being cross-drilled? Maybe it doesn’t matter as they will require replacement shortly, I’m just curious as to the maintenance history.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 5
From: Sherman Oaks, CA
06 CLS55 w/ P030, 05 Jag S Type R, 05 TBird-68 Dodge Charger R/T-440 w/4speed I'm original owner
Hi Everyone,
I have been a member of MBWorld for not quite a year but have been lurking for years. In that time, I have been shopping off and on for an AMG car. I had originally looked at a W211 E55 but decided it was just not big enough for me – I’m 6’ 7” and 215 pounds (I believe that’s just over 200 cm and just shy of 100 kg). From there I went to the dark side and ended up with an e63 M6. My current DD has 235,000 miles and I have started looking for a replacement. The M6 is just not the best DD for me. I can go more into the reasons why I got to looking at a CL, but that would be a little off topic for the post.
I have found a local 2008 CL63. I am far from a Mercedes expert (and even less of an AMG expert) but there are alot of really sharp people on this board so I thought I would post my observations and ask a few questions.
So here is the car;
So here are my questions.
I have been a member of MBWorld for not quite a year but have been lurking for years. In that time, I have been shopping off and on for an AMG car. I had originally looked at a W211 E55 but decided it was just not big enough for me – I’m 6’ 7” and 215 pounds (I believe that’s just over 200 cm and just shy of 100 kg). From there I went to the dark side and ended up with an e63 M6. My current DD has 235,000 miles and I have started looking for a replacement. The M6 is just not the best DD for me. I can go more into the reasons why I got to looking at a CL, but that would be a little off topic for the post.
I have found a local 2008 CL63. I am far from a Mercedes expert (and even less of an AMG expert) but there are alot of really sharp people on this board so I thought I would post my observations and ask a few questions.
So here is the car;
- 2008 CL63
- 35,000 miles
- Classic black
- The asking price is about $70,000
- Options include Night Vision, Rear Camera and Sport Package, it does not have distronic but as far as I can see, it has all the other gizmos and doo dads that one finds on these cars.
- The in service date was May of 2008 and is a one owner car
- In April of 2010 it was a Lemon/Mercedes buy back in California
- The paint is in good condition with a small amount of scratching and swirl marks.
- The front and rear tires are mismatched (Continental on front and PS2’s on the rear) but with plenty of tread left.
- Both front and rear rotors have significant wear and will likely need service soon. In addition, the front rotors are not cross-drilled. Is that normal, are these not OEM rotors?
- There is a small amount of curb rash on one wheel, otherwise they are in good shape.
- It is a smoking car, although the dealer claims it is a non smoking car. The lighter and ash tray have been changed out, but if you look down into the lighter there is alot of oxidation from hot cigarette ashes falling in there.
- One of the fog light lenses is cracked.
- The front lenses have some hazing from sand (kind of surprising from CA)
So here are my questions.
- If one could get a warranty to 100,000 miles is there any reason to shy away from such a lemon.
- $70,000 still doesn’t sound like enough of a discount for a lemon when I see CPO 2008 CL63’s with asking prices in the very low $80’s. The dealer went to great lengths to explain how he was losing money on the deal. I don’t make money on every transaction I make, I’m not sure why a car dealer would expect me to think they need to make money on every transaction they make.
- Oh Yeah, what’s up with the rotors not being cross-drilled? Maybe it doesn’t matter as they will require replacement shortly, I’m just curious as to the maintenance history.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 5
From: Sherman Oaks, CA
06 CLS55 w/ P030, 05 Jag S Type R, 05 TBird-68 Dodge Charger R/T-440 w/4speed I'm original owner
check out the mbusa.com site for pre owned cl63
http://www.mypreownedmercedes.com/matrix.php
There is an 08 CPO with 34K mi for $85.8K at Keys, Van Nuys, CA. It's been reduced as a special to $81K
http://www.mypreownedmercedes.com/matrix.php
There is an 08 CPO with 34K mi for $85.8K at Keys, Van Nuys, CA. It's been reduced as a special to $81K
Last edited by m_berman; Oct 6, 2010 at 08:21 PM.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2009
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check out the mbusa.com site for pre owned cl63
http://www.mypreownedmercedes.com/matrix.php
There is an 08 CPO with 34K mi for $85.8K at Keys, Van Nuys, CA. It's been reduced as a special to $81K
http://www.mypreownedmercedes.com/matrix.php
There is an 08 CPO with 34K mi for $85.8K at Keys, Van Nuys, CA. It's been reduced as a special to $81K
Sorry to keep asking this as well, but I noticed the car in Van Nuys does not have cross drilled rotors as well, is this an option I just don't know about or is this a non oem rotor?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,803
Likes: 12
From: Charleston, SC
GL450
The W211 E55 should have significantly more room inside than a CL. The roofline on my W210 E55 was much higher than on my W215 CL. I'm comparing different generations here, but generally the MB sedans are much more accommodating, especially for tall people, than the coupes. Although the CL is much bigger outside than an E class, inside is a totally different story.
Some people deliberately "lemon" a luxury car by nitpicking if they grow tired of it and don't want to take the massive depreciation of selling it, or if they realize they can't afford it. A lemon transmission, though, might be a serious and very costly problem, if it is in fact real.
Also, if you're driving an M6 with over 200k miles, you're obviously not afraid of maintenance. Why not look at a CL65 with twice the miles for half the price of the CL63 you're looking at. Still reliable, way better car, and way cheaper. If something breaks, the $40k you save will more than pay for it. Also look at CL55 and CL600 for even better cost/benefit/performance.
Some people deliberately "lemon" a luxury car by nitpicking if they grow tired of it and don't want to take the massive depreciation of selling it, or if they realize they can't afford it. A lemon transmission, though, might be a serious and very costly problem, if it is in fact real.
Also, if you're driving an M6 with over 200k miles, you're obviously not afraid of maintenance. Why not look at a CL65 with twice the miles for half the price of the CL63 you're looking at. Still reliable, way better car, and way cheaper. If something breaks, the $40k you save will more than pay for it. Also look at CL55 and CL600 for even better cost/benefit/performance.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2009
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The W211 E55 should have significantly more room inside than a CL. The roofline on my W210 E55 was much higher than on my W215 CL. I'm comparing different generations here, but generally the MB sedans are much more accommodating, especially for tall people, than the coupes. Although the CL is much bigger outside than an E class, inside is a totally different story.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 769
Likes: 5
From: New York
Mercedes S55 AMG
Wow, you got your M6 to 235k miles? That's a lot of driving! What year is it?
Some lemon buybacks can not be a problem, but just be careful and try to get it CPO. It may be a better idea to pay a little more and get a solid car, without a bad history, as these are already very expensive cars.
Some lemon buybacks can not be a problem, but just be careful and try to get it CPO. It may be a better idea to pay a little more and get a solid car, without a bad history, as these are already very expensive cars.
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2021 Yukon XL Denali, 2017 GLS450 4MATIC, 1993 Chevy Corvette
As previously mentioned, it sounds like this car was not taken care of by its previous owner(s). IMHO, you come across used AMGs in one of two conditions; 1) The vehicle has clearly been taken care of (judging from its appearance and how it drives), probably driven hard from time to time (it is an AMG after all) but most likely pampered for a majority of its miles, OR 2) The vehicle seems to have a fair amount of wear and tear, higher mileage, and appears to be in less than desirable condition - these vehicles tend to be the ones that were driven the hardest and abused the most.
With the large number of used AMGs out there, take your time and make sure you pick a quality vehicle. Judging by the fact that you are in the market for a used AMG and you are willing to spend $70K, you have many options!
With the large number of used AMGs out there, take your time and make sure you pick a quality vehicle. Judging by the fact that you are in the market for a used AMG and you are willing to spend $70K, you have many options!
