Hey Guy so I was wondering which car I should get I always wanted a powerful AMG since the prices have tanked im wondering which one I should get. Also Any good bodykits for the Cl class

Just remember: even though the prices have tanked, it's still a $100,000 car as far as maintenance is concerned. Think of it as "I'm getting a great deal on a $100,000 car!" and not "This is a $40,000 car now - woo-hoo!" It's not, and you'll get burned.

ya I have thought that over just needed an opinion on which one I should get and why I should get it

If you want amazing power go with the 65, the 55 will be enough and could be modded to have enough for your need, but the 65 is so much easier to get the power out of. I have a 55 if I could do it over I would def look at the CL65 or the SL65. I think I still rather have the SL cause of the drop top, but the CL has the rear seats. Hard Choice, but the 65 is def worth the extra money.

I HAVE yet to put any repair money in my 65's....dont be discouraged....I have owned many and they all have been super dependable and tight as ROCKS...even the 90k mile cl65 I have now...rides and drives like a 15k car...

I really love my 2006 CL55. It certainly has all the (supercharged) power I can use and the exhaust note is just perfect! (15/City, 22/Hwy is nice too!). I am sure the V12's are very nice, but for me, not worth the extra $$$ to buy, and maintain.

I love the sound of the 55 engine the most - - particularly if you delete out the resonators. In the end my choice came down to whether I wanted a back seat or a drop top. With the number of times I have put people in those back seats, to me it has been worth it to have them.

I like the CL55, but there is no substitute for the V12. It's smoother, quieter, faster, and (with the proper mods) pulls like a freight train - well beyond the "safe" limits of the 55K.

+ 1,000,000 The V12 is so smoooooth!

All of tese cars are so different. 2 seat roadster, or 4 seat coupe. It all depends on what you want.

The 55 or the 65 engines are brilliant. The V12s are pricier to fix.

V12

I VOTE FOR V12 AMG 65 ONLY, BUT YOU NEED TO TEST DRIVE TO SEE WITCH IS THE CAR FOR YOU

Might be in a similar situation myself in the next 12 months or so, and it's interesting to see what everyone's been saying. Definitely, the 215 CL is still one of the most gorgeous cars that has ever been made, but with M5 prices starting to dip, it seems that for the same money, you're looking at either an M5, an SL55, SL600, S55, S600, CL55, or a CL600. I've always been biased towards handling for street cars, as I can't stand driving poor handling vehicles. My buddy's S430 is definitely a boat, although it's not bad. How would the handling of any of the above fall between that and an M5? Honestly, it seems that the M5 is almost unbeatable in a straight line, unless it's a 65 or a newer Lambo, F-car, or Turbo. And, from what I hear, it's massively better in the corner than say, a CL55. Any thoughts on this? Clearly, the power both stock and modified is awesome from any of the Mercedes offerings, but I don't want to drive a school bus.

Wheel and tires make also a big difference. Keep that in mind when you test drive. I have a CL600 with wide PS2s and the grip in corners with the suspension on sport is great. A chipped CL600 with a great wheel set may be an alternative vs Cl65 and easier to find. - and I love the wood wheel...

How wide? I definitely thought about that, it wouldn't be an M3 but I'm sure at least the grip is there. I just am concerned that it still would feel like a boat through the turns. I can't stop looking at the CLs though, and the interiors are beautiful. And of course they're fast. Maybe an SL? I hear they're not half bad in the corners.

245/35/20 and 285/30/20 and I don't think it feels like a boat. The BAC really works to keep the car flat, no wailing and as Car and driver says: "The CL600 digs into corners with a surprising amount of bite and enthusiasm. One tester wrote, "Wow, very impressive in the turns, feels almost as agile and frisky as the Ferrari.""
But - these are heave cars and not track cars.
Check out this test by car & driver (stock CL600):
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

Totally forgot about that review. They seem to be fairly impressed with the way it handles, comparing it to the Ferrari is a big plus for me. And your feedback seems pretty helpful, I definitely think bigger wheels and tires are a must, and some lowering links. Theirs didn't even seem to have the sport package so the AMG wheels and high performance tires probably would have helped even more. Have to say that this is pretty convincing so far.

Best thing to do is test drive all 3. You will probably need to visit mutiple dealers to do this.

Bet you end up with the 65 even if you have to beg for the additional $$.

Regarding the CL65:
"The Stig said he was stunned at how fast it was. He was also stunned at how bad it was, through the corners. He really did not like this thing in the corners."
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/merc-cl65e

The car has grip, and corners flat, but it is definitely not a well handling sports car. It's a cruise missile. If you're expecting M3/Ferrari handling, you'll be disappointed. But if you're expecting M3/Ferrari acceleration, you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

Test drives are definitely a must, that's really the only way. I do remember watching that TG segment (a million times ) and I cringe every time I see it it around Chicago and the Hammerhead, it pushes worse than every other car they've had around there. Interesting that, as many reviews and many on here have said, it has tons of grip, and the suspension allows almost no roll, although somehow this ends up producing incredible understeer, which a lot of reviews do seem to say as well. My only guess is that the incredible damping/"spring" stiffness that ABC serves up when it tries to counteract body roll definitely causes the understeer in anything tighter than a medium sized sweeper. Stiff up front will definitely do this. All that weight doesn't help either. It seems that if there was a great, well-engineered coilover kit for these cars, it would improve the handling by like a factor of 3...the tires are there, they don't weigh THAT much, as there are much heavier cars that handle better, and they must be at least decently stiff. I think the problem lies in the tuning of the ABC, especially in the front. Any thoughts? I definitely know that it's no M car, which part of me says I couldn't live without, but I guess all that's left is to drive one. Got plenty of time though, so I guess I can make a well-informed decision when the time comes Any thoughts on handling in the 55s vs. the 65s? Or even Sl vs. CL? SLs are still way out of my range unless they magically hit the 30k mark like the S and CL have, but I wouldn't mind an SL55...they're getting cheap and they seem to be genuinely decent driver's cars from what I've heard...any thoughts?

The CL doesn't use sway bars since ABC does not require them and all CLs use ABC (unlike the SL or S, which are available with or without). So retrofitting coil overs would be difficult because you would need to fabricate and mount sway bars.

It's interesting because this is basically what they did on the SL65 Black Series: swapped the ABC for conventional suspension. It seems to have helped some, but the SL65 Black still gets complaints on its handling. I think the combination of weight and compliant ride is basically hitting the limit of physics. Cars that weigh (almost) this much but handle better generally have other compromises: huge costs, worse ergonomics (which allow better weight distribution), stiffer suspension, etc.

damn you're right I forgot about the sway bars, that would be a huge issue. Not worth the cost. Also, I was shocked at what everybody was saying about the Black's handling, but 4200 lbs or so can only change directions so fast I guess. Still, it would be interesting if someone decided to re-tune ABC so that maybe it had slightly better bump compliance and a softer spring rate in front while turning, it might help. I'm guessing that would be a nightmare though. Anyways, there is much worse handlers than a Mercedes CL...

I almost killed myself chasing an M5 in my VRP 825 Boat. The M5 left me at least bus lenghts in tight corners, I know, yes completely different animal. This thing can not handle even if my life depended on it.