BlownV8

Absolutely agree with everything you are saying.

OCKlasse

This car does this to people. They either love it, or hate it. I love it.

For the money, you can't beat it. I still have the CL, and that car will be for weekends. I was sick of taking that car for little errands, and as a result I would find myself not going places simply because I didn't want to take my car there. I was able to find a way to zero-sum my monthly expenses, while putting less miles and wear on the CL.

clkwork

You can't do much better for 99 bucks

bimerbenzbently

i dont think i would sacrifice looks and space for gas consumption but thats just me

NRL

Nice, I agree, was thinking of getting a Smart car too.

I'm doing 55-75 bucks a month for a new Volt if you subtract the gas I usually use from the lease payment.
I get free fillups(electric charge) at work and at home it cost about a $1-2 dollars to fill it up otherwise.
It's zippy from 0 - 35mph.. and not bad at other speeds. 275 ftlbs of instant electric torque.

My personal opinion is the Volt is really nice with leather and all the options.

The CL65 sits in the garage and only comes out on weekends.. if ever lately (raining alot).

C280 Sport

For $100 its too good to pass up! If I lived full time in Florida it would be a perfect daily driver for me!

OCKlasse

Great pickup! How much down and then how much a month was it?

NRL

I was waiting to see if an electric Smart car was going to be sold in SoCal.. But after I test drove the Volt, loved the Sport mode..very zippy, K1 electric go cart but way faster. Better looking then the Nissan electric.
I opted for the full package all options, Black on Black which ran me $2.5k down, out the door $389 per month lease for 3yrs. The lease goes down to 270ish for less options which I would choice the next round.
Had to remind the wife to subtract the gas I usually go thru with my truck, van and of course, not count the gas costs for the AMG(very little)

Of course this works out much better when you can get a free daily full charge at work, and you don't need to charge when you get home.. Also within a 20 to 40 mile range if you want to use pure electric the whole time.. Great for zipping around silently around OC..

What's really amazing is when the dealer filled my gas tank up, the gas backup lasted 4 months (9 gallons), and I eventually burned thru it just to find out how well extended range works..

And when I drive the AMG W215 on weekends.. Feels like a new super car each time I get in.. But the Volt is a great Daily..

OCKlasse

I love the feeling when I get into the CL again. It really makes me appreciate it much more

alx

Are you guys discussing fuel economy on a cl Amg forum? Really?

Heheeeeeee

OCKlasse

For me it's more putting miles and wear and tear on my car than the fuel economy

alx

I have a friend with a cl55 with 180k miles on the odo and the car runs great.

And the difference between a 50k miles 03 cl55 and a 180k mile one is about $5-7k. Hardly worth the effort of avoiding to drive the car you like.

The cl car is a daily car. It is not a Ferrari or a lambo. Miles on such old cars have little effect on value since value to begin with is so low.

But... To each his own

NRL

Same here.. I think I only put less then 4k miles on the CL this year..

SLCL

+2 ... why would you say you love your CL and not drive it? Life is too short. I find myself driving my two Mercedes 98% of the time, even when it rains! (the other 2% is when it snows or when I need to lugs my wheels/tires to the shops)

Again ... to each his own

freestylebiker3

i was also thinking about getting a daily driver.. i am spending average 500-550 dollars per month on fuel on my cl65 i wanted to get a orange chevy sonic turbo... get a performance tune, front mount cooler. and get 40mpg not bad

OCKlasse

It's a lot more than that. I picked up 2004 my with 98k and it has needed to the following since owning:

• motor mounts
• rotors and pads
• oxygen sensor
• tranny mount
• rear flex disc
• valve cover gaskets
• lower oil pan
• spark plugs
• air filters
• ball joints
• tie rod ends
• front lower control arms
• driver door soft close
• trunk shocks
• car stuck in park
• much more I'm forgetting

I'm at around 111k now, and before 150k, it will need all the mounts replaced, the valve cover gaskets redone, tranny service, rear diff rebuilt (leaking now), another ABC debacle (thankfully ABC work was done prior to my ownership) and I'm sure much more.

alx

So you don't drive because you are afraid of the things that can go wrong?

That is not a predicament you will catch me in.

OCKlasse

No, I love my car and will continue to drive it. But you can't make blanketed statements like the car will only need $5-7k in repairs within a 100k mile window. It just simply isn't true.

I don't need to drive my car to go to the gym, or commute to work, or to get groceries. What I enjoy my car for is going on drives on PCH, meeting up with other car guys, and going to Cars and Coffee on Saturday mornings.

patrick_y

Congrats on the Smart! It's a great car. Take it on the twisties and it will really surprise you on how well the car handles! And don't be afraid to overdrive it a little bit, if the car slides (and it takes a lot to make it slide) it's easily recovered so it's relatively safe. Please be safe though, not an excuse for unsafe driving. Enjoy!

OCKlasse

It's a lot of fun! And yes! Very hard to slide.

BR34K3R

You got a bargain, $99 a month really is a no brainer. For the amount that Verizon is screwing me I could of had 4 of those smart cars.

I think you made a good choice. Enjoy it. You get to keep the milage low on the CL, save some extra gas money to offset the CL gas and find easy parking. Kudos.

God Bless

MAD CL55

OCKLASSE:
I also drive a Smart car and love the feeling of getting into the CL, it's more than just saving gas or Wear and tear.... It just makes cents! (Intended)

Congratulations! Enjoy your new ride!

alx

excellent logic.

following it one should feel real good when he repeatedly hits his fingers with a hammer, but every now and then misses