hoppppa

I'm picking up a 2003 CL55, and I'm curious.. do you guys think it looks outdated?

If not, do you think it will look outdated very soon?

I know it all boils down to personal opinions, but that's what I'm after.

Also, it has around 90K miles but it already got the 100k maintenance.

Is there a lot of major problems after 100k? I know maintenance will be a pain for this car, but I'm not really worried about paying around 3-5K a year.

danlnyc

I do not think the CL55 looks outdated at ALL. I had people coming up to me all the time asking what year it is and when I reply "04" they are all shocked. They think it's brand new or at least 2009+

90k miles is about the point where everything will start breaking down. If they haven't taken care of their ABC or never had it repaired, that would be a big indicator of something terrible to come. I would bring a Mercedes tech or someone who really knows their AMG's to come along with you.

and it's gonna be a helluva lot more than 3-5k a year. Those are some really really low numbers man....

BR34K3R

The CL is one of those body styles that in my opinion never dies. I agree with danlnyc, make sure you triple verify that nothing is wrong with the ABC system. It can get very costly, you can easly spend 3-5k on just an ABC issue.

As far as the look, don't worry about it being 'outdated looking' at the end your buying the car because YOU like it who cares what someone else thinks.

BR34K3R

hoppppa

I PM'd ya

hoppppa

I PM'd ya

OCKlasse

$3-5k is more than adequate for an average year of maintenance. I'm at 110k now..

hoppppa

ABC has been replaced. One thing the guy said that was wrong was "sometimes you have to help the automatic trunk open and close and sometimes it works fine" do you know how much that costs to fix?

Also, what year do you recommend?

Were there are cosmetic changes in the CL55 from 2003-2006?

hoppppa

Also, he replaced the ABC. How many times does one have to replace it?

Share your experiences? Is one time common and 2nd far from ever occurring?

SLCL

It depends on what exactly is wrong with the trunk. It has 2 pumps in there to operate (one to move up and down and the other to keep it close). Replacing both of them plus labor is close to $3K.

2003 has CD-based navigation (others have DVD-based) and is probably around 20lbs lighter than other years (2004-2006). 2006 has 19" wheels. These are the noticeable ones.

Exotic-metal55

What mods you going to put on first , so you can add another 100hp?

CharlestonN

I don't think it looks outdated, most people that ask me about mine think it's no more than a year or 2 old and think i payed over $120K for it

It's still more luxurious and feature filled than brand new E, C or CLS classes so you can't beat the deal IMO

bimerbenzbently

everytime i pull my CL out i get the sammmme thang... where do these people live dont they know about mercedes??!?!! They coulda had the same car but decided to buy a brand new KIA lol

SLCL

You now sound just like RM!

itscard0man

im thinking about getting an 02 cl55 myself other than abc what else would one look out for and what else would cause the maintenance to be 5-10k a year ? also like hopppa ask after 'fixing" the abc issue how often does it reoccur ?

BR34K3R

The main expense would be the ABC, I had an 01 CL500 that I bought new (I was the first owner) and I sold it with 117K miles on it and I never had to fix the ABC. The person who bought the car from me (my employee) drove it another 30+K before he totaled it and he never had an issue with the ABC.

On the other hand I just bought a CL55 from a member and he was super honest and told me every single problem the car had, include the ABC problems. Four days after I bought it, the ABC took a crap on me (red light) it would not raise anymore. Total for the parts alone from worldpac and dealer (I have accounts at both) was roughly $3800, I replaced everything myself. I knew what it would cost me, since I am in the business, I factored this into my purchase price and got the car at a VERY low price. The seller, a forum member here, was a super nice/honest guy and understood that it will cost thousands.

I would definitely consider these costs and factor that into your purchase price. Your spending several thousand on a vehicle, it would be wise to have the car scanned at a mechanic before purchase. Most mechanics will connect a scanner to the OBDII and scan the vehicle for a very minimal fee....Usually $20-$50 this can save you major money and its a wise investment. For the cost of a Carfax report you can see all the stored codes.

As far as how often they break, its hard to say. My 04 SL55 I bought new, its at 72K and never a problem with ABC, my 01 CL500 was at 117K +30K and never a problem. The 04 CL55 I bought was at 78K and ended up costing me $3800 on top of my purchase price.

My best recommendation would be to buy an extended warranty with your used car. Make sure said warranty covers suspension and electrical (ECU included) and you should be fine.

Also its a good idea to buy a car with service history, the guy your buying it from might be the 3rd owner and maybe the 2nd owner had the ABC replaced (this sometimes shows in the car fax report), which should make you a little more comfortable with your purchase.

God Bless and good luck your purchase.

alx

One pump. Both for vacuum and pressure.

SLCL

^^ Thanks. That was what my decade long so called advisor told me when he charged me $3K to replace the pumps in back to back visits (because the first visit did not fix it). He claimed "we only charge the parts this [second] time since we only replaced the one pump last time." $1.9K first time, $1.1K second time ... (not to mention they also charged $1.9K for the passenger door closing asist and several other fixes).

The last time I made a complaint to the service director, he gave me 100% refund (including free parts) plus two car detailed. Perhaps I should complaint more often

Quadcammer

while I think the 215 cl still looks nice, it is a dated car. Then again, if you still like it, who cares if its dated. There are tons of beautiful cars that are extremely dated.

C280 Sport

The C215 to this day still looks beautiful I think. As Oliver said as long as you are happy thats what matters. Take a 140 S Class for example. Dated sure but still beautiful to look at and drive. Make sure that ABC is working and be prepaired to shell out the money if something goes. The ABC seems to be a weak point on these cars. Another fault is the trunk actulator as well. Common on the 220/215

The great thing now with a 215 is they look great and that you just spent mega $$$ for a car but in reality it is no more then a C300/C350 that people buy and think is oh so wonderful.

alx

pump block is in the trunk on the driver side in front of the electronic stack. it takes about an hour to r&r. pump is $800 or so and they do go bad if you spring a leak and keep resetting the pump so the leaky circuit works a bit longer (like the infamous trunk latch leak).

Capn

Never has and never will be outdated to me.