You are the king of 208 55's.....Tell me its not true.. Fellow MBW members are telling me that my CLK55 is worth about $32,000...How can this be?..If true Iam keeping it but I dont believe it. What do you say all mighty one?

 

how many miles does it have although that does sound about right give or take $2000

 

39,000 Miles..Nice Wheels/Suspension/Tint...man thats a shame if its true.

 

We should get a light like they use for Batman ...whenever we need Chappy we just shine the giant AMG logo in the sky and he comes to the rescue.

 

LMAO

Prices have been steadily sinking since late 2002 on the W208. I would have guessed mid-thirties for your car, with a higher resale if you have the factory extended warranty (the extended warranty is huge peace-of-mind for a potential buyer). Frankly, I have not really paid that much attention to resale as my plan, since purchase, was to keep the car for ten years or more. I sprung for the additional 3/100 warranty during my first year of ownership.

As a percentage of resale (new, the 2001 55s cost $68K, base) - mid thirties for a 4.5 year-old car translates to a tad under 50%. Not too bad when compared to a lot of other cars. However, the E46 M3 offers better resale to their owners.

My impression is that the AMGs on the used market are a two-edged sword, especially if they are out of warranty: On one hand, they are a very desirable car to own. On the other hand, maintenance and repair can get very costly if the car is not maintained well. Couple that with the fact that reports of MB quality problems were at their peak in '01-'02.

Look at the history of the W140 V12s: Super expensive to maintain and repair, much more so than the W140 S420 or S500. There was just about two of everything under the hood of that S600! I'd be curious to know how many folks elected to buy a CLK430 over a 55 due to worries about higher repair/maintenance costs...

BTW, if you can suggest some ideas about unloading an extra townhome we have, I'm all ears. Just pulled the trigger on new carpet in hopes of moving this thing faster.

Is the $32K figure you are being told a "trade" value or "retail"?

 

Im with you...Mid thirties mayby an extra 1k for being in the Bay Area and having the rims etc....Thats all I want out of it. These guys are telling me to ASK 32K...If I did that I would be getting 30K offers!!!..wich would make me puke...I dont think throwing up on someone during a negotiation is good way to sell a car so I shouldnt even go there.

I agree about the exteneded warranty and resale. My new car is covered till Jan 2011 or 100k...Mayby thats were I went wrong buying my CLK.

As usual your the man Chap.

 

How about a ride in that CL of yours if I make it to your neck-o-the-woods next year?

 

a bumpy ride here. No offense intended (to you either Chappy), but the CLK 55, whether a 208 or a 209, is just not a popular piece in the used marketplace. It's a somewhat unusual car, as it appeals to a different customer than the M3 or similar competitors. The more affluent, more well heeled--and better financed--guy is going to leapfrog over a CLK into something with a bit more street or curb cred, or something later and greater. Sadly, the AMG models have lost some credibility on the ride down with other Benz products. And the fact that the 209 is not selling well ain't helping the value of any 208, whether 55 or 320. Let me get on my soap box again and encourage you to blame your friends at DC/MBUSA, who insist on putting way more product in America than it can stand. In the old days (I can say that, as I was driving a Benz when most of you guys were riding a Big Wheel), you could drive a late model Benz for a couple years, escape with a lite nick, and go on your way, as there wern't 100 other cars like yours for sale on ebay and AutoTrader (like there are now). Those days are gone.
Good news is that someone wil get a great performance car at a great value with warranty remaining. BTW, just checking my latest copy of "Black Book" (what lots of dealers use for valuation) shows (look away now if you want) average wholesale on an 01 CLK coupe at $27800, and clean wholesale at $31800 (it probably won't do that wholesale). I'm sure your car is much nicer than the average bear and it does have an extended warranty. And these are wholesale prices. But there is just so little interest in a used 208 coupe--with any engine--unless it's something that can be had pretty inexpensively.
I hate it too. I'm a second generation Benz guy, having owned middle double digits of Benz cars. I'm going to have to re-think that in the future. Re-sale is one of the main reasons why.
Old guy is done now.

 

55s are definitely more prone to having problems considering the people who bought them knew exactly what they were getting. A fast MB that could beat most cars out on the road.
I rather have a 01 320 that an old lady drove gently than a 01 55 that has been to the 1/4 mile track a few times.
Specially if repairs and maintenance come out of my pocket.

 

proform,

Did you end up selling your CLK?

 

If you haven't sold it yet, then you should yank out all the mods and replace it with OEM parts and expect to get about $30K for it.

 

Just wanted to insert my .02 here: Many dealers and independent MBZ sellers base their offer for our cars on the current auction prices. I know this is a completely unfair, apples to oranges way to do business, but it is the way they play the game. I don't care whether you are dealing with an MBZ Dealer, Independent Auto lot, or Carmax, it is the same.

For example, I recently priced my '02 CLK 430 at $29,000 on Bluebook/Blackbook. I then visited the 3 categories above and got the following: $22,000 - $24,000. ALL of those *******s were basing their offers from the recent, local auctions in which CLK 430s with 65,000+ miles and salvaged titles were being auctioned for the same range. I told them all to shove it.

 

What is your next ride going to be?

 

After the ridiculous low offers, Chappy, I think I am going to keep it. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with it, I was just thinking about something new. I sill love my 1-windshield wiper (a rarity in cars these days) and ergnomically supportive seats (to me, at least).

My plan is much like yours now, keep it at least another 4 years, and perhaps longer since it will be all paid off well before then. At that point I may lease a Porsche 997 or even a Boxster (I love the new Boxsters with the Sportec wheels and kits). I look around and see all these old school 91 Infinitis and 92 BMWs still on the road, and think, hey why can't my car hang around like them?

 

SocalCLK:
how did you find auction prices?

 

Hey Lag,

I didn't log into these websites myself, I was able to sit with a used MBZ Independent Dealer and watch him as he logged into the auction websites. He was able to search and find all CLK 430s sold in LA/OC/IE and Bay Areas in the past 2 weeks and get their prices and the mileage. I forgot which software he was using.
Also, CARMAX does the same thing when they price out what they offer for your car. I think it's unfair (apples to oranges) since most auction vehicles are salvaged, stripped down, heavy mileaged vehicles, and not dealer-serviced, still under warranty cream puffs, like my car!
Hope this helps.