Backstory: I'm 21 years old and this would be my first car. My budget is around 25k. I'm not mechanically handicapped, but I'm not the kind of person who can open up a hood and fix anything. I'm not afraid of fixing something as long as there's good instructions around. I'm looking for a car with a decent amount of power and comfort for long highway cruising for hundreds of miles at a time.

The biggest thing that scares me about buying an MB is just how unreliable these cars seem to be. Or when they need a repair it ends up costing a ton of cash. Or possibly the insurance on them being "premium high performance". With my budget and life situation, I don't have the time or the money for a car that will fall apart every 6 months. I'm also coming from a family that's always owned Toyotas that can go 80k miles without needing anything more than oil changes.

So, with this in mind the car in question is: http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/...e-0cdf3aadda28

I like it because it's 21k miles. But as a friend pointed out, I'll probably need to change the tires if they're old rubber. I figure that with those low miles that the car has to be atleast good for another 20k before stuff starts breaking? How a 7 year car only got driven an average of 3k miles a year is beyond me.

Am I wrong? Any suggestions or advice?

 

I would NOT get it based on what you said above. If you don't have a warranty, I would be sure you have a kitty of $2-$5K sitting around for repairs/annually to be on the safe side.

A better choice would be a used GTO 6speed, slower in stock form, much more economical to own/operate and mod if the bug bites. Don't get me wrong, I love my clk55, but I've had a rash of mech problems lately with only 30K miles which lead me to the above advice.

Motor mounts - $800 - $1200 @ stealership (stock mm's are crap on these years and die due to age.... and aggressive driving style)
Fuel Pump - $1500-$3000 @ stealership (50-100K repair item)
Crank Pos Sensor - $300 - $500 @ stealership (common repair item, considered a reg main item by some 20-80K mile intervals)
Stock valeo radiator known to fail price????

Now if you have access to a lift, and are handy with tools and can read a merc cd repair manual you can keep this car maintained/repaired for MUCH less than above numbers....

GL

 

No matter what advices you give, no kids is gonna turn down to drive a Mercedes. He/she will learn once the problems start hitting their wallet.

 

Considering I'm basically spending most of my life savings on whatever car I buy, there's no room in my wallet for learning the hard way. It's unfortunate that cheap, reliable, and exciting are "pick two". I'll probably end up with a safe and conservative Altima.

 

Welcome to the 209 group. At 21 I could only wish of owning a MB. I would personally take the money and buy something sporty and reliable, especially as a "1st" car.

Don't get upside down, then trade up to what you really want. It may take a couple vehicles but it will be worth it. Don't rush it.

You'll be surprised at what is out there. There is a thread a few down where a guy was looking at a 2009 CLK 550 for 35K with low miles. Now that's a deal.

Best of luck with what "you" decide.

 

That guy was me looking and still looking at the 2009 for $35.5K. That is still close to $39K with Tax and license.

At 21 my advice DO NOT spend your life savings on a car. A good average is 25-35% of your gross income for a car. Maybe a little more if new.

FYI . . . Last weeked I test drove a new Mustang 5.0 just to see what the hype was all about. VERY VERY nice. You can get brand new for $30K with warranty and Ford has 5yr 0% financing (that's free money) on all 2012 5.0s. Of course your insurance may be another story.

Good luck on what ever you decide . . . and I only wish I had $25K in the bank when I was 21. Sounds like you are way ahead of most guys your age.

 

I own the same year model and have had some slight problems but were all taken care of through my warranty program. I recommend it but would also recommend the extra 2-4K for a proper warranty program. Get the best one you can afford as it allows you more coverage and where you can take it when the problem does arise. BTW this holds true for any used car, carfax only reports what has been reported. You just never know the rue condition of the car until you own it and have driven it for a while. Be smart and do you homework...

Just FYI... I previously own my own leasing company and would give the same advise to my family members. CLK's are solid in the MB line up and dont have most of the common electrical/component issues linked to the cars with more options like the E,CL,S,SL.

 

As mentioned above, you need to have a $2-3k cash kitty after you have bought the car, taxed, tagged etc.

I got a lowish-mileage '05 320 that had only been driven 1500 miles over the last couple of years. Doors and seats squeaked for a little while as they hadn't been moved in a while. Trunk struts failed. Biggest un-expected was the tranny box conducttor plate (known) issue which cost me a grand. And it wasn't something I could put off - car was dead at the sid eof the road.

One cost I have put off is new tires on mine. Through just sitting in the previous owner garage they have developed flat spots - it's liveavble, but they need replaced well before the tread is used. Looking at the carfax on yours, its only done 130 miles since last december, and part of that will have been driving back from the smog check and driving to the carmax. So I would guess you should budget a grand for new rubber.

 

The CLK is one of the most reliable MBZ models. If you are mechanically inclined and willing to do work yourself, you can save a lot of money on repairs and maintenance. Insurance won't be too expensive. In fact, the insurance on my CLK550 cabriolet is less than the wife's Nissan Murano. Insurance ratings on specific cars have to do with the amount of money paid out in claims, mostly bodily injury. MBZ drivers tend to be more mature, better drivers, and with very safe cars, they have fewer serious injuries and fatalities in wrecks.

Here's another thought. Instead of a CLK500, why not look into a CPO W204 C-Class? You won't get a V8 coupe, but you'll get a great car with a warranty, and in a few years, maybe you will have the money to trade up.

 

The problem with MB used cars is the year. Anything that is <= 4 years old is just too expensive for me, regardless of the miles. I'm also not a fan of the C class because the engines aren't all that impressive in their power generation (vs. Fords even). I'm of the mindset if you're going to buy a expensive brand then you should be paying for performance and luxury, not just the name badge.

One option I'm considering is leasing a 2011 C63. I'm on the fence though because I don't much like the idea of spending 20k just to rent a car for 3 years, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about something breaking.

Re: Insurance. I think < 25 year old males get killed on insurance premiums which are directly tied to how much HP your car has more than anything else. I quoted one Mercedes at some insane number like 3k / year (my brother pays 1k / year on a Kia).

 

+1 and +1.

These cars are great to drive but expensive to own. If you go into it with a long term ownership budget you'll be fine but it doesn't sound likes thats what you're after right now, and there's nothing wrong with that mate.

The GTO is great beacuse you can litterally still fix a SBC with a hammer. I miss those days sometimes...

 

Actually, you should be able to get a CPO C-Class with 3-4 years of warranty left for around $25K. No, it won't be comparable in power to a big V8 CLK or anything close to an AMG model's performance, but it will perform well for the price, it will be under warranty, and you will get all the safety and technology of MBZ. I am not sure why you say they aren't impressive v.s Ford. The C-Class is not a competitor to the Mustang GT or anything like that. It's a sports sedan, not a muscle car. If all you are looking for is raw power, then MBZ is definitely not the best choice. You probably should go look at a used Mustang GT or something similar.

Oh, and "performance" does not always equal 0-60 an 1/4 mile. I know at your age, that's hard to understand, but eventually you will (sorry, I hate to play the age card, but I think that is contributing to your dilemma here). I went through it myself, then with a daughter and now a 16yo granddaughter. The granddaughter finally got it last night. I gave her a 10yo C240 which is not a very powerful car, but it's a very good car. She complains about it sometimes as many of her friends have newer cars that she thinks are better. Well, she drove a friend's Honda Accord last night (a model she had been envious of) and guess what? She said she now understood why her C240, which may be slightly slower, is such a better car.

Unless you already own your own home and are gainfully employed with a good salary, I wouldn't lease. Also, understand that with leasing, you have to take very good care of the vehicle. You WILL have to replace tires, have no broken glass, no major dings or scratches, no interior blemishes, etc. If you are the kind of person who uses your car as a dining room for drive-thru and the back seat is a storage area, then I'd definitely not lease. Besides, you are taking that impressive savings you have and giving it away with nothing to show for it except three years of driving a C63. Oh, and I doubt you could lease a C63 for $25K for 3 years. It's likely going to be more like $35K.

Your age will be an issue with car insurance. For that reason, maybe you would want to look at something that's not so expensive to insure and drive that for four years until you turn 25, then trade-up to the car you really want.

 

I hear what everyone is saying.

Re: performance. Yes, I'm aware that I'll never really "need" more than 300 hp. I stick meticulously to the speed limit, but I'll be doing tons of highway miles over the next 5 years where there's ample opportunity to stray a bit above the limit, safely.

Mainly I'm looking at high end brands for the comfort factor (and secondly the fun factor). I have a weak stomach so I can't handle 6 hour highway trips with a jarring ride. I learned this after trying it with a Scion, which didn't end well due to the equivalent suspension of a bicycle ie. none

I think one compromise I might look into is leasing a $23k Nissan/Toyota/Honda for 4 years. By the time the lease is up, I'll have plenty of finances for an Audi S8 or E63.

 

Oh, I definitely understand the enjoyment of pressing the accelerator and getting that nice V8 growl and "positive feedback". It puts a big smile on my face when I do that in the CLK550. I also understand what you mean about comfort. I have to have a good, firm seat with lots of support, especially at the thigh, lower back and head. I hate cars with shallow seats and non-adjustable headrests. MBZ vehicles are very good in this area, but the most comfortable seat for me was in my BMW X3 (it's the same seat used in the 5-series). I also found the large seats in my ML320 to be excellent for long drives. I have yet to find an Asian-brand car with good seats. Even the latest batch of American brands has better, more comfortable seats. And that is to my comment about "performance": It's not all about speed. Seating, driving manners, suspension, braking, steering feedback, and road feel are all examples to consider.