craig001

Hi folks,

This is my first post here on MBWorld, Woo-Hoo!!

Anyway I am a regular on Rennlist and Pelican Parts on the Porsche boards since I have a 1995C4 Cab and a 1996C2Cab.

Due to a bad back I am looking at a couple of CLK550 droptops and trading in the 1996.

So here are some questions - yes I have been searching these boards for answers as well.

I have a line on a 2008 CLK550 with ~45k on the clock, Mars Red over Graphite interior. But it has mismatched brands on the front and rear tires and solid front rotors. I thought I saw somewhere that CLKs have drilled or perforated rotors from the factory. Not a big deal but they are about $450 higher than the other CLK I found in Joplin, MO. I am in StL MO.
The mismatched tires are a sticking point for me though so I am going to ask for matched rubber on all corners. The rotors may be negotiable.

The second car is a CPO 2008 CLK550 with 69111 on the clock and basically the same options as the local car with the addition of power trunk shutting and keyless start and go. The CPO warranty means a lot to me personally especially since it will allow me to pick up a 2 year ESP through Mercedes.

I know that extended warranty's are a personal opinion and kind of a hot topic around here. More important are the miles - the saleswoman's coworker here is really pushing the mileage difference and saying the ESP is not that big a deal. I am trying to get them to add at least a year ESP to match the MB CPO and that was written in the offer. I am going to ask for tires and rotors as well when I take my p-car in to appraise.

So what do the guru's on this board think? Lower miles or CPO, higher miles and extra options?

Yidney

I think you have another consideration, which may or may not be valid. It's not just that you have the wrong rotors and mismatched tires, it's that you have car that was owned by a person who would put the wrong rotors and mismatched tires on his car. What else did he do cheap? Not use synthetic oil?

And Keyless go is cool.

billyhead1

I would share Yidney's concern about the 2008 - and I can emphatically state that the CPO warranty is worthwhile, it more than paid for itself. My understanding is that you can negotiate on the price of the CPO warranty (i.e., the dealer can in fact discount off of the 'list' price), so I would suggest doing some research. Best of luck!

eddieo45

Both miles are low, no? Take keyless go and negotiate your a$$ off!!

Fatz

I would be inclined to go with the second (CPO) 08. Even though it has higher mileage, they may be much better miles. I agree with Yidney. Given the mods on my car, extended wty is not an option for me, though I see the value of it. It is especially a benefit if the car is your daily and/or crucial to getting to and from work.

craig001

Thanks for the replies. I had not considered the other ramifications of the local car with the tires and rotors. That is a valid point. Carfax showed regular maintenance, but not what level of care. This is my "play" car for sunny days, hence the droptop. I had a variety of bikes in my youth ending up with several Harleys at the end. Traded the last one in on my first Porsche (928) which led to my second (944S2 Cab) which I probably should have kept since it had since come out that it was my wife's favorite followed by a 964 and a couple of 993s.

The CPO is a big plus in my book but it is a good four hour drive away. There are a couple of lower mileage cars a little further away - NW Chicago (2009 w/33k @ $32500) and outside of Memphis (2008 w/44k @ $28500). But neither of these are CPO vehicles either. Do most folks think that the MB warranty is the way to go vs third party contracts? I got an estimate of about $5200 for a 5 yr/100,000 mile policy from a third party company. I don't remember limits or who it was. But it seemed kind of high IMHO.

Usually when I get a new p-car I drop a couple of grand in maintenance so I start out with all new - brake pads, rotors, filters, fluids, belts, plugs, wires and the like. These add up quick since a new set of plug wires is over $500. I am guessing MB prices are similar given the common country of origin.

My assumption is the MB's (or do people in the know call them Benzes?) are just getting broken in at 100k. That said, proper maintenance is probably just as important with these cars as it is in Porsches. I would keep my 993 if it was not getting so difficult to get in and out of - back problems. Getting old just sucks. LOL. Wisdom is great, pain is not. I test drove a SL550 - the sales woman had to open it up so I could even get in it. But it drove nice - which is what I am looking for. The 993 is a sweet ride but with monoballs and a H&R/Bilstein suspension you do feel it. Speaking of the 993 I should probably get out to the garage and starting returning some stock parts to it.

Another question is: Do most of your guys join the Mercedes Club of America? I looked at the website to see if there was an insurance discount for members but did not see any. By belonging to the Porsche Club I can get insurance at a discount through Leland-West. My quote from them on a CLK was $540/yr at 3k miles/yr.

Rudeney

I'd go with the 2nd choice that has KeylessGo - you can fix tires and brakes, but adding that highly desirable feature is not really feasible. As for insurance, MBUSA has an insurance discount, but honestly, we've gotten better rates through a good independent agent. MBZ's are not costly or difficult to insure like Porsches. A friend of mine who was a State Farm actuary had his State Farm car insurance cancelled just because he tried to add a 924 to his policy. Our MBZ have always been cheaper to insure than other vehicles - right now, my CLK550 and the kid's C240 are together less than my wife's MY2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee (clean driving records, claim-free). We pay about $1400/yr for all of them.