ndabunka

As some know a while back I bought and sold an early model 2001 CLK55 (for nearly the same price I paid for it) after owning it for just under 2 years. I've been searching for another "bargain" and found a car that is VERY similar to the CLK55. However, it is super charged so it has another 40 or 50HP over the CLK. If I could buy it right (under $35K?), I might just pick it up. It's only about an hours drive from here so I may try and go see it sometime this week. I've always wanted something a little more exotic and we do have a local dealer here in Charlotte that can service this car if I do get it. I guess I need to figure out exactly what I am willing to pay for the privlege to dirve such a beast. Am I crazy? Would any of you CLK55 owners even consider this? If I could drive this for 2 years like I did the 55 for about $500/year I'd jump on it. I just don't know resale for one of these puppies. Anyone else here have prior experience with one of these? http://www.bid4assets.com/auction/in...kID=90075#tabs

Stiggs

post some pics...I can't get into that website without registering.

Chappy

Based on your above statements, I say go for it! Even if you lose a little on it or it turns out horrendously expensive maintenance-wise, you've achieved your two objectives above.

Go check it out...

ndabunka

Here are a few exterior shots

ndabunka

Notice the center console. At this point this car appears to have the paddle shift and the skhook suspension.

neilbo75

Oh, it's a Maserati Coupe.

You were lucky if you could sell your 55 CLK with little loss of capital. I doubt lightning would strike again with the Maser. They do not hold value like Ferraris or even Porshces. And like the CLK this model has sold well and so is not really rare.

The Maserati Coupe and 55 CLK have similar performance specs. I have loved Maseratis for a long time but chose the AMG coupe for 5 reasons. The first one was cost, since the 208 CLK was in the sweet spot for a shrewd used purchase whereas the Masers are still a bit too new. Of course, that will change and change fast, since these babies do depreciate.

The second was the overall engineering of a GT luxury car. Fiat/Ferrari has made tremendous progress with Maserati but it is short of MB standards. For example, can you put a telephone in the armrest of the Maserati and control it with steering wheel buttons? Does the Italian navigation system have redundant dispaly? Etc. Etc.

The third was the practicality of having a true four seater. I recently drove three adults to and from a countryside dinner. Everyone was comfortable. The back seat of the trident model is only good for toddlers.

The fourth is maintenance costs. It you don't like the cost of MB Assist B, stay far away from Maserati mechanics. Don't be fooled by the relatively low acquisition cost. Heck, you can buy a Quattroporte III in good condition for less than $10K. Like a French chateau, it's cheap to buy for a reason.

The fifth is a matter of personal taste. I love good wood trim inside a car. Maseratis in the 80s and 90s had some of the best wood in any sports car. But for this Coupe at best you get a burned matchstick in the ashtray. My AMG came with curly maple, even the steering wheel. I dig that.

Chappy

Are those wheels toasted? There appears to be a fair amount of curb rash...

ndabunka

Neil - I agree on the this vs. that of CLK55 vs. the Mas but I'm not really going for an all around car this time. Looking more for a toy. Pure performance and exclusivity is more something I am thinking of here. I realize that the Mas may not have all the creature comforts of the 55 (phone, etc) but it does have a NAVI and the paddle shift so it's got some things. The engine sound alone would preclude use of a phone (at least I would HOPE it would). Maintenance cost is a lower issue. It would be a third car and get very few miles anyway (probably about 5K/year). The primary motivating factor is the ability to buy this car under current market prices. Most of the public will stay away from these kinds of auctions simply because they don't really understand a few minor steps in moving this into a personal name (from the US seizure stuff) so most bidders will be dealers. When dealers bid, they only do so if they KNOW they can make money on the deal. What I am hoping for here is that the dealers get "greedy" on this one and therefore try to get it "cheap" (way under market value). If that's the case, then I should be able to slip in there and get it slightly above dealer cost (but still well below market value). Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. A good example was the nearly new CL55 (with very low miles - something like 8K) they had on there previously with the Lorinser kit. I looked at street prices and decided that the market value of that particular car (at that time) was probably around $80K. Bidding started around $50K and I bid it to about the $63K mark and felt that $68K would be the MAX I might wager on that effort. I think some individual picked it up but ended up paying something like $78K for it (I guess they got the Lorinser kit for free and that's about it IMHO). So, if another individual drives this thing well beyond reason, I will walk away (if I even decide to bid it at all). The second driving factor on this one is that the car is only about an hour interstat ride away from here so I probably will at least go see it (inspection you know) and let everyone here know my thoughts. BTW the CL500 thread is probably still in this forum somewhere. You can see the discussion and results of that by doing a search on my moniker.

Chappy - Yep, I figure the wheels would need to be "re-worked" but that can be done with those for about $100/wheel so the cost to get them back where they belong wouldn't be much (comparitively).

PS - Here's the CL55 thread referneced in this post.
https://mbworld.org/forums/cl55-amg-cl65-amg-cl63-amg-c215-c216/124902-what-would-good-price-03-cl55.html

neilbo75

Oh, it's a seizure car.

Yeah, you might get a great deal, and if it's just to play with it for a while and sell on as a legitimate private party, why not? Kind of like reform school to straigthen out young punk cars.

But maybe the last owner was in a line of business that required him to make some very mad dashes ... you better make sure the clutch and rest of the transmission system is in good order or at least know in advance what these kinds of repairs cost.

Good luck, and if you get it, be sure to watch the Continental MK III in "The French Connection". Then check under your rocker panels. It might start snowing in July.

bradb1us

The paddle shifting transmission on those Maseratis is probably the worst type of paddle shift system I've ever experienced.....but for $35k, I'd do it.

55 ON IT

35k is probably worth it. They're not blazingly fast though. If your local dealership has one, I would take it for a little test drive.

AMG_55

i would only consider a manual maserati, their paddle shift is HORRIBLE

ndabunka

Not fast? I know they are fairly heavy but I thought I saw 0-60 times nearly 2-tens quicker than the CLK55 (4.7 seconds). Maybe I was wrong?

clkal

i don't really know about pricing on maserati's, but this car looks like a$$, IMHO.

but to each, their own!

AMG_55

they r fast, especially top end.

i read in evo magazine that from 130-150+ its as fast as a 550
they r definitely faster than clk55s

patrick_y

I've driven the Maserati Coupe a few times (test drives and at events). I've even considered on acquiring one pre owned. My desires for one were thwarted recently by some Ferrari friends who told me the rumors from Maranello. Apparently Maserati will soon introduce a Pininfarina designed coupe and spyder that will be in the $70-80k range. This is to boost sales and return the company to profitability.

The performance, handling, total package is awesome. Reliability... not so great. Lots of small problems here and there, although the powertrain is reliable. Test drove a 2004 Coupe with 2000 miles (pre owned) and it had lots of problems, the biggest was the air conditioning controls weren't lit.

The Maserati coupe is a true four seater. I fit in the rear seats with a person like me sitting in the front. Unlike the DB9 and the Porsche 911, even the large Bentley Continental GT. I think it's a great car; normally I stay away from paradoxes, for instance a paradox would be a car that's both a GT car and a pure sports car (like the 911), yet the Maserati Coupe is a symbol of both.

Regarding your Maserati, I don't think this is a good buy, even at $35k. The miles are way too high. If I bought one with 2000 miles, I'd drive it past this mileage. But keep in mind, these cars might have been driven aggressively, and any car that's been driven aggressively will not last 20k miles or much more after that. I've seen some burned out BMW M3s with less miles.

Lastly, maintenance. The Maserati is cheap to maintain, but still considerably more than even an AMG Merc. Oil changes come every 5000 miles and cost $600. They have a major and minor service. Every other oil change it's a $1600 service. At 30k miles, it's a $6000 service. These are for the Maserati Quattroporte, but I've been told the Coupe is very similar. The only thing that's cheaper are the brakes. The Mercedes brakes (pads and rotors) need to be replaced every single time; costing about $1000+ (I only go to the dealer). The Maserati brakes, although they're more expensive, last longer, and you supposedly don't need to change the rotors every single time (they say it will last 2 to 3 pad jobs with 3 as pushing it). In the end, it's slightly less.

Do your research. I think I've done a bit for you. Hopefully the prices are cheaper in your area.

Otherwise, it's a great car. But remember, it's expensive to maintain, not sure about insurance, and they might be coming out with a new model that's going to be cheaper and better (which will kill the resale value of your car). Lastly, I think $35k is a but unrealistically low of a price for a car even with that kind of mileage, unless it has an accident history or there is something wrong with the vehicle.

Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

ndabunka

Patrick - Thanks for your insight. I didn't realize the maintenance was so expensive on those cars. $600 oil changes? I do have a local "non-dealer" shop that does Lotus's and others so they could probably do the Mas as well but would really prefer to have dealer service through warranty expiration. Which is probably what will be the deciding factor for me on this one. I've seen a few of these that had late year or early following year sales and I assume that the Mas warranty is like the Merc in that it takes effect when the car is titled. That would be a critical aspect for me as I have no intention of retaining this car beyond mfg warranty (at this point) but rather as a toy to buy, drive and then sell off. The $35 mark might be low but remember that this is a seizure car and (hopefully) should not get that much public action. I've seen a similar car (similar miles, different color) go for $44K recently on eBay so that seems to be the price these are going for right now. Buy it for $35, drive it for 6 month to a year and then sell it for $36 to $40K? Maybe, maybe I'm just dreaming... Thnaks to everyone for their contributions. I will let you guys know ho wthis goes.

ndabunka

This car WAS less than 30 minutes away and I am heading out of town for a week of vacation. Had everything planned out. Se the car @ 9am, get back home by 10:30, hit the road and get to the airport by noon, fly off and bid on the car form the beach. Now the SOB's running the auction have moved the car nearly across the state???? WTF is up with that? Now, if I wanted to see it I would have to drive to Fayetteville NC, drive 3.5 hours DIRECTLY to the airport and likely miss my flight. If this was a business trip I would have simply moved the flight to depart from Raleeigh but alas that is not to be the case. I almost feel like bidding the price upon the car just in spite. Oh well, doesn't look like I'll have this one. NE1 else wants to bid on it please do since I will be watching from the sidelines. Argh!