Holson

Some fall pictures:







Should I get these wheels?



or just forget it and get a BMW 645ci or 335i??

AKnight55

lower it

Rareamg

White is nice. My wheels would look great on your car. Hope you don't mind..

Chappy

The multi-spokes look nice.

AMGOODNESS

i like the wheels you have too but i bet they are heavy. the next set of wheels i buy will be significantly lower. unsprung wheel weight will make your car accelerate and handle better. lighter wheels dont make the suspension work so hard.

your car looks clean. invest in some nice coilovers. you can set the ride height and the overall ride is not compromised. i ride on some KW V1 coilovers and my car is probably lowered 2-3". the ride is not harsh and the car looks and handles great.

NitrogenBalance

Do the suspension as noted above. Get a set of these, I think they would look great. DON"T sell your car.....yet.






I'll keep my eye out for deals if you want me too. I must say that I hit a pot hole turning the other day that I thought would have sheard my front end off. It even mashed the wheel into the fender while turning the lip up an inch or so, ugly. I'll post carnage pics. My heart stopped. I jumped out only to see the slightest 1inch lip bend with the wheel remaining straight and undamaged. Granted it's in need of repair but I doubt any previous wheel I've owned would have lived throught that. My old roomates NSX cracked two of his wheels flying over a tiny expansion joint. Tough *** wheels.

...long rant, ironic as I was on my way home from the final car wash before the car gets the garage for the winter. How bout that luck

rant continues..Holson my car is going into my techs shop in a month for a few little things and the wheels will be off for a few days. Same fitment more than welcome to come up and test fit if you bring a six pack

blazinginder

I'll go with "or just forget it and get a BMW 645ci or 335i?? "

blackbenzz

Your car is so clean and I love white! I think gold wheels would set it off perfectly with a drop but I'm a little biased.

AMGOODNESS

hey black what wheels are those? they are very nice.

Act of God

Your car is beautiful man, I'd keep it. Those bimmers are a dime a dozen these days (at least the ones your mentioned). You rarely see a 55, especially that clean and all white and beautiful.

blackbenzz

19" DPE Signature Series S20's. They are for sale

Holson

Thanks for the input guys, but it looks like I'm selling the car soon, unless it doesn't go thru.

I like the multi-spoke wheels and the mesh (bbs-style) wheels for the CLK55 a lot...

BTW - I can't find a decent used 645ci (they're usually dinged up, automatics, convertibles or simply in the wrong color combo)... the 55's replacement might be a 3-series.

jtms

I am going through the same debate. The 645 doesn't have enough under the hood for me and 335 is too vanilla for my taste. Everyone in the world is driving a 335. One thing I really like about the AMG's or M series is they are so unique. Your car looks awesome! I love the look of the 01 and 02 55's.

I am going to hold off on buying anything until I drive the new M3. That car looks insane!! I think the new C63 AMG is going to be bad azz as well. Both should be out in the Spring.

Once you load out a 335 you are going to be in the mid 40's range and I think the new M3 will be mid 50's. I know that is $10k, but you are talking about a huge upgrade in performance and handling. I know on paper it doesn't look that way, but BMW ALWAYS goes very conservitive on the 0-60 times for their M series. There is no way the new M3 only does 4.8 with 420 horses and lighter than the E46. Just my .02.

Chi500

The 335 with Dinan chip gets 384hp and 420 lb/ft of torque I believe. Upgrade costs $2K and Dinan upholds your warranty.

IMHO the AMG might be unique, but there's no prestige in driving a 10 year old car.

Holson

Tell me about it, I've got hundreds of pics and videos of the new M3. I'm also considering holding out until I see and drive one too, by that time the lease on the Hummer will be up too.. hmmm.. decisions.

Alpine White M3 w/ Red Interior and 19" wheels.. mmmmm

Act of God

There was no 1997 or 1998 CLK55, what 10 year old car are you talking about?

Holson

Must've been the CLK DTM touring car or the safety car

Act of God

I can name roughly 20 "10 year old" cars that I'd rather have than the car I'm driving.

Chi500

The point was that the car is old. Someone mentioned preferring something unique. A Ford Pinto is unique. I was assuming he meant unique in the sense that it's exclusive, prestigious, fun to drive. Which do you think is more befitting of that description? An old body style w208 that's soon to be 2 generations old, or a brand new 3 series with a lot more power that will be more enjoyable to drive?

Your car is 5 years old. Are you saying you wouldn't rather be driving a more powerful 135, 335 or 535? I have a new 550 and wish I had known about that Dinan upgrade. It would've sent me to BMW.

Also, if you enjoy used cars, that's great. But I think most would prefer a new car if they could afford it. To the OP, if a new 3 series is in your range, I'd go for it.

Act of God

New 3 series looks like ***, interior is even worse. I can afford pretty much any car I want, but I don't need to be the first kid on the block with the '08 that'll depreciate 50% in 2 years.

Stiggs

Hey Holson,

You know how I feel.....Keep the car! LOL
Before getting new rims I say lower that bad boy first. How about what Chappy did. The Euro-spec springs?
But if you are gonna sell that baby then forget it.
So do you really want to go from an AMG to a BMW?
I'll never be able to look at you the same at the next GTG.LOL

Holson

Don't worry, I'll be having too much fun in the twisties j/k - just trying to be a BMW fan boy

On a more serious note though, I think the twin turbo I6 engine from BMW is really quite amazing, other than its somewhat fart-like exhaust note at lower revs.

A friend of mine doesn't drive his M3 much after driving a 535xi. I think if the 3-coupe was already avail. by the time I bought the CLK55, I would've turned bmw-lover then

Chi500

That seems like the usual argument from the CPO crowd. If you could really afford any car you wanted, why would that depreciation matter? There's also a reason for that depreciation: parts wear out, maintenance costs are higher, the car breaks down more often and isn't reliable, and technology becomes outdated. Your argument is like arguing as to why would someone buy a new computer that performs better and faster instead of a used one that's slower or maybe even outdated. Some people would prefer to have the new computer, and there's a reason why they would pay more for it: it performs better.

I don't like the 3-series sedan myself, but I do like the 335xi coupe. Had it been available from the dealer nearby when I purchased the CLK550, I would've gotten it instead. I also like the 535 with the same TT engine.

DCarrera

No kidding.

BTW, I totally dig your wheels.. what make and what size are those?

Edit: Ooops, I see that someone else asked that already. 19's huh? Not to shabby. I'm afraid to ask what the cost... because.. I might buy them!

Act of God

Depreciation matters because I'm smart enough not to want to literally throw my money away. At 30k there are literally tons of cars that are worth owning that won't drain your wallet after 2 years. Put it this way, my best friend's dad is in the Forbes top 40 and he drives an 8 year old Lincoln.

Only hood rich fools are concerned with having the newest model and look down on people with older cars. I'd rather be rocking a 1994 supra than a fugly as hell new bimmer.

Class > model year