j-mo

Hello-
I just read a post here from someone about to buy a 01 CLK55. Mixed opinions so I want to get some thoughts on what I'm looking at in trying to make a decision.
I've found an used 2002 CLK55 AM with 52K on it. Price is great and the owner had an extended warranty that just ran out a month ago. He said he just had 50k mile checkup and it runs great, never had issues. Questions are:

1. What repairs might be in the near future?
2. What was likely done with the 50k checkup?

If I decide to buy I will only buy with an extended warranty. I've spoken to the dealer that the original owner had it with and they are willing to extend but need to inspect the car. I'm thinking the inspection will catch any major issues and they'll be pretty thorough if they might sell me a warranty.

Any thoughts or comments would be great!!

Chappy

Run a Carfax first. If is shows a wreck, walk away.

What is the price of the car?

What will the dealership charge you to "inspect" and put a warranty on the car? What warranty company is backing it? Deductible?

Have you driven the car?

What does the present owner say it needs?

Has the transmission been flushed?

Is he the original owner?

Are all the service records available and up-to-date?

ashutt

I would check the tire wear for possible suspension problems.
I would check the tire wear for near future new tire purchase.
I would check the shocks for any leaks.
I would check the rotors and pads because purchase of front rotors is expensive.
I would check the air filters for excessive dirt to see how the car has been maintained.
Check the speakers for any blown ones.
Make sure the seats work.
Make sure the AC blows correctly.

j-mo

I looked at the car last night and it’s really nice. Paint looks really good, with one minor scratch that he was upfront about. He had a carfax report already and it checks out fine. Also, had a file of maintenance records with nothing glaringly bad or major. This guy is the 2nd owner and had purchased it as a certified MB from a dealer and got an extended warranty (expired month ago)
I tested the power seats and lumbar, radio, CD changer, rear shade, windows, roof etc. Also, the AC worked but wasn’t incredibly cold. I’m used to my Lincoln so I’m not sure how cold it should feel. It has Michelin Pilot Sports with lots of tread on them. Wheels look brand new – no curb rash on them. I drove it and runs great. I’m new to these cars but thought it road beautifully. Absorbed bumps quite well, very smooth. Also, power was excellent, tested the tiptronic, crazy torque!!!
Owner wants 18K which is a good price in my opinion as I’ve seen plenty of these going for over 20k. The warranty I checked on was 3 year extended for $3400 from the same dealer he bought the car and previous warranty from as well as where he had the service done. I don’t know the warranty company but will get more details. I will also talk to them about the inspection. Want to make sure I know about any issues…as do they. I will also ask the owner if he knows of anything it needs or if the trans has been flushed. Will write back with what I find out.

Any other thoughts? Seems pretty positive to me. Thanks!!

ashutt

Great price, excellent car- I would get it it you like it.

j-mo

Yeah, i'm pretty much planning to buy it. The owner is cool with the inspection so as long as that checks out I will buy it. Hope to be back here soon as an owner

MARTYMAR

18k? That's all? That's a very good price If it makes you feel better I bought my 04 CLK with 63k miles for 27k after taxes, license registration etc. ....so 27k total price out the door.

Chappy

Sounds nice. Have that a/c inspected thoroughly and make whomever does the inspection checks the amount of wear on the rotors and brake pads.

j-mo

Yeah, this is one of those lucky finds. Guy has been trying to sell for a while and has lowered the price over time. Thankfully it is a private seller, so no sales tax.

ashutt

You will most likely have sales tax in the form of property tax on the vehicle when you go to license and register the car. Hopefully your property tax on the vehicle is less than the sales tax States don't let us off that easy.

j-mo

I have heard about that....been forever since I've bought a car. I'm pretty sure it's not that bad or not as steep as the sales tax. thanks for the heads up!

j-mo

One more thing I forgot to mention. When I had called to setup the meet, the owner told me he just failed the emissions test. He said it sat for a month and that the emissions place said the computer need to reset itself and driving it would take car of it. Anyway, he drove it for a day or 2 and went back and passed. He showed me both the fail and pass result sheet.

Is this typical or anything to worry about?

Chappy

Not typical....unless you have a bad cat (which can be an issue).

j-mo

Thanks. Good to know. I'll make sure to get that chekc out in the inspection.

Jons95c36amg

You will definitely pay sells tax when you register the car.

Jons95c36amg

The car sitting for a month will fail emissions. I've seen it even though the CEL is not on. Damn CPU had my ESP,ABS light get on for no reason. I just disconnected the battery for 1hr and the light never came back.

Brad D.

I would stay as far away from these cars as you can. My personal experience has been horrible. Everything electrical will break, the car loses 7k a year in resale value, etc. Piece of sh*t in my opinion.

Chalk up about $1500.00 worth of repairs to my mint condition CLK55 within 6 months of buying it.

Lovely items like:

Iginition Control module failed- $1000.00 (Going the CHEAPEST ROUTE.)
Buttons stuck on Climate Control- $350.00 for a REBUILT climate control. If you buy a new one, thats $1100.00.
Seat Motor failed-$200.00. The other side is making noises now.
Poor gas mileage (Gets about 16mpg in the city and the absolute highest is 22.3mpg on the freeway.)

Bought the car (for what they were going for at the time) from a private party at 27k, now the car is worth 20k in just under a year.

Chappy

Brad,

How many miles do you have on your car?

Did you ever have a weak or dead battery? This contributes significantly to electrical issues. Change it every 4 years....cheap insurance.

As far as resale, be glad you didn't buy a new W215 CL65. 80-100K depreciation in 24 months.

Is this your first Mercedes-Benz?

j-mo

Hearing this does worry me. I think the thing I'm toiling with is how bad I want this car and how long I plan to keep it. I've typically kept cars a long time. So with the CLK55, I'd already decided that an extended warranty is a must - esp after reading what Brad D posted here. So a 3 year extended will cost $3500 roughly (for 3 years). What sucks is that in 3 years the warranty will be up and I'll have a 10 year old car, out-of-warranty, which has depreciated below what I still owe on the car. So I can sell it for a the loss (if it will sell) or buy another extended which by now will prob cost $5000. Or take my chances without the warranty but that seems crazy....

What to do...?

Chappy

You may find it extraordinarily difficult to locate a quality extended warranty from an aftermarket source.

FWIW, most do not cover Mercedes-Benz AMGs or V12. Starmark is of course the exception - but that comes from being a CPO vehicle.

j-mo

Well I've found plenty of companies willing to sell me the warranty but 'quality' is def the question??