calif-c230

I was hoping for some advice. Looking at a 1-owner local Calif Bay Area silver 2005 CLK55 with 89K miles. A few rock chips here and there but overall very clean and well optioned. AMG slotted rotors front and rear, dual duals, etc. Car has service records reference in Carfax as well.

My question is 89K miles on a 2005. Should I be concerned? Any special things to watch out for? Car may have been lowered by an inch. Looks amazing and I just stumbled on it driving by a BMW dealership. They said it was traded in on a new M3.

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance . . .

frontin55

$19k is way to much for that amount of mileage. I'm sure there are better deals out there.

Moedy

19k is reasonable for a dealership. The hardtop with the "dual duals" is rare and only came in the 2005. The brakes also cost more than the 04's being larger SL55 brakes. The first thing I would look at is if they replaced the front brakes and rotors already because that alone is over $1k to do it yourself and over $2k at the dealer. Look at the valve cover to see if its leaking oil and get and independant inspection. Check the vehicle history and since its a dealer ask if they can offer you some kind of an extended warranty

frontin55

There was a 05 Clk55 with 73k miles that sold for $16.8k which included a 3 year extended warranty at an authorize mbz dealer in So Calif about 2 months ago.

calif-c230

The dual duals is rare as I've only seen one other car with them AND the AMG big brake and sloted/drilled rotor package. The calipers are JUMPO on this thing. Looks very cool. I didn't jump on another same configr car at $20K with 49K miles (.

Any way to tell if the brakes have been replaced. Did the quick finger nail on the rotors and didn't feel any grooves or waviness. I'm going back to drive it tonight so will check the valve covers. Are dealers typically willing to let you get an independent inspection? It's a BMW dealer??

Thanks again for the info, much appreciated.

Moedy

Yes as you can see I have one as well, they only made around 250 of them. The 05 is the only year hard top clk55 with the bigger brakes, updated interior, quad exhausts and 18's instead of 17's. Just ask them if the brakes were changed or look at the pads. If the rotors are smooth then they most likely changed them but they could of been turned. To the one who got one with for 16.8k with a 3 year extended warranty, they got a great deal and below suggested retail. Like I said the price is "reasonable" for a dealership.You might be able to get them to go lower. If you really want it, the independant inspection and a warranty is important

calif-c230

Car drove great no issues with weird noises, rattles or and alignment issues I could tell. There was no way they would let me get an independent inspection. They said their shop does a "thorough 120 point inspection" blah blah and the it's a "liability issue" to take the car to another shop.

So . . . . I'm torn. I like the car, the options (especially the dual duals and brake package) but a bit nervous with 89K miles and no MB inspection.



Thanks for great feedback. Always good to get other opinions.

Moedy

Look into a clk550. You might be able to find one for close to the same price with half the mileage and maybe a year left of the factory warranty

kyle242gt

I'm eyeing this car as well, joined here to learn more - imagine the surprise seeing it discussed.

Having driven a W209 CLK500 and a W208 CLK55 convertible (and moving from a modded E36M3) how do you figure a CLK550 stacks up?

togaclk55

What dealership is the car at? The nissan dealership where I bought my clk55 from let me do an independent inspection prior to purchasing.

Shadow5501

That's easy - the 550 is a 5.5 liter 32 valve V8 which makes 382HP. It is 20HP stronger than the CLK55 AMG. I haven't researched overall gearing, brake size, tire specifications, etc. - but it's going to be in the same ballpark as the 55 in terms of performance. If you're not completely hung up on the AMG badge, it strikes me as an equivalent car.

kyle242gt

It's more than power/accel though. The 55 I tested had much better steering/handling response (even being a high-mile convertible) than the 500, which was distant and somewhat antiseptic.

Drove an 04 E55 yesterday. I think that was a mistake. Now I want one of those instead.

Shadow5501

Fair enough. I think person that introduced the 550 to the conversation had a good point though - on paper at least, it's close enough that it seems worth taking one for a drive.

I sold my '06 E55 earlier this year, so totally understand. There is nothing like having 500+ ft-lbs of torque on tap. Problem is ownership costs on a 211 E55 are higher, what with SBC brakes, airmatic suspension, supercharger clutches, etc. Make sure you know what you are getting into before taking the leap.

calif-c230

WOW I hope it's not the exact same car
The 550 is a good choice but for me it's 5-10K more as it's a much newer model and they seem to hold their value a bit more (at least here in the SF Bay Area). It's those BRAKES . . . I will never use them to capacity but man they do look sweeeeeeeet !!

kyle242gt

Thanks for the feedback. I'm shying away from it for just that reason.

Eh don't worry! I'm in Santa Rosa, and still idly shopping around. $20K is a lot of dough for me to part with, so I want to be sure I do it right.

This car sure looks pretty, best of luck to you going forward.

I'm more intrigued by the exhaust than the brakes... haha.

novae500

I dont buy that. If they want to sell the car, then they would allow a PPI for a serious potential buyer. If you really want it, ask them to put it on a lift and have your mechanic come take a look at it at their shop.

Moedy

The reason I brought up the 550 is because its less of a headache down the road because of it being the newer car. Its 20hp more on paper but its not faster, its about the same. It all comes down to what you want and thinking ahead for the upkeep. The amg has the bigger breaks, quads, amg seats, nicer tone exhaust while the 550 will have a nicer updated front bumper, newer tail lights, and 7 speed transmission which might be a bit better on gas. Im not sure. The amg will have a nicer tone exhaust while the 550 will be quiet and the ride is a bit smoother. For me the xenon headlight option on either one is a must. E55 is also another nice option but like the other poster said the upkeep is going to be more expensive than both

Jons95c36amg

Whoa! Thats alot of miles for a 2005.

MarcusF

If I were buying a car, and the selling party would not allow a Mercedes Benz dealer to inspect the car, I'd tell them it's a deal breaker. "Liability issues"? Are they claiming MB dealers don't have insurance? If the seller lies about the obvious stuff, why should you expect that they wouldn't lie about other things. If there is nothing wrong with the car, the selling party has nothing to worry about.

The selling dealer, do they have a STAR box? If not, how do they run diagnostics? Not dump the codes, but run actual diagnostics. Can the selling dealer access the MB service history?

Any Schmo can say "I looked at 120 things", but what 120 things? On their 120 item check list, are the words "differential side seals" listed? No, huh? How about something simple - "flex discs". Are those words on the check list? How old is the brake fluid? Fuel filter? Spark plugs? The "fuel filler nozzle seal", when was it inspected?

Puuuulease, don't get me started. It's a seven-year old, 90 thousand mile car with expensive parts and a questionable history. And you're supposed to take THEIR WORD it's in perfect shape? If the maintenance has been done, it hasn't been piled up and fixed, and hasn't been abused, then yeah, 90 thou is nothing. Alternatively, you could be in for some serious expenses.

tc1728

selling my 2003 CLK55 with 68k miles for $17k. Pm me if you are interested. Currently has Tein coilovers and is under Mercedes CPO warranty until December 2011. Pic on my sig, will come with stock wheels. I'm in the San Mateo area. TC

calif-c230

Very nice looking ride. Do you have the original suspension?

tc1728

yes i do. TC

lseguy

Average mileage is 15-18k per year in the USA. So that mileage is either just right or lower than national average.

CaAMG

calif-c230- I test drove this car in on Memorial Day. It's a nice car. I ended up getting a 2004 with about the same mileage. There is an indie mechanic on Palm about mile north from the BMW dealer. If the dealer changes their mind they could check the codes in about 10 minutes. Or if the test drive was long enough.......

calif-c230

I think the car sold . . . as it's not listed on their web page any more.
The dealer was Peter Pan BMW in San Mateo.

So my search continues . . .