brianw430

I'm beginning the process of looking for a replacement for my 99 CLK430 and will either get another '01-'02 430 or '01-'02 55...the prices are very close in the midwest. I would love the 55 but maintenance is always a concern. None the less, has anyone done business with Luxury Motors/Bentley in the Downers Grove area of Chicago? They have a good selection of low mileage CLK's and am not far from there.

Just looking for feedback on their level of service.

And any feedback/insight on the maintenance and fun factor of the 430 v. 55 is always welcome. I love the firsthand experience!

Thank you!

Riot Nrrrd

A 2002 CLK55 should have at least a year's worth of the original 4-year warranty left ... mine has 14 months' left ... that should factor into it, methinks.

E55Freak

Funny, you posted this first. I saw their website and I was wondering their reliability and quality of cars. I would unfortunately be dealing with mostly photos..of course I would never buy without seeing the car first hand. I would also appreciate any first hand experience feedback from this dealership.

chitownc32

i buy my cars from luxury motors all the time my cousin works at the dealership in orland park. If you need a car call him at 630-788-8857 cell number his name is Sehat He'll take care of you just tell him Afrim sent you I have bought a total of 6 cars from there with no problems there is a huge collection to choose from hope this helps and no I dont work for Luxury Motors

brianw430

Thank you Afrim, I'll be calling your cousin sometime soon. They seem to have quite a selection of everything...including a few new Astin Martin's!

Thank you!

bodyopus1960

I've purchased 4 cars from this company in the last 2 years. They will quote prices and not honor them. If you finance through them they don't pay off existing loans even though they have your money. My last deal with them they agreed to buy a set of BBS wheels separate from my trade in and it took 3 months of phone calls, which all were never returned by my sales person, manager, finance manager, and even the owner, which I emailed several times. I had to drive 60 miles to the dealership to get my money. Of course the owner Joe was not around to talk about this delay. They lost a customer for a lowsy $2500, when I've already spent over $200,000 with them. They are incredibly unorgannized, greedy, and a bunch of liars. And by the way I'm still waiting for a second key for the mercedes CLK55 I bought from them last june. Another promise broken by Luxury Motors!

brianw430

Bodyopus1960, thank you for the insight. I will be writing my own check for the car, so the financing won't factor in. Also, I will not leave anything to chance. When I leave the dealership, I am done with the place and I walk out with whatever is in the deal. They are working on trade-in numbers for my car...and judging by the retail figures, it won't be much.

Thanks again for the info!

zmirza

DON'T BUY FROM THEM.

Most of their cars are beatup. If you know how to look then you will know what i am talking about.

King///AMG

Look for a fully loaded '02 CLK430, that is the route I would take.

x-tian-230k

Go with the 03 CLK500's... used wouldn't be that bad....they look really HOT!

Bones

Here is some info that you might find interesting.
http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/n...id=15636&rel=1

My girlfriend's co-worker went there to purchase a used BMW, and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least.

AMGfan

Damn...did she end up with the car or did she leave out of frustration?

brianw430

Wow, you guys are good! If George Gallup taught us anything, it is that you can learn a lot from a little. Not sure if that article is the proverbial "tip of the iceberg", but I have to believe if there is that much "news" about this one dealership, here, in print and in court/mediation, there has to be many others who did not bother to complain.

That's enough for me to stay away. If a dealership can allow any one of those things to happen once they will allow/tolerate it again. It won't be me.

The article was really not all that bad for Luxury, but Mr. Abbas had some very transparent "excuses" for everything charged against him. Don't give me excuses, give me action, which they seem to be short of.

Thank you to all who provided info...I'm sure others reading this are thankful!

H-MAN

Do not buy from Luxury Motors/Bentley (Gold Coast)!
Do not buy from Luxury Motors/Bentley (Gold Coast)! When I was looking for a W208 CLK55 last year I noticed that they had a few cars with decent prices. I spoke with a sales woman on the phone several times about a black 2001 CLK55. She assured me that the dealership only handled the best quality used cars. She informed me that the car was Perfect, Perfect, Perfect in response to all of my questions. I later found out that she worked 45 minutes away from the dealer & had never seen the car.

I live in North Carolina but am from Chicago, so on a trip back I stopped by the dealership ready to buy the 2001 CLK55 if it checked out. You wouldn’t believe the place, they have high end cars stacked on top of each other like it was a salvage yard. The CLK55 I came to look at had to be the most abused three year old car I have ever seen. The body was all marked up, the paint looked like it had been washed with sandpaper (no kidding) and the interior wood was discolored on all the edges from some chemical cleaner.

The sales guys reminded me of those guys on the street selling fake gold chains, and that is being polite. I was pretty pissed that the car was so misrepresented to me over the phone, but the dealer blew me off and told me he could buff out the paint! They had a couple other CLK55’s on the lot and the best looking one was a 2002 $5,000 more than the 2001, but it was still abused. When I told the salesman what I though it was worth he laughed in my face. As I got in my car to leave he talked to the owner and dropped the price of the 2002 by $6,000, to the price I told him.

I seriously think they must be selling stolen recovery vehicles there. It wouldn’t surprise me for a minute if that organization was all crooks. Well, I walked away and bought a well cared for 2002 W208 CLK55 for more money but haven’t regretted my decision for a moment.

brianw430

I had no idea this question would would create such a reaction, but I have since heard from many people about this place, not one good comment yet by the way, and one common thread I keep hearing is that they deal in gray market cars...mostly from Canada. This is not substantiated, just a recurring comment.

nick 55

I am an MB tech in the Chicago area and have dealt with "fallout" from cars sold by Luxury Motors. I have seen a lot of substandard cars from their company, and wouldn't recommend purchasing from them. I don't usually bash other companies on the net, but I didn't let my girlfriend buy a CLK from them, even though the car looked like she wanted. Please don't use them.

brianw430

Thank you for your insight nick. I have since found a private sale CLK55 and love it!

Take care!

Chappy

You've taken delivery? Did you take any pics yet?

brianw430

You bet Chappy!

I received the car last Tueday afternoon but have been terribly busy at work. I spent the first night detailing the engine bay until wee hours of the morning. Then it was off to my mechanics. I had him go through the entire car. Air filters, fuel filter, spark plugs, coolant flush, brake lines flushed and stainless steel lines put on. It took him two days. Wednesday it will have the tranny serviced and the Evosport UD pulleys installed, time permitting. This weekend I got 2 coats of Zaino's on and several coats of carnuba on the rims and only got through the front of the interior. When I get the springs on I will take some photos. I would like to get about 4 coats of Zaino's on prior to the pics. Two coats has made a major improvement!

I have only driven the car about 200 miles thusfar, but the first impression was the superior fitment of the interior over my 430. Granted my 430 has 100,000 miles, but there is absolutely no interior squeeks or rattles with this beast. I love the steering wheel. Never thought I would enjoy a steering wheel so much! The engine sound is simply intoxicating! I have avoided any spirited driving until my mechanic is through the whole car, but I do need to burn off the remaining rubber before I put new skins on.

The brakes are "different." There seems to be a lot of pedal "travel" and it does seem to be a little progressive. A lot of travel initially, but then it hits an area where they really hook up. It is just a matter of driving it to get used to the pedal feel. Nothing has had the braking power of my 92 E400, that thing would slap you across the steering wheel.

The handling seems very civilized compared to the 430 with the Carlsson setup. Nice and firm in the corners, but graceful around town and over the highway. I really like this combination and hope the AMG springs DO NOT change this characteristic.

The engine...that's a story in itself! The power does not stop, and it seems purely effortless. The gobs of torque come on so quick you simply do not reaslize how fast this car is. I will fully understand when I have all the service items completed and test a little more of the power of this AMG powerplant. My V1 will be working overtime I believe!

The only mods I can think of doing are the springs, UD pulleys and maybe the phone/nav install or just the phone, I'm still undecided. Thusfar I really love the car, it even smells new. People have gotten in and thought it was new due to the interior smell. New car deodorizer? I am very pleased with the build and love the looks of the 208!

Chappy

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Is your new ride Silver with Charcoal?

brianw430

Yes, it is silver with the dark charcoal interior. It took almost a year to find the solid color interior. Seem to be a lot of charcoal/white interiors on the market.

Chappy

We have identical CLKs

I think about the only differences between the 2001 and 2002 models were the center caps in the wheels (mine has the chrome star logo), the ski sack and the internal trunk release button.

Congrats! You now own one of 3,381 W208 CLK55 produced worldwide! It is estimated that about 40-50% came to the U.S.

brianw430

I've often wondered, as have others, if the 208 CLK55 will ever become the next 92-93 500E/E500. I realize MB may not have another joint venture as they did with Porsche on that car, but for purely limited production and "cult" following. I remember the first time I saw a CLK on the lot...I knew I wanted one then.

Thank you, I really enjoy looking at this car, now more driving time!

bzliteyear

i agree that clk55 could become cult, but i'm still puzzled why it has 17" wheels, similar to the clk430's...seems not as special.

also, speaking of used car dealerships, have many of you dealt w/ y2k in houston? they're big on ebay and curious anyone's experience from this board.

Germancar1

I just bought my 03' CLK430 Cabrio from them. I'd say that they're typical used car salesmen, nothing more. A lot of their cars are usually beat up and on the rough side when it comes to interiors, but I found my car online at a Saab dealer right down the street, that they also own. Long story short I wound up with a good car, but it came from their Saab store, not their Bentley shop. Now if you're looking for a higher-end car then they have some nice ones in much better shape, but as far as "regular" Mercedes' go (Es,CLKs etc.) you have to be careful and inspect them carefully. As with any used car stealership, buyer beware. My feelings on outright recommending them are mixed because they do practice that "hard sell" stuff and I hate that with a passion. The thing is though they have a lot of cars and their prices easily beat the dealers so I guess you get what you pay for in a sense.





M