ReconTrojan

I had a call from the assistant to the General Manager who mentioned they had 5 ( Five) BS in stock or in route and they needed to move them.

While I decided to go in another direction ( actually many, but M5 for now) I was interested in what kind of deal this would/could be as my 40th birthday is approaching!

The numbers translated to about 128k depending on which color I took and black being the most expensive. I mentioned this was not far off the 130 I was offered 3 weeks ago, while noticeably grimacing on the phone I could tell this was a painful discussion for him to have with me. He flat out asked me what the price would have to be to sell me the car today was and I told him ( without consulting wife of course) and he said he would get back to me IF he could do the deal tomorrow.

The saga continues.

If this does not happen I will gladly state the final price offered for anyone interested in buying one. They still have the original two that I drove 3 weeks ago and they're the Number One dealership in the U.S.

I love my M5 but my E30 M3 is getting long in the tooth for the occasional track days, with only 23k miles on her and absolutely pristine her sale would take a nice chunk off what I offered tonight.

chiphomme

Who's not telling the truth? Mercedes saying there are only 350 coming to the US? Or the dealership you mentioned?
It is important to me because I am taking delivery of a CLK63 BS next week and partially bought it because of its uniqueness.

blazinginder

There's nothing contradicting the 350# coming to the US...the big dealers tend to be allocated more cars/"rare" cars then others

...as an example of just this...there are 1000 ML350 Edition 10's made/being made for the US market and my dealer Ray Catena Mercedes (in NJ) who's the #1 dealer on east coast was allocated about 15 or so of the 1000...so 5 out of the 350 doesn't seem that out of wack

spifffs

so are we saying that those of us like ME, who bought them back when could have gotten these cars close to invoice if we waited 2 months....WOW i feel robbed. i know the invoice on this car is 125,500.00 if they offer you 126k TAKE IT!!!!! its worth the 138,375 i paid. why not get a 13k discount

chiphomme

It does seem weird if other dealers are *****ing about not getting a single CLK63 Black. My guess is that there are more than 350 dealers in the US.

blazinginder

It's all about the market and the relationship with the dealer and how they do with high end cars etc. as well

SteveL1

The black one I saw delivered to Tri Star in St. Louis this morning was sold before arrival over sticker. I'm guessing by around $5k by the conversation with the Sales Manager. They had their one allocation pre sold a while back, but the guy wanted to put down a refundable deposit at both dealers and take the first one that showed up. This dealer would not do a refundable deposit so the guy went to the other dealer, put down a deposit and just before the car arrived, bailed and bought one from a dealer in FL. There is now an unsold white one in St. Louis at Plaza Motors if anyone is interested. This is the exact reason that the manager at Tri Star would not do a refundable deposit. Who wants to get stuck with a $138k car this time of year?

Oh, and the black one is waaaaaay cooler loking than the white in my opinion! Not that I would turn away either color mind you!

WSH

Not at all surprised....

Was offered (and passed) on first CLK63BS at my usual dealer @MSRP mths back....dealer got ?3-4cars and placed them w/jaded, repeat customers easily.....but mkt thins out quickly beyond that small circle of buyers in a major CA mkt, let alone in ex-CA/NYC mkts....and used mkt is an entirely different socio-economic spectrum w/different pricing expectations/needs/credit history....

Mkt for a nearly $150K, 4000lb, alleged track car based upon an elderly CLK platform is rather thin......in best of times....let alone in the current economy...

Some cars like 997GT2, etc will command a premium in some mkts early in launch process, but rapidly fade after 6-12mos.....one should conservatively expect 50% MSRP trade-in value after 12mos/15K mis (these are allegedly daily commuter cars, right???).....

And I eagerly await getting my dealer's first SLxx Blk next yr...and fully expect it to trade-in for some 50% MSRP after one yr of use....no matter what premia guys will claim at launch in some mkts.....

Jim Brady

WSH,
Honestly, I don't think you were the target market for the car. Your slurs seem to think this car isn't what it was intended. For what this car does its a bargin. Ask anyone who's driven it on the track.
Jimmy

WSH

Absolutely right...have zero interest in risk/reward of tracks...

But commenting re: overall mkt dynamics/preferences, not one-off guys who can easily afford various interesting cars for their fleet....suspect an unfortunately thin slice of mkt....most mfrs would prob approach bankruptcy if exclusively/heavily focused on this jaded segment....

What percentage of intended buyer base for CLK63BS uses car at track?

Did AMG not claim this car is a daily commuter...despite low ground clearance; dubious wet road tires; <<20gall fuel tank (w/12MPG); dubious/old-tech CLK passive safety; poor availability of replacement tires/wheels; and a plasticky, low-rent CLK interior?

Suspect it's a thin buyer base anywhere for $150K+ track-oriented cars (esp when GT3 is so cheap, even w/its laughable track-relevant sunroof)....thus, difficulty w/sales and/or trade-in values of cars like GT2.....

And if Scud didn't have likely 100% one-yr trade-in value in US, would be curious how deep is its bedrock buyer base.....

Schiznick

So why are you posting in this section again? This car is clearly not for you yet you find the need to continue to justify why it is not for anyone else either. By your comments, you are not in the market for this type of car.

If you look around this forum you will notice quite a few people have taken their Black Series to the track.

Is it a daily driver? It certainly can be depending on what your tolerance for performance is. Having used a 996 GT3 as a daily driver, I would say that the Black Series is FAR better as a daily driver.

In my opinion, the Black Series is not a car you shop against a CL, S or SL. I also don't think that you can judge the car by test driving for an hour on public streets.

Would I want AMG to stop building luxury oriented cars? Not a chance but the direction that they are going with the Black Series cars is directly in line with what I am looking for in addition to my other toys.

In my opinion, the CLK Black Series is a blast to drive on the street and on the track. I drive it a couple of days of the week in rotation with my other toys and enjoy every minute of it!

You have mentioned all over the place that you will buy the SL whatever Black Series when it comes out. Why? From all the initial images and reports it will be just as much if not more of a track car than the CLK or SLK Black Series vehicles. Looks like the next evolution to me.

Do yourself a favor and stick with the CL, SL and S regular AMG variants.

The best news is that AMG gives us all many choices.

My .02, the Black Series kicks A**

chiphomme

I don't really get your point. It has a new motor, transmission, suspension, and brakes. It's hardly a recycled CLK. If the thing were just a steriod pumped CLK55 you'd have a point but its not.
Where do you come up with $150K+? It's under $140K (ie right in line with a 911 Turbo).
On top of that if $136K seems excessive I suggest you look at Mercedes whole line up. Clue: every AMG car except the upcoming C63 is ridiculously expensive.

Jim Brady

WSH,
So go and wait two years for your SL black. Some enjoy driving the snot out of the car NOW. There always something faster and better in the marketing department just around the corner. Just keep waiting.

Responsible driving would dictate that tracking vs. Youtube drag racing on the street is better venue to test the capabilitesof the machine and the driver which is the whole point of motorsports.

I'm not sure you will be happy with the firm ride of the forthcoming SL black and other trade offs necessary for spirited driving but wait two years and find out.
Jimmy

johno530

“..despite low ground clearance” your point?
“dubious wet road tires” tires can be changed
“<<20gall fuel tank (w/12MPG)" last trip I got 20.6 over 350 mi, 10% city
“dubious/old-tech CLK passive safety” don’t plan on crashing
“poor availability of replacement tires/wheels" limited yes, poor not
“plasticky, low-rent CLK interior?” Interior is nice – I’m guessing you want a wood shelf for your Grey Poupon?

fickleone

I got 18.9 miles to the gallon South Bay to Infineon on the freeway (75-90 MPH) and this includes a drive across SF.

Then after 2 sessions on the track the average consumption dropped to 11.4 miles per gallon.

A fill up and and 2 more sessions, the average dropped to 10 miles to the gallon. The tank holds 16.5 gallons and I got 16.2 gallons into it. At turn 2 (second session) in Infineon it started to cut out because of the low fuel and off camber corner.

So Freeway driving is about 19-20

Track driving (computed) is about 5-6 miles to the gallon, and worth every penny. Grin, Grin! This car is amazing, a great "fun car" on the track. My definition of a "track car" is a Cup car or equivalent type car of any make.

The car is not so low that it scrapes (I haven't yet) in any driving, and the GT3 scrapes everywhere I go.

It is a great daily driver, provided you don't need a back seat (only a negative for some).

It is a great car with few compromises and a reasonable value. Many will miss out on this car because of preconceived notions and biases.

One thing about the car is that it seems to hide its weight, I know it is close to 4000 lbs, but on the track the weight seems to disappear (magically!).

Germancar1

What is unsafe about the current CLK? Replacement wheels and tires? What the heck does that have to do with anything, why is that a factor. Any high-end Mercedes is pricey when it comes to footwear. Heck even some of the regular ones are.

The SL Black Series or SLC will be an incredible car, but it too will be based on an "elderly" platform, the SL. Which is undergoing another facelift to keep it viable until 2011-12 when an all new SL arrives. I don't see what sense stating that makes if AMG is able to turn these "elderly" platforms into track stars which is what they did with the CLK and will do with the SL. AMG is doing a lot more than just dropping engines and big tires on their cars now.

Again if the CLK isn't a suitable platform start for a track duty model then neither is heavier the SL. Fortunately this belief is shattered when the platforms in question come in for a complete re-engineering.

M

MACHC5

Even GM... whenever a new version of a model is coming out has taken to giving the last year a special edition model.

But...they will make as many as they can sell and not limit it to a few hundred.

Adi_V

just out of curiosity.. what kind of jobs do BS drivers hold?
and what is the average age of owners?
(other that selling drugs and illegal imigrants)

alexander stemer

This thread certainly took a left turn.
Re value: Most expensive cars depreciate like rocks in a pond, and this one is certainly not expected to be much different. However, I tend to keep my cars a long time, and make every effort to wear them out, as opposed to selling a pristine garage-queen. Overall, it doesn't work out much worse than any luxury vehicle, on an ammortized yearly basis. If you want to sell after one year, you are at the mercy of the market.
The car doesn't rub in routine use (now 3,000 daily driver miles)
AMG rims are available (I just got 4), and Bridgestone makes a performance tire that is fine in the rain. Just drove home in 33 degree temps in a sleet storm, and the car was fine. Corsas are now available (the shipment arrived about 3 weeks ago)
Highway usage/light city driving nets about 17 mpg for spirited driving, but about 20-21 if you soft pedal. Overall, about 1 mpg worse than my 996ttX50, but has a tank one gallon bigger. I haven't made it to the track yet, but I have done a few parking lot demos for friends, who are impressed, but often gagging in blue tire smoke.
The car is a great daily driver. I take it everywhere. Restaurant valets like to park it up front, and I don't need to worry about clutch trauma. Ride and noise are very acceptable.
Interior quality is fine, and the seats can't be beat.
I haven't yet tried a 997GT3, but the 996GT3 was unaceptable to me for daily driving. This car is much more exciting to drive than my 996tt, which is now primarily assigned to snow duty.

Am I happy with mine? You bet. I just wish there was a snow tire available now.

For the last poster, I am a 59 year-old physician (Infectious Disease) AS

spifffs

AS- i love your posts, you dont mess around!!! as for the question before, i am a 24 year old real estate developer who works primarily in arizona building homes. that is why i bought the car, to drive to and from az in an amazing ride. but the real estate market sucks right now, and my black series may soon become an e350 on a trade, if the market doesnt pick up... i wish i had a job with steady income like AS here

alexander stemer

You aren't too old for med school...................AS

fickleone

I couldn't agree more, The BS is a great all rounder.

The 997 GT3 is much better (in all areas) than the 996 GT3.

The 997 GT3 is a slightly different type of "tool" than the Black Series, not better of worse. It isn't about absolutes, it is about the compromises you chose to make for daily driving needs, or for your occasional track fun.

But, either choice presents no hardship or disappointment.

The more I see premiums for the GT3/RS etc., the more appealing the Black Series becomes. The smart money will move to these cars on a pure value basis.

The Black Series will get discovered; after all it took a while for the the 997 GT3 to catch on (remember all the carping about the sunroof, and the BS doesn't have one).

Stay tuned!

LZH

If you have zero interest in track cars, then you are wasting your time (and ours) by commenting about a car you clearly have not driven, and most likely dont have the talent to drive at its limit.
Jaded ? Look in the mirror pal...
I took my car to the track as soon as I got it, as have many others here.
The BS can easily be a daily driver, the only reason I do not is that I prefer to let a-holes in LA door ding my Audi. You can scrape the front of just about any sports car if you dont pay attention and dont give a crap about your car.....so, it the shoe fits.
The car weighs close to 4000 lbs beacause underneath all the performance, its still a MB, and is plenty safe for me. NO wonder you drive a tank...excuse me, I meant CL. Low rent interior ? I suppose you'd prefer a full digital readout and HUD ? LOL...
I've said it a few time here and I'll say it again, keep your pie hole shut till you drive one. Until then your opinion is nothing more than speculation and bench racing. But something tells me you will only understand that in two years when you loose your a$$ on your CL trade in and then not like the SL BS becasue the ride is too harsh for your golden tushie.

JDB

I'll just add my $0.02 . . . I love driving mine, and I haven't even broken it in yet! Obviously others are going to say that the car has shortcomings . . . every car does . . . there is no perfect car for every buyer. But this is a car that really fits for me . .. . right now!
JDB