After a decent amount of legwork, I've found the BS I want to buy. Seller and I have agreed on a price. Thanks to all on this site who helped me out.

I was able to drive the car last month.
I get one more opportunity to review the car before taking possession.

I've been through it pretty thoroughly (albeit as someone not well versed on the BS), checked the carfax, and got the MB service history.

Any suggestions as to anything I should be looking for (visually, mechanically) are appreciated.

 

There are not really too many known issues with these cars, if the carfax is clean and the service history is good the only thing you need to worry about is the visual and test drive. You're probably good to go if all the above criteria is satisfactory.

You can use the search tool here to research known issues with these cars and see they are all pretty minor isssues. Some of the cars came with wheels made by different wheel manufacturers, appearently MB changed vendors mid way through production but I don't think it was due to anything related to quality or defects. I have not seen a single wheel defect issue pop up in this forum. Some guys claim the two different wheels vary slightly in weight but I can not confirm that, all my wheels were the same ALCOAS. A few of us had issues with the rear dif seal, but I all of us that had that issue tracked our cars, they were replaced under warranty with no questions asked and nobody saw any bigger problems arise from the seal failures. That's it, that's. All I can think of but I'm sure more people will chime in.

 

...remembered one more thing, most of them consume excess oil, check the oil level before you buy it and remeber to check it pretty frequently when you take ownership.

 

Good advice above - the cam position sensors are also notorious for failing due to high underhood temps throwing the car into limp mode - mine was replaced under warranty. Also, the parking brake assembly under the car runs near the exhaust and can melt - AMG has a fix for it with new sheathing and a heat shield. Thats all I can really think of..these cars are bulletproof. Congrats and enjoy

And hey Jim - who said we never help anyone on here ??!?!?! LOL

 

Delivery is scheduled for tomorrow.

 

congratulations

 

I direct your attention to the left of this message, after the word 'Drives'.


It arrived early this morning. I could not be happier.

 

Congrats--awesome car!
Post some pics and initial thoughts.
Will you be able to drive it where you are or will it be stored for winter?
Congrats again and enjoy your new ride

 

welcome to the family and congrats!!! where will the car be living and post some pics!!!

 

Thanks. I'm so excited. It was bad enough last night trying to get to sleep knowing that I'd have it in the morning. Tonight might be worse. The thought crossed my mind to sleep in the garage.

Impressions...

Now that I've driven a bit and looked at things more closely, the refinement of the interior is much better than I had expected.
Since my reading about this car said that it was stripped of some of the normal MB luxuries, I wasn't expecting much. But the nav, stereo, controls, and interior are great.

I had driven a big Caddy for hours straight to test drive the car last month.
Then, when I got behind the wheel of the BS, I thought the power assist was broken.
It felt much better today. The smaller-than-normal steering wheel adds to the force required but the effort is really nothing now that I've gotten used to it.

It will be a while before I test it with traction off. Today, I was not pushing it at all (so I thought) but the traction control kept engaging with a heavy hand. Must be the cold tires.

It's my first MB. I thought I'd eventually have one (S-Class?) when I hit geezer age.
(which, curiously, is always 10 years more than my current age.)
I'd always felt that Benzes took a back seat to BMW in terms of driving feel.
But this car is point-and-shoot. It tracks wonderfully and communicates what's going on exceptionally well. I took an off-camber 'S-turn' highway exit ramp at my normal 2x the posted speed and it gave me the feeling that it wasn't anywhere close to the limit.

And speaking of back seats (or the lack of), nobody told me that you have to be Yogi friggin Kudu to get back there. So the temp tag was just thrown towards the rear glass.
I'm sure Johnny Law will understand.

Only negatives at this point, and this is a bit infuriating considering the F1 Safety Car influence, are the size and location of the tach and the size and location of the indicated gear when in manual mode. It's almost like MB felt that they had done enough to the bones of this thing that they didn't have time for smaller items.

If my cell-camera captures a decent shot, I'll post it.

Off to read the manual...

 

Many thanks LZH. Your many posts and the posts of others on this forum helped convince me that I wanted this car even before seeing it in person.

Car will be garaged in the DC suburbs. I read that we have a few others in the area, which is cool.

 

Great initial review!
Hopefully you'll be able to drive it more before the snow flies.

I haven't bought a "used" car in a very long time--does it feel any different spending this much money for one?
Obviously, there's no brand new BS around, so you have no choice.
Just a curiosity on my part--I'm considering a used SL65/SL63 in the next few years.
I just worry that I will feel funny about spending so much for a used car.
Does this make any sense? Anyone?
Anyway, awesome car we all anticipate pics and I hope you got some sleep!

 

Do you also worry about spending twice as much for a new car

Rationalize buying a used high end car as frugal....fifty cents or less on the dollar..

Let someone else take the big hit on a few years depreciation..
Only way to buy a late model AMG, especially if it's CPO

 

Yes, it is a lot for a used car. But RBYCC's comments about letting someone else take much of the depreciation hit is exactly what I was thinking. And I don't think these will depreciate at the same rate as a new car selling at the same price. Not that I expect to sell it anytime soon.

Can't speak to how this differs from buying a new car as I've never bought new. I've had great luck with private party and Manheim (through a dealer).

BTW - I was randomly pressing buttons on the car today and ended up calling 911. Oops! I couldn't figure how to disconnect so I quickly apologized and she disconnected. I'd ask how I could have hung up but I'll never hit that button again unless I really need their help.

 

I understand the benefits finacially, I would just be worried about how the car was handled and what "skeletons" it has lurking inside--I take much pleasure in having a new car, the smell, the new technology, warranty, the knowledge that I know what the car has been through, etc., etc.--I know this is a waste of money to a lot of people, but I do enjoy being the cars' first owner
If I was completely rational about cars I would be driving some other souless bucket of screws

I guess I was wondering if buying a preowned car feels the same--I guess that varies from person to person--either way you got a sweet car and are a very lucky guy to have that beast--now take those pics

 

If you buy Merc "CPO" ( Certified Pre Owned ) the vehicle has to meet certain standards and includes the remainder of the original warranty plus an additional 12 months free of charge.

As far as "skeletons", a CPO car has typically any recall or "delivery" problems repaired..let somebody else "shake it down" at their time and expense

I've purchased a G55, and G55K, a C43, and my CLK63BS from Merc dealers all over the country...all were CPO cars, never a problem !

$60K + discount from MSRP in two years on a 6K mile CLK63BS is a whole lot of savings. On top of that 1.99% for 66 months finance makes it not worth paying cash.

Historically rate of depreciation on low production AMG Mercs slows drastically after two to three years.

Unlike many "new" Merc buyers, I do consider value as I only buy "collectable" models...
You can see that the six I currently own all are "special" in the sense of low production or vintage appeal.

Last new Merc I purchased was in May 1988, a 300CE for $53K...still own it