apg231

Trying to decide if I want to go the 2013 or 2014 route with a CPO CLS550. My question is about the warranty. A 2014 would most likely have a factory warranty until the end of 2017/18 (depending on build date) where a 2013 would be at the end of its factory warranty and the CPO 1 year extended warranty would kick in. I am looking at a few 550's in my area and they seem to have between 35-45,000 miles on them. The difference is the 2013's are in the 37-40k range where the 2014's are in the 42-47k range.

So do I get a higher mileage 2013 and pay extra for an extended CPO warranty or bite the bullet and go for the 2014. Other than the eco start stop function I see no difference between the 2 years. My biggest sticking point is I want the distronic option and parktronic. I don't see many 2013's with those features and the 2014's that have them are out of of my price range.

help a guy out

belarus27

look out of state maybe
its a little bit hard to find a nice CLS as it is and especially with distronic...

apg231

I have 14 MB dealers in Mass, CT, RI, NH, NY and NJ looking for me. My question is about warranties. Am I taking a big gamble by going with a 2013 which would basically be out of factory warranty and soley have to rely on the one-year CPO (or longer if I buy more time)

rhoderunner

I have a 13, bought with lower miles (36K almost a year ago). Are you looking to hold onto it for a while? If not, I would go with the 13. Less future depreciation, insurance and excise tax will be less, and there is really no difference between the model years.

As long as you have the warranty you should be fine. I had some issues with the AWD system that I would not have wanted to pay out of pocket.

apg231

This is going to be my mid-life crisis purchase and definitely a keeper for a long time. So lower miles would be a plus.

Ernest7878

I would cut out the middleman and go somewhere like cars.com and search for a car within 500 miles of your ZIP code. Just try it once to see what's out there. I bought my 2012 CLS550 from a dealership 200 miles away from my house and had it flatbeded to Michigan. I agree with the poster who said to go for the 2013 due to less depreciation. As of right now, there are 43 CLS550 4Matic cars within 500 miles of my zipcode priced between 30k and 40k on cars.com and with low miles. You can easily check for distronic and dynamic seating by looking at the pictures.

apg231

That is exactly what I am doing. Checking Cars.com and Autotrader daily. What sucks is the ones that I want or can afford are 1000+ miles away. I would like to see a car in person before dropping 40k on it. The reason I am using the dealers is they can see what is coming off lease and in trade before it goes to the general public. I am gonna give it until the end of May and pull the trigger either way.

rhoderunner

Sucks too because the "profile" you are probably looking for is a car that has been sitting for a few months on a lot. Mine was sitting for about 90 days so I had some leverage.

If the car doesn't come with a carfax my best advice when getting carfax is to go with the 5 report package. You come out ahead when you run your second report.

Come to think of it..... I have three left on my five purchase (bought my son a car recently) just let me know if you need a carfax and I can run it for you given I won't use the remaining three reports.

Good luck!

apg231

Thanks for the offer! I will definitely keep you in mind. Now at last count I have 20 MB dealers in the northeast looking for me. The problem is they say the "pool" they choose from (off lease cars) is dwindling. FYI I am also having them look for a 2014 E550 with all the options. The benefit of the CLS550 is it has the LED headlights, keyless go, etc standard. And 99% I look at have the multicontour seats. There is only one type of sunroof in the CLs (although I prefer the pano roof on the E class) All I need is the parktronic and distronic and I am good. On the E550 it is really hard finding one with EVERYTHING and when it does come up, it's gone before I can make an offer. I could maybe compromise on a standard sunroof with the e class, but it has to have LED package, parking assist, driver assist, multi contour seats, keyless go etc

oh well thanks for the offer again

belarus27

all these options : keyless , parktronic , pano roof , multicontour seats , etc.... come on a lot of E classes , id say they pretty much standart equipment if you looking at e550's comparing to 350's, the hardest option to find is the distrtonic i think (in my opinion a lot more E classes came with it than CLS's , again just my opinion)
NO LED package tho unfortunately though.

apg231

It all started when my neighbor got an Audi S4. When I asked him where he got it I went by that dealer and they had a ton of E350's there which caught my eye. So I started doing research on them. When I test drove one I knew that was the car for me. But when I tried to find one with all the options I wanted it got increasingly harder. Some guys on the W212 forum suggested looking at the E550's since they came standard with more options I wanted therefore making it easier to find my car. Then while out test driving an E550 my wife saw a CLS 550 and she said "that looks like a real Mercedes" the E550 looks like a C300 and are a dime a dozen around here. There are no CLS's around me that I know of. So I am really looking for a CLS 550 but if an E550 comes up I will jump on that as well.

belarus27

yes e550's come with more standart equipment than 350's (i got a e550)
good luck finding a good deal. Post pics if u ever get it

Sentinelsf

My local dealer in Walnut Creek, CA recently listed a 2014 CLS550 in Iridium Silver with P1, black leather with heated/ventilated seats, active multi-contour driver seat, parktronic, split-folding rear seats, wood steering wheel, distronic with pre-safe. When I saw it I immediately traded my 2013 E350 for it. I have a loaner 2017 C-class while they perform some minor paint repairs on the front bumper. I will post pics when I pick it up. They have a similar car in black if anyone is in the SF Bay Area.

apg231

Found a black on black 2014 E550 that I am going to look at next weekend. This might be the one for me. So I will be jumping ship and heading to the W212 forum. I will post one last pic here if and when I pick it up.

ntwillie1

i can think of two other benefits. A CLS is much more rare than an E Class and better looking. Granted you are looking at an E550, but I see about 30 E classes a day around my area, but maybe 1 or 2 CLS' a day w one of those being my own. Both cars are gorgeous and I considered both, but in the end, going through my own mid-life thing I decided to get the CLS because to me it looked better, not many people have one, got my neighbors staring in my driveway all the time, and it fit perfect for my family of 4. Just kidding about the neighbors, although one of them drives a Maserati Gibli and thinks he's the king of the world, annoys me so bad.

apg231

Yeah I went back and forth for a while on the CLS/E550 decision. It comes down to what I can get and afford. An E550 with every option I want except driver assistance came up for sale about 2 1/2 hours away from me and I am going to look at it tomorrow. Best thing is it's in my price range and only has 21K on the odometer. So I will gladly give up one option for low miles. I could have kept looking but these cars are not like F150's or Honda Accords that are a dime a dozen around here. I have seen one 2014 E550 out near Boston last summer. There are a few 2010-2013's here and there. Yes the CLS is even more rare. I have seen probably 2 in the past couple of years.