So had my CLS500 now just under 3 years. Purchased in May 05 so it's classified as an 06..............thought I would share my experiences.......

Great looker, but sure had some initial teething problems, perhaps because it was one of the first to arrive from Germany...my biggest bugbare and it's still going on is that every 4 months or so, I get this grinding noise appear when driving from cold.......I take my foot off the accelerator under 20mph and you can hear this noise..........each time I take it in they say it's a carbon buildup?? ....... Never heard of such nonsense...had this back in service at least 8 times and now finally decided to use 89 instead of premium to see if this would work. Mind you the dealer in Naples FL(high mark-up town) is looking for mugs like me and their service dept is not the best...on my second set of tires with just 34000 miles on the clock and the fronts need replacing again.............I don't drive her hard, but don't wimp it either, but the tires I find are noisy and was thinking of replacing with Michelin PS2's for a quieter ride........anyone tried these out?

Find the acceleration awesome and yet reading between the lines on this forum, the CLS550 is overall a great improvement....................so the main reason for my post is that I was thinking of getting a new car and not necessarily a merc, but just can't decide on what to get(I mean I want a bentley, but I think it's more wishfull thinking) which has the power, the luxury and is still well-priced for an everyday ride(already have a C6 vette which I love, it's a garage queen) and when it comes right down to it, don't find a lot on the road that I like..........so thought why not upgrade to the 550 or something similar(the devil you know and all that)..until I researched the used and trade in car values and cannot believe the depreciation.................Kelleys states 37,000(but doesn't appear to include any extras...................Nada guides at $53,800 which includes about $6300.00 for the AMG performance and Sports package and Edmunds is about $45,000 for a trade in.....................

actually looked at the bentley GTS and they offered me $33,000 for the Merc..are you serious?(or have I been on another planet)......paid $84,000 originally for the 500 with virtually every extra imaginable in May 05 and thats a 60% depreciation!!!

So now I don't know what to do...........................get the Michelins on and be done with if for another few years(then it will probably be worth a pint of milk at this rate) or look elsewhere and take this incredible hit?

What do you guys think the car is realistically worth and are there any good deals around at present for say a 550...and yet I am still stunned with the appalling depreciation, so doesn't it start all over again?

Look forward to any advice....................

 

Hey, if you think that depreciation is bad, just go look in the CL and AMG forums!

Funny Example #1
Funny Example #2
Typical Example of Depreciation

With milk prices rising, getting a whole pint might be wishful thinking.

 

I am so glad I leased! My car is a couple of months older than yours, and like you I have had a few issues, but overall the car has been great. I have 19k mi on my car, and only the rear tires needed replacement (with the original Conti's). If you decide to replace your current CLS with another, consider waiting until the mildly facelifted '09 comes out in a few months...

 

am I the only one who went through 3 sets of Michelin's from getting constant bubbles from potholes, uneven pavement etc? As soon as I replace a tire, an air bubble forms in another... hate low pros... does this happen to anyone else?