Benz4Mom

Well, I have been reading the board for a few weeks now. I was wondering if you all can give me some input on some of the info i am about to give.

I am getting a benz in the next 6months, i dont know much about them, besides that my mom and dad drives them. I can spend no more than $55K (used ofcourse). I was looking at the CL55 or CL500, then i saw the CLS55 and CLS500, they both look the same, not sure what the difference is. What options are a must? I am used to driving domestic cars, so not sure what "cool" options to look for. I guess something a 27yrs old can enjoy. I was reading about everyone wanting parktronic, what is that? I know i have a lot of reading to do, but some advice can definatley help.

Thanks

HLG600

$55,000 Max

Option 1: SLK55 AMG
355 hp convertible with a retractable metal roof. Seriously fun car.

Option 2: E55 AMG
Practical (seats 5 with trunk space) 500 hp car

Option 3: CLS500
Less practical than E, less power, but looks alot better (with the sport package), IMHO

Option 4: CL55 AMG
Same 500 hp motor in a luxury-coupe-tank

Option 5: 1997-2002 SL600
400 hp, solid reliability, top down fun, and, you can spend maybe 20K on upgrades with that budget

These are just a few. Really depends on what you want/need in a car.

Benz4Mom

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look into those. I seriously like the look of the CLS500, but what is the difference with the CLS55 AMG? they body looks the same. I was looking for something 2005 or newer

Benz4Mom

any suggestions...

1985mb

For starters the CLS55 AMG is a lot more expensive than the CLS500 (starting at $88K vs. $65K) (2006 model prices) but a lot more powerful (469 HP vs. 302).

Since these are current models, there are tons of reviews of these cars in the automotive press. Here's one:

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...rcedes_cls500/

Benz4Mom

Thanks for the info. i am looking at the link you sent now. The CLS500 seems like a really good buy for the price, the only difference it seems like is that the CLS55 AMG has a bigger engine, powerful. What about options, can you get about the same with either one? From the AMG and NON-AMG, what differences on the body, or exterior besides the badge?

Thanks

Ecin

CLS500 with 20" rims Yummy..


I got an E320 so i should tell you get the e55. The difference is that the CLS body will not change b4 the E class so you get more value there.

AsianML

The difference between AMG and non-AMG will be seen in the engine, brakes, suspension(settings?), and body kit. I would suggest the CLS55 only if you want a fast car, but the CLS500 is more than enough as a daily driver.

Parktronic uses radar(?) to help aide you in parking situations. It alert you if you're getting closer to another car, etc.

That's the best explanation I can give about it. To learn more go to this site, then to Features and Specs, then drop the cursor down to Feature Spotlight then click on Parktronic.
http://www.mbusa.com/models/main.do?modelCode=E550W

MercedesFTW

Get a C55 or a SLK55. You can get a 2005/6 with low miles easy under 55k.

They are both good starting AMGs.

Or you can go with a C32, and mod the ****e out of it.

Benz4Mom

Thanks for the suggestions guys, i really do like the body style of the CLS500/CLS55, and also the CL55 AMG> i am doing my research now, cause i am getting it in the next couple of months. Just want to make sure i pick what i want for the money. BTW, how much does it cost for the AMG exhaust setup, and can i include that on a CLS500 and is there any power gains? is the CLS55AMG lower than the CLS500? IF i decide to go with the CLS500, what sort of inexpensive basic mods can i do to pick up a bit extra power?

AndrewAZ

You can do the AMG exhaust but you probably need the bumpers to be changed to AMG bumpers to accommodate it. As for power gains I doubt you will get any that you can notice.. As for cheap mods lol Welcome to Mercedes short answer is NO, you will have to spend quite a lot of money to even start to feel a power difference and you will never get close to AMG power without spending $10k on a supercharger to make up the 150+ HP difference

Benz4Mom

Thanks for the answer. well i guess the CLS500 power is enough.lol no need to spend $10K on supercharger, might aswell get the AMG. I just really like the body style of the CLS500. the CL55 AMG is another choice also. hmmm decisions. the car will mostly be used as a daily drive.

AndrewAZ

For your budget you are looking at cars that are going to be high milage or beat to crap or with a few years left on warranty.

My best advice is to take your $55k and lease a car for 3 years, if you are looking for power and a great car go lease either a E550 or a CLS550. The new 550 models have more power than the older 500 models and are a lot faster.

Basically the CLS you are paying for the style and you can not use the back seats at all and is hard to get in and out of. The E class is big and nice and has usable back seats.

Anyways to lease a E550 total cost for 3 years I would guess is around $25k you can check the E class section out and ask what people are paying just take they down payment then add that to the monthly payment times to length of the lease.

The reason I say lease is because your car will be under warranty, and you are not putting your money into a depreciating asset. So you will be able to invest about $50K(assuming after tax title ect and down payment of around $5k) of your money instead of having it sit in a car that only loses value.

If you really want the CLS but with power closer to the AMG then leasing a CLS550 is the way to go. If you want to save some money and have all the toys the CLS550 has get a E550.

Benz4Mom

ANdrew thanks for the heads up, I have been looking on cars.com and saw that there are 2005/2006 CLS500 models along with CL500 and CL55AMG models for around $55K, with under 30K miles. are you saying those cars are generally beat up? I just feel like if i lease the car for $25-30KK in 3 years, after i return it, i have nothing to show for it.

Thanks again, I will definately check into leasing, to find out how much that will cost.

AndrewAZ

Leasing you only pay for what you use.. In general leasing a MB and BMW makes the most sense. The reason being is both depreciate very fast if you buy them, but when you lease them both MB and BMW put unrealistically high residual values on the cars.

So your going to buy an say 05 with 30k miles on it, the warranty will expire in 2 years assuming you drive 10k miles a year. So basically in 2 years you will be stuck with a 4 year old car out of warranty and thats when all the expensive problems start. So in 4 years your $55k car especially after the warranty is up will be worth the low 30's or so. Just go look on Ebay new the MB are selling for 60-70k then check 4 years back and you can pick a used one up for low 30's. And they are basically money pits.

Recently we did a lease of an E350, they are saying after 39 months they car will be worth $32k from a price of $47k which is crazy and the only way that works is their high residual value. If you bought the same car for $47k and tired to sell it back 39 months later you are probably only going to get offered $25k trade in. So basically they are saying after 39 month the car will retain 68% of its value realistically buying it out right and trying to sell it back you are looking at a number in the 50% range.

You can run over to the lease section here on this site and look at the residual values, also check out mbusa.com for special lease deals.

itsmeek

e55 amg all the way. the car looks great, performs like a monster, and can still carry 5.

Benz4Mom

After looking at pictures of the E55, i dont like the body style, it just looks like a E350. I like the look of the CLS and S55, more aggressive look i think. Just wondering, why would someome pick the E55 over the S55, besides cost?

AndrewAZ

Well cost is a big deal, you are talking a $86k car vs a $130k car. The price difference is a brand new BMW 3 series. But if I were to chose and the price was the same I would take the E55 since its smaller and lighter which allows the car to be faster.

For your price range of $55k you are going to be buying an old AMG car that will be out of warranty soon. And we all know all performance cars have the s h it driven out of them. A big reason why the depreciate so fast is they become problems and costly to maintain.

Benz4Mom

Andrew, I might be new at this board, but where are you getting your car prices from? I just saw on ebay and cars.com a 2006 CLS500 for 60K with under 30K miles. I am sure it might not have all the "cool" optionl. I never said a new car, just looking at used cars here. Even a 2005 benz with under 40K miles is a good buy i am assuming, after all isnt it why people buy benz, because of the realibiliity?

itsmeek

for 55k you can get a pretty damned decent e55 with warranty left over for several more years. however....YOU DO NOT BUY A BENZ FOR RELIABILITY. not anymore anyway. they are plagued with little problems. i have 2 and both have their issues.

AndrewAZ

They used to be reliable 10 years ago. But now along with BMW they have to many computers and junk in the them. My family just started leasing our expensive cars since we end up selling them after 2-3 years with very low milage on them. We had a few 00 and 02 benz that we kept for 5 years and after the 4 year warranty went out they were a nightmare every time you got the service bill to fix something, keep in mind we dont abuse our cars or dive vey much I am talking about a 5 year old car with 30k miles on it and just about everything that needed to be fixed would cost $1k.

Again there is a reason why the price has dropped so much, you will only be able to drive the car for 2 years or 20k miles without going out of warranty. Being a die hard BMW and MB fan I am just warning you of the nightmare of having one out of warranty especially the first model years of the CLS.

Benz4Mom

Thanks for the advice guys, so do you all advice buying the extended warranty?