Caleb Stallion

Hey guys hope your all doing well.

I'm 20 years old located in the midwest and am looking at purchasing my first car. I went through my Honda hot boi / jdm ricer days in highschool, luckily without buying one of those cars since my parents would let me buy a "junk old car". Well I'm still young but I'm looking at purchasing a much nicer car for myself. I'm a car enthusiast and am a fan of performance, but I'm also a techie and care about styling of a car. Long story short, Mercedes seemed like the brand that was meant for me.

I'm either going to buy an 01 cl500 or an 01 s55 amg. TBH I'm having trouble making a decision, as they are the same price. Cl 500 has 113k miles, s55 has 217k. S55 has the more powerful hand built 5.5 na m113 while the cl has the 5.0 m113. I already know there mlboth going to be significantly faster than the Kia I'm use to driving, but why leave performance on the table? They both need some work done to them. S55 need the trunk realigned while the cl needs a new radio. Both have some slight exterior wear that will need to be dealt with, and interior parts that need replacing, but that's what you expect for an 19 year old car. Which one would you guys recommend? Once again, I'm happy to be a part of this community and hope to restore either one of these cars to their formal glory!

DRTYLNDY

My guess is that the Cl500 will be less expensive to maintain for you. The S55 has the first gen ABC which is known to be problematic over time.
Good luck
Johan

Caleb Stallion

Thats for the reply! I believe they both would have the first gen ABC since they are both the same year (2001) correct? It could come down to the mileage difference. But it could also be possible that the higher mileage s55 AMG has already had the system replaced. I already bought the car fax for the cl500 and the ABC has not needed to be fixed. I'll have to do more research on the s class. I am leaning towards the s55 cause of that AMG badge if you can tell 😀.

JohnLane

Caleb Stallion

Well I have very limited experience with a dually working on cars, but I am mechanically inclined and would be able to change oil, gaskets, coolant, belts, ect on a car with the help of the internet and owner's manual. I do enjoy driving but I will primarily drive it over the summer or whenever I'm home from school. It cost too much to ship the car to Florida so it will stay back home most of the time. I'd be hard pressed to put 5000 miles on it in a year, as everything I drive to is for the most part local. I haven't really thought about a no BS budget, but let's say 1500? Once the ABC goes out I'd probably just install some custom coilovers. I also plan on detailing the car, upgraded head unit, new wheels, and performance modifications regardless of which model I get, even though the s55 will have more aftermarket support. Also this one is natrually aspirated, not supercharged.

JohnLane

Caleb Stallion

So your saying I should wait and save for a later model s55 amg?

JohnLane

maw1124

DRTYLNDY

I like this one "I know which mistress I prefer. I reached for the S65."
My wife couldn't agree more!!!
Johan