time.

Hi everyone-

New here and to the MB world.

I'm extremely interested in purchasing a very high miles CL555. I've been doing alot of research into and and though it does need some repairs... Front Strut, ABS Light, SRS Light. I don't think it's anything major yet.

Any advice for a noob with these cars? Any concerns with the miles? Anything I should specifically look out for?

Thanks in advanced.

m_berman

Recommend to perform a thorough PPI which should include a compression test of the cylinders. Also a smog test will reveal how tight the engine is with emissions.

At that mileage I would have concern for the supercharger, catalic converters and the tranny.

time.

Thanks for the insight! Any idea how I can check / test the tranny the best way possible w/o bringing it to a shop? Anything I can look out for during the inspection for a failing tranny?

Hotsauce55

At that mileage major work will be required on suspension, bushings, accessory drives like PS/AC comp/Alternator & the list goes on. What are your thoughts on buying a car with that much mileage? If it's to save money, I guarantee you'll end up in the "save now, pay later boat"

RRnelcheeze

If you have the money for the repairs, these cars are pretty expensive to maintain. I have 100K miles on my CLS55, these are the things i have to address right now

I have a leaking radiator, i was quoted by my Benz mechanic just under $1000
I need a brake job $1000, debating on weather i will DIY to save money
I just replaced my front driver airmatic shock DIY, $400 off ebay.
these are some of the common things that will come up, just something to think about.

My W210 E320 doesnt have any issues like my AMG does! lol

NJCLS55

I have a cls 55 with 119,000. This car is a beast and with proper maintenance should last a long time. The engine and tranny along with the supercharger are hard to kill. Of course things will come up, however a car like this with this type of mileage should be babied and not your everyday commuter car. My thought is 5000 to 7500 miles a year. Good luck and post pics if you pic it up? Wondering how much as well?

cmpcpro

Since when is 150k very high mileage? I'd say 250k is very high. As long as the car is in good shape and hasn't been abused it should be fine. At that mileage if it wasn't abused most of the big things are probably already done. I would feel better purchasing a clean 150k mile car than one at 100k when most everything starts to go.

time.

It was a crazy deal, I needed a 4 door car... kid on the way. My other vehicles are two doors. I've also always wanted a W219, I think it's one of the classiest looking MB. Great power too.

I ended up picking it up, 154k miles, a decent amount of issues but nothing mechanical I've stumbled on yet. One blown air strut, I don't want to deal with anymore notorious air pump / suspension issues so I'm converting it over to Coils. I actually ended up picking it up for $7k after talking the owner down dramatically. He was also more flexible with me cause, funny enough, we knew alot of the same people in the car world.

I've already purchased a good amount of replacement parts and mods, hopefully that'll be it for now.

Once the project is finalized, I'll let everyone know what the total issues were and how much it took to get the vehicle from point A to B.

Thanks everyone for the advice and guidance so far. I'm sincerely hoping 150k isn't actually high and 250k is. That'd be awesome.

Jimrowe0

iTrader: (-1)

141K and going strong, mine looks like under 50k miles. 150k is nothing on the CLS55. Don't let it scare you, people overblow the cost of ownership.

Mine is also on coils, handles much better than airride and leaves you with no more worries about replacing bags. While your in there I would replace most of the suspension pieces as mentioned above.

time.

Looks great brother!! What coil system did you swap to?

Jimrowe0

iTrader: (-1)

For what you need get the BC coilovers which are what I have. The KW coils would be nice, but in my opinion aren't necessary for 150k daily.

They are $995 on eBay and several buyers will accept best offer.

time.

Ok thanks man, one more question. Did you have to replace any specific control arm or other suspension item to have the coils fit? I'm reading on here and some people say yes while others say no.

Jimrowe0

iTrader: (-1)

Rear Lower Control Arm must be switched to E350 W211 chassis rear lower control arm to make coilover fit correctly.

I would put in new control arms, ball joints and links

CharlyE500

Radiator is only $600 and i changed 4 brakes rotors and pad for $800

CharlyE500

So you paid $7K for the car ??? as long it's clean title, its good deal !

time.

Yes indeed, I've probably spent about +/- $6,000 so far on it. Once I'm done I'll post up before and after pictures as well as what had to be done. I'm pretty much fixing everything on it, big or small.

vvrjrlaw

If I may, forget the miles. Act like there is no mileage and look at the car. Then look at any records and lastly take the car for a ride, and drive it like you stole it. I own a 55 and I am meticulous about maintenance. Listen for things like a noisy belt system. The pulleys are expensive and even doing it my self cost me almost a grand in parts. Check the SBC system. Have the brake depressions counted with a Star system if you have one. They have a finite number of pedal depressions before the "brake" lights up on your system and you have to replace the SBC unit. I'm doing that myself and I own a Star system but the SBC brake unit alone was 1100.00. Wiring in the back along the trunk line is an issue because the wiring was not run correctly and after so may open and closes the wires break due to metal fatigue and items fail. Not a biggie you just have to splice the wires together and in my case I added extra wires to prevent it from happening again. You can save a fortune if you are handy with a wrench and can read instructions. But if miles is your guide forget it. My S420 had over 320,000 miles before it passed on saving my son in a car accident. It never used a drop of oil and would cruise the turnpike/expressway all day long at 85-90 mph. Good luck with your buy.

m_berman

When purchasing do the following:

1. plug in your OBDII and read code history, and if you can, live data. note the emission outputs. If emission output readings are low, high probability it a real tight good engine.

2. Have your favorite MB SA run the VIN and get you the service history. Most will do for a $50 tip.

3. CARFAX is useful but not always comprehensive.

4. Your high mileage does not have a whole lot of miles left.

good luck and buyer beware......