Buy An AMG They Said..

"Patrick Morgan" (pmorganracing) 11/26/2014 at 19:18 • Filed to: AMG mercedes benz clk55 euro edm

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Let it be clear, this was not an overnight decision. Buying the right high performance car is a time consuming, and quite often frustrating process. My advice is to keep at it. Occasionally you’ll come across a genuinely nice car that you just cant pass up. The example for me is Lucy, and she’s a 2004 CLK55 AMG with a boat-load of miles which didn’t scare me one bit.

Being familiar with the brand (having owned and used MB on the road and the track since 2008), I went into the decision process with the open mind to a higher mileage example of an AMG if the initial price was reasonable fully knowing the consequence of high dollar repairs. That’s what spurred the process forward, and on the 22 nd of November, I finally owned the not-so-fresh version of my dream car.

The list of imperfections:

- The return line inlet on the expansion tank is cracked, and although some epoxy is holding it in place nicely, my OCD will take over and the tank will need replacing.
- The heating water circulation pump (right in front of the tank) is also defective with a registered open circuit on the OBD test that was performed.
- An inexpensive cap that goes on top of the cartridge oil filter is cracked with the potential to leak and must be replaced ASAP if I wish to keep oil inside the engine.
- The most costly of repairs to be done though will likely be the front passenger seat occupation sensor. This basically tells the passenger side airbags whether or not they should deploy.

Not registered on the OBD:

-Clunk coming from the front suspension. Likely a sway bar end link, but it will be narrowed down with a diagnosis upon the next installment.
- Window tint blemish.
- Rear fender dent.

Keeping all this in mind, that’s not too terrible for a car of this mileage and age. I’ve seen much worse with far lower numbers on the odometer, but the most important thing, the driveline, remains perfect. Mercedes mustered out 362 horsepower out of the 5.4 V8 in this car and it feels as strong as ever. Transmission, although sleepy to respond to paddle shift inputs, still shifts crisply both up and down the gear range. Brakes are AMG/Brembo 4 piston stoppers up front that do exactly what they are designed to do.

Cars like these have a pretty bad stigma for being quite fragile and very expensive but there's never really any proof from that other than when something really goes BANG (and I'm convinced that's caused by a lack of proper maintenance). What I’ll lay out before you here is a chronicle of life with a higher mileage Euro performance car, updated every other week. It's going to be used as a daily driver, will forge through Chicago winters, and be used for track day fun when spring time rolls in. It’s going to be treated well, and driven hard.

Next installment will be when I start to get the imperfections to go away, as well an update on the choice of winter tire, and if they manage to do any good at taming the car’s tail happy nature.

Vitals:

Current mileage: 127,291
Mileage in this report: 321
Avg MPG: 17.0
Avg SPD: 25mph
Engine run time (since purchase): 12h31m
Consumables: $0.00
Upgrades: $0.00
Gas: $93.00 (Including top-off immediately after purchase)
Repairs: $0.00
Total cost of ownership: $93.00

djmt1 > Patrick Morgan 11/26/2014 at 19:26

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The CLK is probably my favourite shaped MB from the past decade but the lack of symmetrical exhausts drives me mad.

Brian Silvestro > Patrick Morgan 11/26/2014 at 19:32

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Please keep us updated on this. I constantly look at CLK55s for sale, they seem like very attractive buys. I want to see how long one will last with proper care and proper driving. Good luck, and great purchase decision.

Mathias Rios > Patrick Morgan 11/26/2014 at 19:48

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I love these! Good purchase!

Conan > Patrick Morgan 11/26/2014 at 19:48

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I'm curious to see how it goes for you as well.. I've owned a regular Mercedes and a strange Chrysler/Karmann/Mercedes and I'd love to move into the AMG category eventually.

bob and john > Brian Silvestro 11/26/2014 at 20:33

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silvestro you are not fucking rally-crossing one of these.

JGrabowMSt > Patrick Morgan 11/26/2014 at 20:34

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I have an AMG as well. My serpentine belt tensioner literally blew off the front of the motor in a spectacular display of mechanical failure.

That said, that specific issue is $450 all said and done. We're hunting for oil leaks and then checking tire balance, and changing the oil.

A couple things I can tell you, from both experience, and from the shop that I go to (which specializes in German cars), is that they're really sensitive to wheel balance issues, and set yourself an oil change schedule, and stick to it 100%. Basic maintenance on the cars keeps all issues to a minimum and also keeps the price down. Unless you've got a friend in Mercedes to keep the costs down, find an indy shop willing to take it on, and your wallet with thank you immensely.

JGrabowMSt > Brian Silvestro 11/26/2014 at 20:36

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Bro, I think you should just consider the CL600 (03-05). You'll know why.

Brian Silvestro > bob and john 11/26/2014 at 20:43

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but y not

Brian Silvestro > JGrabowMSt 11/26/2014 at 20:44

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I'll only consider V12s that are M120

JGrabowMSt > Brian Silvestro 11/26/2014 at 20:56

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I'm all for that, but it limits you to pre 2002 cars.

JGrabowMSt > bob and john 11/26/2014 at 21:01

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Honestly, I'd love to see one of these get rally-crossed. Come on, Mathias could do it with the ML, and he did better than a few other cars that day....

Brian Silvestro > JGrabowMSt 11/26/2014 at 21:04

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I'm okay with that. What cars in 2000-2001 had the M120?

JGrabowMSt > Brian Silvestro 11/26/2014 at 21:08

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SL600, S600, CL600. (600SEC, 600SEL). That's all folks!

bob and john > JGrabowMSt 11/26/2014 at 21:12

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yea, but an first gen ml is A: a bit more off-road oriented then this, and B: cheap to replace is it went tits up.

Brian Silvestro > JGrabowMSt 11/26/2014 at 21:15

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This is from an '01 S600

JGrabowMSt > Brian Silvestro 11/26/2014 at 21:24

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I think the S600 moved away from the M120 by 2001, so you'd have to find a 1999 or earlier. That engine pic you posted is definitely not an M120.

This is what you want to look for.

Brian Silvestro > JGrabowMSt 11/26/2014 at 21:51

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Yeah, the W140, that's what I want. Dem wheels.

DrScientist > Patrick Morgan 11/26/2014 at 22:23

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dont know if youre ok with revealing this info, but mind telling us how much you paid for the car and where/how you found it?

also, are you not including registration/state inspections and insurance in cost of ownership?

Patrick Morgan > DrScientist 11/26/2014 at 22:58

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The article is more biased toward cost of ownership of this type of car rather than actual purchase price, but I did get a hell of a deal on it. It was purchased through a private owner via good ole Craigslist (a rare success story of a car not being a total bucket of bolts). As far as price range for these, a number of factors would change the price quite a bit including location, time of year (esp. northern states approaching winter), eagerness of owner to negotiate price, finding it at a dealership vs. private owner, and of course mileage/condition. Illinois does not require a state inspection and I have 30 days to transfer title/insurance. The increase of insurance will be accounted for, as well as registration in the next installment in a few weeks.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 03:28

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That's an m137. Might as well jump up a couple years and get the slow version with a couple snails tacked on, the m275. Less leaky.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 03:29

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Forever. I've got AMG customers with well over 200k.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Patrick Morgan 11/27/2014 at 03:39

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Very nice. FYI I see far more control arm, or "torque strut" bushing, and ball joint failures than end links.

If you're a moderately skilled DIY'er you might be able to tackle the occupation sensor yourself. Mercedes seats are well designed from a serviceability standpoint.

Brian Silvestro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 11/27/2014 at 09:32

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BUT WHICH V12 IS MOST RELIABLE

Brian Silvestro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 11/27/2014 at 09:33

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You always seem to show up at the right time. I want one even more now.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 12:15

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Lol reliable V12.

They've all got their own sets of problems and are quite expensive to fix. They can, and do, all go for a long time without any major work. M120 and M137 are probably easiest to work on, but M137 is leaky, especially from oil cooler which requires head removal. M120 can have head gaskets go at high mileage, but is more often riddled with electric issues (90's wiring). But a later M120 like JGrabowMSt has is a pretty safe bet since most issues had been worked out in production. And M275 is basically an improved M137 with a couple snails slapped on. The coolant lines going into the turbos can leak which requires engine removal. The coil packs are common and expensive. A spark plug job costs over $500 just for parts and if not done correctly you can damage those expensive coils. M275 cars are the opposite of DIY friendly or cheap but the most rewarding to drive, especially in AMG trim. But they can also go a long time without major work. But they also usually have extremely expensive brakes and ABC suspension which isn't exactly reliable out cheap to fix either.

Brian Silvestro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 11/27/2014 at 12:17

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*cries*

So basically I should just get a CLK55

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 12:19

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I'm around a lot, just lurk a bunch and comment here and there. Or I'm Batman.

GO BUY ONE!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 12:25

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Any 55 really. They're usually very reliable. But after '03 you start adding more expensive brakes and suspension (airmatic or ABC). But NA engines and steel suspension is pretty safe.

Brian Silvestro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 11/27/2014 at 12:29

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Nah I'm all about that '02 or earlier bodystyle. Dat ass

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 12:31

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HRRRNNNGGGHHH!

That's like the one in my driveway right now. Except the one in my driveway is silver with shitty wheels. Love.

Brian Silvestro > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 11/27/2014 at 12:39

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If I were to get one, I'd NEED those wheels to be on it. So damn nice.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian Silvestro 11/27/2014 at 12:59

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Definitely. My buddy is trying to find some of these for it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Patrick Morgan 12/04/2014 at 16:58

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"Avg SPD: 25mph"

You really need to work on this.