Stressing Over What To Do With A CLS55 AMG - The Ultimate First World Problem

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair)
12/04/2015 at 13:42 • Filed to: CLS55 AMG

I must say - seeing a shiny “new to me” car was pretty exciting. It was like getting this amazing gift you’ve always wanted as a child: a 64 piece knife set. You knew that the moment you got those knives, it would mark the beginning of a lifelong journey that would one day lead you to become the sous chef at Denny’s.

As an adult, all of the world’s stresses suck the life out of you when you get bill after bill after bill and you lose the capability to feel that childlike joy and excitement at anything. Generally you spend your days in a screaming match with either your spouse or your kid or both.

Yelling at spouse: “How many times do I have to tell you that we can’t afford for you to get a massage twice a week - can’t you just get one once a week?!?”

Screaming at kid: “This is the last time you will go over the 1000 text msg limit.”

So here’s my solution to that. Forget about how many texts your son sends. Forget about your spouse’s spending habits. Instead, just go buy a car online and have it delivered to you. All those nice, fluffy feelings will instantly come flooding back to you just like they used to when you were a kid.

That’s how I felt when I first saw the CLS55 AMG rolling off the trailer after I purchased it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

The CLS55 AMG is such an amazing looking car. Its timeless good looks belied its true age which is not immediately apparent until you get inside the car. Because the AMG is almost a decade old, you’ll find the 3-color center display to be completely outdated. There is no rearview camera, bluetooth, touch screen or even an auxiliary input ( how can I drive without plugging in Spotify?? ). You actually have to push these things called buttons to make things happen. It’s like playing with the Motorola Razr flip phone when it first came out: “oh cool, it’s so thin and has a color screen with so many colors - these flat buttons are amazing!” Now those phones are liked fossilized dinosaur bones - much like the CLS55 AMG media center.

However, even after all these years, everything inside the CLS55 AMG looked and felt great to the touch which is a testament to how well the car was originally built and maintained over all these years. What a shock it was to find out that all the buttons in the cars functioned like they were supposed to! I figured that at the very least, the seats massagers or the air vents in the seats would be broken. But nope, everything was just fine - ten years later still going strong with the ability to continue to cool our rear ends.

After I situated myself in the car, I found out that the car doesn’t feel as big as it looks from the outside. The seats are snug with the interior and dash dramatically wrapping around you in a way that cuts down the available interior space in half. Appearance and styling were clearly prioritized over functionality, which is exactly how I like my cars to be designed! There is a price you pay for the extra focus on attractive design; compromises must be made like not caring at all about the rear passengers.

This AMG is essentially a coupe with only two seats in the back that are small and cramped. By no means is it a practical four door sedan. This is absolutely not a car you would want to be chauffeured around in. Because of the way the back of the car swoops down, if you’re 6 ft or taller, you would have a hell of a time getting in and out of the car with your head bumping up against the ceiling every time the car might run over a paper cup. Don’t worry about being back there though - just try to make your way to the driver’s seat.

That’s the place to be because now you’re sitting behind a massive 5.4L V8 power plant. As you start driving, one of the things you notice immediately is the size and weight of the car. It’s bulky with less than stellar handling. Because I had been driving a BMW for the last few months, the handling deficiencies stood out even more. However - who cares about handling??

This German muscle car has an amazing supercharged V8 that makes going in a straight line so much fun that handling prowess becomes secondary. To awaken the beastly CLS55 AMG, just slam down the accelerator pedal and enjoy a V8 roaring to life. It’s loud, vicious-sounding and has 510 lb-ft of torque to hurl you forward.

Even with traction control on, all that torque allows you to break the enormous rear tires loose. The AMG held its own during sharp turns and switchbacks as I tried to put the car through its paces which meant that I was going 3 miles faster than the speed limit. Since the seats have dynamic bolstering, they firm up the sides of the seat depending on the direction you’re going, giving you the illusion that things are under control. But don’t be fooled. You could very well be careening out of control as the AMG continues to assure you: “No, it’s ok since you’re held perfectly stable in your seat.” Even at 20 mph, the seat bolstering was working hard to ensure that you don’t move around an inch in your seat.

Besides the seat bolstering, I enjoyed the rain sensing wipers which worked remarkably well. It rained on and off during the time I was driving the car and never once had to mess with the wiper settings.

The worst part about the car was trying to change the settings which are horribly non-intuitive. Think of the dash interface as being the exact opposite of the user-friendly Apple interfaces of the beloved iPhone. For example, it takes 2 seconds to change the brightness on the iPhone. In the AMG, you have to push the left arrow button on the steering wheel a few times, followed by the “page button”, the +/- button a few times, touch your nose, tap the windshield and scratch your arm. And after 10 minutes of this, you will finally be able to change the brightness.

And just when you have figured out how to optimize the door lock settings, you run into the car in front of you. Doh!

Confusing interface aside, I couldn’t help but drive the AMG as much as I could during my 7-day 250 mile test drive period since I hadn’t made up my mind if I wanted to keep the car.

What To Do

Indecision...indecision…to keep it or not to keep it. What I was going through was not just a “first world problem” but something that can be summed up as: “ Such an insanely ridiculous new world problem that I should be ashamed of even thinking this way.”

But after a few milliseconds of feeling this way, I went back to being stressed about what to do. On the one hand, I loved the powerplant and the gorgeous lines of this car, but there were also a few things that bothered me about the AMG.

Things That Bugged Me

With the CLS55 AMG, every time I floored the car, the downshifts were too jerky and the extra power I was craving did not come as quickly as I wanted it to. I would’ve loved to be able to control the downshifts and the revs/gearing, but the paddle-shifting was slower than just keeping it in auto. If only these animals came with a manual transmission - that would be so much more enjoyable.

The other thing I mulled over was the number of problems I might need to deal with when daily-driving a 10 year old AMG. Even with a warranty, I don’t know if I’d want to be in the shop every other day. I had so many other important things to do like watch TV, nap, go to happy hours, sleep, eat that there was no time to go to the dealer. At 61K miles, I don’t think that there were would be too many more miles without problems creeping up that would interrupt my HBO binge-watching.

Finally, I didn’t want to lose a ton of money by owning an AMG for a while and then trying to sell it. I saw what my friend went through last year with his CL65 AMG and I didn’t want to repeat the same experience. He bought the car for roughly $30K and then couldn’t get anyone to buy it - after about a year of owning the car, he couldn’t even get $22K . Finally, he found a dealer willing to pay him $18K for it, $3K over a Carmax offer. It’s probably easier to sell stolen speakers from the back of a pickup truck in a Walmart parking lot than it was to sell the CL65.

Would my experience with the CLS55 AMG be similar? I’d rather not find out.

Inspite of these things, I just couldn’t decide what to do.

What Sealed The Deal

I was concerned about returning the car since the policy sounded too good to be true. You mean, I can actually drive this thing for a while for free and return it for no additional cost?

Again, my curiosity took the best of me and I needed to find out if it would actually work. Would they give me all my money back?

So with some amount concern and apprehension I called Vroom:

Me: Hello, I’d like to return the car (said this with lots of hesitation)

Vroom: Oh ok, what didn’t you like about the car?

Me: You know, it’s a great car, but it just wasn’t for me.

Vroom: Man, but that’s such a nice car. It’s got those aftermarket wheels right. That’s sweet, brah.

He didn’t say “that’s sweet, brah”, but I know he wanted to. I think he liked the car more than I did.

It turns out that the return process was surprisingly straightforward - even more so than the buying process. And the best part was that I got all money back - every single cent! This part to me was incredible. I never quite believed that you could get all of your money back - there had to be some sort of return or restocking fee correct? Nope.. nothing !

Essentially, I paid $15 (the wire transfer fees) to drive the car for free and burned through almost the whole tank of gas which I felt kind of bad about. They did give me the car with a full tank of gas and I returned the car with an empty tank averaging about 13 mpg.

It was sad to see the AMG go. It was a fantastic car, and as some of you have noticed in the comments from the previous post, the car was put up for sale again (during the time of writing this - I think it’s gone now).

I can’t wait to do this again and keep on buying and returning cars over and over again so I would never have to own anything. No, I’m kidding. I would never do this….forever. I’ll only do this for a few months.

Honestly, it’s too much trouble to go through all this. The next car I buy - I’m keeping! I think...

And so the search continues. Goodbye AMG, hello something else.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I’m always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world.

Follow !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (100)

Party-vi > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:04

Kinja'd!!!

This front end is just a damn mess.

Andrew Daisuke > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:10

This is exactly how I felt about my '05 E55 AMG Estate. Owned it for a year, sold it for more than I paid for it. (Obviously it being a wagon is why)

Discerning > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:10

The only “coupe styled” sedan I have liked thus far is the 6 series gran coupe. I would seriously consider a 6 gc over a 5 series if in the market.

Captain Midnight > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:12

Trust me, your financail info is being used in China as we speak.

cybersamurai > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:15

Good question: when is the last time AMG offered a manual anything?

Audistein > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:17

Wait... So what you’re telling me is that if I can slap down the cash for this fantastic 2014 V12 Vantage Manual , I could hoon it for a week or 250 miles and then get all my money back?
https://www.vroom.com/cars_and_truck…

What about state taxes and fees? Do they not register the car in your name until after the week?

CB > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:19

So, what’s next? Or are you going to put it up to a vote?

Lab Ninja > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:20

Kinja'd!!!

Infiniti?

fintail > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:22

Wheels like that on aging MBs, tuned models especially, always set off a red flag for me.

jjhats > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:22

people gave u shit for planning to own this for 3 months and you return it in under a month. wow on behalf of that insane company/website Im sorry they are so generous as they are losing money on people like you

jjhats > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 14:23

have you seen a Toyota/lexus recently? this car is elegant and has cohesive lines. not a mess

DrScientist > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:24

i really do like the look of these cars. one of the prettiest mb’s in a long time. and they absolutely destroyed it with the replacing model.

but...

a testament to how well the car was originally built

???

weren’t these built right in the middle of their horrendous reliability period?

Party-vi > jjhats
12/04/2015 at 14:25

pffttt. Nothing elegant about where the hood meets the front fascia, or all those sensors and jack point cover and stuck-on looking clear light.

CalBearsFan99 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:27

Got to ride in an SL with the active bolstering...thought someone was trying to molest me at first, I wasn’t expecting it. Interesting system, but I’d just rather adjust the seat to fit my body, and leave it be.

Voice of C. Montgomery Burns > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:29

You made the right decision.

Fix It Again Tony > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:34

$15 for a tank of gas? Nice.

DrScientist > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:34

not sure what state youre in, but did you need a temporary registration?

and how many of these buybacks do you think whatever dealer you are using would allow before they caught on to your scheme?

syaieya > DrScientist
12/04/2015 at 14:35

What im seeing on this era of car is that mercedes had a very vw quality about them. Some would be perfect and others would fall apart in your hands. And the bad ones stayed bad so the people who worked on them saw them often. By now though, most of the bad ones have fallen aside and so the issues are more or less known and the quality issues are a bit overblown

52ndstate > DrScientist
12/04/2015 at 14:40

You can clearly see the paper tag in one of the photos that was almost certainly provided by the dealer. Depending on the state, they’re usually good for 30 days, give or take. No reason to permanently register it until he was sure he was keeping it. Also, the buyback promise seems to be one of Vroom’s key selling points.

911e46z06 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:48

Those wheels are the right wheels

DrScientist > 52ndstate
12/04/2015 at 14:52

right... here in PA, they only will give you a “temporary” registration when you apply for the full registration. there are no “travel” registrations. dealers typically won’t let you drive off the lot without initiating the registration process. of course lots of people (especially in private sales) will just swap plates or drive unregistered until they can get to the dmv or auto tag location.

and while the buyback is a key selling point, there is the opportunity for abuse.

SocialAmnesia > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:52

All Mercedes made after 2002 have an aux port in the glove box.

Jesse > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:52

Awesome couple of write ups. Never heard of Vroom before these but you have had me browsing their website and I’ll seriously consider them the next time I’m in the market for a car.

I'm Abe Froman > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 14:55

Imagine how many people keep cars they are on the fence about just to avoid the awkward “it’s not you it’s me” call.

TractorPillow > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:02

The buyback policy is a key selling point for Vroom. I was looking at the Evora they have and talking to them about it and they were pushing me to just “buy it” and see if I like it; if I didn’t they told me to go ahead and send it back. It’s a little out of my price range so I would feel bad taking them up on their offer.

It reminds me of when I was little and I tried to take a lot of ketchup packets and straws from a Wendy’s and my parents explained to me that when I do that, prices go up for everyone in the future. I assume Vroom knows the risk of people buying and returning, but like TA said, the hassle is probably not really worth it to the average person.

Balls to the Walls > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:03

Kinja'd!!!

mmmmm twin scroll!

52ndstate > DrScientist
12/04/2015 at 15:04

Interesting, but not surprised there’s so much variation. The lack of travel registrations in PA is good to know about, though, as my job is probably moving there next year.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:05

Kinja'd!!!

Love the frameless doors. This is still my favorite body style CLS.

Sam > Audistein
12/04/2015 at 15:05

If you have $127k in cash, then yes, I guess. I have a feeling it works differently if you have to take out a loan.

KFN > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:06

Wow, I’m impressed. Not only did you manage to return the car, but without a huge fight at that. Having just gone through a similar experience (sight unseen dream car, screaming, guilt, indecision, more screaming) I can’t imagine how I would have pulled that off.

LeasedCVT > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 15:09

Agree, very scrambled-egg porsche-y

DrScientist > 52ndstate
12/04/2015 at 15:15

oh... well... if youre bringing an out of state car that you own into pa, you can just go to an auto tag place and they’ll get the whole thing started for you.

i’ve had to do some fancy footwork to bring the three cars i bought out of state in to PA.

1st car, the previous owner let me keep his plates, and i registered it a few weeks later.

2nd car i brought plates from the first car down to florida to pick up the second car. got pulled over* in georgia... the cop asked me about the plates... as they were not registered to that 2nd car. eventually got it registered in PA

* didn’t actually get pulled over. ran out of gas on the highway offramp, damn fuel gauge didn’t work.. cop was at the car as i was returning with a couple of gallons of fuel.

3rd car, put the 2nd cars plates on it. was driving along the PA turnpike... saw a cop, wasn’t concerned as i was around the limit and going with traffic. he tracked me down about 10 miles up the road, said my plates didn’t match the type of car (which was true) but jesus christ they must have some precise cameras to catch my plates while cruising ~70 in traffic. showed the smokey all of my purchase documentation and insurance and whatnot, he said “no report of the car being stolen,” so he let me go... WITH A $138 FINE! grrrrrr.

SVTRaptor > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:18

Was VERY MUCH shopping this market recently... I spent many a night browsing S550’s on CarMAX. I was also _THIS CLOSE_ to buying a 750Li (2009 with 19k original miles for $34k... good deal except for those damn batteries!). Anyway, in my travels on the interwebs I have seen a whole bunch of horror stories about Le Big German LuxoBoat. These cars are just SOOO cheap on the used market, its incredibly tempting to buy... except they seem to e’splode or suck down dollar bills like Nacho’s at a football game. Unless you can fix (in its entirety) all the systems on a 6-figure car in your driveway, you probably don’t want to own one... at least not for long. (This is also my regretting-not-buying-and-rationalizing-to-myself-rant)

I’m waiting for the newer 740Li’s with the M-Sport package to start showing up off-lease... THOSE are going to be realllly good.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:22

So, if you're out nothing, how much do you think Vroom is out in delivery/pick-up costs?

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:22

Mercedes-Benzes, including AMGs, were never built for drag strip launches. If you suddenly floor it, the transmission gets confused.

Where these cars excel is highway-speed acceleration. The sort of thing that is only legal in Germany.

Journalists wax poetic about how throttle response and transmission response have changed dramatically in the latest AMGs, but I will believe it when I see it.

osunick > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:27

Bluetooth is easy to add, there’s a puck that fits in the Motorola V60 crsdle for telephony and there are other options to get streaming audio into the Aux Jack.

Randonymity > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 15:28

Hush your muffins. It's beautiful.

Randonymity > Randonymity
12/04/2015 at 15:29

Yes, I am still in withdrawal from my 2001 E320 Wagon. Going on 4 years of withdrawal now. Heroin would have been easier. And to think I didn’t properly appreciate what I had until it was gone.

GLiddy > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:32

Yeah. They’re not gonna sell you a car again.

Party-vi > Randonymity
12/04/2015 at 15:34

A blind man would not even call this car beautiful, because he’d have to run his hands across that disaster of a front fascia.

Tapas > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:35

A 2900 word article (I guess?), seriously?

Okay, no i didnt read this article. But I read your previous one and i think I got this. Just do a burnout followed by donuts in an empty parking lot while you’re suited up and smoking a cigar already. Jeez...

Spasoje > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:36

Kinja'd!!!

That is awesome. AMG-only feature?

Joepinci > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:38

Did you check the roof of the glovebox for an auxiliary input? My mom’s 2006 e350 has a similar (or the same) infotainment setup and that’s where it's located on her car. Ohh and I just realized you've sold the car.. Oops.

GameBreaker > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 15:46

Kinja'd!!!

What wheels are these and what are the specs? I think I might want a set of them for my S6.

Lorem Ipsum > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 16:05

massive panelgap between hood and bumper medial to the headlights.

ICwater > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 16:07

pretty sure that hood is not closed

ICwater > DrScientist
12/04/2015 at 16:09

naw, that was late 90’s through like 2002

Party-vi > ICwater
12/04/2015 at 16:12

Kinja'd!!!

Pretty sure it is. Just like all the other crappy looking Benzs that have that ugly gap at the grille.

savethemanualsbmw335ix > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 16:14

i see Mercedes like that every day. it’s not a problem, it’s that he didn’t close the hood properly. they have two latches and if you don’t close it firmly and evenly one won’t latch and it looks like it’s been in an accident. considering the picture right before is under the hood i would guess that’s the issue.

71Europa > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 16:17

I'd send it back just because of the stupid aftermarket wheels & tires. Terrible ride & handling, look ugly and will cost very many$$$ when the tires wear out in 5k miles.

Party-vi > savethemanualsbmw335ix
12/04/2015 at 16:18

Kinja'd!!!

The edge of the hood appears as if it’s closed. There are multiple other pictures of CLS coupes with the same issue. Although you are correct - it could be unlatched. Still, it doesn’t excuse the amalgam of sensors, jack points and tacked-on lights. The front bumper of the CLS is the pimply-faced teenager of the MB line.

Andrew T. Maness > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 16:22

You should get some kind of medal for having the gall to go through this whole process.

Ultimately I think you made the right decision, AMGs are fun, but a terrible investment, unless you’re talking ____ Estate, that’s a keeper.

GameBreaker > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 16:30

Kinja'd!!!

What wheels are these, they look really good?

E92M3 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 16:56

Well I’m glad their return policy is as straight forward as it sounds. I mean I wouldn’t blame them for having a $250 return fee to pay for trucking it to and from. I can’t believe it’s free, or not somewhat of a hassle.

jkm7680 > TractorPillow
12/04/2015 at 17:00

It doesn’t make economical sense.

casper > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 17:52

still a great looking car after all these years...AMG, big HP, luxury, Mercedes, affordable, it’s sounds too good to be true, like the “Nigerian Prince wants to give me money” scam, but turns out it’s legit.

TheEd83 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 18:08

Kinja'd!!!

We liberated a CarMax barn find, a 2006 E350 with 23K earlier this year. Experienced a lot of the same as you. 2006 was a weird transitional year, nearly all 2005s were pre-wired for phone even if they did not come with the cradle. In 2006 most were not pre-wired, MB was heading to a new COMAND headunit with bluetooth built in, even though it took them another year or two to actually getting around to doing it.

Despite this, the lovely CarMax sales lady kept insisting it had bluetooth, because steering wheel buttons with phone icons.

Though pro-tip for you, you do have an auxiliary input, took us awhile to find it too. Open the glove box and you will see it cleverly hidden along the roof of the glove box.

Steve in Manhattan > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 18:11

I hated the way this car looked when I saw my first one - 55th and 6th Avenue. The looks grew on me though, and the second gen is very nice in AMG trim.

Owner of '06 C55 & '09 R1 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 18:19

You’re a fool Torque Affair!

John > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 18:40

Get yourself an E90 M3... Sedan w/ 6MT to be specific. You’ll live happy life.

mxer1 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 18:52

You never inteded to keep it....kind of a dickish move.

Torque Affair > Discerning
12/04/2015 at 19:11

Yeah I really do like the 6 series gran coupe look.

Torque Affair > Audistein
12/04/2015 at 19:12

I mean - the whole idea here is the same as anything else you buy online. If you don’t like it you return it. Especially with cars, if you can’t return them, then the model wouldn’t work because you’re buying a car online without seeing it or driving it first. So the free test drive option has to be there.

Torque Affair > Jesse
12/04/2015 at 19:15

Thanks! With all these sites like Vroom, carvana, beepi...they’re trying to change the way we buy cars. The prices are so reasonable and the process is relatively straightforward - no reason not to use it. The only limiting factor now is inventory. But I’m sure it will get better for these companies as they scale up.

Torque Affair > CB
12/04/2015 at 19:17

That’s a great question. Here are some of the cars I’m strongly considering - just need to make up my mind and find the right deal! E92 M3, S5, ZL1, Z06, 997 911, 996 911 turbo...eventually i want to own them all, but one at a time for now!

Torque Affair > SocialAmnesia
12/04/2015 at 19:21

Ah, missed that!

Torque Affair > fintail
12/04/2015 at 19:22

They said they had the original wheels too. I did like these aftermarket wheels...I don’t think the car was otherwise modified though.

Torque Affair > I'm Abe Froman
12/04/2015 at 19:24

haha. I think these guys are doing an excellent job. Think about something like Zappos - the whole online thing would never work if it wasn’t easy to return something. How could you ever buy and go through shoes if you weren’t able to return them and try others on?

Torque Affair > TractorPillow
12/04/2015 at 19:26

You’re absolutely right - it’s a hassle and it takes time. I was definitely on the fence about returning the car. I don’t see it on the site anymore so somebody bought it pretty quickly. The car was in insanely good shape and it was tough to return it - not an easy decision.

I'm Abe Froman > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 19:27

It is a really cool business model.

Torque Affair > KFN
12/04/2015 at 19:28

It was surprisingly easy. It’s all very hard believe on paper - but it all works like they say it does!

Torque Affair > Tapas
12/04/2015 at 19:29

lol...2900 is a good guess...not sure exactly how many words. You should read it :)

Torque Affair > Spasoje
12/04/2015 at 19:29

It was badass! Not sure if it’s AMG-only actually...

Torque Affair > SVTRaptor
12/04/2015 at 19:30

Make sure to get a warranty!! What made it ok for me to buy the AMG from the site was that it did come with a 90 day, 6K mile warranty and they offered extended ones too.

Torque Affair > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/04/2015 at 19:32

I’m sure it’s not an insignificant amount to you or me. But a bunch of these online startups have gotten hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to make all this work. http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/27/car…

I’m sure they’re losing money now, but in the long run at huge volumes and big scale they will make money. But they have to eat the costs now in order to prove out the model and get people to buy into the concept.

Torque Affair > Joepinci
12/04/2015 at 19:33

Yep, I missed it!

Torque Affair > GameBreaker
12/04/2015 at 19:34

Great question! I think they were forgestar - pretty good looking.

Torque Affair > Andrew T. Maness
12/04/2015 at 19:35

lol...honestly I have a lot of fun with the car buying/selling process. I don’t even mind dealing with dealers!

Torque Affair > E92M3
12/04/2015 at 19:38

Yeah, I called up Carvana too and they have the same thing. I just don’t like their inventory because they mostly have boring cars. If all these online car sites had more to choose from, there would be no reason to buy cars anywhere else.

Torque Affair > casper
12/04/2015 at 19:39

Absolutely beautiful car. It does sound like a scam, so I was definitely pleasantly surprised that it all works as advertised.

Torque Affair > GameBreaker
12/04/2015 at 19:40

Forgestar I believe - great looking!

Torque Affair > TheEd83
12/04/2015 at 19:40

Yeah some others pointed that out. I missed it! Did you get a warranty btw with the E350? How’s it running?

Torque Affair > John
12/04/2015 at 19:41

E92 M3! Leaning heavily towards it. I may have to buy that from somewhere other than an online car site because they’re tough to come by!

Torque Affair > Steve in Manhattan
12/04/2015 at 19:42

Really? Man...I love the way this looks...especially with these wheels!

Torque Affair > Owner of '06 C55 & '09 R1
12/04/2015 at 19:44

haha, don’t worry I’ll probably come to an AMG at some point.

Phil Swantek > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 19:56

>Be me

>Excited read to see what its like to live with an AMG

>He returns it after 7 days....

>wtf.jpg

>Throws computer out window

Even Tavarish keeps them longer than this

solidol > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 20:09

Just another POS mobile. Glad you like it though.

Steve in Manhattan > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 20:13

I understand the appeal, but I’d rather have an E or S-Class AMG. Might be because I wanted a W123, bought a W124 (300D) and am generally enamoured with a Mercedes sedan that means business. In general I am puzzled when a company takes an otherwise roomy car and shrinks the interior space. Still, the A7 looks pretty good, and there’s a BMW version that looks OK. And I like the new XJ despite the rear end. I am clearly confused.

samssun > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 20:20

Agree on amalgamams. Agree more that it’s still better than the Lexus horrorfest.

E92M3 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 20:21

They really do. I think it’s partially because people who aren’t enthusiasts are more likely to see the cars as just an appliance, and therefore less likely to return them. Any Sonata hybrid/Lexus RX in decent condition will do.

Torque Affair > I'm Abe Froman
12/04/2015 at 20:32

Agreed!

honor first > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 20:36

why anyone would buy an old benz like this that isnt really ‘nice’ anymore inside (as proven by this post) or really that fast, when they are looking for a beastmode sedan over a 2009+ CTSV is beyond me. and then the cherry on top is the option to get a manual one vs your auto only options with AMG

Kaizer Soze > Party-vi
12/04/2015 at 20:41

Jeesus, relax. It might not be the cleanest front facia, but the way you are complaining about it is like MB is committing war crimes by designing a bumper with seams in it.

fintail > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 20:58

That’s a good sign about the wheels. As a MB traditionalist, aftermarket wheels and stereos are usually a turn off for me.

You probably made the right decision - somehow, I am not won over by these yet. Maintenance can be intensive, and they are in that odd stage now - too new to be old, too old to be new.

TheEd83 > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 21:08

Of course we got it with MaxCare.

On Day 4 of their 5 Day Return policy the Check Engine light came on with an evaporative leak code. Took it into CarMax, they did a smoke test, found the tank leaking, sent it to the nearest Mercedes dealer where it sat for 45 days while they sourced a replacement tank. All covered thanks to that “extended warranty” MB put on the W211 fuel system instead of just doing a recall.

Beyond that, it’s ran great. Updated to the 2014 maps DVD, swapped the standing star for a flat badge and swapped the chrome grille for a body color SL-style grille. We will be further updating it with facelift bumpers and mirrors.

It’s fun finding all the little things in the car, digging around we found the original (and still sealed) Mercedes-Benz first aid kit.

AdamOfAus > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 21:29

Probably my favourite Mercedes ever made. A beautiful car inside and out.

John > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 22:06

With the exchange rates as it is now, head up and grab this one for about 27K usd! Or this one for less.

John > John
12/04/2015 at 22:08

Funny thing is, I almost bought a CLS55 AMG before I test drove my E90 and fell in love... :) Same color, same year as yours!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Torque Affair
12/04/2015 at 22:44

Looking to be the next CarMax...

Torque Affair > CalBearsFan99
12/04/2015 at 22:45

haha, yea it can be intrusive