#MercTheCL55GreatAgain

"AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop" (ac-2-shoes) 09/15/2017 at 15:36 • Filed to: None

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Recently I was drafted into a good ol’ jalopnik comment war, this time over the true costs of my all time favorite car, the 2003-2006 Mercedes Cl55 AMG and how it compares to a 40 year old buick.

So as many people know, the Mercedes in question (and basically any german car made after forever) has a history of having large repair costs even though you can buy a 100,000 miles one for $10,000. I’ve found through research that the true culprit in a bill is not the frame or engine or whatever: it’s the suspension.

In the buick NPOCP I talked about how you could save $1-2k by buying this beast. People did not like that. To show how this suspension problem can be solved, Ill show you a video from the great Matt Farah (hope I spelled that right). “Just buy an air suspension” is the idea here.

First posted in February

E90M3 > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/15/2017 at 15:40

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You can also get an E9X M3 for around 20k now.

A throttle position actuator still costs $1100, whether you paid 50k or 20k for your car. Ask me how I know that.

AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop > E90M3 09/15/2017 at 15:41

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How do you know that?

GolfR Guy > E90M3 09/15/2017 at 15:41

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HOW DU U KNOWE???

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/15/2017 at 15:42

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Gosh I hate having money in the bank, I should sink it into a depreciating car with expensive parts, which will need lots of those parts in the next few years!

E90M3 > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/15/2017 at 15:42

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Oh you know, reasons:

AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop > E90M3 09/15/2017 at 15:43

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Also, while I love the bavarians, If I was given the chance to buy an M car or an AMG car, I would choose the Mercedes

arl > E90M3 09/15/2017 at 15:45

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Thank you - for your money!

haveacarortwoorthree2 > E90M3 09/15/2017 at 15:49

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But they said THANK YOU! in all caps, bold, italics, and with an exclamation point so you know they really mean it.

CB > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/15/2017 at 15:57

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I see you’re a young dude. I was also once a young dude. Well, I’m still a young dude, but not as young. But I digress. Looking at E39 M5s in the $15k range on eBay, going “I could do that”. Then adulthood hit me.

Make a list of monthly expenditures. Rent, utilities, internet, phone bills, leisure stuff, whatever. Cost of loans. Compare that to how much you bring in (which, as a young dude, you might as well put at minimum wage).

Notice how there’s not much room between the two, if any at all. That is why people don’t buy these cars. Because if something goes wrong, you’d better have planned for things to go wrong, otherwise you might not have the thousands in order to repair things. Then you’re stuck with a broken car, and no way to get around.

Yeah, I’m being a pessimist, but there’s a reason why when people say “I’m interested in an ten year old German performance car”, all of us go “that’s a bad idea”.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > E90M3 09/15/2017 at 15:59

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2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/15/2017 at 16:01

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So your not gonna give us the NPorCP article for reference?

Was this seriously posted in February? Little late for an update lol

E90M3 > CB 09/15/2017 at 16:22

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I was planning on buying an E39 M5 when I graduated college , as you can see that didn’t happen.

RT > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/16/2017 at 16:33

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Don’t want to start a comment war, but I’d like to ask…

Why is the generation CL better than the pre-DaimlerChrysler gens (which were built to a higher standard)?

Also why is it a better choice than the DB9, XKR and Continental GT? Most of these either look nicer (imo) or are a better place to be inside. Merecedes even had the SL-Class and S-Class to cover both ends of the spectrum, so the CL is a compromise to me.

AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop > RT 09/16/2017 at 16:58

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Dont worry, Im not the type of person to knock on someone because of their views, I find it highly inappropriate. But to me its just a matter of looks and speed, I would rather have this with 493HP:

Than this with 400HP:

RT > AC2 - The Now 15 Year Old Jalop 09/16/2017 at 17:21

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I was thinking this, with more than enough HP.

And a mad interior, along with that 6.0 engine and AMG widebody.

If it’s looks and speed you’re after, why not go for a M6/SL/any Aston-Martin or Maserati instead? Styling is somewhat relative though, so if it works for you, it’s good enough.

That being said, you chose a pretty unflattering picture of the C140.

Here’s a nicer picture, similar to the one you sent.

And a nicely-specced one. Highlights include old-school AMG wheels, a mad pillarless window and Bruno Sacco’s ability to showcase the steel’s quality with strong linework.

In comparison, the CL 55 has a lot less unity and thought put into its proportions - but it does ‘look’ fast. I love its rear taillights too. So there you go, all relative.

Amoore100 > RT 09/21/2017 at 20:16

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No, sorry, the C140 will always be hideous. A shame, really, as the W140 was and is elegant, elegant, elegant.

The trouble with the C140 is the rounded headlights that just go against the car’s body lines and make it look googly and surprised.

That and the grille-mounted star. I am and will forever be a Benz hood-ornament man.

RT > Amoore100 09/22/2017 at 03:00

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Good points on the lights to be fair, although I do like the rear of the C140, but I agree it was a huge downgrade from the C126 (which also had a grille-mounted star, but it seems to have pulled it off better). Usually, Mercedes only seem do grille-stars consistently nicely on G-Wagens and SLs though - it looks weird on their saloon cars.

But yeah, C126 best SEC/CL, even though I’d rather have a E24 BMW.

Amoore100 > RT 09/23/2017 at 02:59

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True, I guess I just like the more angular Benz grilles and taking out the star increases the complexity of the fascia.

Well, that makes two then! BMW coupes and Merc sedans, E32 excepted.

RT > Amoore100 09/23/2017 at 04:01

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Alright, but you’ve got to admit MB knew how to choose a grille 30 years ago.

Beats slapping the star in everything nowadays. Using it sparingly to indicate ‘special’ models seems to work a lot better.