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I'm looking at a 2001 mercedez clk 430 convertible with 28000 miles. What advise do you have?
If it's in great condition and you want a gorgeous looking garage queen that is incredibly seductive when everything works, this is the car for you. They're marvelous cars to drive ... when they are running properly.
The clk's were absolutely terrible maintenance hogs and plagued with repeated system failures.
The diagnostics on these cars are not something you can plug and play with your OBD2 scanner to any great effect; 'benz had a computer full of proprietary diagnostics on board which can only be properly diagnosed by hooking it up to the linked MB diagnostic computer ... which means heading to a dealer or to an independent shop that has paid the price to have the access and to stay current.
Problem areas range from HVAC controls, A/C system items, window regulators, anything electronic, electrical systems, poor build quality on the seats/upholstery, power steering failures, ABS components, catalytic converters were short lived ... the list goes on and on.
There's a reason why the retained value of this series has sunk like a rock in the resale market; these were close to $60,000 cars new and a check on Edmund's or Kelly shows them ... even with the low mileage of this unit ... to be selling closer to the $6-7,000 range today.
They're impossible to keep on the road without spending a lot of dough per mile of happy motoring.
IMO, this is one of the car series that put MB far behind the competition for reliability and durability for years. I wouldn't buy one ... and I've got the tooling and experience to work on them myself ... just can't justify this level of repeated failures in a car that was supposed to be so well engineered and built.
I'm looking at a 2001 mercedez clk 430 convertible with 28000 miles. What advise do you have?
As far as I know the last facelift of that generation of CLK is just fine (2000-2002 [-2003 for the convertible]). 38,000 is great mileage. I'd do your research on things that could go wrong because of such low mileage and make sure the car hasn't been sitting for years, plus have money on reserve for any necessary repairs (seals, etc.). These are rear-wheel drive cars, for example, and the rear end seals can go out. That's something you have to pay attention for and get fixed as soon as you seen any sign of leaking. That said, those are great cars and I think you would thoroughly enjoy one.
It really depends on the Benz, as others have said. The newer Benzes, the S-Class, are returning to their reliabile roots, but for the dark period (during the Chrysler years) Mercedes reliability sank to lows.
It also depends upon the American car, since if it's a Chrysler 300, there are likely to be issues with that platform, but if it's something like a Buick Lucerne or Chevrolet Malibu, then there's a world of difference.
Agreed, 2000-2006 MB's aren't the best. Anything 2007 & up is much more reliable. I have an 08' e-class 4matic & the car is a tank,
Agreed, 2000-2006 MB's aren't the best. Anything 2007 & up is much more reliable. I have an 08' e-class 4matic & the car is a tank,
I don't believe all of the cars within the model year range you suggested are bad, nor do I believe anything 2007 will be problem free. A person needs to do specific research for the type of car they're interested in. I take it you're unfamiliar with the balance shaft issue? Your car may very well be affected.
Having a car warranty will give you the freedom to drive your new car with ease and to be confident that you have great insurance on it no matter what happens on the road or in a parking lot.
I have been thinking about a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. I am selling my perfectly good 2010 Camaro 2LT because I need a grown-up car. I will admit that I am a bit concerned about spending 50 bones on a five year old car. It is nice to know that much of the depreciation is gone, but I also know that the car has 50k miles and there could be maintenance costs around the corner. Rings, transmission, hell even the AC would be expensive... A used Mercedes makes financial sense - so long as I don't get hit with an absurd repair bill... I will be putting about 30 miles/day on whatever I get. I am very tempted to get a Tesla S P85D, at double the cost though... so that is why I am concerned about the 'hidden' maintenance potential...
Does anyone have any insight on what I'd should expect to spend keeping a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG roadworthy?
Does anyone have any insight on what I'd should expect to spend keeping a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG roadworthy?
Given that many components on this car are unique to the AMG series and immediately label it as expensive to repair. For example, the brakes are different than the production models that it originated from, and are wildly expensive compared to the standard brake system.
unless you can do all the work D-I-Y and utilize whatever alternative sources to the dealership may be available to maintain/repair it ...
You'll find that the cost of admission to this car will not be your real cost of keeping such a performer on the road. If you can justify that ongoing cost for a 30 mile per day commuter, so be it. Have fun.
PS: Don't forget that this car doesn't take kindly to any but premium fuel and it's a gas consuming pig even if you drive it moderately. Don't expect to do better than low 'teens in your 30 mile commute, and a lot less than that if it's mostly city driving. You will pay a substantial premium to keep this car on the road over the costs of the standard large MB models, and they're already expensive cars per mile. The costs will not be driven so much by your use as they will be by having the performance capability on tap whether you use it or not.
Consumable wear on these cars is high and you'll not cheap it out by replacing the appropriate tires/brakes with low cost alternatives ... because there really aren't any. Here's what you'll find when you seek out the lower cost aftermarket brake pads compared to the OE quality level performers:
"Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Replacement Brake Pads are also known as "stock replacement" or "OEM Replacement" brake pads.
While they are not engineered for high performance driving situations, they last longer to give the average driver one less thing to worry about. Most people, dependent on their driving style, will get 20-30000 miles out of a stock set of brake pads before they need to be replaced."
IOW, you can buy "cheapie" brake pads to keep the car on the road. But they will not perform anywhere near the levels that the car was designed and built to do. If you want the AMG S63 performance capability, you'll not handicap the car by putting brake pads ... or any other item ... on it that doesn't preserve the performance capability you bought it for. In my experience, the OE performance front pads last about 8,000 miles or so in average use. Dealer price around $300/set, on-line around $225 ... if you're doing the brake pad replacement yourself, otherwise expect to pay dealer prices.
The performance difference is noticeable even in "normal" driving. I recently did an AMG pre-buy evaluation for a client and the leisurely effects of stepping on the brake pedal compared to what is expected of the car were pronounced. I thought the brakes were defective given the amount of brake pedal force required to get a normal stop in stop-and-go 45-60-10 mph traffic. The seller was indignant that he'd had the brake pads replaced recently so the brakes were "in great shape". I asked if he had a receipt for the work, and the brake pads were billed out at $59.95 from a local "brake specialist" shop. It's a big heavy performance car and these cheapie pads simply weren't up to the task for the car at nominal speeds, let alone a traffic situation stop possibly needed at interstate cruising speeds (around here, as high as 80 mph posted).
Well, if I get the Tesla I am looking at about $60 grand in depreciation over three years. With the MB AMG I would have only about about $25 grand lost. I can figure on about $2000/year for gas, so that puts me close to $30 grand lost. What would I spend on maintenance - $2000/year? That gets me only to $36k - still not bad compared to $60k. However one big item or several small ones could blow it out of whack.. I think if I went over $45k I would feel hozed - leaving me an allowance of $9000 for any major repairs -presuming my calculations about regular maintenance costs are correct. A 5-8 year old car is bound to have at least one major repair needed... Hmmm. This is closer than I thought it would be. I need a 4 door, and would prefer one with class and with big balls under the hood... but I choke on the depreciation and/or unknown costs...
Well, if I get the Tesla I am looking at about $60 grand in depreciation over three years. With the MB AMG I would have only about about $25 grand lost. I can figure on about $2000/year for gas, so that puts me close to $30 grand lost. What would I spend on maintenance - $2000/year? That gets me only to $36k - still not bad compared to $60k. However one big item or several small ones could blow it out of whack.. I think if I went over $45k I would feel hozed - leaving me an allowance of $9000 for any major repairs -presuming my calculations about regular maintenance costs are correct. A 5-8 year old car is bound to have at least one major repair needed... Hmmm. This is closer than I thought it would be. I need a 4 door, and would prefer one with class and with big balls under the hood... but I choke on the depreciation and/or unknown costs...
Try and find a mechanic network before you buy one, (online forums is a good place to start; mbworld.org is great) I've had a CLK63 for a little over a year and have had to fix things, but it hasn't bothered me at all. I've also found 4 different places to help with things I couldn't do myself. I randomly figured out a neighbor can do side work at his business so I just buy oem parts online and supply him and he takes my car fixes and returns to me for fractions less then an indy or dealer. I need to replace brake pads this spring,(planning to pay $300 for fronts and rears) I'm only buying oem from dealer (but I can buy for shop prices through a friend who has an account there, saved $350 on one headlight doing that) If you have any type of network like this, take full advantage of it. I purchased an aftermarket drivetrain warranty for around $4k, don't know if I got screwed, but it's kinda nice to maybe have it if I ever need it. (Hopefully I won't ever need it and it covers things if I do)
Do some research on mbworld to make sure the headbolt problems with the 6.2 have been addressed on a 2010 S63. Many people have been screwed over on the C63 with it where it'll destroy the motor if you don't fix it. The fix it cost is not cheap either, some places cost for just the bolts is $1k then labor to do it, it's a few k fix. But I think this was a 08 or 09 problem Mercedes finally fixed.
What area of country do you live also? Any snow?
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