For Sale - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited February 2015 in Mercedes-Benz
imageFor Sale - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test

We're advertising our long-term Mercedes-Benz CL65 for sale with an optimistic asking price.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    I'll never understand someone that will buy a $27k vehicle and proceed to put $10k+ every couple of years just for unexpected repairs. I get the appeal of owning a near $200k car, but can it really compare with today's vehicles? My guess is that the next owner has NO IDEA of what he's getting into. He's just thinking what an "amazing deal" he's getting.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    It could be kind of cool. And you would know something about how it had been taken care of and what it had been through which is important with a "pre-owned" vehicle
  • s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    the lesson here is NOT to not buy a 2005 mercedes benz cl65 amg. but to buy it from carmax and buy the max care warranty.

    have you guys seen this?

    http://dougdemuro.kinja.com/why-your-next-unreliable-luxury-car-should-come-from-ca-814250605

    (he states carmax had a 2006 MB cl65 amg for sale at the time.)

    the latest update:

    http://dougdemuro.kinja.com/another-carmax-warranty-update-my-air-suspension-faile-1578548570
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    Why not take it to Carmax and see what their offer is? You do with every other car.
  • fordescortgtfordescortgt Member Posts: 32
    Well I think it is strong money for a car with a know engine fault (from the previous post) . I would love to know what the estimate was considering they were so taken aback in the article. That alone would not make me want to purchase the vehicle. If not for that I think this would make a fine second vehicle. I mean you need to be in a position to own and maintain a second vehicle first (I unfortunately do not see myself ever in that position). There is no exotic that is cheap to maintain and lets face it at a $200k buy in this falls in that category. The only reasonable contemporary exotic was the ford GT. Oil changes were only in the $150 range and the powertrain seems to be holding up fairly well, but you now need to pony up more then the original sticker to get one. If someone is buying this as a daily driver Good Luck, reliability of the multiple computers and electrical components running these high tech engines and trans seem to be a weak point as they move past the 5-10 yr mark.
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    ahightower said:

    Every month you don't have a problem,

    Just make sure you have plenty of friends for rides to and from the dealer and AAA's long distance tow as these problems would have been far less fun in the middle of the desolation of central California.

  • reminderreminder Member Posts: 383
    A 12 cylinder turbo with a long & expensive history of failure, with the added feature of oil control problems in one hole?
    No #^$# way!
  • emajoremajor Member Posts: 332
    edited February 2015
    "At least your life is more interesting than the guy who spent the same $50K on a stupid SUV."

    No. It isn't. Your CAR is more interesting. If you car is what makes your life interesting then you need to reformulate it a bit. Coordinating flatbed tows and rides to and from the dealership while trying not to think of the ways you'd rather be spending your weekends doesn't constitute an interesting life for me.

    This thing just had nearly $5000 of work done on it. That's 10 months of your $500/m savings gone. The dealer thought another $11000 needed attention. You have 22 months to sock away enough cash for those. Anyone that can afford that instead of funding their retirement account is not a "regular guy".
  • s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    one here in indiana with just less than 81k miles and asking price is $20k if you search on edmunds.com. same color, same year.

    http://www.bmwofschererville.com/auto/used-2005-mercedesbenz-clclass-60l_amg-schererville-46375-in/2362680/
  • opfreakopfreak Member Posts: 106
    I'll take it....

    If you throw in 20 grand for future repairs.
  • bonzjrbonzjr Member Posts: 44
    Other than maybe an office pen here or there I'm pretty sure I can say I've never stolen anything in my life. I walked back into the grocery store a few months ago because I realized I forgot to pay for one thing in the upper basket of the cart. Yeah, I'm that guy. Even for something that was maybe $1 or so. Karma and all right?

    And you know what? Even I think the only way to get rid of this car is to drive it to the basin, torch it, then claim it was stolen. I can justify it under making sure no other person ever suffers at the hand of this ridiculously overcomplex and unreliable KrapWagen.

    Thanks for doing the test. We did learn a lot. I'm often critical of the 'new fleet' but I love when you guys test the used stuff.
  • kennypikennypi Member Posts: 3
    Yes you have 22 months to save that $11,000 but the car doesn't know or care it could break next week, roll the dice if you dare
  • b189b189 Member Posts: 4
    the market for these cars is disgusting, not many are buying at what book value is. heck i cant even get a single interest in my CL55 with 106k for $14k,
  • mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    I really enjoyed this long-term test. It was as big a nightmare as I expected, but it was fun to read nonetheless. I also find it interesting reading the comments, because a clear distinction emerges with cars like this. They really separate the true gasoline-in-their-blood car enthusiasts from the mere car guys. If you truly love automobiles and everything they stand for a car like this would be pretty cool to own. Oh sure it would cost a good portion of your life savings and be a constant headache, but few cars would feel as special when they were running. Come on it's a 621-hp AMG V12! Plus, a true enthusiast would start doing a good chunk of the work themselves and learn a heckuva lot through the process. My 993 Porsche can be a temperamental thing at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
  • opfreakopfreak Member Posts: 106
    mercedesfan said:

    I really enjoyed this long-term test. It was as big a nightmare as I expected, but it was fun to read nonetheless. I also find it interesting reading the comments, because a clear distinction emerges with cars like this. They really separate the true gasoline-in-their-blood car enthusiasts from the mere car guys. If you truly love automobiles and everything they stand for a car like this would be pretty cool to own. Oh sure it would cost a good portion of your life savings and be a constant headache, but few cars would feel as special when they were running. Come on it's a 621-hp AMG V12! Plus, a true enthusiast would start doing a good chunk of the work themselves and learn a heckuva lot through the process. My 993 Porsche can be a temperamental thing at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

    or the enthusiasts here are smart enough to be able to tell a Gem from a turd. And this is a turd.
  • mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    @opfreak,

    Disagree. The CL65 is simply a high-maintenance exotic. It is little different from a Bentley, Ferrari, or Aston in this regard. When it's running well few cars will ever approach its level of refinement or effortlessness. Even by modern standards these old CLs are glorious cars to drive. Some people are going to "get" that, and others aren't.
  • janet_kjanet_k Member Posts: 18
    I like -and drive- Mercedes' too but wouldn't ever consider even the regular CL, much less the 65. However, I followed this one with great interest, and especially the comments.
  • eliteboieliteboi Member Posts: 1
    MAN! Imagine if this car was your only car? I guess on the bright side you would likely get a loaner car if you can afford the stealership.THAT being said; i'm really not impressed with the fact you guys haven't disclosed that the car needs valve stems; and other repairs. I mean... Your car has hit on a Jalopnik thread that's going now.
  • camrydriver69camrydriver69 Member Posts: 54
    Do Bentleys, Ferraris, and Astons burn as much oil? I could understand the suspension faults since they all wear out eventually. You could defend the suspension, but it looks like this engine will need some internal work to restore it. I don't think you can defend that.
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