Thinking of trading in wife's Boxster to get a new car. CLS55 AMG anyone?

[pwd72s]

One classy lookin' sedan, Wayne. But then, you already know that.

[Tobra]

That is a fine choice. Big fast car that is built like a tank with brakes that will stick your chewing gum to the windshield, ideal really. For looks I like the Maserati Q-port. Stunningly beautiful doc I know has one.

[RANDY P]

There's a reason it's $35K-

It ain't DIY friendly for sure. I think that thing has the weird pre-braking brakes and basically requires mercedes STAR to do any real work

Reliability is not what comes to mind with that car- if you buy it, get an extended warranty. It's not one for faint-of-heart. If it's anything like the E55 of that year which it probably is it's pretty uncool to work with.

rjp

[Rufblackbird]

while I've never cared for the CLS's styling, the side view isn't bad at all...

Since E60s are too ugly (and I agree), why not a low mileage '03 E39 M5 (for you if she drives the white one)? Or even a Cayenne Turbo?

[dewolf]

Originally Posted by Rufblackbird

while I've never cared for the CLS's styling, the side view isn't bad at all...

Have to agree, although I would go a W203 C55 before the CLS.

[red-beard]

The 82SC didn't blow up...leaked oil like the Valdez, but no explosions...

[javadog]

I drive an '03 Audi S8 as a daily driver. Great car. '03 was the last year they made them and you can sometimes find a low-mileage one if you are patient. Low $20's for low miles, less for higher miles. Looks like this, except the one on the picture is right-hand drive and has larger diameter wheels:

[R K T]

My wife is on her second MBZ. I got her an '08 CLK350, 18,000 mi, CPO last year for her birthday. She loves it......but, every time she sees a new MINI Cooper S JCW she reminds me that she misses her MINI!

[EarlyPorsche]

The Benz is super diy friendly... They also drive perfectly. Literally a Mercedes has perfect features. The Mas is nice too so long as it has the motor with blue valve covers.

[MRM]

Wayne, I think you should give the newer E-350 or E-550 another look. The 06 and earlier were old people cars, but the 07 and newer are not. The 07 and later E-350 are very nice, dead reliable, and look pretty sharp. Also, the options you get make a huge difference between a dowdy old man's car and something very update but comfortable. I know a court reporter in Palm Beach who is about your wife's age (yes, also stunningly beautiful, but no pics as of yet) who drives one. People think she's a movie star as she exits the car. Get a black one and keep it clean and your wife will have the same experience.

After a several year search that included many of the cars you mention above, and sharing you and your wife's opinion of most of them, my wife eventually narrowed her choice down the the BMW 535 and E-350. Kaisen from this board got us a tremendous deal on an E-350 with leather interior and some extra bells and whistles. Every time we ride in it we exchange a glance and comment that it's the perfect car. I drive an Audi RS6. It is an absolute blast and embarasses M5s. But my next car (in ten years) will probably be an E-550. The S Class is just too big to park comfortably in cramped ramps, the 550 has the power of a five year older AMG. Proven reliability after the mid 2000s. It's a car you can buy and own for a long time and enjoy the luxury of without the compromises most of the interesting but older, quirky cars you are considering.

[944Larry]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

So, the Boxster book is complete (almost been a year now!), and the wifey doesn't really drive the Boxster too much any more. We have to park it outside (other cars like the 959 are inside ), so it constantly collects tiny leaves from my PIA jacaranda tree which clogs the drains and then gets the carpets wet. In other words, it's probably time for it to go. Besides, I have the super Boxster (3.4L 996 engine, Brembos, PSS9s, etc) for when I want to drive a Boxster. Took it to the Mercedes dealership today, where they mentioned they would take it for about $7K on a trade in. I'd probably rather do that than selling it, as I don't want it to come back to haunt me in the long run if I sold it to someone here on the boards. There's too much at stake with my and Pelican's reputation to sell the car, only to have it blow up or something unfortunate like that (knowing my luck indeed). I've also looked at Carmax too, I think I might take it there over the weekend.

That said, I took my wife out to look at other cars last week to replace this Boxster. Here's what was concluded:

- Mercedes E-Class: mother-in-law owns one - too much an "old person's car" ($30K)

- Porsche panorama: way too pricey at $100K new and I just don't like the looks

- BMW 5-Series E60: I still can't get past Chris Bangle's design, sorry Jose.

- Lexus / Acura / Infiniti: She won't even go look at these.

- Audi: The A4/A6/A8 all look like the same car, and the A4 is a UCLA student standard issue. Not high on her list

- Maserati / Aston Martin / Jaguar: Mentioned briefly, but rejected as too exotic and expensive to maintain.

So, the conclusion was that she didn't like anything she saw. So, she basically told me to go buy something and she'll drive it, or drive my older E39 BMW 5-Series (which I love). So, I'm thinking about the Mercedes CLS55 AMG (2005). You can pick these up for about $35K. It's a one-year only model with the supercharger, before they went to the 6.3L in 2006. I've never been a huge Mercedes fan and I don't really like anything I've seen on the entire Mercedes lot, with the exception of these CLS class cars. Plus, we're doing a *major* push into the Mercedes area over the summer here at Pelican, so it seems timely to pick one of these up and get more familiar with the marque, etc.

I've got my eye on a trade-in car with 25,000 or so miles on it for $35K at the local dealership. Should be ready next week. With 469 HP, it has more horsepower on tap than the 959!

Thoughts?

-Wayne

If it wasn't so far away I'd sure look at your Boxster. I can't think of many people that would probably have as good a one as a person that sells parts for one. Even wrote a book on Boxsters! With a VW Turbo Beetle and 2 944's I probably don't have enough to do anyway!

[VincentVega]

I was thinking the same thing. Anyone here should know the issues. A road trip out to HQ and a quick meet and greet sounds like good time to me.

[UconnTim97]

I have read that a Lancia Stratos HF Zero may be for sale soon.

[juan ruiz]

We have been looking at a 2007 CLS550 for a friend. Those cars are very nice. I have been doing some research and the car engine itself is built to last but our only concern is the amount of electronics, so we are thinking about an extended aftermarket warranty to be safe, We have also been looking at the AMG, but they are hard to come by.

[kaisen]

I know a Pelican who recently transplanted to Palmdale, CA who was looking for a decent Boxster under $10K. Don't trade it!! I'll buy it from you through St Croix Motorsports and have my Porsche tech in LA go through it, then sell it to a Pelican -- I'll take the heat!

Anyway, I know the CLS is polarizing, but I think it's absolutley gorgeous. The supercharged CLS55 versions are harder to find. That motor is a pretty amazing piece and power upgrades are easy, as if 469hp isn't enough.

If you misssed it, I recently placed a 2006 Maserati Quattroporte to a local client (Pelican referral). Shameless self promotion - a client's new Maserati It had 4,000 miles on it and we paid $44,500. Examples with 25K miles are in that $35K range. Ferrari 4.2L V8, Ferrari F1 'Duo Select' transaxle and they make lovely sounds. People freak out about the F1 clutches as you can wear them out in 7K miles if you're an idiot. Or if you learn how to drive them, they can easily last 45K miles. Either way, the clutches and sensors are available through o.e.m. (or better) for under $1500, and it's about $1000 labor. Not the end of the world. But since people have 'heard' that clutches can cost $6K through Maserati/Ferrari dealers, the sheeple mentality pushes them to the 07-up ZF Automatic. The price differential between the '06 DS and '07 Auto is several thousand dollars. They made many changes to the '06 DS, and easy software flashes can make them even 'better'. Owning and maintaining a Maser QP won't be that much more than a MB S-class if you are resourceful (and who has more parts/mech resources than you?) Drive a nice Maser and it will tug at your heartstrings. Amazing car for the money.

2006 CLS55's (you mentioned 2005, but they were 2006s) with 25K typically bring a little bit more than $35K, so if you can buy a local 25K mi trade from a Mercedes dealer for $35K, you should!!! I'd get very lucky to buy one for that at wholesale.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

So, the conclusion was that she didn't like anything she saw. So, she basically told me to go buy something and she'll drive it, or drive my older E39 BMW 5-Series (which I love).

Thoughts?

-Wayne

Thoughts?
Yes, there's trouble in River City.

However, there are a few that are rather dispassionate about automobiles. I'd give any of them a Cadillac sedan, one of the best point A to point B cars out there.

I had Caddy 2nd on my list behind the Jag. Now that my wife has found the Jag, I'm out. She took it away from me.

Boxster sits (inside).

[Radioactive]

+1 on CARMAX

Did the CARMAX thing last year Fullsize chevy crewcab, they gave me 20% more than the dealer would give as a trade in (18K vs 15K). In and out with a check in 30 minutes.

[pwd72s]

Juan speaks well here...with the Mercedes electronics a well known risk factor, an extended warranty sounds wise.

[sammyg2]

It's a shame she refuses to even look at the best cars on that list: Lexus, Acura and Infiniti.
I'd be interested in hearing the explanation of that but I think I might already know.
I went though something similar when my wife wanted to get rid of a perfectly good Toyota sienna so she could buy a new SUV that was a POS compared to the sienna.

Not sure about your wife but in that case, my wife was motivated by emotional responses to a TYPE of car, as it pertained to her IMAGE.
We had many energetic discussions about that very topic but in the end I finally got smart and said "OK honey, whatever you want". She was gonna get it either way, but at least she didn't get half my stuff to go with it!


Question, if the boxer sits outside now and she doesn't drive it, will the new car sit outside also or will some other car get kicked to the curb?
Iffn I was you I'd let her drive your old 5 series and buy her (myself) something I like but something she wouldn't really like, and keep it! Z06





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[sammyg2]

BTW an engineer that works for me bought a new Mercedes for his wife two years ago.

Evidently, there's some sort of computer board or something right under the cup holder in the center console area, and the cup holder is not water tight.

Yep, the cup spilled a little, shorted out the electronics, and the dealer said no warranty, she shouldn't put liquid containers in the cup holder above sensitive electronics.
Caint remember exactly how it cost but I remember it was over a grand and that was the second problem he had with that car that the dealer refused to treat as a warranty claim.

He paid to have to have it fixed and sold the car in the same week. He goes out of his way to tell everyone he knows how sheety mercedes cars are.