Got a new toy and been distracted by life

I thought I'd pop in and say howdy. Things have been rather busy for me lately. Work is going strong and I'm flagged for more responsibility. That's sucking up more time than it used to. Mom has had a few issues but those seem under control now. Lost a few friends to CV and had others struggle with recovery. I haven't had time to do any real machine work or mess with my gun business.

Sorry there have been no updates on the 541 Imperial build. It's still in progress and I plan on messing with it again tomorrow. I've got the making of another video update but haven't found the time to build the video.

My little 2006 C55 was finally feeling a little too small for a daily driver so I upsized. I landed one of those being in the right place at the right time deals. Bentley Atlanta advertised a 2013 Mercedes CL65 for one day and pulled the ad. I called on it immediately and was told the car was no longer available for retail sale. When I pushed them for details they said their techs had written $27,000 to recondition the car and they were going to wholesale it. After convincing the sales manager that my 15 years of Mercedes experience and 180+ certifications meant that I was no stranger to these cars he sent me the detailed estimate of repairs. It included things like $9700 for replacing the dash for a small flaw on the right side, $5700 to reseal the turbo water lines, $3200 for rear pads and rotors, $2700 to replace the back glass (running crack), and a few other things like the cracked grille and scratches in the paint.

No sweat! Dang near all cosmetic stuff! I called them back and they gave me a wholesale price of $24,800. Score! I'd been seeing these things between $48,000 and $58,000.

Needless to say, I flew to Atlanta the next Saturday and drove my new toy home. It's as glorious as you'd expect for a car that originally cost $218,545. Quiet, smooth, and incredibly powerful. When I got it home I had a good friend and highly respected Mercedes tech go over the car with me. He confirmed that I stole the car and other than mileage service items the car just needed the cosmetics. Less than $2000 later the car has all new fluids. All of them. Even the suspension fluid was done. It also has a new grille. I skipped the $1057 (each) rear rotors and went with aftermarket pieces I found for $96.

In all, the car has been awesome.
An 1/8 mile track day with the Mopar club gave me 1.86 - 1.88 times in the 60' with a best of 7.69 @ 93.8 mph. That's not too shabby for a race weight of 5272 lbs, 5 speed auto, and a 2.65 rear gear on Michelin PS4 tires.
Testing the 60-130 mph times (closed circuit, of course) showed traction issues at a 50 mph roll that lead to 7.9 - 8.0 second runs. When the car hooked up it turned 6.90 and 6.66 times.

Today, I took it to high end tuner and strapped it to their lie detector to see what it was making. he car is geared so long that the 4th gear run went from 40 mph at 1300 rpm to 170 mph at 5800 rpm. We had the dyno locked into 4 wheel mode and started low so we could get the turbos spooled up early.

I think this is a pretty good place to start. The car definitely needs downpipes to open up the exhaust and a tune to unlock some power. Oh, and gotta refinish those horrible calipers. Until then, I'll get back to work on the 541 for the Imperial.

218 thousand dollars 9 years ago and they are worth $50,000 now?

Very nice and quick too.

They have always depreciated quickly. Nothing new there.

My C55 was $55,000 new and they were selling for $9k when I bought mine.

When we were waiting for I-30 Dragway to open up I was watching Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow on the DVD and had the seat massage going.

It is a truly glorious ride. The V12 naturally cancels out the first and second order harmonics with companion cylinders firing on both banks at the same time. It's literally whisper quiet at 80 mph. The night vision works well when traveling in deer country, too.

Johnny Lieberman hit it on the head in his review comparing the CL65 and the Aston DB9. The CL65 is a car that lowers your blood pressure. Not because it's boring but because it's that good.

Nice ride.

As they say, "there's an ... for every seat." You're the guy for that car, so glad you found it.
I was just wondering about the lack of updates on the Imperial a few days ago. Now I know...

Yeah, I killed several weekends trying to find the exact car I wanted. As much as I like them, the Chargers just don't fit me well and the audio system suuuuuuuuucks. I nearly bought a new Charger but the seats just didn't fit me and the cars are too common for my tastes.

I drove LOTS of cars from multiple brands and settled on the CL. I discussed it at length with my Mercedes tech friends regarding the CL63 biturbo or the CL65. In the end, I settled on the V12 because the engine is mechanically more reliable and the 5 speed transmission is very tough and pretty hard to kill. The V8 cars with the 7 speeds have a wet clutch that is snappy in the lightweight C class but kinda bothersome in the heavy cars.

In the end, I bought the King of the AMGs. It's not the strongest or the fastest but it is definitely at the top of the game in the big picture.

Congrats! That's a cool ride.

So now you've checked off that owned a V12 at least once in your life box.

I remember you saying the earlier V12s had some pricey maintenance items. Coil packs come to mind at a ridiculous $$$.

Did they ever solve that issue? There's a low mileage 01 S600 on the market here for $7k Canadian, about $5500 US.

Kevin

That 01 S600 has an entirely different engine. Its the M137 that only survived for 2 years. They're known for out of round bores and lackluster performance at 362 hp (the same as my C55's naturally aspirated 5.4 V8).

My car has the M275 engine that has been enlarged to 6.0 liters and given a pair of turbos. In 2013 it was rated at 621 hp and 738 lb/ft from 2300 to 4000 rpm. Non-AMG versions are 5.5 liters and produce either 493/590 (2003 to 2006) or 510/612 (2006-2014). Mechanically, the engines are bulletproof. The coil packs are still expensive. In 2013 the SL600 got individual coil packs and that was carried over into the other platforms.

The biggest problem with a V12 Mercedes is not the engine itself (barring 2001-2002 cars) but rather the rest of the car around it. These engines didn't come in the simple cars like my C55. The cars have every bell, whistle, and party trick MB could throw at them. When it all works, it's beautiful. When things go south it can get expensive.

Stick with the newest V12 car possible. There were big improvements in 2007 and again in 2010. You'll note that mine is the 2013 and the last of that chassis style.

Very cool car and a nice find. Never been in one of those ultra high end luxury cars, I bet it's a blast.

Nice toy, Herr Gruppenfuhrer Feets.
Nobody does brakes like the Germans, and their stuff is absolutely composed at big speed.
Affalterbach is also where half my family came from, which combined with $3.00, is worth a cup of coffee

Thanks for the info and the car looks spectacular! Well bought too.

Our 05 300C is getting a little long in the tooth as it just rolled up 200k miles so we're in the market .

Still good mechanically but the doodads are giving up one by one and the Canadian Salt Worm is taking its toll also.

A VW Phaeton 4.2 V8 caught my eye recently but the seller's schedule and mine were in conflict. The biggest selling feature to me besides the fact it's built on the same platform as the Bentley Continental, was the trunk lid hinges. Well maybe not the biggest selling feature but certainly unique.

Had it been a W12 I might have persued it further but they are a very rare bird indeed.

Does a W12 count if one is trying to check that owning a V12 automobile at least once in your life box off?

Kevin

If the C55 was feeling small, what is the size difference in the CL?

Kevin

The C55 is roughly the size of a Chrysler 200. The CL is a bit bigger than a Charger/300.

W203 C-class is a 4 door riding on a 106" wheelbase. The CL is a two door riding on a 116" wheelbase.
CL is 5" wider than the C55 but the interior is quite different offering 10" more hip room and 6" more shoulder room. Rear seat room is quite similar between the two.

The C55 is 1500 lbs lighter than the CL and is much more agile. It's like a hyperactive litter terrier that is ready to go right now and demands to be driven 10/10 at all times. A CL65, on the other hand, encourages smooth cruising and relaxed driving but becomes an absolute monster when you hammer it on the highway.

As the dyno numbers suggest, the CL65 pulls harder at 130 mph than the C55 does at 80 mph.

There are reasons they depreciate quickly. But hey, whatever makes you happy.

After 15 years with the brand I'm familiar with those reasons. However, it is still an incredible car to drive and I'm far better prepared than most to handle the problems sure to arise.

I compare owning the CL65 to dating a super model with a cocaine habit. It's truely amazing but can cost you dearly.

Nice car Kevin. If you are done with your reloading hobby,please send your stuff to me!

shoes-guy - NO NEED to deal with that huge depreciation

Buy a SRT car

Mines nearly TWO YEARS OLD ... and is worth MORE than I paid for it

That's a great way to describe it!

He didn't have to deal with the depreciation since he bought it used and cheap for that car, he got a deal on it.

He could probably double his money on it if he tried.
That will never happen with a late model Charger.

It's an awesome car he bought and he bought it right.

Rich ... what are you now ... a snakey Benz guy now ?

excuse me ... I should have labeled it diff ... most ANYONE that buys a new furreign car

Let's not kid ourselves here-- almost every vehicle for sale today is going for substantially more than it was 2 years ago because of the pandemic

It wasn't new Dok ! as you type away on your "furrin" computer

Gus

I can appreciate a quality built car which a Mercedes is.

Lets put it this way, on my Moms side of the family my Grandmothers maiden name was Benz.

But IT WAS new eightgeartoyota

And as far as my furr-in puter... no other choices !

I’m not KIDDIN here mopJ ...... almost everything ... cept a Benz !

THAT now fits ! .. Richie Benz !

Nikki Benz

My Mercedes C55 is worth more now than it was 2 years ago.

After dropping $2,000 in my CL65 I could easily sell it for twice what I paid.


I'll hang on to it. Ma Mopar just doesn't offer anything to compete with it.

I had a car like that when I was single. It was a fun car to drive and it dramatically improved my dating life.

My friends used to laugh about that.

Oooohhhh... he drives a Mercedes! Then comes the letdown of a 16 year old C-class.

You said this one has a 5 speed auto. Is that a NAG1 or whatever MB calls them?

Kevin

Let's be fair, Feets. All good used vehicles have went up in value the last 18+ months. Any evaluation guide will show that average depreciation rates for most luxury vehicles exceed more pedestrian models. Especially when a model is replaced by the latest and greatest offering by the manufacturer.

To be honest, most folks would expect more for nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Didn't you used to drive a Smart Car? That's got to be a pretty exclusive club, from Smart to C65.

I have to say that I use to put Feets on cancel. But now I say his car is very nice. It is awesome actually. No matter the price. Can I afford it...No. But that car rocks!! I appreciate you bringing it to the board. Everyone need step outside sometimes. I would say we all learn from new technology.

Did you get your house fixed? That, to me, looked like a project that would leave most people in the fetal position, on the train tracks, weeping.

The shoes-guy on CANCEL ?

I can thimk of many others that are far more deserving of that fate.

The HALF BAKED ONE for one example !!

That was the point I was reinforcing. Everything is up.
Guys on the C55 groups are talking about rising values and are mistaken thinking its about the car instead of the market.

As for the depreciation, that happens on all premium non-exotic cars. That's one of the reasons these cars are usually leased for one or two years instead of kept long term by the original owner.

The house isn't perfect but it did receive more than $30,000 worth of repairs and updates.