I posted a 2016 CLS550 above that was previously at a Texas showroom that actually had the CPO and seemed eligible for an extended warranty. The ones from Carmax are also eligible for their warranty; and people on LH actually seem to like Carmax’s warranty. @IAC_Scott seems to have a good experience.
But for the most part the Benz CPO will only be available on late model CLS. Like this 2019 one that unfortunately has the I6 instead of V8. Only 10k on the odo! But some minor repaired damage on the carfax.
thank you! Problem with carmax is paying carmax’s prices. Have found their prices to be predomiantely abysmal. Im not actively looking, but im not, not looking :D!
-waiting for the GLE to come in this weekend and get rid of wife’s kia finally
Just be very aware of what can happen with so many of those V8s and your cost to make it right. The 2 years I had a C63 with the M156 were great but I was glad to get out while the gettin’ was good.
Carbon Fibre? And decidedly undecided on metric vs standard. Hope they know to drive on the right side of the street. And by right I mean the other left.
Huh, he spilled the beans about it having only a couple of thousand miles before going Ferris Bueller. And he barely aged since 1986, yet, still recognizable.
I want to know how a coffee shop in Cary, NC does smog tests. Maybe Starbucks can stop selling coffee and do Smog tests instead. This car is hella clean.
Honestly I’m not a Mercedes expert either, but I’ve been around enough of the early-2000s V8 models to get the general vibe. The naturally aspirated ones are usually the safer bet, just because there’s less going on. Once Mercedes started mixing in turbos and more electronics, the repair bills got a lot spicier.
The E500/E550 era cars are actually pretty solid if they’ve been maintained. The weak spots tend to be the usual Mercedes things — suspension components, electrical gremlins, stuff like that — rather than the engines themselves blowing up. The V8s in those years are strong as long as the previous owner wasn’t cheap with oil changes.
They’re definitely not “90s tank” reliable, but they’re also not the nightmare some people make them out to be. A clean, well-maintained NA V8 Mercedes from the early/mid-2000s can be a really fun, surprisingly durable car. The trick is finding one that wasn’t neglected. That’s usually where the trouble starts.
Need to hear more from owners of both eras to really get a better feel.
