Has Anyone Owned or Driven The MB CLS550
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,973
Likes: 1
From: California
the CL is a BEAUTIFUL car.
However these guys are right. MBs are expensive as $&%^ to maintain and repair. I went to Lexus because of this.
Owning a lexus is not cheap either, but cost of ownership is a bargain compared to owning a MB.
However these guys are right. MBs are expensive as $&%^ to maintain and repair. I went to Lexus because of this.
Owning a lexus is not cheap either, but cost of ownership is a bargain compared to owning a MB.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,639
Likes: 2
From: California
The CLS is a great looking car. I strongly considered getting one 2 years ago, but needed more room in the back.
Take the comments about reliability with a grain of salt. No doubt MB had issues in the late '90s until around 2005. But more recent models should have better reliability. My E has had absolutely no problems. My sister's GL550 has been perfect as well.
And honsetly, I've found service costs to be comparable to Lexus. A service every 13k runs about $200 to $300, although with coupons a "Service A" is $129 and a "Service B" is $229...pretty reasonable IMHO. And once a car is out of warranty, all luxury cars are expensive to maintain.
Take the comments about reliability with a grain of salt. No doubt MB had issues in the late '90s until around 2005. But more recent models should have better reliability. My E has had absolutely no problems. My sister's GL550 has been perfect as well.
And honsetly, I've found service costs to be comparable to Lexus. A service every 13k runs about $200 to $300, although with coupons a "Service A" is $129 and a "Service B" is $229...pretty reasonable IMHO. And once a car is out of warranty, all luxury cars are expensive to maintain.
Last edited by INHOCJP; Jan 25, 2010 at 10:33 AM.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,271
Likes: 14
From: Annapolis, Md
Interior styling feels old. The command module in particular with those large plastic switches looks old. The new E-class has smaller sharper looking switches with a lot of metal and more refined soft-touch materials. The interior also seems old relative to the GS (while I concede both are out of date.
Also the CLS550 powertrain doesn't feel nearly as refined as the GS460s with the 8 speed and the very very smooth V8.
Also the CLS550 powertrain doesn't feel nearly as refined as the GS460s with the 8 speed and the very very smooth V8.
On another note you can't go wrong with the CLS. The maintenance is not that bad plus you’re driving Benz. Get a warranty and burn the road up with your 382hp.
Who in the world go to the dealer to get after market rims put on their vehicle!! NTB or Mr. Tires any place but a dealer
Last edited by rogers2; Jan 25, 2010 at 11:42 AM.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,375
Likes: 89
From: Toronto, Ontario
My mom picked up a 2006 CLS500 this April. As a luxury car, it does very well. The rear seat is somewhat compromised, but that's the price you pay for the styling. My biggest issue with the car is the Airmatic suspension. When you kick-down 2 or more gears, the rear end almost feels like it wants to rotate while the air suspension figures out what to do. It's a very artificial feeling.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,485
Likes: 0
From: Park Ridge IL
I had a CL55 AMG. I LOVED the car. But I will now bow down to anyone who can afford to keep this car up. This is an extremely expensive car to maintain. I went into the MB dealership to ask about switching the phone from analog to digital. And then putting on staggered tires/rims just on the front. $7500!!!!!!!!!!!
And the salesman used the word 'only' in there.
I would hate to see what any maintenance would cost.
I thanked him for his time and drove right over to the Lexus dealership and traded it in. I had my beautiful AMG for only 6 weeks. Didn't even make a payment on it yet. That's how much it scared me!
And the salesman used the word 'only' in there.I would hate to see what any maintenance would cost.
I thanked him for his time and drove right over to the Lexus dealership and traded it in. I had my beautiful AMG for only 6 weeks. Didn't even make a payment on it yet. That's how much it scared me!
Last edited by bad co; Jan 25, 2010 at 03:49 PM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 14,100
Likes: 1
From: tech capital
I had a CL55 AMG. I LOVED the car. But I will now bow down to anyone who can afford to keep this car up. This is an extremely expensive car to maintain. I went into the MB dealership to ask about switching the phone from analog to digital. And then putting on staggered tires/rims just on the front. $7500!!!!!!!!!!! And the salesman used the word 'only' in there.
I would hate to see what any maintenance would cost.
I thanked him for his time and drove right over to the Lexus dealership and traded it in. I had my beautiful AMG for only 6 weeks. Didn't even make a payment on it yet. That's how much it scared me!
And the salesman used the word 'only' in there.I would hate to see what any maintenance would cost.
I thanked him for his time and drove right over to the Lexus dealership and traded it in. I had my beautiful AMG for only 6 weeks. Didn't even make a payment on it yet. That's how much it scared me!
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Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,459
Likes: 1
From: Makati, Philippines
CLS you say?
If so, then my neighbor has a CLS 350 and boy it looks like sex. It's the best-looking car in our street (followed next by the BMW 530d with M sport package). Fantastic looking
If so, then my neighbor has a CLS 350 and boy it looks like sex. It's the best-looking car in our street (followed next by the BMW 530d with M sport package). Fantastic looking
Pole Position
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
From: NorCal
You can't mention reliability and Mercedes in the same sentence. I'm not sure about their quality lately, but my experience from our SLK left a very bitter taste in my mouth and swore to never set foot in another Mercedes product ever again (even if it was free). That's how strongly I feel about their products. Though, styling and interior quality are hands down their best feats. Maintaining the car yourself is like learning to speak a new language. Be prepared to know where to look/research for things you need to fix or maintain something. Buying an extended warranty would be highly recommended if you plan on purchasing rather than leasing.
I think Mercedes reliability is actually pretty good, we had a 1999 Mercedes ML which is running and hasn't had many problems besides one oil pan leak and normal maintenance, currently at 0-150k and doing fine. My dad has a 2006 cls500 from 0-50k and it hasn't gotten a single problem yet.
Pole Position
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,794
Likes: 0
From: Lake Country, WI
I had a CL55 AMG. I LOVED the car. But I will now bow down to anyone who can afford to keep this car up. This is an extremely expensive car to maintain. I went into the MB dealership to ask about switching the phone from analog to digital. And then putting on staggered tires/rims just on the front. $7500!!!!!!!!!!! And the salesman used the word 'only' in there.
I would hate to see what any maintenance would cost.
I thanked him for his time and drove right over to the Lexus dealership and traded it in. I had my beautiful AMG for only 6 weeks. Didn't even make a payment on it yet. That's how much it scared me!
And the salesman used the word 'only' in there.I would hate to see what any maintenance would cost.
I thanked him for his time and drove right over to the Lexus dealership and traded it in. I had my beautiful AMG for only 6 weeks. Didn't even make a payment on it yet. That's how much it scared me!
... I'm sure there's a reason. And have heard similar on very expensive to maintain...
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 22,608
Likes: 105
From: Waiting for next track day
My buddy drive an 08 CLS550 and he likes the car but is always saying the thrill of the car wore off pretty fast and now he is stuck with a large payment and similar experiences at the dealership service department. Cool car to drive but I think the interior could be a bit nicer for the money and absolutely more room would be a nice thing
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nytoy
GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005)
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Feb 22, 2008 06:56 PM
