RTR37

Hey, I currently own a 2008 Lexus GX470 and drove a LX470 before that. I am strongly considering trading in the SUV to help pay for a CLS55 2009 or greater. Are there any Lexus owners who have made the switch? How has your experience been since switching? I figure I will get some biased answers considering where I am posting. Thanks.

-By the way my GX470 has 85k miles on it currently, fully loaded, has a value of just under $24k right now.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

cls55 was only for 2006. after that it's been cls63.

just keep in mind it is a mb, so prepare to have enough funds for maintenance and repair. look on mbworld, there are few common issues on the cls, airmatic is pretty much something that will break for sure

but of course, it's a gorgeous car and very fast.

RTR37

My mistake I meant cls550. Thank you for the input.

new2012jee

AMG? I wouldn't buy a non AMG CLS55, fwiw

RTR37

Yes, AMG version only. Just curious as to why Mercedes depreciates in value much quicker than compared to Lexus.

new2012jee

Maintenance mainly. They are suuuper expensive, but gorgeous cars.

You would still be in the elite club buying a used at low price point, since most informed buyers tend to look them over since they know what they are getting into. maint can easily surpass the price in a matter of years.

chiph9

Agree. Gorgeous cars. Their styling is the best in the industry. But... they're expensive to maintain. Especially the higher-end models like the S class. Personally, I wouldn't own one outside of warranty.

Chip H.
(former M-class owner)

GreatHim

as someone who has worked on them professionally, i would avoid Mercedes like the plague. of the 3 -MB, BMW and Aud id own a BMW, or Audi. there is only 3 newer MBs id own, Maybach s600, a Geländewagen or the G63 6x6. -at which point if you have the money to own one, your probably dont care about maintenance on them... but my experience with MB is that they are a night mare to work on, and a lot of aftermarket scan tools no not like them -or MB does not like the independent scan tools. anyhow yeah im coming from a tech stand point, but i saw more MBs than anything else and i saw them more often than other cars -the same MBs more often.

MB is riding on a name, and has been for many years now. Cadillac has a better/higher resale value than MB, and they are more reliable. if you ask me i would not go from a GX to a Mercedes of any kind unless its an old 300SL. your GX will out live the MB, and will cost way way way less doing so. if you dont like the styling of the GX then trade it in on a newer GX or LX. -you WILL regret going to MB -yes i have also owned several MBs

RTR37

Thanks for the replies. After hearing from both Lexus and MB owners I have been scared away from ever buying a MB unless I'm 65 retiring and buy a brand new one lol. Also noticed the terrible resale value. Really like the interior of the 2nd Gen GX460, may check out a few.

BradTank

"Regular" Mercedes are enough of a maintenance headache, AMG ones will total out your car in a hurry.

The reason they are so cheap is because when something goes wrong, a repair can easily exceed the value of the car. A new engine will be something absurd like $50,000 and their might be one dealer in the state that has the computer that can work on it, etc.

So that's why a $100k car will be about the same price as a used Civic in a few short years.

They're fantastic cars, but in my opinion they are semi-disposable and for people can just cut a big check and just buy a new one every few years and have a factory warranty.

SpeedFour

I love Audi, but the long term survival of their current cars steered me away. BMW has all sorts of mechanical issues it seems, so I sidestepped them (and their cabins are crap). I love my MB, it has a sense of presence to it that the Lexus lacks, and a cabin and materials that are just second only to Audi.

Note that mine is a diesel, and while it has been cheap to run with no issues, I would not consider an AMG unless I had the money to keep up on maintenance. For a poorly maintained MB is a money pit.

IndyGX

Shoot me a PM if you decide to go forward with the GX460. I'd be interested in your GX470. My guess is your trade in value is unfortunately somewhere around 18.5 without those wheels. Did the stock ones corrode and pit? If you're into the effort of putting the stock rims back, and selling the upgraded wheels/tires separate, you may get more $$$ in total.

YoshiMan

I think one of the issues with some of the luxury car companies is that they have no "lesser" counterparts to share parts with.

As an example, i meant that Lexus's share some parts with Toyotas, Audis share some with Volkswagen, Cadillacs with other GM models... etc....

Mercedes and BMW don't have platform sharing, so you are at the mercy of the dealer as far as parts are concerned