help me with this cl65 deal

[publicon]

gentleman,

a few months back i considered trading in my 08 e63 for a black series. in the end, tho i loved the car, i decided it wasn't $45,000 better than my car.

however, there is now a used 08 cl65 with 800 miles at the local dealer. they want $168k. sticker was 201k.

i know they have an additional new one in the garage and seem eager to make a deal but arent budging on the price.

i tend to trade cars in once a year, and it seem this car has already taken its biggest hit.

any advice?

i love my e63, but i got a fever for something new.

anyone owned both?



cheers in advance.

[WSH]

Value judgments re: $200K commuter cars are obviously highly subjective....

Aren't there new, '08 CL65s out there for <$175K?

Would guess that many will prefer '09 CL65 w/030 wheels and cf interior...IMO, a transformative look vs '08's lame wheels/interior....

Also consider that a mid-cycle refreshed '10 CL65 is likely by ?Fall09....

Would think that one's window for driving a 65 in Northeast prob ends in 2mos or so; so, one's fast-depreciating, obsoleting 65 will be mothballed until ?Apr09...

That said, my observations are biased....am among those AMG CL addicts who trades-in for new copies every 6-12mos; it's typically my only car and daily-driven about 15K mis/yr (in CA where we have no winter issues w/perf cars/tires); and, for me, worth every penny of its depreciation....my next CL is an '09 65 that was just built this past wk....

[pas]

Originally Posted by publicon

i tend to trade cars in once a year, and it seem this car has already taken its biggest hit.

This car has a tremendous amount of depreciation left just do some research on 07's, 06's. If you are going to buy a new benz every year you are going to take a huge beating every year, especially if they are 65 AMG's! But if you have the money the CL65 is an awesome car.

[whoover]

Do a search on Autotrader for all 2008 CL65s. Pick a dealer with 2 or 3 new ones in stock (there are several). Call them and offer the $168K. Some will rant, but one of them will take you up on it. They know they're sitting on a half million dollars of obsolete stock. That's exactly how I got my S65 new in 2006 for $110K.

Martin

[Vadim @ VRP]

If you change cars every year, do a 12 month up front lease. Car is still under 3000 miles and MB Financial will do it as a new car. This way you lock in the depreciation and will not have to deal with hassle of selling it.

When I sold MBs in 2006, I had a lot of clients that went this route.

Good Luck!

[whoover]

BTW, regarding the comparison between a CL65 and an E63: there is none. That doesn't mean that someone might not prefer the E, but they are totally different experiences. The S/CL class, especially in the 12-cylinder trim, offers a very different experience than the E, and performance is only part of the equation.

The car is heavier, but the ABC suspension does an amazing job of hiding that fact in the driver's perception at least. There's no getting around the laws of physics, so the weight and nose-heaviness means that you'll never outlap an E63 on the Nurburgring. But in real driving through real twisties you will never have to go slower than you'd like. And of course, the massive power and, especially, torque provides a turbine-like experience on the highway. There's something uncanny about the way the car responds to the gas, at any RPM in any gear. Kick it down and it's quite insane, even more than the 63, but the biggest difference is in what happens if you feather the throttle when passing. The CL65 engine produces 360 horsepower at 2,500 RPM. The E63 produces 190 horsepower at 2,500 RPM. In real-world driving that is much more important to the experience of power than peak horsepower. It's why there's nothing like a 65 on the highway.

But as I said, performance is only part of the difference. It's all delivered in the first-class cabin. The trim is totally different of course. The comfort for two passengers on long trips is unbeatable. My preference for the S over the CL extends that to 4 passengers as well, but the E would probably beat the CL in the back seat.

[whoover]

[publicon]

thanks for the feedback fellas.

several good points.

with winter coming, perhaps i can get them down to low 150's. if not, i'll just wait till the spring.

i drove the cl on friday. albeit for about 5 miles. and on saturday went to an AMG show in the parking lot of the local expo center. mercedez only brought 6.3 cars. despite arriving there in a 63, i drove a few. and reinforced my desire for the 65. the power is stunning. the little bit of turbo spooling lag is quickly forgotten. whammo!. i've test driven a b7 and a continental gt. there is no comparison.

i wish it were april and not september.

[Fantasm]

Originally Posted by Vadim @ VRP

If you change cars every year, do a 12 month up front lease. Car is still under 3000 miles and MB Financial will do it as a new car. This way you lock in the depreciation and will not have to deal with hassle of selling it.

When I sold MBs in 2006, I had a lot of clients that went this route.

Good Luck!

Vadim, I've been considering this! The one thing that has irked me, is what if the car gets totalled in an accident? What risks are involved with paying a lease up front?
All the dealerships I've asked about this havent been able to give me a real answer.

[Satan]

Is this a white CL65? If it is they tried to wholesale it for 140k or 145k