CLK 55 AMG - hit by car - 2 minutes before purchase

[fredbaum]

I would love to be posting a picture of my 2005 CLK 55 AMG just bought, but seconds before I signed the papers - the car was reversed into at the dealer lot by a 4x4 - not kidding . This has completely and badly dented the left side door of the car - and taken out the side trim - door barely opens, and they are going to replace it tomorrow. The left door in South Africa (where I live) is a passenger door as the car is right hand drive, so less electronics should be going to the door. I am still going ahead with the car (I love it)- and the dealer is replacing the door and making good the car to perfect condition - but what should I look for when I get I see it when its ready ? As far as I can see the door frame looks ok - with a small dent only in the rear of the door area where the back seats are. I have thought of checking the opening and closing of the door, the operation of the seat controls and memory, mirrors, making sure electric windows front and back are working, checking audio on the door, seat belt mechanism etc. Can anyone else recommend anything else to check for ? I added the before and after pictures -for amusement

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[sleewell]

i would drive it too, pretty extensively. make sure the alignment is still perfect and everything still feels smooth around turns and such. really listen and feel how the car drives to make sure its still in good shape.


seems like a discount would be in order too, considering it has now been in an accident. dunno what other people think, but that is my 2 cents - take it for what its worth.

[AMGOODNESS]

i would go find a car that has not been wrecked. surely you can find something in similiar condition.

[FastDonzi]

i wouldn't buy it. i would walk away from that. too many cars out there. but, if you do go ahead with it, you would be by no way out of line to ask for a huge discount. good luck.

[lauer87]

Get a new car.

[ndabunka]

OK, it's been damaged and therefore it's value is dimiinished. It is diminidhed in the public's eye (if not your own) and the dealership realizes this. Therefore, you SHOULD ask for a discount. At Least a 5% reduction. I would bet that you will still get the car with no problems. ASK FOR THE DISCOUNT. The dealership will NOT offer it to you but they WILL give it to you IF YOU ASK! They KNOW that their OWN actions are what decreased that car's value.

[4matic]

haha man...don't do it. dont buy itt! no matter how much you love it, youll be able to find another that hasnt been damaged. haha sucks bout tha situation though. but in all seriousness...itll never be flawless again and the thought will always be in the back of your mind...

surely you have signed no papers, correct?


4matic

[MarcusF]

I'd tell the current dealer I'll want to take the car and have it professionally inspected when it's done and BEFORE the purchase. Don't tell them where. Then simply take it to another dealer, and tell them, "This car has been repaired. Can you tell me where?" When they point out the paint on the door doesn't match the rest of the car, you can give the first dealer his car back.

[s4avt]

I wouldn't buy.. period..

First, because I don't trust car dealer..

Second, I would never buy a car that replaced any doors...

My car's door was replaced,, it is fixed by MB dealer.. aligned perfectly... but still I hear more wind noise than other door

[Chappy]

Originally Posted by FastDonzi

i wouldn't buy it. i would walk away from that. too many cars out there. but, if you do go ahead with it, you would be by no way out of line to ask for a huge discount. good luck.

This is my vote as well.

[fredbaum]

Thanks for all your advice on the car. I am going to buy it anyway for a very simple reason. The CLK 55 in South Africa is a rare car. There are currently only 4 for sale in the entire country. Due to the import taxes in South Africa cars are very very expensive. This car is being sold for 35,000 USD - the other three on the market are 5,000 dollars (plus higher mileage lower options) more expensive for the second cheapest. And then a huge 55,000 and 58,000 dollars for the other two in the country.

I will drive it hard, check for noise in the door - check the electrics and the mechanical components. The car is being dealt with by the same people who fix the Ferrari and Lamborghinis in the country so when I saw it today the engineers showed me the old door, what was damaged, the new one - the trims - etc.

The last factor in the decision is that I have already had customisation done to the car - window tinting (with anti smash and grab protection), fitted parktronic - a tracking device etc - so I have already sunk cost into the vehicle. I only wish I lived in the states again where I could pick up a 55 or even a 63 amg for half the price of my new one

[pigman]

When you try to sell it at some point later, the potential buyer will notice the paint isn't perfect and offer less for the car. Happened to me. And I had mine repaired and painted at the MB dealer.

[s4avt]

I don't know where you get the idea of getting 55 or even 63 for half the price.. well... if you already made point.. wonder why u asked us about our opinion??

Originally Posted by fredbaum

Thanks for all your advice on the car. I am going to buy it anyway for a very simple reason. The CLK 55 in South Africa is a rare car. There are currently only 4 for sale in the entire country. Due to the import taxes in South Africa cars are very very expensive. This car is being sold for 35,000 USD - the other three on the market are 5,000 dollars (plus higher mileage lower options) more expensive for the second cheapest. And then a huge 55,000 and 58,000 dollars for the other two in the country.

I will drive it hard, check for noise in the door - check the electrics and the mechanical components. The car is being dealt with by the same people who fix the Ferrari and Lamborghinis in the country so when I saw it today the engineers showed me the old door, what was damaged, the new one - the trims - etc.

The last factor in the decision is that I have already had customisation done to the car - window tinting (with anti smash and grab protection), fitted parktronic - a tracking device etc - so I have already sunk cost into the vehicle. I only wish I lived in the states again where I could pick up a 55 or even a 63 amg for half the price of my new one

[4ociousE55]

If the damage is reported in a Carfax or other vehicle reporting system you've lost 50% of its value. However, since this accident is between you and the dealer and they are repairing the car chances are no report was filed. Accident reports are only submitted with police and insurance reports. Most AMG and other buyers won't touch a car that has a damage report. By now you've probably purchased the car, good luck.

[fredbaum]

Originally Posted by s4avt

I don't know where you get the idea of getting 55 or even 63 for half the price.. well... if you already made point.. wonder why u asked us about our opinion??

Wow - thats a friendly post- with slight hints of forum rage - you wouldnt work in software by any chance?

I asked for the opinion as to what to check for in the door. Not whether or not to buy it - that is clear if you read the post. To answer your second question - I get my pricing from autotrader.com -where they are around 22,000 USD to 25,000 USD for several examples of a 55 CLK of similar mileage. In South Africa autotrader.co.za has the same mileage vehicles for around 500,000 RAND which is about 50,000 dollars. Thus its around half the price in the US- probably due to 60% import duty in South Africa.

I appreciate the advice to be very careful though from every body- and to check the paint and drive it. If I dont like it I will walk away.Thanks to everyone for their constructive input

[fredbaum]

Originally Posted by 4ociousE55

If the damage is reported in a Carfax or other vehicle reporting system you've lost 50% of its value. However, since this accident is between you and the dealer and they are repairing the car chances are no report was filed. Accident reports are only submitted with police and insurance reports. Most AMG and other buyers won't touch a car that has a damage report. By now you've probably purchased the car, good luck.

Thats a great point - thanks for bringing it up.

I checked it out here. There are no such systems in South Africa - other than HPI which checks for finance - stolen status, and insurance write off status, etc. But its a great point - in selling it I would probably want to tell the truth to the buyer and disclose the door, and I would take a hit

Here is how the accident was dealt with:
Car was being fuelled by the garage (it adjoins the dealer), it was in the line for a pump . A pickup truck backs into the car without looking as it came out of the parking slot for the convenience store.

The guys from the dealer (all the cleaners - errand runners, sales people) who all saw the accident surround the pickup truck - drag the guy out of the car. He was trying to manouver around the Merc to run away.

They ask him for insurance - he says he has none. The plates are not registered (false) No valid registration - and they do a dealer HPI check on the car - and its engine number has never been in the country (it was a Zimbabwean VIN number) - the driver had no license - no visa - no passport. Most likely a stolen car from Zim. The Dealer owner calls his lawyer - who responds.

The garage mob - takes the guys' keys and throws him out of the truck - and they said - "you pay the damage or we impound and sell your car". (this was probably only because I was there as was a friend of mine- otherwise worse would have happened - check the news on violence in SA against foreigners) They drive the pickup into their lot - and the guy is left on the street - thats african justice they told me. I was shocked.

The dealer is paying for all repairs cash, and I will have the car for a full day without signing the papers. If I dont like anything in the car I walk away - holding deposit refunded. They have a 63 AMG for another 25,000 dollars which I could stretch to if I wanted, but there is no way of checking if that one has been in an accident.

[Tony Yeung]

Make sure its an 05. 05s should have Dual Exhaust and BBK front and rear.

[liquiddi]

I would 100% walk away unless they lower the price another $15K.

[4ociousE55]

Originally Posted by fredbaum

Thats a great point - thanks for bringing it up.

I checked it out here. There are no such systems in South Africa - other than HPI which checks for finance - stolen status, and insurance write off status, etc. But its a great point - in selling it I would probably want to tell the truth to the buyer and disclose the door, and I would take a hit

Here is how the accident was dealt with:
Car was being fuelled by the garage (it adjoins the dealer), it was in the line for a pump . A pickup truck backs into the car without looking as it came out of the parking slot for the convenience store.

The guys from the dealer (all the cleaners - errand runners, sales people) who all saw the accident surround the pickup truck - drag the guy out of the car. He was trying to manouver around the Merc to run away.

They ask him for insurance - he says he has none. The plates are not registered (false) No valid registration - and they do a dealer HPI check on the car - and its engine number has never been in the country (it was a Zimbabwean VIN number) - the driver had no license - no visa - no passport. Most likely a stolen car from Zim. The Dealer owner calls his lawyer - who responds.

The garage mob - takes the guys' keys and throws him out of the truck - and they said - "you pay the damage or we impound and sell your car". (this was probably only because I was there as was a friend of mine- otherwise worse would have happened - check the news on violence in SA against foreigners) They drive the pickup into their lot - and the guy is left on the street - thats african justice they told me. I was shocked.

The dealer is paying for all repairs cash, and I will have the car for a full day without signing the papers. If I dont like anything in the car I walk away - holding deposit refunded. They have a 63 AMG for another 25,000 dollars which I could stretch to if I wanted, but there is no way of checking if that one has been in an accident.

As long as you disclose the fact that the car was damaged and the circumstances surrounding it to a potential future buyer, door damage under those conditions would not prevent me from buying the car. Good choice!

[kip]

I hope you negotiated the price down as the car is no longer in mint condition, the future buyer will ask you if the car has been damaged and you will have to answer yes. Then he will demand a price reduction. So in any case the price has to go down!

Sorry about the crash, congrats on the buy!

[MB260E]

Originally Posted by Tony Yeung

Make sure its an 05. 05s should have Dual Exhaust and BBK front and rear.

+1

I can't tell if this car has the quad exhaust. That sucks to hear about the accident.

[neilbo75]

Originally Posted by kip

I hope you negotiated the price down as the car is no longer in mint condition, the future buyer will ask you if the car has been damaged and you will have to answer yes. Then he will demand a price reduction. So in any case the price has to go down!

Sorry about the crash, congrats on the buy!

A bit of price reduction is in order for the inconvienience, more if the paint doesn't match. Look at the paint in different light conditions to make sure. If it does match, the people who say the car is worth a lot less are being a bit silly. This kind of accident does not affect the performance of the car at all. It comes down to looks. If it looks good, buy it and smile all the way home. The car is used anyway, and few if any used cars are perfect.

[GeorgeSmooth]

I just traded my CLK55 in with 80,000km for the CLK63. I got R280,000 for the trade in. What are you paying?
When the time comes to sell that car again its rape city and the buyer is the mayor. Rather walk away. There are more CLK55's around than you can imagine.

[kchristos]

You need to find out if they are replacing the door with another factory painted door or just fixing the one that was hit or repainting another one. If they are repainting, an expert would be able to tell that it is not the original door which probably degrade the value of the car when you try to sell it. One way to tell is to look at the paint line (ridge) between the old paint and the new one, check this video out:

http://video.about.com/usedcars/Look...Paint-Work.htm

Another thing to check if it is fitted perfectly otherwise you might hear noise at high speed etc. Nevertheless, I would ask for a discount from the dealer because the car has been in a collision even though a small one and if nothing else for emotional distress. It might sounds stupid but for me just knowing that my car was in an even small collision it bothers me, it just doesn't feel new.