what are your guys' thoughts on this car? reliability? fit and finish? bang for buck?

 

One of my favorite cars out there....
But! MB reliabilty has been on the downfall. My uncle has a 05 slk 350 and it has been in 5 times for service crap. Fit and finish is of course top notch being a MB and part of the AMG family. bang for your buck is a joke. Its a MB so be prepared to spend more money then you would think. Thats just MB for you. But regardless i would take one any day!

 

mb's reliability sux! and i don't think it's worth $54,620.00. i would rather get parts for my tsx with that $$$...

 

I never had a problem with my C32. That being said, I have read alot of people having problems with the new SLK and E. The only problem that my dad has run into with his AMG is that the 2nd battery in the trunk was getting low (it runs the hard top and security system). The C55 shouldn't have hardly any problems because it is basically the same car as the 32 but with really minimal changes except for the engine, front end, exhaust, and some interior modifications.

IMO the C55 is a much better car than my old C32. It feels a lot stiffer and is a hell of a lot faster. Is it worth 55,000, I think it is but some people have to decide for themselves. I tested it against the S4 and M3 and I would still say overall my favorite was the M3, the price was too much to pass up.

If you decide to get one, dealers are dealing on the car. There have been plenty of people who bought it at anywhere between 2,000-3,000 off sticker.

 

I've had two problems with my c32, one of which was due to my modding (threw fault codes due to disconnection of battery). The other was a squeaking sway bar linkage.

The C55 is a solid car, interior imho is much better than my c32. Shifts are a little quicker and it feels fast due to the increase in torque. If I was going to drop $55k, I would get the SLK55. Faster, lighter, and handles better.

 

I haven't rode in a C55 however I did ride in a C32 in a autocross track.(I SCCA i told him I'd take him for a ride in my CRX si if he'd take me for a ride in his C32) but it was quick and very impressive. Would I own one? Probably not. due to on other boards i've heard a lot of electronic problems. I'd go with either a new RL(which is bigger yes but you gain AWD but you lose HP). To me for a family sedan the C32 was to small for me(but i'm 6 ft 3 and 240 lbs) so the RL would be a good combination of size and speed/handling.)Keep in mind you can get a RL with the A spec option(for whatever that's worth ) loaded for the starting price of a C55

 

Yours too (re: sway bar) ??? It took 3 trips to 2 different dealerships to figure out where that stupid squeaking was coming from. My bro's C32 is riddled with problems ranging from the 'return to workshop' / 'check engine' light, main computer failure, ABS sensor needing replacement ... sigh. The C32 has such great potential but my bro fears it will fail on him. He's gonna unload this car before the warranty runs out, that's for sure!

Good luck with your respective C32's. Hope they last.

But going back on-topic ... C55? Sounds like a great idea. Hope they improved on the C32...

 

The new C55 is a great car. My dealer let me test drive (flog) one for kicks while I was waiting for my SLK to arrive and I loved it. You would think that having the heavier V8 up front would compromise handling but it actually feels like it has better dynamics near the limit than the C32, though I admit I haven't spent too much time behind the wheel of that car either. It is so good that it crossed my mind to trade my S4 in for one but didn't only because I wanted to have at least one manual tranny operated car in the garage. Nothing like a V8 in a small sedan... and with 5.4 liters, that C packs many cans of whoop-ass.

Although MB's have developed a nasty reputation for reliability in the last few years, it seems to me that their '05 new and revamped models have taken a turn for the better. You can also blame most of the reliability issues on MB's worst built and ironically best-selling car, the ML class. But even that is about to be replaced by an improved unibody model which MB promises to fix problems the prior model had. MB knows their reliability has gone to sh!t and has even issued a call to arms to all employees and execs with the ultimatum that MB quality and reliability must improve fast with the fierce competition in the market. The updates on the '05 C-Class for the example are a marked improvement in quality of materials and seemingly build. Same goes for the new SLK and CLS models and I'm sure updates to the other models for '05 have followed the same trend except for the ML and S class which are soon to be replaced.

I've had my '05 SLK since December and it has been flawless (knock on wood). There have been some issues reported on the MB forums about defective trim pieces on the varioroof among other things but I've been lucky. The interior is top-notch, everything works flawlessly and I am very pleased with my first benz even after having my doubts on buying one to begin with knowing what I might be getting in to. I've always been an Audi person but this favorable initial ownership experience will easily keep MB in the radar for future car purchases.

 

Fit and finsh Never rode in one, but have gawked at a few, namely a red one