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OP
OP
I think Lee hit the nail on the head.
It's not the power and performance (as above - if I am looking at a Maser, that does drama but is the same performance as my CL!).
I suspect the Maser will provide the fresh direction. I've not done proper supercar, if you can call it that although this is the closest I will ever get to buying one!, and that flat plane crank sound is mind-blowing to me.
Couple that with the looks - I cannot fault it.
Yes it's a fat old Fiat but I remember how I felt when they first came out and I knew then it was always going to be on the want list but I never really thought I'd actually get one.
However, my attitude to life has changed in the last two years for obvious reasons...
If I make it to 80, I want to sit back and remember the GT I bought and enjoyed for however long, not be wondering what it would have been like!!!
I know the E55 did something similar and I would do it all again if I had to live my life over. Although I would probably cut out some of the other cars I bought, bought a newer example and had it for longer / modified it sooner! That's the beauty of hindsight though eh.
It's not the power and performance (as above - if I am looking at a Maser, that does drama but is the same performance as my CL!).
I suspect the Maser will provide the fresh direction. I've not done proper supercar, if you can call it that although this is the closest I will ever get to buying one!, and that flat plane crank sound is mind-blowing to me.
Couple that with the looks - I cannot fault it.
Yes it's a fat old Fiat but I remember how I felt when they first came out and I knew then it was always going to be on the want list but I never really thought I'd actually get one.
However, my attitude to life has changed in the last two years for obvious reasons...
If I make it to 80, I want to sit back and remember the GT I bought and enjoyed for however long, not be wondering what it would have been like!!!
I know the E55 did something similar and I would do it all again if I had to live my life over. Although I would probably cut out some of the other cars I bought, bought a newer example and had it for longer / modified it sooner! That's the beauty of hindsight though eh.
OP
OP
I call rari's Fiats as well though.
No point in dressing it up!
Italians do style well though... I'm connected to the fashion industry (via IT!) and they are mostly Italian design houses.
Perhaps it's brushed off on me.
- Joined
- May 17, 2010
- Messages
- 3,557
- Car
- S65, CLK5.6TT (WIP) & RRS 5.0 SC
Newer is better. In standard form E63S has more than 100 bhp over E55. Superchargers have all the drama though. The bigger they are, the more of it there.
One car that I still have fond memories of is a 216 65. Maybe 216 63 is what it should have been John?
CLS63 biturbo..........just bought one and can't wait to pick it up when I get back off holiday.....
Jules
Jules
OP
OP
I remember the time I first saw the black CL65 on an 04 plate on Top Gear (where it is wheel-spinning in the mud and Clarkson is holding it back with one finger) - what a car...
However, over the years, I've learnt more about what I do and don't like and the feelings about it have diluted out. So whilst I think a 216 CL65 is one of the greatest AMGs, the urge to run one myself has gone. Maybe part of it is having the E55K which is pretty close to the same power of a standard CL, albeit with less weight.
I prefer something more agile but not too agile! The Caterham was definitely the best car on the Palmersport day for me, but I couldn't live with one day to day.
I think I am of a like mind to AMGBlack here and if I stay with MB, that direction is probably what would work for me too.
However, switching to a Maser GT is my favoured option because I've already done the "fast E AMG saloon" thing (of which the E55K is such an amazing car).
I don't feel another Merc would improve on my E55K enough to warrant the spending of cash whereas going for something completely leftfield brings back the enthusiasm I've lost at the moment.
- Joined
- May 17, 2010
- Messages
- 3,557
- Car
- S65, CLK5.6TT (WIP) & RRS 5.0 SC
AMG has that ability to look ordinary and common yet be so exciting to drive. And it's still a Mercedes not a boutique brand so parts are readily available and don't cost the earth. How's Maserati running costs?
OP
OP
Yes - I must admit, my CL on full thrust gives you an insight into how the E63 5.5 must be - but that's not what it is about any more.
I don't think anyone would take on a CL65 thinking it will be cheap to run!
The costs I've looked into seem quite reasonable to me. Hard to quantify of course until you run one and see but the quoted maintenance figure is between £1500 > £2500 per year. This is subject to mileage of course and at what stage in it's life you buy one.
I would buy one with a ZF 6 speed auto gearbox and the Ferrari block is strong.
The Maserati ancillaries are not cheap but overall they are quite reliable cars.
I think the shocks on the front with Skyhook are something like £1600.
On the E55K, Acid quoted me similar money.
So it's not like the Maser will be a killer.
Keep the mileage lowish and the depreciation wont be there either.
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2005
- Messages
- 7,505
- Location
- Weybridge. U.K
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- 500L ( W221 ), 2014 AMG CL 5.5 Biturbo ( W216 ) Sold, 2014 Brabus Smart ( 451 Coupe ) Mapped 130bhp
Have you driven the 216 biturbo ?
Sounds like you have your heat set on a Maserati, I actively looked at the Granturismo whilst searching for a CLS63 and there are some beauties out there. Beautiful cars, unlikely to depreciate that much and sound amazing.....go for it.
D
Deleted member 37751
Guest
I've been through this so many times over the past few years with Maserati and in the end you just have to take the plunge; yes they will possibly cost more to run £ for £ than an AMG or the like but owning one really is a joy, and as a petrolhead you simply have to try it. And even if my QP had turned out to be unreliable I wouldn't have cared one bit, sounds ridiculous when I say that out loud, but it's true; things like an old dude coming for a chat about it, he'd always loved them as a boy, you could see the enthusiasm in his face, so I gave him the keys and let him have a spin and it made his day.
During my (extensive) research I also found that pretty much everyone that slagged them off could only regurgitate third hand tales of woe, and those who were owners were rather pragmatic about the cost of ownership, a cost that, compared to my ownership, wouldn't be a million miles from an E55K with its SBC and air suspension etc etc just look at how much Gav has spent on his...
During my (extensive) research I also found that pretty much everyone that slagged them off could only regurgitate third hand tales of woe, and those who were owners were rather pragmatic about the cost of ownership, a cost that, compared to my ownership, wouldn't be a million miles from an E55K with its SBC and air suspension etc etc just look at how much Gav has spent on his...
OP
OP
I haven't but I don't really have a desire to either if I am honest - I don't want the outright performance any more.
Whereas 2 years ago, I was on course for buying a Nissan GT-R and running it up to 700/800BHP, I have absolutely no interest in doing that whatsoever now.
I am sensing that not everyone who's responded really gets where I am coming from - and I really understand that because I've been the same before myself.
I think so - and I think this is the bottom line here. My heart is not really in AMG Mercs (or even non-AMG Mercs) anymore or at least right now anyway.
I had something similar with BMW a few moons back. I would now only consider one as a practical option.
I've said it before and even in the time since - I've not looked back once at my E55 and wished I still had it. I wonder how the new guy is getting on with it when something jogs my memory but other than that - it's part of my past.
Ever since the MGT came out, I just loved the looks and sound but never really considered one. I am at the stage where I really "get them" now and I think that is where my heart is.
This is it really.
I did add up what I'd spent on the E55 over 5.5 years and it was heavy teens so even though I know the Maser will be more, I bet good money there difference is not enormous in the real world. But, for what I get back out of it, money well spent I feel!
I never begrudged spending any money on the E55, and even though I tried to get the best prices with bigger stuff, I was happy to spend out on it when it needed. It will be the same with the Maser too...
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2005
- Messages
- 7,505
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- Weybridge. U.K
- Car
- 500L ( W221 ), 2014 AMG CL 5.5 Biturbo ( W216 ) Sold, 2014 Brabus Smart ( 451 Coupe ) Mapped 130bhp
You say you don't want outright performance any more ??
Isn't the MGT exactly that, even more so ??
Isn't the MGT exactly that, even more so ??
OP
OP
No, not at all.
It's quite the opposite actually. It's a heavy car with only 440BHP (heavier than the E55K).
My car is 435BHP and 2070kg - so it is in a similar bracket.
Alright, it's not slow but outright performance to me means stuff starting with a 7 or more.
I had a nearly new CL500 just over 2k on the clock, had almost every extra on it. But as much as I liked it, wonderful car, after a while it just got a bit boring to drive so I thought about having one last fling and bought the current car. Now I think I might of made a bit of a ric and quite miss it tbh.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2007
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- 8,228
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- Volvo V90 D5 AWD
What's a ric?
Red C220
MB Enthusiast
I am sensing that not everyone who's responded really gets where I am coming from - and I really understand that because I've been the same before myself.
I know exactly where you're coming from. I'm there and have been for a while.
It's why an S6 and not an RS6 appeals to me. It's why I bought an SL400 not a 500 or AMG version.
I look at supercars and think, that'd be nice for about 20 minutes on a racetrack and then I'd want to hand it back.
I am looking at something a bit different at the moment as you know, I've made offers on two so far and I've not quite been able to strike a deal but they are an oddity and there aren't many of them and it could take a year to find the right one.
The problem with finding a CL a bit dull is where exactly do you go? It has to be a something a bit left field, which is kind of where I am at the moment.
I don't want another German Eurobox, I want something a bit different, but a bit different generally means Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche or something completely daft and italian.
How about a Porsche Panamera?
Porsche Panamera 4.8 V8 4S AWD 5dr
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