C55 AMG value ??

[Halftimebovril]

Hi all, there’s two C55’s up at the moment.
A coupe at 8k with 77k on it
And an estate at 18k with 57k on it
Anyone offer an opinion on the real value of these things. I know the value is ‘what a willing buyer is prepared to pay”
But how much is too much??

 

[WilliamMaldivess211]

Is the 8k one the black one? I think in the description it has engine trouble - lumpy or something.

 

[Jobsworth]

Estates are quite rare. I think officially there were 55 original UK cars. I had one. There are a few more Japanese grey imports about now too. They are great cars. Very reliable. Galvanised body, so much more rust resistant than the pre facelift 203 chassis. Rear subframes can rust. Engine and transmission very tough. Rare, but primary catalyst can break up and get sucked back in, causing bore scoring. Heavy oil consumption first clue. Are they worth £18k? Probably not. I sold mine some years back with 90,000 miles for £12k. I thought I did well. They never seem to be loved that much, which is a shame because they are great cars. They were always the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Very much in the original AMG ethos of “wear a dark suit, carry a big stick”. These days people like the car to shout more. I have always loved the Q car personally.

 

[Petrol Pete]

What he said ...but I do question the bit about the body being galvanised , or at least galvanised properly . I know its difficult to mess galvanising up and MB have stated that all cars after a certain date were galvanised but that does not stop in my experience them rusting , possibly due to poor preparation before the process starts.

W/S 203's are very well known for rusting on the rear arch , so much so that pre formed weld in panels are available , but it does seem a bit hit and miss (bit like W204 subframes) . My own 156K C55 is showing signs of decay in this area in my opinion mainly due to the wheel arch lip not being cleaned out often enough ...but which 'normal' owner does that ? the estate tailgate is also problematic . The rot starts well hidden behind the plastic number plate plate , once bubbling is spotted where the plastic part meets the metal it is already far gone .

Again (IMHO) it's due to bad design and poor choice of materials . Basically salty road water gets between the metal and the plastic , its held there by the soft foam like gasket on the 2 number plate lamps , rubber gaskets might have been a better plan but I digress.

The ones you are looking at will probably be in good condition but these areas should be inspected .

I do virtually all of my own maintenance , the 16 spark plugs are fun to do as is the Crank position sensor . It is a very 'analogue' car and in my opinion better for it , especially if you know your way around a toolbox.

I have had mine for around 9 years now , it lives outside and is pretty much a daily driver.

Personally I prefer the look and experience of the Estate , OP , You say one of the cars is a C55 coupe ? they never made a C55 203 coupe .

A Japanese import will almost definitely be rust free.

This image is of excessive rust on a 203 but this is where you should look to see if there is any paint bubbling here and on the top of the rear arch.

 

[philnewmerc]

They're very tricky to value, because 1) there's hardly anyone who wants one so obviously that brings the value down and 2) the tiny number that do want one are fanatics and will pay a bit more! I sold a 80k mile CLS55 in good condition for just over £9k, after waiting for months for a serious buyer (and I bought it for a similar amount). If you track the ones for sale you'll notice they stay for sale for months and very often over a year. You could try searching eBay using the 'sold' filter to see what old AMGs have actually sold for and that might give you a clue. But generally I'd say a good honest one with a handful of minor issues is a sub £10k car. And pre-roughly 2005 mercs rust. Peak rust probably being late 1990s early 2000s. It is extremely difficult to fix as the metal is so prone to it.

Top tip is to use the AT Price Tracker add-on for google and you can then see how long the car has been for sale and how much it has dropped in price - lots of drops ofver months may indicate the owner is now ready for a sensible offer and not the extra £8k over real value they're asking due to all the ££££ they poured on top it!

 

[philnewmerc]

Meant to say "and not the extra £8k over real value they're asking due to all the ££££ they poured into it"
Damn you autocorrect

 

[Halftimebovril]

Is the 8k one the black one? I think in the description it has engine trouble - lumpy or something.

It is yes, I couldn’t see anything in the description re this. But only one key

 

[Halftimebovril]

What he said ...but I do question the bit about the body being galvanised , or at least galvanised properly . I know its difficult to mess galvanising up and MB have stated that all cars after a certain date were galvanised but that does not stop in my experience them rusting , possibly due to poor preparation before the process starts.

W/S 203's are very well known for rusting on the rear arch , so much so that pre formed weld in panels are available , but it does seem a bit hit and miss (bit like W204 subframes) . My own 156K C55 is showing signs of decay in this area in my opinion mainly due to the wheel arch lip not being cleaned out often enough ...but which 'normal' owner does that ? the estate tailgate is also problematic . The rot starts well hidden behind the plastic number plate plate , once bubbling is spotted where the plastic part meets the metal it is already far gone .

Again (IMHO) it's due to bad design and poor choice of materials . Basically salty road water gets between the metal and the plastic , its held there by the soft foam like gasket on the 2 number plate lamps , rubber gaskets might have been a better plan but I digress.

The ones you are looking at will probably be in good condition but these areas should be inspected .

I do virtually all of my own maintenance , the 16 spark plugs are fun to do as is the Crank position sensor . It is a very 'analogue' car and in my opinion better for it , especially if you know your way around a toolbox.

I have had mine for around 9 years now , it lives outside and is pretty much a daily driver.

Personally I prefer the look and experience of the Estate , OP , You say one of the cars is a C55 coupe ? they never made a C55 203 coupe .

A Japanese import will almost definitely be rust free.

This image is of excessive rust on a 203 but this is where you should look to see if there is any paint bubbling here and on the top of the rear arch.

View attachment 172263

Sorry yes not a coupe but saloon.
A really helpful reply thank you.

 

[Halftimebovril]

They're very tricky to value, because 1) there's hardly anyone who wants one so obviously that brings the value down and 2) the tiny number that do want one are fanatics and will pay a bit more! I sold a 80k mile CLS55 in good condition for just over £9k, after waiting for months for a serious buyer (and I bought it for a similar amount). If you track the ones for sale you'll notice they stay for sale for months and very often over a year. You could try searching eBay using the 'sold' filter to see what old AMGs have actually sold for and that might give you a clue. But generally I'd say a good honest one with a handful of minor issues is a sub £10k car. And pre-roughly 2005 mercs rust. Peak rust probably being late 1990s early 2000s. It is extremely difficult to fix as the metal is so prone to it.

Top tip is to use the AT Price Tracker add-on for google and you can then see how long the car has been for sale and how much it has dropped in price - lots of drops ofver months may indicate the owner is now ready for a sensible offer and not the extra £8k over real value they're asking due to all the ££££ they poured on top it!

Thank you - I’ll try that

 

[WilliamMaldivess211]

It is yes, I couldn’t see anything in the description re this. But only one key

Tbh I think both the cars you referred to in your original post may be slightly over priced. I tend to use car and classic auction results to gauge what a car is really worth in the uk (it shows what people are actually willing to pay) and the 4 they have sold were all around the 8-9k and I don’t think had over 100k miles. So for the one with the engine trouble that seems like the right price for a sorted car. And the low mileage estate will potentially sit around for longer if asking that high price. But as you said cars are worth what people are willing to pay!

 

[Sam87]

I thought I should comment here as I recently sold my C55 AMG.

I hate talking about money but in this case it would be useful information regarding the values of these cars.

I put my car up for sale for £15995 and the car sold for £15500. First person that came to see the car bought it.

It was a 2007 UK model with 51k on the clock.

I did do a lot of work to the car and even though it was a very good car when I bought it, by the time I finished with it, it was in showroom condition.

The way I see things with rare cars is that the owners should be able to dictate the market [ there were five C55 AMG's for sale at the time I put my car for sale ].
I understand that it's one thing pricing up your car and a completely different thing to what a car actually sells for.
My car should be used as an example for the C55's that if a car is as good as described, there are buyers out there that would pay strong money, especially if it's a low mileage car.

This was the car for those that haven't seen it

 

[philnewmerc]

Beautiful car. Sounds like a bargain for the condition. However, that's an exception though. Yours was a keeper, something that if used sparingly will not loose value, maybe even go up. Most are a bit ropey in some way imho.
Most are more miles, a few more dings and rust bubbles, and are to be used regularly... in which case they're going to loose value.
I suppose what did my head in was all the calls along the lines of (bear in mind I wanted about £10k and mine was fairly low miles, good service history, though far from mint, but described accurately):
is it mint?
is it full MBSH?
is it completely rust free?
Will you meet me at the airport as I live in [somewhere 400 miles away]
And will you take £4k for cash?

Holy moly I thought it'd never sell. maybe the CLS is not that popular? I can see a smaller car and an estate both being more attractive (as they always are I suppose).

 

[Sam87]

Beautiful car. Sounds like a bargain for the condition. However, that's an exception though. Yours was a keeper, something that if used sparingly will not loose value, maybe even go up. Most are a bit ropey in some way imho.
Most are more miles, a few more dings and rust bubbles, and are to be used regularly... in which case they're going to loose value.
I suppose what did my head in was all the calls along the lines of (bear in mind I wanted about £10k and mine was fairly low miles, good service history, though far from mint, but described accurately):
is it mint?
is it full MBSH?
is it completely rust free?
Will you meet me at the airport as I live in [somewhere 400 miles away]
And will you take £4k for cash?

Holy moly I thought it'd never sell. maybe the CLS is not that popular? I can see a smaller car and an estate both being more attractive (as they always are I suppose).

The new buyer did say it’s a keeper and will only be used as a summer car.
Interestingly, he was thinking of getting either a C55 or an e46 M3 but after viewing a few e46 M3’s, he decided to get the C55.
I owned three e46 M3’s and they are great cars but the C55 really is one of those cars that most people have no clue about and some people like that.

Since I’ve sold mine, there has been two more C55’s with a bit more miles come up for sale for just under £16k. Maybe they saw that my car sold and now want to see if they can also sell them for similar money?

I think now is a great time to get a CLS55 AMG as they are such great cars, I can’t believe how such a machine can be had for less than £10k!
They have aged so well and even today, they are very very fast cars compare to what’s out there.

I’ve been in the market for a Designo E55 AMG and I was tempted to go for this one as it had low miles and good colour but I’d prefer a Designo Chromaflair colour.

The E55 that just sold

2006 Mercedes-Benz (W211) E55 AMG for sale by auction in Holywell Lake, Somerset, United Kingdom

collectingcars.com

The colour I would want the E55

2006 MERCEDES-BENZ (C219) CLS 55 AMG for sale by auction in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

A distinctively specified example of the potent yet refined high-performance four-door coupe.

collectingcars.com

Again, imo, this sold very cheap for what it is

 

[Jukie]

The new buyer did say it’s a keeper and will only be used as a summer car.
Interestingly, he was thinking of getting either a C55 or an e46 M3 but after viewing a few e46 M3’s, he decided to get the C55.
I owned three e46 M3’s and they are great cars but the C55 really is one of those cars that most people have no clue about and some people like that.

Since I’ve sold mine, there has been two more C55’s with a bit more miles come up for sale for just under £16k. Maybe they saw that my car sold and now want to see if they can also sell them for similar money?

I think now is a great time to get a CLS55 AMG as they are such great cars, I can’t believe how such a machine can be had for less than £10k!
They have aged so well and even today, they are very very fast cars compare to what’s out there.

I’ve been in the market for a Designo E55 AMG and I was tempted to go for this one as it had low miles and good colour but I’d prefer a Designo Chromaflair colour.

The E55 that just sold

2006 Mercedes-Benz (W211) E55 AMG for sale by auction in Holywell Lake, Somerset, United Kingdom

collectingcars.com

The colour I would want the E55

2006 MERCEDES-BENZ (C219) CLS 55 AMG for sale by auction in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

A distinctively specified example of the potent yet refined high-performance four-door coupe.

collectingcars.com

Again, imo, this sold very cheap for what it is

That CLS is gorgeous. I've always been a fan of the original C219. Such lovely lines.

 

[philnewmerc]

That CLS is gorgeous. I've always been a fan of the original C219. Such lovely lines.

Am probably biased but I think its the best looking MB ever...
Mine still had rusty arches that needed the liners taking out and treating - ffs ! (At the time there was a 30 year old (bought from new) R5 on my street that had never been washed and was rust free. Odd.