Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Ever feel like you are having car déjà vu? If you are like me, it happens from time to time. A car that you recognize, but maybe can’t place it or isn’t sure if it was the same model. When I saw this car, a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC, it took me about 30 seconds to remember the story on it. However, the story does not get any better.
It feels like the W211 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG is flying under the radar a little. Well, at least for now. Maybe it’s their subtle looks or lack of screaming exhaust note, but then again, that was the entire point when this car was new. Keep in mind, this was right when the horsepower wars started between Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, which ultimately prompted V10s in both the E60 M5 and C6 S6. Looking back now, the E60 M5 is basically considered radioactive in terms of reliability, and people seem not to want to sign up for an aging Lamborghini-esque V10 that requires carbon cleaning and new intake flaps every so often. That leaves the E55, the car with a big supercharger on it, as the most reasonable example to own out of the three. I think we set the bar pretty low here.
No, that letter ‘K’ in the title wasn’t a careless keystroke that I’ve been know to make. It is the understanding of the decimal unit prefix in the metric system denoting multiplication by one thousand. In layman’s terms, this 911 has 376,000 miles. To make it even more interesting, this particular 1986 Porsche 911 was optioned with the M491 code, which means “a sheep in wolf’s clothing”. Okay not exactly, but it denotes the car has the body of a 930 Turbo, but engine remains the standard 3.2L flat-six. You’d think this car has 37,000 miles by looking at it, and the owner must think so too as it sure is priced like it is.
Where have you gone, 911 R? In terms of value, of course. The most heavily speculated Porsche 911 in a long time had a wild ride of instant value rise up to $600,000 and sometimes $700,000, only for it to crash and burn after Porsche announced a GT3 Touring with a 6-speed manual. Suddenly, we were seeing sale prices on 500-mile cars for only $35,000 over sticker, not $350,000. Still, there are few enough 911 R examples out there that dealers can collude to keep prices high, until a private owner needs money and decides making $50,000 for doing nothing is good enough. Today’s example, a car with 2,000 miles up for sale in Florida, still has a giant asking price.
The Mercedes-Benz C216 chassis isn’t exactly aging well. This design was certainly considered modern at the time of it’s launch in late 2006, but now almost 15 years later, it is a bit uninspiring. Yes, the AMG cars look a little better, but this is a giant blob of a car in my opinion. Inside the cabin, you had a small glimpse into the future. It has a nearly full digital display that could be configured in a number of ways. This was impressive in 2006 and just now the technology is trickling down the regular cars of the world. Still, the party tricks are few and far between on this chassis and the repair bills have the potential to be many.
Today, I happen to come across a 2009 CL550 up for sale in Arizona that has an extraordinary amount of miles, and as a result, an over a $100,000 discount off the sticker price. Would you?
