Tag: 2005

2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

  By

The last 996 Turbo S I featured turned out to be from a seller that we all weren’t too happy with. The pictures weren’t great and the price was way too high. That’s a bad combination of attributes. So let’s try again with one that certainly presents a lot better and from a seller that on the surface seems to be of a higher caliber. I can’t speak to price since it isn’t listed on the seller’s website, but my hope is that this reserve auction will shed plenty of light on where the market currently is valuing the Turbo S Coupe. I’ve seen a few more come up for sale in recent months compared to past years, and there were never many of these, so the time to pounce may be near.

Here we have a Slate Grey Metallic 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe, located in California, with Black leather interior, a 6-speed manual, and 31,437 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe on eBay

Continue reading

2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

  By

Last week I featured this Cobalt Blue 996TT. I said in the post, and most of you agreed, that even with its rare and eye-catching color the price was too high given its mileage. Some of you thought it was way too high. Much of the problem is that it’s a Turbo without the X50 performance package, but priced like a Turbo with the X50 performance package. If you’re looking for performance value, you might as well maximize the performance side of that equation, right?

Another similar comparison is with the car we see here: an Atlas Grey Metallic 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe, located in Delaware, with Grey natural leather interior and 29,700 miles on it. Outside of its single-year production there isn’t too much difference between a Turbo S and an X50-equipped Turbo. While the comparison with the Cobalt Blue Turbo isn’t really direct given this Turbo’s much lower mileage it still makes for an interesting point to consider. And, of course, it is also interesting enough in its own right given how rarely we see a Turbo S Coupe come up for sale.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe on eBay

Continue reading

2005 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG Limousine

  By ,

Last week I checked out a really cool short wheel base right hand drive G500 in the UK and explained that you can basically have a G-Wagen any way you want it. Well, today’s G is another way get your kicks and if you haven’t noticed, this one is quite a bit longer than the last G I checked out. This is a 2005 G55 AMG that has been stretched and of course, updated with the G63 bumpers, wheels and badges that seems to be all the rage now. The stretching sadly wasn’t a factory job and because of that I’m going to stop short of calling it a true Pullman and instead go with the more tradition term of limousine. Although this stretching job looks really well done, I do have a couple of questions and one big red flag.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG Limousine on eBay

Continue reading

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe

  By

There are good and bad ways to sell a car. You can provide a wide array of pictures under different lighting and from different angles utilizing shots taken from a distance and detail shots close up. You can show all of the body panels, the full interior, and while not always useful a shot of the engine never hurts. The ad text could follow a similar tack: details on the model, history, and available documentation. There’s no need to go overboard, but you put yourself in the buyer’s position and provide the answers to the questions you’d expect to ask were you buying the car.

Or, you can take a seemingly random array of photos under poor lighting and provide only the barest details in the ad. This seller has chosen the latter course for the photos and a mix of the two for the ad text. So it definitely could be less informative, but from a picture perspective there’s a lot to be desired here. But we shall persevere because the point of this 911 is the exterior color and that we get to see: Mexico Blue.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe on eBay

Continue reading

2005 Porsche 911 GT3

  By

I wouldn’t necessarily have considered a white 911 GT3 to be one that would appeal much to me, but here I am with my second consecutive feature (third consecutive if we count the 996 GT3 RS). Of course, given unlimited options I doubt white is what I’d go for myself, but still I do think it’s a color that looks quite good on these cars. White and black are similar in the sense that both colors can look great when kept very clean. Allow them to dirty and, well, they just look unkempt and uncared for. So a clean one is nice to see. On the GT3 white gives it that wolf in sheep’s clothing look. I’ll admit that I do like the look better on the 997 than the 996, but still the one we see here, a 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 with just 24,100 miles on it, looks good.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 on eBay

Continue reading

2005 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG

  By ,

As misunderstood and misused as they are, I love the G-Wagen. What started as a utilitarian military vehicle has now evolved into pieces of sheer opulence. One of those early examples of that decadence was the G55 AMG. Mercedes and AMG were throwing the supercharged M113 engine into anything with a Mercedes badge and, common sense be damned, they put it in the G-Wagen. At almost 470 hp and even crazier 516 ft·lb of torque, this G hits 60 mph in about 5.5 seconds. A mere 5.5 seconds in something that weighs over 5,500 pounds. Thank goodness for AMG brakes that come in the package, too!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG on eBay

Year: 2005
Model: G55 AMG
Engine: 5.4 liter supercharged V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 95,775 mi
Price: $42,999 Buy It Now

 

Model: 2005 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Horsepower: 469 hp
Towing capacity: 7,000 lbs
Curb weight: 5,540 lbs
MPG: 12 city / 14 highway
Engine: 5.4 L V8
Torque: 516 lb-ft
Dimensions: 186″ L x 71-73″ W x 78″ H

First off, what a great use of the DVD function in the aftermarket headunit to show a scene with George Costanza in Seinfeld while shooting the photos for this G. I think the seller knew exactly what they were doing and had a little chuckle doing so. Speaking of the photos, these are outstanding. But they are basically all for naught when you write zero description in your listing. Seriously, this listing tells me nothing about what is going on with this G55. You spend the time and effort to go shoot all these photos and follow it up with nothing. This looks like a great W463, but I can’t assume that. I realize that if you are really serious you pick up the phone to call the seller to really dig into what this thing is all about, but it drives me nuts the lack of effort to sell something this expensive. The only thing a littler odd is the black rear tire cover, which isn’t factory. The correct matching cover is only a $200 part, so it is a little odd to keep the black.

How expensive? $42,995. To me, that is a really fair price for what looks like a real winner. The G55 is a rare beast and I generally prefer the M113K paired with the 722.6 5-speed automatic transmission as a proven combination over the later models. Like every G, the residuals are unmatched in the luxury SUV segment and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Yes, the market will soften over time as more and more of these make their way onto the used market, but I think demand for these will almost always be greater than the supply. Maybe it’s just my own terms of justification on this, but I feel like when you sink money into a G, it’s not like you are throwing it down the hole never to be seen again. I don’t mean putting 24 inch wheels on them, I mean spending the money on proper maintenance and repairs. You can buy one of these and drive it for a few years then turn around and sell it without losing five-figures in deprecation. And if you need one that has 470 horsepower, well go right ahead.

– Andrew

2005 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG

  By ,

About a year ago I checked out the Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG and explained that the this car is one of those ”best of the worst” scenarios. In my opinion, the W203 was a pretty terrible product overall for someone like Mercedes to produce and owning one when you have so many other options just doesn’t add up for me. But like anything, when the price gets cheap enough, when does pulling the trigger on one actually make sense? In reality, buying an older, used German car never really makes all that much sense in the big picture, but we all justify our purchases one way or another. But I’ve found 2005 for sale in Florida which is actually cheap enough that it is probably going to make a lot of people consider picking this one up.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG on eBay

Year: 2005
Model: C55 AMG
Engine: 5.4 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 129,400 mi
Price: $7,495 Buy It Now


Up for sale is my 2005, Mercedes AMG C55 with 129K original miles, silver with black interior. 5.4L V8 engine pushing 370hp and 370tq. I have every receipt for any work or maintenance that was done to the car since I have owned it. Very fast car that will put a smile on your face every time you get on the throttle.The car comes equipped with every option including the Harmon Kardon sound system, NAVIGATION, heated front seats, memory front seats, turn signal mirrors, 6 disc CD changer, interior lighting, flood lights, xenon lights, front and rear automatic windows, privacy screen, tinted windows and 2 piece 18″ C55 AMG wheels.The car has been garage kept and the interior and exterior looks like new. The Leather and suede still smells like new. Only reason why I am selling it because I need a truck or SUV. Please send me a message for more details.Located in Coral Gables, FL. Asking price is $7,495.00

This W203 looks really fresh for almost 130,000 miles. I’m sure it being a Florida car had a lot to do with this, but you’d be surprised how little it takes to make a W203 look like garbage. The interior still fresh, the exterior doesn’t have anything odd going on and the giant plastic engine cover on the M113 V8 even looks well taken care of. The seller doesn’t say anything about maintenance records but honestly the drive train in these cars are pretty stout with the M113 paired to the 722.6 gearbox. The only thing that can get kind of pricey with these are the brakes and rotors as they are quiet large and carry the AMG tax, but outside of that and some super specific body panels just for the C55, there isn’t a lot to sweat about these cars.

So how cheap it is? A cool $7,500. Just to compare, the C55 I looked at last year was $4,300 more despite only having 10,000 less miles on it. These seem to be hovering right around the $10,000 range for a decent one with an average amount of miles on them. I don’t know how much more deprecation these will take on but I’d imagine they’ll end up like their older AMG siblings and not get any cheaper than the $7,000-8,000 range unless they are really beat up. Will these ever become collectible? Maybe in a number of years, but I don’t think people will be seeking them out like they do a 190E 16v or 500E. There is a long list of cars I’d spend money on before W203 C55, but if the right one came along at a crazy price, I’d think about it.

– Andrew

2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG

  By ,

Lots of times I ponder how cheap a car has to be for me to put up the maintenance and inevitable repairs. Weigh the amount of enjoyment you will receive vs. the purchase price plus maintenance and repairs. Sometimes the formula is pretty simple with cheaper cars. But once you start looking at more expensive cars, the math can get pretty tricky. Today’s featured car, the infamous Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG, is going to have you thinking long and hard about considering how cheap these are becoming.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG on eBay

Year: 2005
Model: CL65 AMG
Engine: 6.0 liter twin-turbocharged V12
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 104,873 mi
Price: $17,495 Buy It Now

2005 Mercedes CL65 AMG is up for sale. No accidents, Personal car.

Has every available option: Adaptive cruise cruise control (Distronic Plus), Parktronic sensors, Soft close doors, Heated/ ventilated/ massage seats. Keyless entry/ Keyless start.

105K miles. Has been serviced regularly. Excellent condition, needs nothing. Engine, transmission, suspension were recently checked, no any problems found, passed all tests.

 

Engine checked
Exterior lights checked
Fluids checked
Four wheel alignment performed Fuel filter replaced
Instrument cluster checked Maintenance reminder reset
Engine oil and filter changed
Parking brake system checked
Power steering checked
Power steering fluid flushed/changed
Steering/suspension checked

Almost new set of tires.

Will help with delivery. My friend owes shipping company. Around $400 to FL, Texas, Ohio

We all know the backstory about the CL65 AMG and the rest of M275 AMG engine family. This monster checks in at 603 hp and 738 lb·ft of torque that even now 12 years later is crazy for a car that is as docile as any regular car. Of course, all this power comes with massive maintenance and repair bills. The W215 chassis even without the AMG madness is enough to scare most people away with ABC issues, body corrosion, gauge cluster failures, broken door wiring and the list goes on and on. But when do these get so cheap that it’s actually worth rolling the dice on?

This 2005 for sale in Delaware, which the seller says has a clean bill of health, is for sale at $17,495. Just to remind everyone, the MSRP on this car was over $180,000. We’ve seen crazy depreciation before, but most don’t have enough torque pull a house off its foundation while receiving a gentle massage in the driver’s seat. I’m really curious to see where the price floor on these really end up. Surely these can’t continue to fall even further, right? This is super car performance for Honda Fit prices. One thing to remember with almost all the modern AMG cars is that they really can’t be harvested for parts. Sure, you can pull body panels and interior parts for other cars, but anything mechanical is coded to the specific car. You aren’t going to see someone grab an engine and throw it into another car like it’s a LSx that is so commonly done. I don’t know if this specifically will affect values in the long run, but it’s something to think about. But I have to keep asking, if these things fall to $10,000, is it finally worth it? Or are these forever in the “you couldn’t give me one of these for free” club?

– Andrew

2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI

  By

The W211 E320 CDI has quickly become one of the most desirable cars Mercedes-Benz has produced in the last 15 years or so. These are being dubbed as the modern replacement for all the Mercedes diesel lovers who have had enough of working on their W123 or W126 chassis and want modern technology like active seats, Xenon headlights and things like oh, you know, working air conditioning. What these cars boil down to is an inline-6 turbo diesel engine that doesn’t need DEF and will return you a consistent 35 mpg (or more) with any major issues. It’s paired up to the stout 722.6 gearbox like everything else from this era and is a transmission that is well worth owning. Unfortunately, these CDIs were only available in America for the model years 2005 and 2006 before moving to a V6 Bluetec in 2007 and beyond. Now over 10 years later we know we’ve seen the last of diesel engines that are easy enough to service at home and return great performance, values have remained strong compared to the gas models from the same years. So when this 2005 popped up for sale in New York, I thought I’d take a closer look.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI on eBay

Year: 2005
Model: E320 CDI
Engine: 3.0 liter inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 210,056 mi
Price: $7,500 Buy It Now

Our 2005 Mercedes Benz E320 CDI diesel – flint gray over cubanite. One owner from new – religiously maintained with an open checkbook primarily at Mercedes Benz and a private MB diesel technician. Recent Michelin tires and full suspension refresh with four wheel alignment. Everything including water pump, thermostat, fuel filter, glow plugs, transmission and differential fluid flush, SBC pump done. Over $20k in receipts from MB. All records in hand. Options include dynamic seats, adaptive bi-Xenon headlights, Harmon Kardon sound with navigation and 6 disc CD changer, privacy shades (side and rear glass), upgraded 16″ sport wheels and Elegance package, which includes a rare woodgrain multifunction steering wheel. Will include Thule roof rack and hitch as shown with purchase, both of which were used once or twice. Runs and drives beautifully, very strong – would not hesitate to drive anywhere. Includes all manuals, records/receipts, spare tire with tools and key. Just over 210k highway miles from travel between CT and Long Island.

The body is excellent – there is a scratch next to the driver side fog light that may be able to be polished out and ~1″ scratch on the rear bumper. Passenger fog lens will need replacing. Otherwise no discernible dings/dents. The wheels are straight/true but could use cosmetic refurbishing.The interior is beautiful – the driver and passenger dynamic seats work wonderfully. All options work as they should. There are two parallel hairline cracks in the wood steering wheel around the 2 o’clock position. The rear seat behind the driver is worn and could use leather reconditioning. Very clean otherwise. Does not detract from the generally excellent condition.
Overall a first rate example of a legendary diesel Mercedes product – particularly special as MB has discontinued importing diesel cars into the US indefinitely. Carfax Certified, no accidents, one owner car. Inspections before bidding are encouraged – serious buyers only – send name and phone number to discuss by phone.

$500 deposit by PayPal due within 24 hours of winning bid – balance due in cash/bank wire or verifiable cashiers check within 3 days of auction close – vehicle to be picked up within 3 days of payment unless prior arrangements have been made.

This 2005 was clearly used as a long haul driver based on its roof crossbars, tow hitch, multiple scuffs on the outside and some heavy wear in spots on the inside. Honestly, for 210,000 the wear is a little more than what I’d like to see for 210,000 miles but at the end of the day it’s all just cosmetic things. What really matters is this is a one owner car that was “religiously maintained with an open checkbook”. The OM642 is a stout engine without any major issues besides the ‘Black Death’ which is caused from injector leakage that causes black goo in the injector compartment on top of the cylinder head. You also have to deal with the wtih the idiosyncrasies of the SBC braking system but that’s nothing you can’t deal with at home as long as you are careful. Fortunately with this car the SBC pump, as well as a pile of other repairs, has already been completed.

At $7,500, this isn’t a bad price for what the current market of W211 CDIs is showing. Really nice examples that are optioned pretty heavy trade for over $10,000 regularly with lower mileage cars creeping towards $15,000. If you can live with the cosmetic issues, this would be a really great buy if you are looking to keep racking up the miles without having too much worry. I’ve seen examples of these cars with well over 400,000 miles so while you are probably fine with long-term durability, you still need to buff out those foggy headlights every so often.

– Andrew

Bi-Bulletproof: 2005 Mercedes-Benz S600s

  By ,

File this, or rather these, under the “You don’t see that everyday!” category. What we are looking at today is not one, but two Mercedes-Benz S600 limousines that have B7 level armor. Back in October I looked at another armored W220, but that one was only good for a B4 certification — good for a few rounds from a handgun. The B7 in these cars? They will take fire from full metal jacket assault rifles and those pesky suicide bombers as well. But who would need this kind of protection? You probably won’t be that surprised.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz S600s on eBay

Year: 2005
Model: S600 Limousine (times two!)
Engine: 5.5 liter V12
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 15,000 mi
Price: $250,000 Buy It Now

Bulletproof Category “B7” capable of withstanding suicide bombs and armor penetrating bullets from assault rifles. Built by TRASCO & Mercedes Benz these two limos are a force not be reckoned with. Mileage last counted is 15,xxx on each limo. All properly maintained to the fullest extent! Interior & Exterior Completely Flawless. Previous owners were the royal family in Abu Dhabi. Price is listed at $250,000 (Negotiable) & Includes all Transfers, USDOT Registrations, Transportation Costs, and any other legal forms needed to assure legit transactions.

Disclaimer: VIN IS A INTERNET SAMPLE, cannot list actual VIN in the appropriate slot since Limo’s were built in Dubai and EBAY cannot decode the VIN.
The Individual VINS of each limo are listed below:
WDB2201781 A149245
WDB2201781 A183752

If you guessed these cars were in the Middle East, congratulations! According to the seller, these were used by the Al Nahyan royal family of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Taking a look at the paint colors of these cars and peeking inside fully supports these being in UAE because of the absolute flashiness and general attitude of being as over the top as possible. The interesting thing about these cars is that despite the seller saying the are 2005s, everything about them tells me these are pre-facelift cars based on the bumpers and headlights/taillights. I can buy these being 2005s if Trasco decided during the armoring process just to use the pre-facelift parts that were already armored instead of spending the time and the money redoing a bunch of work only for it to slightly change the look of the car. I wish the seller would have attached a picture of the center stack so I could tell for sure what year these cars are.

The price to take home both of these rolling vaults on wheels is a whopping $250,000. It seems crazy at first, but doing the math here you are looking at over $100,000 each to get these up to a B7 level when they were new. Now add in the actual cost of buying two S600s at the time for over $100,000 each and it’s probably creeping close to $500,000 when it was all said and done. Not a problem if you are royal family of Abu Dhabi, but for anyone else? This is really fast way to blow $250,000. I can’t imagine the increased wear and tear on these cars because of the extra weight it has to haul around and the W220 S600 isn’t exactly a great buy if you are looking for a car that is worth buying. So who is the market for these cars? Other governments? Private citizens that need an almost unnecessary level of protection? Whoever it is, I hope they like cranberry colored suede.

– Andrew