Back in December I started looking for a fun car to own in addition to my truck. My father and I always bonded over German cars and it drew me towards them as opposed to American or Japanese cars. The car I purchased is 2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK 55. A deep red coupe with a 360hp V8. The car was in decent shape and I knew it needed some things to get in inspected. After test driving it I got very excited and may have not been as thorough as I should have been in my pre-purchase inspection. After getting it back home I took it to the local Mercedes-Benz dealer for a flat $5500 quote to fix the valve covers, brakes, coolant ,engine mounts, and ball joints. I threw that away almost instantly. Below is the costs accrued through my first six months of ownership. All work was performed by me in my garage except obvious things like inspection and alignment. Many Items are preventative or something I did in addition to another job because it would be easier than coming back.
| ITEM | COST | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 6300 | Purchased in NJ |
| Registration | 428 | PA tax and Registration |
| ECS Tuning Order | 242 | Motor mounts and ball joints. $50 with gift cards |
| FCP Euro Order | 254 | Valve Cover Gaskets and Spark Plugs |
| FCP Euro order | 123 | Oil/Filter and Air Filters |
| FCP Euro order | 89 | Brake Fluid and Self bleeder |
| FCP Euro order | 530 | Brake discs and Pads |
| Insurance | 1300 | |
| Inspection and Alignment | 150 | |
| Seatbelt | 150 | Seat belt retractor feels weak |
| Total | $9566 | I would do it all over again |
In summary I'm at almost 50% in additional parts and expenses. With all the items I've done so far I fixed almost all of this generation cars weakness or known issues(or were addressed by the previous owners). Looking back at all these costs I would not have changed my decision making at all. I got the car up and running and inspected right before the coronavirus took hold of America. Being able to just go for a drive when I was out of work or just for something to do saved me from going insane. Summer is now in full swing in Pennsylvania and cruising around on the back roads in amazing. I would not trade this car for anything.
Submitted June 21, 2020 at 10:12PM by mattnick27 https://ift.tt/3dmjEzZ
