We all love used cars mainly because of the value for money that they offer, but when we’re talking about used Mercedes AMGs, things can get really interesting.
Of course, this narrative is helped by the huge depreciation such vehicles enjoy, especially in the United Kingdom as portrayed in this old Fifth Gear feature.
Jonny Smith picked a selection of used Mercedes-AMGs that represent an astonishing bang-for-buck value.
The 1998-2002 W210 Mercedes E55 AMG was the pinnacle of the range back then and represents the cheaper option, with prices in the UK’s used car market starting from around £3k. Remember this is a car powered by a naturally aspirated 354hp 5.5-litre V8, asking for £62,000 when it was new.
Step up your game and you could get a 2002-2006 W209 CLK55 AMG for as little as £6k. This is still powered by a naturally aspirated 5.4-litre V8 with 367hp and was considered a very capable alternative to the BMW E46 M3. Price when new? That would be £57,000.
But the ultimate AMG used bargain is none other than the 2002-2007 SL55 AMG. Under the bonnet lives a supercharged 5.4-litre V8 with a whopping 476h,p and all this firepower can be yours for as little as £15k. Back in the day the press praised the SL55 AMG for its supercar-like straight-line performance, combined with continent-crushing comfort levels.
Of course, all three of them require a more careful approach as used cars; despite their amazing prices on the used car market, you still have to consider their running costs and any potential failures that can destroy your bank account.
There’s a saying which goes like this: “if you couldn’t afford it new you probably can’t afford it now”. But when petrol-head maths get in the way, then everything is possible.