Mercedes-Benz CLS 320 CDi - A Surprise 'Thank You' Present

[mwstewart]

This isn't a particularly PH type of car but it has a little story behind it that I thought was worth sharing. It started (too many) years ago now when I was at Uni; my parents pretty much bank rolled me through that and it's something I've always been greatful for. They also let me stay at home for a few years after whilst I was finding my feet in my career, so I've always wanted to give something back when I'd worked myself into a position to do so. This post is about what I've got for my Dad as a thank you for that, and also the amount of time he's spared over the years to helping me do ridiculous things to cars. There have been days in scrap yards, in the pouring rain, changing suspension on a gravel drive in the snow...you get the picture Mum's present is not remotely PH so isn't covered here

So onto the present. I'm at a point in my career/life where I'm in the fortunate position to give something back, and Dad being a car enthusiast - probably not quite so extreme as I but he likes cars nevertheless - I wanted to get something to replace his '03 A4 Cabriolet. He had a soft spot for the original Boxster but in reality I don't think that would be practical and I didn't want to buy something that saddled him with more repair/maintenance costs than the A4. The other car he had always liked was the Mercedes CLS, or the 'Banana' as I call it. I think they've aged well and being based on W211 E they are good cars that come with a pretty good level of equipment. Off to Autotrader I went...

I discarded the usual suspects that had kerbed alloys, grubby interiors, patchy history etc. and stumbled across two potentials - I say only two, because after covertly sounding out his choice of colour I had to discount silver and black, and also black leather. If you've looked at CLS's you'll know that criters excludes 98% of all CLS's for sale! The first was Mystic Red with cream leather & located 230 miles away in Devon, and the other Indium Gray with Alpaca Grey leather, was 25 miles away in Melton Mobray. Braced for a day-long road trip with my g/f I thought I'd try Dad for a final colour selection - covertly of course. I had to tell him I was 'just looking', and thankfully got away with it. Even more thankfully, he preferred the car that was 25 miles away!

Here are the dealer photos:






I left a deposit over the phone on Monday and paid the rest via bank transfer that day. The car was at a Land Rover dealership in Melton Mobray called Marshall, and I explained the situation to them and they said they would make the collection special for us.

Roll forward to yesterday evening. I told my Dad I was coming to pick him up to take him for some food, and we would be calling via a Land Rover dealer to collect some stainless steel fuel pipe for my Fiesta project. He hadn't twigged at that point. When we got to the dealership I explained the situation and he was pretty much speechless. The car was under a silk cover in the showroom and the salesman, Chris, unveiled it. Here's my Dad with the car:


Me and Dad:


I was actually blown away with how good the sales experience was, so if anyone is looking for a Land Rover or Range Rover, speak to Chris Pullen at Marshall (no connection of mine). Chris made the handover really quite special and this was given the car is worth a fraction of some of the new Range Rovers they retail; for example he sat in the car with my Dad and went through all the controls etc., and dad also got a hamper from them:


So that's it, it felt good to give something back. Thanks for reading.

Edited by mwstewart on Thursday 21st August 13:02

[Evo]

What a fantastic thing to do, good on you.

[RobbieKB]

Great story and a lovely car.

[Leemcd]

Great Read!..i bet your dad was chuffed!

[drakart]

That is one happy Dad. What a lovely thing to do.

[muhnkee2]

nice work, you dad must be very proud of bringing up such a good son!

[Dave Hedgehog]

Evo said:

What a fantastic thing to do, good on you.

yes

that is a wonderful story

[0llie]

Wonderful story, well done Lovely car too, I think the CLS has aged very gracefully.

Pleased to see that Marshall looked after you both too, very impressive display.

[Scuba_steve]

Brilliant! Well done dude. He looks a happy Dad, he'll also be a very proud one too!

[mak2503]

Brilliant.

I did this a few years back for my mum and dad when I purchased a Volvo V70 for them. I never got the special treatment for them that you got but I hid the car round the side of my house. I invited them over and told them I was cleaning the car for the new owners and they have just arrived. They then clicked and were chuffed with the car.

It is a nice thing to have done and your dad looks really pleased with it. Sadly my dad passed away a few years after that but I was always grateful that I had the chance to give him something back for having me.

To many happy years motoring in that beautiful car.

[larrylamb11]

Fabulous! mstewart, I doff my hat to you... one of the best build threads on PH and clearly a decent chap to boot, bravo!

[5potTurbo]

What a wonderful thing to do for your Dad, and a very good dealer experience, too.
I suspect your Dad was blown away.

[yellowbentines]

What a rare and genuinely wonderful thing to do

Nice choice of car too, I'm sure he'll love it.

[EJH]

Brilliant! What a genuinely lovely thing to do for one's father!

I had a warm and fuxxy feeling reading this…until I realised it was also he who has produced some of the finest builds on PH.

An extremely fine example to us all; thank you for sharing!

[Muzzer79]

Good on you - that's a really nice thing to do.

I've always wanted to get a 911 for my Dad in the same way.

[ManOpener]

A properly heartwarming story that filled me with admiration at your kindness, tinged with a little jealousy that, as much as I'd love to do something like this, I can't see myself being in a position to any time soon.

Are you going to be subjecting his car to some of your incredibly skilled and well-thought-out modifications in the near future?

[thatguy11]

Common thread here in the comments, I'll happily add to it! lovely story mate, your dad looks so chuffed

[Paddymcc]

Same colour as my own CLS. Looks bronze when it's sunny and grey when it's dark.

Hope your Dad enjoys it.

[Max M4X WW]

Lovely gesture Mark, I had wondered what your Dad was driving at the moment as I remember seeing the A4 in photos of yours a few years back!

Does the A4 become a new project car for you now?

[Steve_W]

Nice one chap, your parents should be proud