Mercedes CL sweet spot

[milu]

Fancy one of these. They appeal mainly round the £10k mark as a lot of car etc compared to other big exec motors.
Thing is a 63amg appeals even more lol or perhaps a face lift 500 for about £15k

My issue is they’re going to be worth twopence eventually like always so is £10k enough to spend to enjoy the experience (and possibly repair!) without losing tons in depreciation?
It’s not like a 2009 500 is a make do motor after all.

[ZX10R NIN]

My dad's on his second CL63 & my uncle is on his third 500, they're a great car with a real sense of occasion.

Reliability wise the window regulators have been known to play up but they're a cracking car despite having a CLK63 & E500 when I jump in one of those you always feel like you're stepping up a level.

I'd always look for one with the AMG bodykit on as I'm not a fan of the looks without it.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

The facelift 500 is a very good option because you get the 4.7 BiTurbo is a beast (as much as I like the 5.5 the 4.7 is the better engine) & a remap will see you at nigh on 63 levels of performance but you'll have to hunt to find one for any near the 15k mark.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[flatso]

Amazing machines...I envy you in the UK, the prices you guys have for used barges is highly unfair.

[TheAlastair34]

They are mega for the cash!

Is there something similar but with a diesel motor i just cannot stomach that fuel economy of those motors

[ZX10R NIN]

The E350 is a good option but although very (the Pan Roof makes a big difference) nice inside (I have a 500) they're not a patch on the CL's.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

They also come in 3.5 petrol form but are hard to find:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

The 640d is another option but for me the fact that all the windows don't drop away would be a deal breaker for me:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[milu]

I'm with you on the body kit...it's a must have.
Not knowing much about these engines I wasn't sure if the 4.7 tt was a proven reliable unit or more to go wrong. There again it could be the best.
I'm wary of budget creep because I was originally thinking Maserati GT because if the rear seats. But maybe £30k
Then thought you get a newer CL for a third of the price which is great. However if the budget creeps up too far,is the whole reason for going CL lost?

Must admit the 63 looks tasty though!

[ZX10R NIN]

The 4.7 is proving very reliable & I'm talking from personal experience the 4.7 is a peach, my uncles on his second 4.7TT, I'm on my first (admittedly heavily modified) I couldn't fault in standard form & a budget creep of a few thousand is worth it when you're considering a 500.

[AndrewCrown]

milu said:

I'm with you on the body kit...it's a must have.
Not knowing much about these engines I wasn't sure if the 4.7 tt was a proven reliable unit or more to go wrong. There again it could be the best.
I'm wary of budget creep because I was originally thinking Maserati GT because if the rear seats. But maybe £30k
Then thought you get a newer CL for a third of the price which is great. However if the budget creeps up too far,is the whole reason for going CL lost?

Must admit the 63 looks tasty though!

Milu...
In my experience the V8’s in Mercedes are very reliable. It’s the other complex bits which cause the problems..e.g. suspension... I’m in the rather fortunate position of owning both your targets... a GT 4.2 and a 4.7TT CL.
The GT is fabulous, the CL is fabulous but in completely different ways.

CL trumps GT on build quality, space and luxury
GT trumps CL on presence
CL not only trumps but completely trounces GT on acceleration, torque and economy
GT has cost me the least In terms of servicing over a similar period to a previous model CL
Current CL hasn’t cost anything so far..9 months
I use the CL for work and GT for play

I think both are enthusiast cars and you should only buy off enthusiasts who have looked after them....the maths work for both...as long as you have free cash flow for the inevitable £1-3k bills they can both generate...

Edited by AndrewCrown on Tuesday 25th September 00:12

[milu]

Thanks for that
Like most of us I've lost tens of thousands on cars over the years so I'm trying to calm down a bit lol
My thoughts were Maser,Aston Vantage or even a Nissan GT-R would all be slow depreciators.
I'd love the Aston but can see it being left in the garage a lot due to no rear seat. GTR....I'd like a newer on but can't afford!
So the Maser looked favourite until I remembered the threads on here about CL.
But I can't see the point in spending 30k on one since they seem to lose money quite quickly.
£10-£15k seems about right for my logic(possibly flawed) to get most of the pleasure without too much pain

Thanks again for yours and ZX thoughts.

[ZX10R NIN]

Your budget is right on the money for a good 5.5 you won't be disappointed with it's performance.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Spec is the key so see how many options were added, one upgrade I will recommend is the fitment of an Xpipe which goes in place of the resonators (leaving the rest of the system standard) it gives the 5.5 in particular a nice note (not CL63 levels) but a little bit purposeful when you step on the throttle.

[milu]

Deposit paid on a 5.5

Not bursting with extras but has the most useful ones to me.
Main thing is its well looked after, last owner over 3 years.
Nice clean ABC oil and generally looks cared for.

A few days to wait now!

[ZX10R NIN]

Glad you got sorted OP you won't be disappointed.