Mercedes CL500 / 600 Buying advice.
Discussion
Thinkng of buying one of these - they seem to be superb value. ( Circa 8k for 2001 model ).
Does anyone have any experiences of these cars? Which would be best to go for, I fancy the 600 V12 but I worry it may be more problematic than the V8 version?
Also about the mileage - I assume that 100k miles shouldnt be a problem for such a big engine. But is there anything else you need to look out for?
I'd appreciate any input from owners on what they are like to own / drive !
Cheers,
phn.
Does anyone have any experiences of these cars? Which would be best to go for, I fancy the 600 V12 but I worry it may be more problematic than the V8 version?
Also about the mileage - I assume that 100k miles shouldnt be a problem for such a big engine. But is there anything else you need to look out for?
I'd appreciate any input from owners on what they are like to own / drive !
Cheers,
phn.
My older brother had one, so I may be of some help to you.
His first purchase was an '01 CL500 with just over 90,000 miles, ulthough purchasing the car is reasonibly cheap you must bear in mind that they still require serious money for their upkeep.
IIRC over his year of owning it went through a suspension unit, 3 new instrument clusters and a new rear quarter pannel due to rust, it must be said though with all problems Mercedes always done their upmost to cover costs/get the car back on the road quickly, so they should considering the service bills for these big cars!
I dont want to be completely negative about the car as it truly is special, seriously comfortable, extremely elegant, bags of road presence and whenever the mood takes you, extremely brisk.
After this he went on to own an '03 CL55 AMG with just over 50,000 miles
Ulthough the car initially cost a good chunk more considerably less problems reared their head. With 500bhp on tap, one of the most capable cars I've ever experienced, truly epic performance for such a big car
Hopefully CL65 next
The Cl's are excellent cars, really are, have a serious soft spot for them, however be ready for (especially with an older high mileage model) a few problems and some rather hefty servicing and fuel bills.
Grant
His first purchase was an '01 CL500 with just over 90,000 miles, ulthough purchasing the car is reasonibly cheap you must bear in mind that they still require serious money for their upkeep.
IIRC over his year of owning it went through a suspension unit, 3 new instrument clusters and a new rear quarter pannel due to rust, it must be said though with all problems Mercedes always done their upmost to cover costs/get the car back on the road quickly, so they should considering the service bills for these big cars!
I dont want to be completely negative about the car as it truly is special, seriously comfortable, extremely elegant, bags of road presence and whenever the mood takes you, extremely brisk.
After this he went on to own an '03 CL55 AMG with just over 50,000 miles
Ulthough the car initially cost a good chunk more considerably less problems reared their head. With 500bhp on tap, one of the most capable cars I've ever experienced, truly epic performance for such a big car
Hopefully CL65 next
The Cl's are excellent cars, really are, have a serious soft spot for them, however be ready for (especially with an older high mileage model) a few problems and some rather hefty servicing and fuel bills.
Grant
Fuel bills - not bothered too much, I don't do so many miles and I currently run an old shape Audi S8, and thats not the most economic car on the road...
Service bills would probably be the issue, especially as you say given the age of the car.
Would love to have one though all the same!
phn.
Service bills would probably be the issue, especially as you say given the age of the car.
Would love to have one though all the same!
phn.
Rust, fancy shock absorbers, trim, electrical glitches.
The m113 V8 in the CL500 is bullet proof.
The m137 v12 in the pre-2004 CL600 has had problems with the cylinder shut off system. Make sure you have it deactivated. Coil packs can be problematic too, but it all seems related to this blasted cylinder shut off system. It is not much more powerful than the V* although the power delivery is much more turbine like.
The m275 V12 used in facelifted CL600s is apparently far superior to the earlier motor. Of course it also has twin-turbochargers and is good for 500bhp and 600lb/ft torque. The engine is the basis of the m285 V12 used in 65 AMG cars with monster toque outputs, so presumably it is plenty strong enough.
Of course, a V12 will be more expensive to fuel and maintain than a V8, but all of these cars are expensive just to service. The V8 takes 8 litres of oil and 16 spark plugs.
The m113 V8 in the CL500 is bullet proof.
The m137 v12 in the pre-2004 CL600 has had problems with the cylinder shut off system. Make sure you have it deactivated. Coil packs can be problematic too, but it all seems related to this blasted cylinder shut off system. It is not much more powerful than the V* although the power delivery is much more turbine like.
The m275 V12 used in facelifted CL600s is apparently far superior to the earlier motor. Of course it also has twin-turbochargers and is good for 500bhp and 600lb/ft torque. The engine is the basis of the m285 V12 used in 65 AMG cars with monster toque outputs, so presumably it is plenty strong enough.
Of course, a V12 will be more expensive to fuel and maintain than a V8, but all of these cars are expensive just to service. The V8 takes 8 litres of oil and 16 spark plugs.
Put it this way....a lot of Mercedes mechanics who actually could work on the cars would not touch an early V12 with a bargepole.
That says all that needs to be said to me.
The V8 give you just about everything that you need and they still go like stink.
I have the C140 (personal preference - I just prefer how they were built to the next one) with a 5 litre V8 and it goes great but I did have a little encounter with a CL600 Biturbo once.
Warp drive!
There was a CL70 AMG for sale about 18mths ago...my shape (1998) but 7 litre V12 with over 500hp. Ultimate sleeper
That says all that needs to be said to me.
The V8 give you just about everything that you need and they still go like stink.
I have the C140 (personal preference - I just prefer how they were built to the next one) with a 5 litre V8 and it goes great but I did have a little encounter with a CL600 Biturbo once.
Warp drive!
There was a CL70 AMG for sale about 18mths ago...my shape (1998) but 7 litre V12 with over 500hp. Ultimate sleeper
I too like the C140: it seems to me to be possibly the most under-rated Mercedes of recent times. However, the C215 is a really beautiful car and can be purchased for very reasonable money these days. I suspect one might come to regret spending less than £15k on one, however. While they are available for £8k, there is an awful lot to go wrong on them, huge potential for backlog maintenance and pretty onerous on-going maintenance liabilities. I know my 1999 SL costs me £4,000 a year to maintain properly.
There are two main weak points with the W215s - corrosion and the active body control system. These cars don't rust as such because they have no steel body panels being made of a composite of plastic and aluminium. Unfortunately they DO suffer from aluminium corrosion especially the earlier years cars. I have looked at 2 CL55Ks in the last fortnight, both 2003 cars, both with corrosion. The places to look for it are: front wheel arches, lower door skins, rear pillars where they meet the rear wings and around the sunroof. If the car is less than 8 years old Mercedes should (but only should) sort the problem out as it is well known and they have seemed to have put this 8 year limit on it.
The other issue is the ABC system - it seems to be pretty reliable BUT if you start to have problems they can be VERY expensive to sort out and become long running issues ... search the various MB club boards if you want to read the horror stories. ... The W215 is a beautiful machine but as you would expect of a car that cost £90K + when new, it can be expensive to maintain ....
The other issue is the ABC system - it seems to be pretty reliable BUT if you start to have problems they can be VERY expensive to sort out and become long running issues ... search the various MB club boards if you want to read the horror stories. ... The W215 is a beautiful machine but as you would expect of a car that cost £90K + when new, it can be expensive to maintain ....
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