CL500 - worth the risk?

[Capra]

Webuanycar would give me £4600 right now for that car. And there are not any on ebay with that interior and those wheels and that milage. I've looked. So driving it off the forecourt if I got it at £7K would cost me £2400. Which is probably the price I am paying for being picky about the grey interior, the wooden-inlaid steering wheel and the 19" AMGs (all must haves in my book). Well it wouldn't be the first time I paid a bit more because of the spec I insisted upon.

Webuyanycar at a price lower than their worthless guarantee. Any single mark no matter how small comes off their valuation. Remember, they've got to make a profit after its been sold off cheaply at the auction .

 

[Blobcat]

The SLK is nice particularly on 17" wheels, but I much prefer the 212 on long runs.

I have 16” wheels
I’m surprised at how comfortable it really is, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is.

 

[MBDevotee]

Webuanycar would give me £4600 right now for that car. And there are not any on ebay with that interior and those wheels and that milage. I've looked. So driving it off the forecourt if I got it at £7K would cost me £2400. Which is probably the price I am paying for being picky about the grey interior, the wooden-inlaid steering wheel and the 19" AMGs (all must haves in my book). Well it wouldn't be the first time I paid a bit more because of the spec I insisted upon.

As I said, it’s a £3k car plus maybe £1000 for the wheels... so it’s a £4K car not a 7k car.......

And no, webuyanycar will give you about 2k by the time you’ve been through their assessment centre - they do stick to their quotes on very newish “ordinary” cars but stuff like this they don’t.

There’s paying a ‘bit’ more, and paying massively over the odds, but if it’s what you want buy it!

 

[MBDevotee]

BUT WHAT A CAR FOR £15K!

Where else would you get a car like that - which would then be all set-up for a good thousand miles - for fifteen thousand pounds? And of course chances are it won't cost that. But if it does so be it.

I get it - its not sensible.

Well. Who said you're dead a long time and you can always earn more money - I liked that.

What else is that money going to do except sit in a bank account earning bu***er all interest?

This is my current state of mind.

It's the kind of states of mind I tend to have before buying things like RX7s and XJRs and R1s.

Happy days.

For 15k you could buy a really nice newer shape which won’t have most of the problems......

Like this...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284150942169

50k miles - I get it’s a bit more and maybe not your colour pref etc etc but this would be a way better way to spend that kind of money.

Or this is closer
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224309092584

Or this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303170810488 - everything you wanted, perhaps not the really light leather.... but otherwise, lovely

 

[peterws1957]

I get what's he's saying. I bought a twin-turbo RX7 back in 95 - it was two years old - plenty of people told me not to buy that car. I f*****g loved every moment of that car. Even though in the end it went horribly wrong and cost me a near fortune to fix. But boy was it worth it. I also once had an XJR (1999 V8). Plenty of people told me not to buy that car.

Guess what?

Yup. I loved that car too. And it never went wrong (well until I got blind drunk one Xmas eve and totalled it into a field on the 1 mile journey back to my brother-in-laws). Lost my licence for 3 years that time (and spent Xmas day in hospital). But I loved that car.

This is not even getting into the motorbikes owned and loved (and crashed - CBR600s and R1s mainly).

So OK. This Merc could go badly wrong. I get it. I hear you. Sure. And? One thing Alex said was 'it's fine if you go in with your eyes open'. Well. So let's say I get it for £7K. Let's say the whole of the suspension goes kaput and another £3K on something nobdody's mentioned. So that's cost me £15K.

BUT WHAT A CAR FOR £15K!

Where else would you get a car like that - which would then be all set-up for a good thousand miles - for fifteen thousand pounds? And of course chances are it won't cost that. But if it does so be it.

I get it - its not sensible.

Well. Who said you're dead a long time and you can always earn more money - I liked that.

What else is that money going to do except sit in a bank account earning bu***er all interest?

This is my current state of mind.

It's the kind of states of mind I tend to have before buying things like RX7s and XJRs and R1s.

Happy days.

I'm with you on this. What price do you put on enjoyment? I've always maintained that value is in the eye of the beholder anyway, and whatever a theoretical book value is, it's just that, nothing more. It's ok saying it's a £3k car, but find one at that price and it'll be a junker and there are plenty out there. An enthusiast or a dealer with a very good car won't sell at £3k. Nothing beats giving the car a good look at, together with the service history. Where does sense come into buying an old vehicle anyway?

 

[John Laidlaw]

I'm with you on this. What price do you put on enjoyment? I've always maintained that value is in the eye of the beholder anyway, and whatever a theoretical book value is, it's just that, nothing more. It's ok saying it's a £3k car, but find one at that price and it'll be a junker and there are plenty out there. An enthusiast or a dealer with a very good car won't sell at £3k. Nothing beats giving the car a good look at, together with the service history. Where does sense come into buying an old vehicle anyway?

Also Peter if it's a 'keeper', who cares to some extent? It's only if you know you will be moving it on you have an issue. The 230 was supposed to be a 'keeper' for me it just turned out to be a complete lemon and I lost patience. Maybe I was wrong, having spent ££££ for someone else's benefit potentially....

 

[James Gareth]

I'm with you on this. What price do you put on enjoyment? I've always maintained that value is in the eye of the beholder anyway, and whatever a theoretical book value is, it's just that, nothing more. It's ok saying it's a £3k car, but find one at that price and it'll be a junker and there are plenty out there. An enthusiast or a dealer with a very good car won't sell at £3k. Nothing beats giving the car a good look at, together with the service history. Where does sense come into buying an old vehicle anyway?

Right. What something is worth it what somebody will give you for it. And that depends on so many factors.

Right now I got lucky and came into a bit of money - so two or three thousand here or there - for once - is not such a big deal. Having said that I still don't want to throw the stuff away for no reason.

So - this is what I have put in place. I've fixed up for Alex to go do a health check on the car - in the meantime I said to the seller that if it all checks out I'm prepared to give him £7K for it. If it doesn't I walk away - or agree a different number depending on what Alex's health check reveals.

So that's the plan.

Will keep you posted on developments.

 

[James Gareth]

btw - this looks like an interesting deal:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154298490453?ul_noapp=true

 

[V6Matty]

6.2 headbolt failure region though, may be fine but still happens, my neighbour just had to do his at a few £k

 

[MBDevotee]

btw - this looks like an interesting deal:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154298490453?ul_noapp=true

That looks like way better thing to buy to me.

And I get what you are saying with the other one - if its what you want, but don't think just because its too dear it will be "better" than a cheap one.... personally I'd rather buy something like this from a forum member or privately - dealers are too skilled at hiding faults - then passing them off soon after as "wear and tear".

If you were paying 4-5k I'd say "its a bit dear but go for it just put 3k away for repairs" but you are spending the repairs "insurance" up front, which again is fine if you KNEW you wouldn't get any issues... but you don't.

If you have come into some money, pay the extra and get a good new shape, its a better car but beyond some of us budget-wise.

And dont get hung up on mileage - very low is at least as bad as a tiny bit over - In fact all the really bad cars I've had were low milers (my Dads, 7 years old, 18,000m) - nothing but problems, all related to bits rusting/seizing etc due to lack of use.

 

[MBDevotee]

If you DO go for the old one - I'd be offering £6k not £7 - its a CL500 not a CL55K

 

[peterws1957]

Also Peter if it's a 'keeper', who cares to some extent? It's only if you know you will be moving it on you have an issue. The 230 was supposed to be a 'keeper' for me it just turned out to be a complete lemon and I lost patience. Maybe I was wrong, having spent ££££ for someone else's benefit potentially....

Exactly John. If you keep cars a long time like I do, it's not really an issue. As you say it may cost you if moving cars on all the time.

 

[peterws1957]

very low is at least as bad as a tiny bit over -

Not my experience - I tend to go for low mileage, and the only problem I have had is a 50 year old torque converter failing due to a bolt coming adrift destroying it. If you choose wisely and do your homework, a low mileage car can be brilliant.

 

[ajlsl600]

Its a real gamble if works out big smiles.if not u need plenty tissue paper and a good cc
I had my R230 sl600 for a number of years.in my view the nicest car I ever owned I had no.major issues it was 26k miles when I bought it.
Known failures coil packs ,sbc abc, roof, various leaks. Various sensors. To name a few.
I reluctantly decided I had had an almost free run of motoring and parted with it for what I paid for it before the financial bomb arrived
Over a yr near two ,now and new owner still delighted with it.
I can no longer afford to spend decent small car money on maintenance .so think I did right thing.
Sure have no regrets with ownership experience.
U must work out whats best for you.

 

[Mr Greedy]

My vote would be the new 2007/8+ CL500. Doesn't have the wow-factor premium of the E63, but still plenty around for sub £10k that appear to be in fantastic condition with sensible mileage. Unfortunately, they tend to be moving to the black on black era so holding out for other colours takes time, but the interior holds up better stylewise in my view. Of course, you should arrange drives of both to help decide (if such a thing is possible with lockdown).

Regarding the air con fan (I assume you mean cabin blower fan) and LED and wiring, as a second car I'd do both these jobs myself. Fan probably accessible for replacement behind glove box and door card off for wing mirror wiring access.
But then I'm the sort of person who would rather have £2k in my pocket and buy a pro soldering iron and a box of electrical bits for £250, and just research my way to sorting it. I don't have much else to be doing in the evenings that I couldn't spare, say 30 hours in a year to buy, learn and sort this out. But then others couldn't bare the thought of that sort of manual labour interrupting a handful of evenings viewing of something on TV and would rather drop the £2k. I get that and each to their own. If you can be a bit self sufficient, it's less of a risk, but if you have no interest in any car related fixing, eyes wide open on the ££££risk front.

Good luck. I keep looking at the 216. One day

 

[Craiglxviii]

I’m saying nothing...

W215. Beautiful cars to drive, look at, be in, beat the milfs off with a sh1tty stick etc.

Surprisingly adaptable. Surprisingly efficient- mine will achieve 31-32mpg on a run at 70-75mph. Surprisingly roomy thanks to a huge boot- family of 4 driving holiday to Italy, took everything we needed including a fridge. Surprisingly handy too, that 11 metre turning circle proved that a 6 metre long 2 ton car is ideal for navigating Italian hilltop towns and the back streets of Florence.

Alas. Also, surprisingly painful. ABC is the kick in the teeth; not that each component is extremely expensive in its own right- not thanks to this forum, now, anyway!- but there are very many of them each with a decent tag attached. Struts, pump, spheres, lines, valves. All need some maintenance and it ain’t free.

So, you need to budget, at a guess £1500/yr for regular maintenance, and another grand on top of that at least for purchase of big ticket items.

If you can live with that, then go for it. Oh, this advice is just as relevant for the W216, except that car has an even more expensive ABC system- filters not £23 but £240.

 

[MBDevotee]

Exactly John. If you keep cars a long time like I do, it's not really an issue. As you say it may cost you if moving cars on all the time.

BUT if you buy it as a keeper, pay over the odds for it and find it’s a lemon, when you “off” it you lose a fortune. Buy it right, you lose way less.

If it was cheap, the faults are forgivable, but to have faults AND be nearly double the price it should be is crazy.

So let’s say he pays £7k for it and then finds the heater fan is a £2k fix (10 hours labour at £150 per hr plus some parts) and then let’s say when it’s all back together the dash squeaks a bit - he’s paid £9k for a car worth £4K.... why in God’s name would you do that? And then let’s suppose the ABC stuff happens and he thinks ok... pays out £3k to fix that and then a complete d1ckhead pulls out in front of him and writes it off - insurance will pay about £4000 for it........

If you buy it, make sure EVERYTHING is fixed BEFORE sale not after! At the price the guy is selling at he’s got at least £3k profit in it to do that stuff for you.

 

[mioba]

Have you bought it yet

 

[James Gareth]

BUT if you buy it as a keeper, pay over the odds for it and find it’s a lemon, when you “off” it you lose a fortune. Buy it right, you lose way less.

If it was cheap, the faults are forgivable, but to have faults AND be nearly double the price it should be is crazy.

So let’s say he pays £7k for it and then finds the heater fan is a £2k fix (10 hours labour at £150 per hr plus some parts) and then let’s say when it’s all back together the dash squeaks a bit - he’s paid £9k for a car worth £4K.... why in God’s name would you do that? And then let’s suppose the ABC stuff happens and he thinks ok... pays out £3k to fix that and then a complete d1ckhead pulls out in front of him and writes it off - insurance will pay about £4000 for it........

If you buy it, make sure EVERYTHING is fixed BEFORE sale not after! At the price the guy is selling at he’s got at least £3k profit in it to do that stuff for you.

Sure. And if I spend my whole life asking what-if and thinking worst case scenario I will never go outside the front door!

 

[Flyinspanner]

I’ve had mine for just over 5 years, it’s been my daily driver, and oh what a wonderful one.

it’s just sailed through an MOT.

there’s little which will make you feel quite so special.

Find a good local MB Independant specialist, your local guy sadly won’t have a diagnostic system which can interrogate the systems to the same level as STAR, and that can lead to changing bits that are ok - then them saying we’ve uncovered a further fault which will be costing you time and money.
I think there are some in Hants, but there is also Wayne Gates in Harrow (maybe an hour or so from you) - they’ve kept mine in tip top shape.

sadly going to let mine go soon as career change looks like a Van is going to be best for me (I may cry) ....but the wife’s 320CLK convertible will take over at the weekends .

Buy the nicest one you can, see if the ABC fluid has ever been changed, same with trans fluid, - preventative maintenance is always cheaper.

(and I agree on the pale grey interior, it makes for a much nicer place to be, mine is listed in the adverts... not ever listed it elsewhere as not in a hurry to let it go