CL500 - worth the risk?

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James Gareth

James Gareth

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Wighty said:
As an opposing voice , don’t buy it buddy , or at least not unless you have £5k spare in the bank . If it’s a fun car then maybe , but certainly not as your daily drive unless you are rich or up for diy .
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Well it's good to have opposing voices huh? I do happen to have an extra £5K in the bank right now due to some luck that came my way - and I won't be putting many miles on it as I intend to keep the Cooper S for travel around here (it's all minor B roads where its go-karting handling is perfect).

But every other month I have to drive down to Mums (in Devon) to make sure she's OK which is a 150 mile journey (each way) and although it's do-able in the Mini it's not really its strong point. Hence my interest.


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James Gareth

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John Laidlaw said:
I often have voices in my head which says "ABC how lovely", but I've found hitting my forehead repeatedly on a wall drives it out eventually....:D
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All the ABC hoses/pipes were done last year. So there's that.
 
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James Gareth said:
Well it's good to have opposing voices huh? I do happen to have an extra £5K in the bank right now due to some luck that came my way - and I won't be putting many miles on it as I intend to keep the Cooper S for travel around here (it's all minor B roads where its go-karting handling is perfect).

But every other month I have to drive down to Mums (in Devon) to make sure she's OK which is a 150 mile journey (each way) and although it's do-able in the Mini it's not really its strong point. Hence my interest.


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Click to expand...
CL's were made to do 150 mile journeys absolute comfort
 
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James Gareth said:
Well it's good to have opposing voices huh? I do happen to have an extra £5K in the bank right now due to some luck that came my way - and I won't be putting many miles on it as I intend to keep the Cooper S for travel around here (it's all minor B roads where its go-karting handling is perfect).

But every other month I have to drive down to Mums (in Devon) to make sure she's OK which is a 150 mile journey (each way) and although it's do-able in the Mini it's not really its strong point. Hence my interest.


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I have driven mine, daily, for nearly 5 years. Never let me down. And the biggest unexpected bill was about £200. You can get lucky.
 
John Laidlaw

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James Gareth said:
All the ABC hoses/pipes were done last year. So there's that.
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Indeed a help James, due diligence would be my advice here:-
Fluid conditions (when was it changed last?)
Struts conditions (any leaking or even misting, have they been replaced before ? c£500 each)
Pump conditions
Good you will speak with Alex which will be a huge help....
I'm not trying to put you off, I see you've 5k aside which is wise...
Get to know these guys too....
Gespecialiseerd in Audi, BMW en Mercedes-Benz hydraulische vering. (abcspecialist.nl)
 
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A lot of diy....
 
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You do have to have deep pockets to ran the CL and SL's with ABC :shock:
 
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James Gareth

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Well I just had a conversation with Alex - which was rather sobering. Thing is - to get a comparable car that's modern (and therefore supposedly less likely to break down) - I'd have to pay at least double/tripple/quradruple the price I am looking at. And then you'd be hitting corresponding depreciation costs.

Here's the actual car if anybody wants to comment...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006180253032?advertising-location=at_cars&sort=relevance&model=CL&include-delivery-option=on&year-to=2021&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&aggregatedTrim=CL500&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=gu84rw&radius=1500&page=6

With the two niggling faults it has I'd need to have the price start with a 6. Parkers has it coming in at £7200 - those 19inch alloys add £1000 to its worth (without that option it's £6200). Private it would be around £6K.

It's not so much the money either - though that sounds a bit mad. I just like things reliable. I don't want it breaking down on me and leaving me stranded. In the days when my mates were buying Bonnies I went and got me a Yamaha. No oil all over the drive. I'm still like that. I like things to work.
 
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I like the wheels, but are they really 19s ? They look like the standard five star 18" AMG rims I have on my SL55. Never seen those in 19s, I could be wrong. They do look nice. Really I am sorry to say with a 15 year old CL, the thing is going to want constant £££ to keep it running. On the plus side that one does look clean, and it does look like it's been well cared for. Lovely car, I think you are right to want some money off. Just some random thoughts, HTH.
 
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Reliability and ABC don't normally come in the same sentence sadly, sobering s Alex has been, you will thank him...
Witness this flawed beauty, bought in 2016, 8 years old - 2008 car and face lift (improved model) SL R230.
One year the ABC repair costs alone topped 5k (other issues came to 2k +).... last day.jpg
 
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My personal opinion is that if you wanted to own a CL, then own the W216 as opposed to the W215. They were a much more refined and more reliable car and prices these days are quite comparable.
 
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James Gareth said:
Well I just had a conversation with Alex - which was rather sobering. Thing is - to get a comparable car that's modern (and therefore supposedly less likely to break down) - I'd have to pay at least double/tripple/quradruple the price I am looking at. And then you'd be hitting corresponding depreciation costs.

Here's the actual car if anybody wants to comment...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006180253032?advertising-location=at_cars&sort=relevance&model=CL&include-delivery-option=on&year-to=2021&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&aggregatedTrim=CL500&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=gu84rw&radius=1500&page=6

With the two niggling faults it has I'd need to have the price start with a 6. Parkers has it coming in at £7200 - those 19inch alloys add £1000 to its worth (without that option it's £6200). Private it would be around £6K.

It's not so much the money either - though that sounds a bit mad. I just like things reliable. I don't want it breaking down on me and leaving me stranded. In the days when my mates were buying Bonnies I went and got me a Yamaha. No oil all over the drive. I'm still like that. I like things to work.
Click to expand...
If the car is off the road because of ABC breakdowns , you can sell the wheels for 1k to pay for ABC repairs ....it’s a win win :D:D:D:rolleyes:
 
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James Gareth said:
Well I just had a conversation with Alex - which was rather sobering. Thing is - to get a comparable car that's modern (and therefore supposedly less likely to break down) - I'd have to pay at least double/tripple/quradruple the price I am looking at. And then you'd be hitting corresponding depreciation costs.

Here's the actual car if anybody wants to comment...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006180253032?advertising-location=at_cars&sort=relevance&model=CL&include-delivery-option=on&year-to=2021&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&aggregatedTrim=CL500&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=gu84rw&radius=1500&page=6

With the two niggling faults it has I'd need to have the price start with a 6. Parkers has it coming in at £7200 - those 19inch alloys add £1000 to its worth (without that option it's £6200). Private it would be around £6K.

It's not so much the money either - though that sounds a bit mad. I just like things reliable. I don't want it breaking down on me and leaving me stranded. In the days when my mates were buying Bonnies I went and got me a Yamaha. No oil all over the drive. I'm still like that. I like things to work.
Click to expand...
New SAM units.. those fail with water ingress
No mention of the SBC or ABC being maintained or repaired...
No idea where "facelift" comes from other than typical dealer speak trying to convince you it's newer than it is. The 215 is getting pretty old now. They can suffer with bodywork corrosion between the aluminium and steel panels
AMG badge is the worse issue though...:shock:
 
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