CL's now knee tremblingly cheap

[MBDevotee]

Oh god... I shouldn't have done it... but I did.....

I typed in Mercedes CL on ebay.....

Anyone fancy a CL55 (non Kompressor admittedly) for less than £6000?


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-MERC...tomobiles_UK&hash=item20c4ed6700#ht_904wt_934

Or even a Kompressor....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-MERC...omobiles_UK&hash=item256fb5af5b#ht_2550wt_934

Ordinary CL's for under 5k

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-...omobiles_UK&hash=item2a17b2b125#ht_1059wt_984


Ok, done a few miles and potentially a money pit - but for pity's sake WHAT a lot of car for that sort of money.....

Please please don't let me bid.....

Is it coming to the time where these very large engined cars can be bought for peanuts as road tax and fuel keeps rising and everyone buys a 1.2 supermini?

If so, perhaps the high fuel prices aren't such a bad thing if you just want an occasional "fun" car...

Now, I would LPG any of these for around £1400 and get the equivalent of 30mpg and you're actually talking about a very VERY cheap motor car.... well until it goes wrong...

 

[Alex Crow]

Road tax and fuel prices are the least of your financial concerns when owning a 215!!

All I would say is avoid cars with ABC and/or the V12 engine.

 

[television]

How about a nice 216,,, does anyone on the forum own one.


Yes you can buy a 215 for £1500 now, biggest problem is they are in the big tin worm years, and I am sure that MB used the worst metal they could find to build them with, they can be worse than a 208 as the rust can start at the roof line

 

[lwbnick]

Please please don't let me bid.....

I saw one on the back of a scrap lorry last year, as has been said ABC struts make these a car to avoid.

Sadly.

 

[television]

I saw one on the back of a scrap lorry last year, as has been said ABC struts make these a car to avoid.

Sadly.

I see on the 216 they still have not fitted replaceable ball joints, one cannot help thinking that these cars are built for those that can afford them new and at 60k miles its the end of the road as far as MB are concerned

 

[jibcl500]

Yes the 216 is getting cheaper, I wouldnt consider the 215, I have done but then dismissed it. I worked on many 215's and they come across as lower quality compared to the C140.

jib

 

[Juddian]

We went to view a 215 as a replacement for the present 124 coupe, it was 3 years old something around 27k miles and showing signs of serious corrosion.

Soon as i saw the rot that was it.

Pity, i believe 215 is one of the prettiest coupes ever made, far nicer looking than more recent models, i can't stand CLS.

 

[WG M-B]

Yes the 216 is getting cheaper, I wouldnt consider the 215, I have done but then dismissed it. I worked on many 215's and they come across as lower quality compared to the C140.

jib

Absolutely. The C140 is a beautifully crafted mb. Arguably the best large coupe mb ever produced. The 126 is a very close second. The 215, however, is not fit to wear the star. It's very poor!!!!!
And I own a 210 E55!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jibcl500]

Absolutely. The C140 is a beautifully crafted mb. Arguably the best large coupe mb ever produced. The 126 is a very close second. The 215, however, is not fit to wear the star. It's very poor!!!!!
And I own a 210 E55!!!!!!!!!!!

Im looking to have 216 in the future when prices really tumble, Ive seen the C140 drop to sensible money hence why I have mine, I waited for the 215 but thought best to give it a miss as they are ****e, 216 a deffo for the future and a W111


jib

 

[st4]

I see on the 216 they still have not fitted replaceable ball joints, one cannot help thinking that these cars are built for those that can afford them new and at 60k miles its the end of the road as far as MB are concerned

So how much of the suspension do you need to change to fix a ball joint fault.

BMW make a nice car called the 6 series. People should consider these excellent non rusty cars.

 

[television]

The 216 is down to £20k now, big problem with the early ones is the 273 engines up to mid 07 have the cam gear problems, if poorly done then you have oil leaks for life

 

[st4]

The 216 is down to £20k now, big problem with the early ones is the 273 engines up to mid 07 have the cam gear problems, if poorly done then you have oil leaks for life

£20k buys a nice 219 CLS with a 55AMG engine, with change. These are great cars.

 

[Royston59]

My Heart pleaded and begged my Brain for a Cl500 215........but the Brain won....shame as I always fancied one...
R

 

[television]

£20k buys a nice 219 CLS with a 55AMG engine, with change. These are great cars.

Not everyone's cup of tea though, and not for me, I would rather have the CL63 216 but I do not need all that power.

I actually think that on the 216 range the standard CL looks better than the AMG version

 

[jibcl500]

So how much of the suspension do you need to change to fix a ball joint fault.

BMW make a nice car called the 6 series. People should consider these excellent non rusty cars.

The 6 series a nice car, when did you have that bump on the head!!!

jib

 

[SSR S500]

The supercharged version in the 1st post looks stunning. Ok these cars may have their issues but which modern luxury barges with that much style and presence don't. The 6 series BMW isn't a patch on the CL in terms of looks.

 

[MBDevotee]

You also can't get one that cheap!

I guess my point was, that if you searched long enough, and found a really good one (and they will be out there) then you could get a bargain.

I did think though they all had the ABC suspension?

Can they be converted to standard springs and dampers?

Good springs and Billestein dampers would fix the problem forever... (Mind you that would only mean you could spend the money keeping up with the rust....

Still - the 216's will be under 10k in a few years yet - I remember when the 215's were all over £10k and that was only perhaps 4-5 years ago.

 

[47p2]

I was speaking with my mate who has the body repair shop and he had a CL500 in for some paintwork. At first glance it looked a tidy car with only a couple of scabs which required sorting, but when he started to remove the scabs he found the car had been painted at least 3 times and the scabs were almost 4 times what he originally thought.

 

[brandwooddixon]

Interesting comments about rust, when post 2003 all panels are aluminium or plastic - yes you read that right.

Also whether it's becuase there are fewer on the road but an aftermarket warranty that covers the ABC suspension is cheaper on these than for an SL or an S class - apparantly they suffer fewer failures according to Warranty Direct.

 

[television]

Interesting comments about rust, when post 2003 all panels are aluminium or plastic - yes you read that right.

Also whether it's becuase there are fewer on the road but an aftermarket warranty that covers the ABC suspension is cheaper on these than for an SL or an S class - apparantly they suffer fewer failures according to Warranty Direct.

They certainly do suffer from fewer ABC failures than the SL I cannot recall much at all on here with 215 ABC problems, the struts are near identical but the line arrangements and valve blocks are not