johnny-cat

Concidering a CL500 between the years 2001-2003....I am wondering if it is worth it, or is it a disaster? ....What are the common things to look out for when making a purchase? I am handy, so hopefully I can handle whatever pops up. Currently have an R170 & W208. The CL is stunning to look at, and has so many awesome features, and the prices are right.


Thank you in advance!

calgary

I am on my second 2001 CL500. I learned to check for ABC issues: does the suspension drop after sitting a few hours, is the hydraulic oil in the ABC and power steering reservoir green, does the suspension height adjustment work properly - plus of course a number of other checks. A proper pre-purchase inspection might be worth the money, unless you know what to look for. The low beam headlights on the 2000 to 2002 are, in my opinion, a disaster. Mercedes should be taken to court for this safety hazard. The 2003 model has improved headlights, but they cannot be installed in the earlier models, without a large amount of money being spent on it.

tusabes

Abc abc abc
That's the elephant in the room and the reason prices are low - it fails often at huge expense
If you can maintain it great , or convert to coil springs
Otherwise they are fantastic cars

johnny-cat

Does the ABC ever work?? It seems like an amazing system.....if properly maintained, does it work well...for at least for a little while?

johnny-cat

Regarding the ABC...do they ever work?? It seems like all I read about is that the system sucks! It seems like an amazing system, but does it ever work for any period of time?


also that is the first I heard of the poor headlights....which also sucks.

ItalianJoe1

I haven't had any ABC problems, and most people don't if the system is looked after at all. The problem is most people wait until it fails, and then it's expensive to fix. Also, most of the people buying these cars now can barely afford them, the budget to maintain this car is still that of a $100K car, which it was 15 years ago. If you're trying to maintain and repair it for the cost of a toyota corolla, you should go get a corolla. These are amazing cars when they are working well, and a raging ***** when they aren't. It's not a great car to have as your only car but they need to be driven regularly to keep everything in working order.

johnny-cat

That makes sense...I would maintain, and I have other cars...this would be the weekend car....can't wait for the weekend! Or the car....


Thanks!

Jack_88

I do like the ABC system, it makes hard driving more enjoyable without any sacrifice to the magic carpet ride quality. I was very impressed the first time I put ABC into sport and pitched it into a corner. I was expecting a barge, but it kept very level and went right around without complaint or drama, until experiencing mild understeer at it's surprisingly high limit. Of course, the understeer can very easily be fixed with your right foot, even with the base V8. Just make sure you do all the possible preventative maintenance for your car to minimize the risk of a problem.

tusabes

Yes abc does work but you have to realize these cars are now 10-15 years old with hundreds of thousands of miles in them . No hydraulic system can last for that long without regular maintenance and parts replacement . Think of the aircraft industry where hydraulics are replaced based on Time /hours/age , long before any parts failure , because failure means life or death .

All the abc parts need replacement at this age and mileage - hoses , valve blocks, pumps and struts . Some parts May last longer then others before failing , but all the parts eventually need replacement . A complete replacement of all abc parts , if done by a mb dealer , would cost over $20,000. That's why most of these cars never had their abc parts maintained and current owners wait for parts to fail rather then do preventive replacement based on time //age .

richcl500

I just bought and 03 CL500 with the AMG Package. 59,000 original miles on it so I don't expect too many problems. It's a weekend car and I'm lucky if I put 4k on it during the year.

Of course being new (to me) I've put about 1,200 on it in the last month. I've driven it pretty mellow (compared to my S4 which was a rocket ship on wheels) so the wife likes the car.

Even tho I won't put more than 4k on the car, I'll have the oil changed in the fall and add some LiquiMoly to the oil. Tough to drive this car much in the winter but I learned my lesson with the Audi which developed oil leaks every winter.

tusabes

You must drive a cl regularly otherwise the hydraulics develop issues from sitting , and the electronics go crazy from voltage drains. Even weekends isn't enough . Car should be used at least twice a week