phat-ho

choice?

Stickanddice

I went through this when looking at the cars new.

Depends on what you like. I liked the silky smooth V12 so I went with the CL600. Performance was virtually identical judging with my assdyno. AMG felt a bit rougher.

Curious why you threw the 500 in the mix. I drove one and the 55 or 600 were just more fun and worth the money.

BiTurboBenz

CL55 (2003+ of course)

WIldcat465

The day I bought my CL500, I drove all three. The 500 is a pleasant cruiser, that gets the job done in style. It's smooth and quiet. When I next drove the 55, I was disappointed, becuase it lacked the torque that I was expecting, ride was a little more stiff, but still extremely nice. It didn't feel much different than the 500 and, therefore, not worth the $ to me The 600 is silky smooth and powerful. Worth the money, but the deal didn't make sense for me as a daily beater (especially since I bought the SL less than a month earier)

The 55 will hold it's value the best, but who cares? The 600 was hands down the best, but you can't go wring with any of them. Remember, the 600 can cost upto 50% than a 500. When my lease is up, my plan to is look for a CPO CL600.

DarrenCT

i never drove a 600 or 55, but from the research i did, some people shy away from the 600 due to fear of the cost of maintenance. the 55's are a bit more $$ than the 500, but even the 500 is a pretty rare car (at least where i'm from)- and the 5 litre engine has a great reputation so far

Chip

Never drove a 600 but the has 500 more than enough power. Turns about 1900 plus rpm at 80 with the seven speed which is important. That transmission is one of the cars best assets.

WIldcat465

Once you drive a 600, the 500 seems to be missing a little something. The 600s are gas hogs so, if efficiency is important, go for the 500.

AMG2GO

Its true I thought the 500 had plenty until I drove the 600. Its all relative. I am sure if I drive a CL65 now, I will think "man... mine is really missing something." :p

WIldcat465

For me, the best feature of the V12 is not the power but the extreme smoothness--i don't have a leadfoot and don't normally accelerate hard, but just plodding around in it feels good. I drive my wife's SL600 once a week and look forward to my Friday commutes with the car. It's a nice change from the V8 in the CL.

Chip

After having a CLK 55 I took in consideration how often I used all that horsepower when deciding which CL to get. To spend that extra money on a V-12 just didn't make sense when I will mostly use the car on the interstate going 80-85. So I opted for a fully loaded 500 and on purpose didn't drive the 600 or the AMG. Because I knew I would have to have one.

So I guess I can't miss something I know nothing about.

WIldcat465

Ignorance = bliss.

Stickanddice

Hahaha! Know yourself!

In all seriousness, this is a very good point. There is a practical side to all of us and none of these cars are really a necessity per se. I would agree that although asking for opinions is a great way to get feedback, it is ultimately up to you to decide which is a best fit. So unless you are looking for a general overview of owner feedback, it may suit you to ask specific questions.

sirees01

Here's my opinion after purchasing a used CL 600 10 months ago.

At the time I was in the market for a used 12 month old CL.
Living here in the UK I was unable to get hold of a CL to testdrive locally, so I travelled 100 miles to testdrive a 500.
The CL felt very luxurious as I sat in the drivers seat & the drive was very good, but I felt the car was lacking a bit of punch.

I made some enquiries with other dealers in the UK & found a 12 month old CL600 Bi-Turbo with full AMG wheels & body kit in Black with all the toys on it.
This car was retailing at £105k GBP new, and was now on for £72k. 8000 miles.

I thought this was a good buy at the time & negotiated a small discount of £1k & an extra 2 years extended warranty.
The car was 300 miles away so I bought the car blind without driving it or seeing her in the metal.

The car was delivered to me within 7 days, & when I took it for a testdrive, it just blew me away, it was incredibly fast & effortless and put a HUGE smile on my face. As you can imagine I gave the green light for the CL immediately.

I have now owned the car for 10 months & without doubt it is the best car I have ever owned, & I change my cars every year. I know, but I just like a change.

Here lies the only problem with the CL, massive depreciation the best trade in price I can get is £47k. I have tried to sell the car privately but there are no takers.

So I guess I now have to change a habit of a lifetime & stick with her for another 2 years and enjoy every minute.

I thought when I bought the CL that the £34k drop in it's first year was the worst and I would be looking at £10k drop in the 2nd year, how wrong I was.

But hey, it is the best car I have ever owned and it puts a huge smile on my face when I drive her, but the money factor is a huge worry so be prepared to take a hit or buy a 2 year old CL600 which is at least 60% under new cost.

phat-ho

thank you all for the education. more and more i am starting to realize that money is not everything (i started realizing this about 2 years ago). i've lost a lot of money and have made a lot. i've dismissed the concept of auto depreciation from the larger scheme of things. it is really not that big of a deal. if money is really tight, one can always buy the right car used, at the right time, and get rid of it at the right time. i'll stop blabbing now, its 2:45am.

techbike

CL 600

I disagree that it's a gas hog, I get avg. 18mpg. With this much car and performance, that's great mileage in my book.
It's the smoothest power machine I've driven. My AMG felt more agile and "angry" ; the CL600 turns you into a different driver. Instant sophistication.

Vendetta

Couldn't agree more. Techbike put it best, instant sophistication. Yet, you can kick an *** or two any time you want. It's a guaranteed smile, doing about 65mph and then just flooring it - the thing pulls like a freight train.

And it doesn't suck on gas, actually. In fact, I'm getting 22.6MPG highway (freshly sampled from a 350-mile drive yesterday) and 19.3MPG city. I use only Exxon/Mobil 93, and treat her to Sunoco 94 whenever I can find it, usually out of state.

-V

Chip

I am curious. I find the 500 to be pretty nimble for it's size. As a former CLK 55 owner I don't have any problems with the way it handles on mountain roads. Does the 600 lose that with the added weight from the V-12. I've heard that they feel quite a bit more hefty than the 500.

Stickanddice

Chip,

From my test drives it didn't feel that different at all. Again, it was a test drive and although the drive got kinda twisty at times it was not enough to notice a considerable difference.

grussell

Hi All,

I have owned all 3 and I currently drive a CL600. I like the 600 the best, however the 55 was the most sporty and handled the best. I did not like the 500 and felt that it was way underpowered. I did not like the 55 because I felt that it was trying to be somthing that it is not, a sport car. Also, I feel that the handling of the 600 is on par with the 500 but you do feel a little more weight. The 600 is truly a dual personality car, very functional and smooth when you need it and faster than most anything on the open road when you need it. I do have the Renntech ECU and the 600 is very fast and very smooth, even with 19" wheels! To me, the best of all worlds.

Hope this helps,

Egyptking

honestly if your not driving a 600 ur not driving a BENZ!!! all other 600 and above owners would agree, if it isnt v12 then why buy....unlesss ur broke!!! even if i wuz broke i would still have a 600

Ifari

When the coil packs go and the oil leaks come...ya may get your wish...hehehe

Egyptking

honestly i believe you but the question is i really want to replace my coil pack before it goes where can i buy one i got a buddy thats goin to change my sparks so maybe i should change them while hees down there what u think??

Ifari

If it ain't broke - don't fix it!

Limen

??? Lack of torque? Must not have been the CL55 V8Kompresser (03+). Just the N/A 55 motor (00-02). The 55K AMG motor (03+) is an absoult torque monster!

I test drove the the CL55 and CL600 (03+) before I decided on the CL600. The power feels endless with the huge V12TT (even more so after a tune). Plus, I had already bought my 05 E55 AMG, so I didn't really need the same motor in a different car.

AMWebby

I too have owned all three. The V12 is more nose heavy than the V8s which promotes more understeer and so I settled on the CL55, which has the same acceleration as the V12 and better handling.