kmadsen68

Dear MB World fellow Mercedes enthusiasts,

I have been driving E-Class Mercedes for some years and really like Mercedes, its reliability, its class and comfort.

However, I recent drove in a CL500 (W215 model) of a colleague and fell in love! As simple as that...

Now the hunt has gone in for an affordable CL class.

I would so appreciate any suggestions, comments or recommendations that current CL owners have.

I am thinking of a CL500 or a CL600 with the cylinder deactivation system (Active Cylinder Control) - but I am open to anything :-)

I am looking for comfort and great looks, not so much for performance.

So questions that pop to my head include:
- V8 vs V12
- Reliability
- Common problems / what to look out for when buying
- Running cost
- Size of production or cars - ease of getting spare parts in after-market to avoid high MB prices

Also, which options are nice to have. The car looks fully equipped, but the below looks nice to have as well (or do they break easily?):
- Front fan-cooled and heated seats (comfort package) - where I live we have very cold winters and very hot summers
- Parktronic
- Distronic Cruise Control
- Electronic Trunk Closer
- KeyLess Go

Do not really see a need for:
- Dynamic multi contour front setbacks with pneumatically adjustable side and lumbar support
- Heated steering wheel
- Voice-activated telephone
- Special design or look packages - the standard edition looks great to me

Thank you in advance for any comments, suggestions or recommendations.

Ken

slonar21

Do not get a pre 2003 CL600 with the cylinder deactivation, this engine is well known to be problematic.

The common problem is the ABC suspension system, you can read about this in these forums.

saintz

If you don't need performance, get the 500. It will use way less gas than the 600 turbo. As slonar said, the pre-03 600 is not as reliable. The 03+ 600 has a crazy powerful motor, which it sounds like you don't need.

Keyless Go is probably the biggest option to look for. The AMG Sport package will increase resale value, so bare in mind when shopping.

kmadsen68

Highly appreciate the info guys - thank you a lot
It sounds like the pre '03 CL 500 is the one for me :-)
Anyone else got any good advise before start of the hunt are most welcome :-)
Ken

saintz

Bruce is a member here and I will talk to him when I'm shopping for another CL or S. I would give him a call if you want a nice one.
http://www.becksimports.com/

The dark interior wears much better than the light tan or beige.

Get it inspected by a dealer before you buy.

You probably can't get a warranty, so make sure you can afford $3k to $5k in repairs in case the whole suspension goes out.

JHouse

The 2004 Model year is when the newer Comand system was initiated. That difference is significant.

Other than that, I say get the best combintion/compromise of the biggest motor with the lowest miles and the interior that is in the best condition. Obvious, huh?

kmadsen68

Thanks for the advice.
But I understand on the pre-facelift (i.e. 2003 and earlier) there is less electronics etc and hence "cheaper" (or less expensive) when something do go wrong.
So now looking for a CL500 up to 2003 with a few miles as poss and the best interior (black or silver with black leather are my preferred options)...
Ken

Patentmat

Just my 2c: I do not believe you would see any significant savings from there being "less electronics" on the 2003 and earlier model. All CLs have an enormous amount of electronics so I suspect any difference would be insignificant, and on the oldest models maybe even outweighed by the fact that for vehicles in general early model years systems tend to be more buggy.

JHouse

I don't think it has fewer electronics at all. It just has a new generation Comand system that was used clear through 2009, so it is a lot more advanced and perhaps more compatible with our smart phones and such than the 03 and earlier version. Also CD based vs DVD based for the later version.

albertchampion

i would say that you cannot own one of these cars without some form of warranty. a m-b cpo 2 year is the best deal. and perhaps there are some third party warranties that work without a hassle.

i had given up on electronified benz coupes in 2000. but, in 2009 i stumbled upon a 2006 cl500 with 19,000 miles and unblemished. it was as if it had never been driven.

i acquired it. with a cpo 2 year warranty. that warranty was a wise acquisition.

i love the car. it is the best suspension of my fleet. but, if i hadn't acquired the warranty it would have nicked me pretty seriously.

there was that tranny that threw craps at 30k. and all the damn tire pressure sensors.
and today, the trunk that would not open requiring a vacuum device replaced for free under warranty.

these are not bullet-proof vehicles. though in many respects they may be the best coupes benz ever designed and manufactured, my pre-electronification era coupes are less asking for support.

in closing, i would recommend that you confine your search to 2005, 2006 model years for the 215 series.

the options you want:

keyless go
parktronic
satellite radio[if you drive into the boonies, as i do].

the cl500 is pretty economical to drive. but if you want to move through the moving chicanes of the contemporary urban interstate, you have to plan your route in advance.

this is not the case with its forced induction brethren. with them, the slightest depression of the go pedal propels you through all the hoi polloi.

saintz

The cheapest CPO CL on Autotrader is $50k. Over the next 2 years of warranty ownership, it will depreciate about $25k. From a cost standpoint, you're much better off buying a cheap (but in good shape) one and just spending the few grand a year to keep it running than spending $10k+ a year on depreciation to get a newer CPO.

kmadsen68

I found it (I think)!?!
Thanks for the two comments.
I found a silver CL 500 with light grey interior in very very good condition. Like new on the inside and the engine bay looks completely new as well. Current owner bought it 6 months old and he is now selling it (he is 76 and owns a big official Hyundai dealership, so it has been serviced VERY regulary). Everything seems to work including the boot and the curtain in the back.
It is a Jan 2002 with 30k miles on the clock (CL500) with keylessgo, disctronic, parktronic and a cool retro Nokia phone with a lead :-)
Sad not the AMG package, but you can't get it all I guess...
It is for sale for GBP 18,400 (but recently reduced from GBP 21,900 - guess no takers)... Sold without warrenty.
And it has been garaged and not driven in the winter so absolute zero corrosion - only fault is a parking scratch on the lower right side (behind the rear wheel) but you can hardly see it - it is very low down.
When his son started the engine it immediately said "ABC error". The son said it just needed to run a few hundred yards and it would go away. BUT I am not even thinking of giving an offer before I have it checked at my garage (who knows a little about the CL series). Think it has been for sale for more than 6 months. But their dealership is big, so guess money not an issue really for them...
Any suggestions on price etc (besides the obvious ABC check).
Thanks in advance for any comments :-)

grane

Knock 3 to 5k sterling off for the Abc. The system may need to be rebuilt.

kmadsen68

Just a quick comment. Aware the UK price not directly comparable with the US, but what premium does this car take compared to a similar one with say 100k miles on the clock or anything else you could compare it with?
Thx in advance for any comments and pricing requests...

saintz

If it has sat for a week since it's for sale and not being driven, it will throw an ABC error, almost guaranteed. That does not indicate any real issue, by itself.

You want to leave it overnight with a mechanic so they can see if it sinks overnight and then pull the CEL data to see what ABC errors it's throwing.

Or at least, go drive it again after a day and see if it throws an ABC error overnight or after a few hours.

Price should be based on condition more than mileage. A high mile car with a brand new ABC system beats a lower mile car of the same year that hasn't been overhauled.

kmadsen68

Hmmm, thx for the comments. The owner's son does seem a bit clueless about the whole ABC system (although he is aware of it). Could be a good price bargaining issue :-)
I intend to buy and keep the car for a long time, and I am prepared to spend the odd high bill (have previously had Porsche 964's and 993's). But do not want to pay full price and as well spend 5k on repairs straight away...
But very good advice.
Thx again.

grane

Agreed.

Methinks a car that old that hasn't been driven much and has not had the abc overhauled is overdue. Hence the discount. Can a UK MB dealer pull the service history? Not a definitive answer, indie may have overhauled it, would an inspection show new lines, etc.?

kmadsen68

His own official Hyundai dealership has done the servicing... Thorough for the boss I would assume, but how much does a Hyundai mechanic know about one of the most complicated MB's???
So you are saying that if the ABC has not been replaced, it is highly likely that I will need to do it in the very near future?

saintz

Hyundai dealer can't service the ABC (correctly, at least). You need a STAR system, Mercedes specific, for example, to do the rodeo to get air bubbles out of the system.

Agree with Grane about not being driven enough and possibly neglected.

The price to mile graph looks like a hill. Tons of miles means the car has been driven hard and things will break, you need to inspect heavily and pay less. A reasonable amount of miles means it was likely a well maintained and reliable daily driver. Very few miles means it probably either had problems and so was rarely driven, or was a weekend car and hence was probably serviced less and may have issues with fluids, seals, tires, etc. which sat for too long. With too few or too many miles, you want to inspect and pay less.

kmadsen68

Did not think about the mile hill graph like that but sounds sensible.
Thx :-)

saintz

To give an example, a friend's dad had an old Jaguar E-Type V12. He would drive it once a year, it would break on the drive, and he would have it towed to the shop. The only time it got serviced was during that break-down trip to the mechanic. It probably had 5k miles, tops, and the paint was perfect. Some people would call this a cherry car (it actually was red, too). But it was really a maintenance nightmare.

You can get a 50-75k mile Mercedes V12 that has plenty of life left and obviously was driven on a daily basis and maintained. It must have been pretty reliable, or no one would have driven it that much. It's probably been serviced regularly, since it was driven regularly.

Unless you're buying a true exotic that is a weekend only car, super low miles is not really beneficial. Mercedes are made to be driven, not parked. Some people will pay more money for that super low mile car, and then find out it has more problems because it never got serviced.

kmadsen68

Well, will rather spend less and have more for repairs... Also, kind of like the interior and the buttons of the early CL better - retro, I guess.
Anyway, offered euro 10-12k for the car, but not response yet. Let's see how hungry they are :-)