Mercedes-Benz C216 CL 500
Discussion
I've been searching for a new family car primarily on the grounds of requiring better access to the back seats, because whilst rear seat room in the CLK is acceptable, entrance back there is surprisingly awkward - much more so than a 3 door Corsa C, for example. The criteria were 1) a coupe, 2) petrol V8 powered, 3) low mileage & great condition, and 4) very refined. I'd mostly settled on the C216 CL based on its looks and the reviews in period: its competitors were the Bentley and Aston Martin (DB9 maybe?). The CL was head and shoulders above in refinement, but obviously no where near as desirable as the other two hence the significant depreciation over time. Great news for us used-car buyers. I would only consider the pre-facelift version with an N/A V8 as this is one of the rare cars where I think the styling lost its way during a facelift.
Onto the search and it was not easy: I missed a nice CL 63 at a dealer in Somerset. I don't particularly need the performance of a 63, but I like the front bumper and exhaust note. It was a fairly basic spec - for a CL - but immaculate and only 47k miles. I found other cars with painted black wheels, spoilers etc. that didn't sit right with me. I even talked to a dealer about another CLK63, but that particular car would need a bit of work to reach my standard, and the last thing I need is another CLK, or another project
I ended up settling on a car that met my mileage requirement but exceeded my condition expectations: a CL 500 being sold by the original owner, garaged all of its life, and with only 43k miles.
Collection
I took my Dad out on a bit of a jolly to collect the car. It was a hot Sunday so my young family wouldn't particularly enjoy a four-legged, four hour train/tube journey. Unlike my last train based car collection, this time the train networks were pleasantly empty - sometimes everything just seems to works out well.
At our destination in Reigate the owning family were really nice, and all the signs were there of a very well cared-for car. The last MOT had an advisory for two tyres with nails in them, so it was good to see two new Conti Sports fitted. The other tyres were matching Contis with 6mm remaining.
On the route back I'd headed into London as I'd arranged to buy some different wheels for the car - optional AMG 19" wheels which I've subsequently decided that I don't like. Part of the M25 was closed so in the end it was all a bit of a detour to get back on the A1, so we decided to have dinner down by the Thames.
A quick snap on the route home.
More to follow.
Onto the search and it was not easy: I missed a nice CL 63 at a dealer in Somerset. I don't particularly need the performance of a 63, but I like the front bumper and exhaust note. It was a fairly basic spec - for a CL - but immaculate and only 47k miles. I found other cars with painted black wheels, spoilers etc. that didn't sit right with me. I even talked to a dealer about another CLK63, but that particular car would need a bit of work to reach my standard, and the last thing I need is another CLK, or another project
I ended up settling on a car that met my mileage requirement but exceeded my condition expectations: a CL 500 being sold by the original owner, garaged all of its life, and with only 43k miles.
Collection
I took my Dad out on a bit of a jolly to collect the car. It was a hot Sunday so my young family wouldn't particularly enjoy a four-legged, four hour train/tube journey. Unlike my last train based car collection, this time the train networks were pleasantly empty - sometimes everything just seems to works out well.
At our destination in Reigate the owning family were really nice, and all the signs were there of a very well cared-for car. The last MOT had an advisory for two tyres with nails in them, so it was good to see two new Conti Sports fitted. The other tyres were matching Contis with 6mm remaining.
On the route back I'd headed into London as I'd arranged to buy some different wheels for the car - optional AMG 19" wheels which I've subsequently decided that I don't like. Part of the M25 was closed so in the end it was all a bit of a detour to get back on the A1, so we decided to have dinner down by the Thames.
A quick snap on the route home.
More to follow.
Edited by mwstewart on Friday 14th June 23:22
Well, what did I buy? It's a 2007 car in Flint Grey metallic with grey leather. In terms of notable options, it has:
Here are some photos after the drive home. I'm quite taken with the car so struggled to keep the photo count low
Interior
The interior is really good needing only a wipe over of the leather, a hoover, and buffing out of scratches on the drivers side stainless sill trim.
Engine
The M273 V8. The engine bay is pretty good but I will spend a little bit of time sprucing it up.
- Ambient lighting
- Black Ash wood trim
- Black Ash steering wheel with leather trimmed airbag
- Bluetooth & 'puck'
- COMAND HDD Nav
- Double cup holder in front
- DVD changer
- Harman/Kardon
- Luxury front seats (heated and ventilated, perforated leather)
- Parktronic
- Reverse camera
- TPMS
Here are some photos after the drive home. I'm quite taken with the car so struggled to keep the photo count low
Interior
The interior is really good needing only a wipe over of the leather, a hoover, and buffing out of scratches on the drivers side stainless sill trim.
Engine
The M273 V8. The engine bay is pretty good but I will spend a little bit of time sprucing it up.
Very nice, you do have a knack of finding nice examples.
So, next post ?
Will your other knack come into play ? that of buying a car and then rendering it down to its component part quicker than a Birmingham chop shop ?
Or, moreover what are the plans ? Doesnt look like it needed much.
Lets see the wheels you bought ? Oh and if its not impertinent, what kind of ball park price wise ?
So, next post ?
Will your other knack come into play ? that of buying a car and then rendering it down to its component part quicker than a Birmingham chop shop ?
Or, moreover what are the plans ? Doesnt look like it needed much.
Lets see the wheels you bought ? Oh and if its not impertinent, what kind of ball park price wise ?
I've been waiting for this one! Having briefly had a C215 and being a fan of pretty much any S-Class based Merc coupe over the years.
I'm amazed you found it 10 minutes from my office, and what a find! The colour combo is quite under the radar (as most of these are), but the interior looks so much nicer than black.
Out of interest, do you have a photo of the 19" wheels?
I'm amazed you found it 10 minutes from my office, and what a find! The colour combo is quite under the radar (as most of these are), but the interior looks so much nicer than black.
Out of interest, do you have a photo of the 19" wheels?
I prep'd a mate's one of these for sale, and had the pleasure of driving it about whilst I sorted it out/waited for it to sell. Wonderful thing. The engine sounds glorious, if a bit muted, it would be a car to smash out some big wafty miles in. His had the 19" AMG wheels and kit on it, and it looked fantastic. I finished adding CarPlay/Android Auto to it which worked nicely. They are a big old bus though.
Thanks all. My plan for the car is to add a few finishing touches, and remediate any issues - cosmetic or otherwise. No Birmingham chop shop for this one 
I'll take a photo of the new wheels, but I've decided to keep the current 18" versions as they are a pleasant design and have a nice amount of sidewall in the tyres.
It is a big car. It feels similar in size to a (low height) SWB Transit.
The simplicity of the engine is certainly a positive, though I do have the impression that the rest of these cars can be temperamental.
Details
I've taken a few photos of the details that caught my eye.
The seat tilt levers are solid steel. They must weigh 3kg each. If you trap your finger in one then expect a blue nail - I only did that once
The interior was panned in its day for not being special enough to justify the price tag, but regardless it is still a nice place to be. The armrest pads are real Nappa leather, the rest in a textured finish is artificial. I think that Mercedes call it 'Artico'.
Rear armrest detail. I've noticed that the Black Ash trim starts out looking very much like Piano Black, but over time UV exposure fades it to more of a brown colour.
Quite extensive capping on the door reveal - no exterior paint to be seen.
Art Deco clock.
The central speedometer is a TFT multi-function screen, and the peripheral gauges are traditional analogue units. When looking at the cluster head on all of the gauges look matched.
Double glazing and what looks to be a thermal coating on the glass.
Stainless sill plates, both inner and outer. These are a little scratched so I will see if I can improve them with the DA.
The front centre console storage bin has switchable A/C cooling, which is a nice touch. Normally there isn't a choice.
Overhead binnacle and sunroof control. Homelink was an option - at least in the States. My car doesn't have it.
Double timing chain on the M273. My car is outside of the range affected by the sprocket issue. The general advice is to avoid 2006 cars but an exact check can be performed as per https://www.mercedesmedic.com/check-my-mercedes-be...
The door check straps are designed to hold the door in any position, rather than a set number of notches. They work well; very handy given the size of the doors.
I'll take a photo of the new wheels, but I've decided to keep the current 18" versions as they are a pleasant design and have a nice amount of sidewall in the tyres.
It is a big car. It feels similar in size to a (low height) SWB Transit.
The simplicity of the engine is certainly a positive, though I do have the impression that the rest of these cars can be temperamental.
Details
I've taken a few photos of the details that caught my eye.
The seat tilt levers are solid steel. They must weigh 3kg each. If you trap your finger in one then expect a blue nail - I only did that once
The interior was panned in its day for not being special enough to justify the price tag, but regardless it is still a nice place to be. The armrest pads are real Nappa leather, the rest in a textured finish is artificial. I think that Mercedes call it 'Artico'.
Rear armrest detail. I've noticed that the Black Ash trim starts out looking very much like Piano Black, but over time UV exposure fades it to more of a brown colour.
Quite extensive capping on the door reveal - no exterior paint to be seen.
Art Deco clock.
The central speedometer is a TFT multi-function screen, and the peripheral gauges are traditional analogue units. When looking at the cluster head on all of the gauges look matched.
Double glazing and what looks to be a thermal coating on the glass.
Stainless sill plates, both inner and outer. These are a little scratched so I will see if I can improve them with the DA.
The front centre console storage bin has switchable A/C cooling, which is a nice touch. Normally there isn't a choice.
Overhead binnacle and sunroof control. Homelink was an option - at least in the States. My car doesn't have it.
Double timing chain on the M273. My car is outside of the range affected by the sprocket issue. The general advice is to avoid 2006 cars but an exact check can be performed as per https://www.mercedesmedic.com/check-my-mercedes-be...
The door check straps are designed to hold the door in any position, rather than a set number of notches. They work well; very handy given the size of the doors.
Edited by mwstewart on Friday 24th May 01:33
That sounds like the perfect private purchase experience.
I do love these and you're right about the era. As time moves on, there are more cost cuts made on the later models. I had a 1997 CL420 and the interior just felt so plush with nappa leather throughout. I don't think they invented artico back then.
I now have a 2012 SLK55 also in nappa leather but it's not the same quality nappa as they had back in the day.
eta: yes it's the attention to detail which makes it so special
I do love these and you're right about the era. As time moves on, there are more cost cuts made on the later models. I had a 1997 CL420 and the interior just felt so plush with nappa leather throughout. I don't think they invented artico back then.
I now have a 2012 SLK55 also in nappa leather but it's not the same quality nappa as they had back in the day.
eta: yes it's the attention to detail which makes it so special
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff