54 plate CL500

[exhaustflames71]

I have been looking for a classic CL500 that's in good condition and come across this:

Mercedes Benz CL500 designo Edition - 69,000 Miles Just Serviced and MOT'd | eBay

I was quite interested but after checking the mileage history from mot it's made me unsure whether or not it's a good idea after all?

What would you do, keep looking or question the seller?

 

[horatio]

I love that, especially the pimp interior.

History looks good to me, only a few corroded brake pipes and worn tyres mentioned. I just had the same on my 190 even though the rears are new and the rest recently painted. Some testers make an absolute meal of the comments while others ignore major issues. They are worth a read but almost useless for judging the condition of a car.

Even on the nicest example will probably need 4 figures chucking at it after purchase.

 

[Neiltodd]

Looks good to me

 

[aj_clc]

Looks in great interior nick, which is always a good sign - however why get rid after a service?

 

[Abb]

Possibly dealer trading from home? It does look very nice but with the W215 regardless of how nice it looks, money spent on an independent inspection would be money well spent and would obviously (hopefully) highlight any potential issues.

Don't let @E55BOF see the 'blueness' of this CL and that of the ML the vendor is offering for sale!

 

[exhaustflames71]

I love that, especially the pimp interior.

History looks good to me, only a few corroded brake pipes and worn tyres mentioned. I just had the same on my 190 even though the rears are new and the rest recently painted. Some testers make an absolute meal of the comments while others ignore major issues. They are worth a read but almost useless for judging the condition of a car.

Even on the nicest example will probably need 4 figures chucking at it after purchase.

Yeah i love the interior - it's amazing, sorry maybe i wasn't quite clear enough it's more the MOT MILEAGE that worries me (not the advisories), i have attached a screenshot..

 

[E55BOF]

I'd already seen the CL, but a CL would not be practical for me.

Regarding the MoT mileage discrepancy, I'd not worry about it; apart from that, the mileage increase for several years previously, and the latest figure, tally very well with a cared-for Sunday/weekend indulgence car. I think it's an obvious tester's mistake; either that, or it was given a 45k haircuit, then before the next MoT did 50k miles.

The ML looks good, though I'd prefer a light-coloured interior, but it's the wrong engine; I'm after another 500, or just possibly a 4.0 diesel, with sensible mileage in the right colour combination and spec. Ideally I'd like Tanzanite with a light interior, but if not, this might fit the bill:

2006 Mercedes ML500 V8 - 59,400 miles - Excellent Example For Sale | Car And Classic

I'm going up that way next weekend, and I just might go over and take a look at it. It's been on sale for a while, and ML500s are not easy to sell, nor getting any easier; the dealer might well be open to a reasonable offer...

 

[Flyinspanner]

Maybe one year the MOT station put the trip meter reading down as the mileage. Happened to my wife’s Suzuki one year.

 

[exhaustflames71]

Maybe one year the MOT station put the trip meter reading down as the mileage. Happened to my wife’s Suzuki one year.

Yeah it doesn't really add up and must be something odd like that, i don't even know if it could be a typo though because it goes from 62,462 to 12,021 to 68,447.

Has anyone else seen anything like this before? It's very weird lol and more to the point a good reason why you should probably check your MOT mileage after you take your car for an MOT..

I am still interested in the car though, but the main concern is resale value and issues with selling it back on as i like a change once in a while and probably wouldn't keep it forever

 

[horatio]

Happens all the time. 62 previous year, then 12 and back to 68 on the retest.

Personally it's not the sort of car I would buy to keep a short while. Top money for a C215 and even ironing out a few inevitable niggles could run into four figures. Lose thousands just plodding around for a bit?

I would love a CLK 500 in similar condition to pop up for sale.

 

[poormansporsche]

It's clearly a mistake as the restest was only a week later so obviously spotted. If genuinely interested make a big deal over it and get the maximum discount playing on future resales

 

[E55BOF]

It's clearly a mistake as the restest was only a week later so obviously spotted. If genuinely interested make a big deal over it and get the maximum discount playing on future resales

Good luck with that. I'd knock a tenner off for it, but no more than that...

 

[Mancstar]

Possibly dealer trading from home? It does look very nice but with the W215 regardless of how nice it looks, money spent on an independent inspection would be money well spent and would obviously (hopefully) highlight any potential issues.

Don't let @E55BOF see the 'blueness' of this CL and that of the ML the vendor is offering for sale!

Yes part timer probs. Quick search on Google with his mobile number brings up some hits on cars he/she has sold.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

That looks very nice and a great colour combination - love the interior, don’t think I’ve ever seen one in that colour.

 

[exhaustflames71]

Yes part timer probs. Quick search on Google with his mobile number brings up some hits on cars he/she has sold.

That looks very nice and a great colour combination - love the interior, don’t think I’ve ever seen one in that colour.

Yep, i really wanted to go for it but my heads telling me not too (and instinct wins every time).

I like to have a swap once every few years, so for this reason im going to give this a miss and try and find something that's entirely clean - failing that there's always the u-turn option.

I found this though, but im going to have to contact the person selling it as there's no reg plates on it and i don't want to waste a journey if it turns out unclean:
MERCEDES BENZ CL500 2004 | eBay

 

[ChrisHampshire]

Nice but the price is verging on CL55K money (albeit probably with higher mileage)

 

[E55BOF]

A bit too much of the Eastern European gangster look for my taste, though putting the wheels back to silver would help, but he's right that there's loads of life left with only 86K miles done.

The blue one looks much better, and with 20k miles less, it's the one I'd go for if I could agree a price I was happy with. The fact that it is probably being sold by a part-time dealer masquerading as a private seller wouldn't bother me in the slightest if the car was sound, and as for the 'mileage discrepancy', I wouldn't give that a second thought; I wouldn't be looking to flip it, though. If you really think it might affect the resale value, that's up to you, but only an idiot could even claim to suppose that it could have done 50K miles in five days; that's 10,000 miles A DAY, or 416 mph.

 

[exhaustflames71]

A bit too much of the Eastern European gangster look for my taste, though putting the wheels back to silver would help, but he's right that there's loads of life left with only 86K miles done.

The blue one looks much better, and with 20k miles less, it's the one I'd go for if I could agree a price I was happy with. The fact that it is probably being sold by a part-time dealer masquerading as a private seller wouldn't bother me in the slightest if the car was sound, and as for the 'mileage discrepancy', I wouldn't give that a second thought; I wouldn't be looking to flip it, though. If you really think it might affect the resale value, that's up to you, but only an idiot could even claim to suppose that it could have done 50K miles in five days; that's 10,000 miles A DAY, or 416 mph.

Yeah I am sure it's a genuine error as well (like you said 416mph), but the views of a man parting with his hard earned cash may be different..

 

[E55BOF]

Anybody who thinks they're going to get a discount because of that 'mileage discrepancy' is either incredibly stupid, and won't have any hard-earned cash to spend, or they don't want any particular car; they're just another of the timewasting, irritating tossers who infest eBay looking to pay peanuts and make a quick buck.

The only third possibility is that they're wearing a canvas jacket with straps on the ends of the arms...

 

[horatio]

but only an idiot could even claim to suppose that it could have done 50K miles in five days; that's 10,000 miles A DAY, or 416 mph.

It's possible.