Another CLS 55 - Any input?

[Nat]

Nice one

 

[eight]

Good stuff!

 

[_Neal_]

With apologies for the slight radio silence, here's a quick update on the purchase.

So I went over to North London late on Friday evening, and inspected the car in the gathering darkness whilst it was raining. Textbook. Anyway I went over it thoroughly, had a drive, and discovered the following:

1. Without wishing to jinx it, mechanically it seemed good and was very standard - had been on a Merc service plan, serviced less than 2500 miles ago, including brake fluid change and multi-point inspection which gave it a clean bill of health. No issues on a cold start, oil was clean, coolant spot on, no visible leaks, tidy (but not steam-cleaned) under the bonnet, suspension worked as it should, lots of life left in the brakes etc.

2. Matching MO spec Dunlops all round with good tread (albeit a few years old).

3. All the electrics worked (apart from passenger headrest adjustment - I didn't check the multicontour seat adjustment at the time, but I think that's the only thing I missed) - aftermarket parking sensors worked well and were clearly professionally-installed.

4. I'd never driven or even been in one before (but I know what I like) and the performance seemed very strong i.e. slightly worrying in the rain. Pulled up straight, no funny noises from the suspension.

5. Cosmetically on the outside it was pretty much as described and pictured in the ad - not perfect - rear bumper needs paint and there's a few other bits too. Ditto the inside, although the seats are in good condition. Also it needed a thorough clean inside and out and some new floor mats.

6. Two keys

7. That noise!

Also the "selling it for a wealthy guy" thing checked out - the guy doing the sale, who was a builder, was handling it for a client of his - a (very) wealthy professional guy. The guy who did the sale was a top bloke - put up with 90 minutes of my prodding and poking at the car very patiently.

So I put an offer in and waited about 24 hours for the owner to come back and accept it, which he did, and I collected it (and met the owner) yesterday afternoon. He turned up in a brand new Tesla Model X (the top drawer P100D) but had nothing but positive things to say about the CLS - he'd clearly enjoyed owning it.

I then had a lengthy traffic-ridden drive home (from North London to NW Kent) but did get a chance to open it up in patches, including some childish windows-down welly in the Blackwall Tunnel. During the drive home I discovered the nav and bluetooth worked really well, that the multicontour probably didn't work, and that ventilated seats are nice.

Upon meeting up with my wife I was delighted to be able to confirm that we and our two kids (in their child seats) did all fit in the car (I'd been a bit concerned about that) and they all liked it a lot too. My wife enjoyed the short drive she had, and the kids noticed it was a fair bit quicker than the 530i they are used to, to their great amusement

All in all I'm delighted with it so far - I know it needs a bit doing but hopefully the oily bits are solid, and I'll enjoy getting it back where I want it cosmetically.

Finally, a big thanks to you guys - I've really appreciated all the friendly and knowledgeable advice, and certainly wouldn't have been as confident buying a car like this privately without your words of wisdom. I'll certainly be hanging around on here, no doubt asking further inane questions.

Cheers

Neal

 

[Deleted member 37751]

You automatically join the AMG club solely by the fact you didn’t know whether the wife and kids would also fit in the car until after you bought it! Top work!

 

[_Neal_]

You automatically join the AMG club solely by the fact you didn’t know whether the wife and kids would also fit in the car until after you bought it! Top work!

Hahaha thanks!

 

[Petrol Pete]

You automatically join the AMG club solely by the fact you didn’t know whether the wife and kids would also fit in the car until after you bought it! Top work!

Bit like when my mother in law saw me pushing my off road bike through the narrow alley from the rear of my house where my workshop is. She noted that the alleyway was only just a bit wider than a pair of motocross handlebars and asked me what would I have done if the bike(s) would not fit down the alley.

The answer was simple....I wouldn't have bought the house !

 

[Nat]

Upon meeting up with my wife I was delighted to be able to confirm that we and our two kids (in their child seats) did all fit in the car (I'd been a bit concerned about that)

Top man marks for this statement on it's own The sort of thing I'd do

Enjoy your new car

 

[rOckyAMG]

Congratulations Neal.

 

[eight]

Brilliant. Worrying in the rain? Oh yes.
From your description of the owner I would guess it will have had cost-no-object servicing at MB whenever it's needed it. Matching quality tyres another good sign. Paint is easy to sort.
It's actually quite a practical car - the boot and rear seats have tonnes of space despite there only being two and it being a "coupe".
Nice sensible family car, the '55
Enjoy!

 

[_Neal_]

Thanks eight - as you say, hoping that mechanically it's a good one, and I can gradually get it right cosmetically whilst enjoying the driving!

 

[AMGeed]

5 days on, and no pics.
Poor show Neal, poor show

 

[_Neal_]

Ha! In my defence it's only been 3 days and I've been at work. I'll get on it though...

 

[french]

I found that the quicker my tank empties the more fun I have...AMG !

 

[nicfaz]

Enjoy. My advice would be to find a straight bit of (private) road, use manual gears and select 3rd at low speed (say 30mph), then floor it. You get the full orchestra and the parachute jump feeling. Fun.