Buying a CL500

[Sillenthill]

Hi guys i am new to the club , i am thinking of getting a CL500, one has come up down the road from me at a vw dealer , sold as seen .
Its a 2003 , 178000 miles on the clock, no nct (mot) service history unill 2011.
The car bas been lying up for about two years,

MY WORRIES HIGH MILLAGE , LYING UP FOR SO LONG .
The car is in great condition and seems to run well .
Its 2850 , but i could gst it for less , buy or walk away?

 

[Mr Kripling]

I wouldn't touch a CL with a bargepole unless it had an impeccable wodge of paperwork to go with it to demonstrate that it had been looked after properly.

 

[pembssurf]

Best guess is you will sink and endless amount of money (with four zeros on the end) to get it up and running. The fact that it has laid dormant for that long says it all. If it was economically viable someone would have been using it already. The price reflects scrap value!

 

[oldguy57]

Unless you are an expert with the spanners and are good at sourcing parts economically and enjoy resurrecting this type of project I would look elsewhere. There are several for sale and from what the experts on here say you have to be exceptionally careful when choosing this model.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Avoid like the plague, its been sitting for 2 years as someone wont pay out for it to be fixed - ABC pump maybe?

Unless its a Grand, walk.

 

[d w124]

I thought dealers can't sell sold as seen

 

[flango]

I thought dealers can't sell sold as seen

Yep, bought mine sold as seen. but wouldn't touch that CL

 

[SLKNick]

In my book sold as seen means no warranty and if a dealer isn't prepared to offer warranty then it can only be because it knows it is going to come back and bite him hard.

He should be paying you to take it of his hands.

 

[m2287]

How much is it?

 

[pembssurf]

How much is it?

£2850... That's £2850 too much. Honestly you could end up pumping tens of thousands into that. No exaggeration !

 

[moonloops]

I thought dealers can't sell sold as seen

Yep sure is illegal under English law, has been for a few years now.

 

[merc85]

Yep sure is illegal under English law, has been for a few years now.

Even if its a trade sale?

 

[John Hannon]

If the dealer said sold as seen and the customer then returned to try and get repair work done at the dealers expense then in my opinion that customer is a complete and utter jerk.
The dealer has been truthful...........sold as seen..........the customer should be just as honest.

Regards all

John

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I thought dealers can't sell sold as seen

Yep sure is illegal under English law, has been for a few years now.

Even if its a trade sale?

As long as they make it patently clear that the sale is on a trade basis and the buyer signs an invoice stating that they accept there's no comeback, I can't see the problem.

If I've ever bought a car from a trader more than say 100 miles away, I negotiate on it being a trade sale with no comeback because there's no way I'm traipsing all over the country to fix a squeaky window or whatever.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

With regards the OP, the CL500 sounds very over priced, you could quite easily spend the purchase price again on repairs...

 

[W209CLK270]

So

You are the only one who has seen the car, you obviously like it otherwise you would have done as many have suggested and walked away. This would have been a p/x and may have stood in a yard or it may have been under cover which can make a difference. Its a lot of car and even if the dealer sells it to you on a trade 'take it as it is and if it blows up 5 yards down the road its your problem. It hasn't blown up yet in 178,000 miles so it might be ok. Don't commit to it without it being a driver on trade plates accompanied by one of the dealers employees otherwise you will be illegal on the road. Important things to consider are:
MOT status
Brakes not seized up..check hand brake too.
Oil and coolant levels, hoses etc
Make sure the interior is dry...no leaking heater matrix (radiator in heater box)
How do you get it home??

Has this car has been at the dealers for 2 years or stored somewhere else?
It could be a lovely car but why hasn't the dealer off loaded it at Auction? this is the normal way forward. Maybe the dealer cocked up on his/her pricing.

I've bought many vehicles trade but then I'm in the trade. Apart from service items and 'normal wear and tear' all have been viable. There is a 500 at Spinning Wheel Classic Cars give that a look see on the net.
Last word of advice is be very careful...hope this is all useful stuff.

 

[Stratman]

You clearly like the car and W209's advice above is sound.

The really expensive things, and I emphasise the word 'really' are the ABC, the electrics and corrosion.

ABC is Automatic Body Control, electronically controlled suspension. It has a hydraulic pump to provide pressure for the strut at each corner. The pumps have been known to fail and unless you source a rebuilt one from Germany, you're looking at north of £1.5K to replace it. The struts are about £1K apiece and do fail.

There are many electric toys which all need to work faultlessly if you are to avoid more expense. I read somewhere that if the electric windows give a little hesitation halfway up (or down?) trouble is not too far away.

The roof is aluminium alloy, the wings are steel. Where they meet there is the potential for electrolytic corrosion. Look VERY carefully for bubbles under the paint and if there is the slightest doubt wave the car goodbye. It's a very expensive specialist repair.

Check the side windows carefully, they can delaminate and water gets in between the layers. It looks like a milky haze around the edges of the glass. Pricey to fix, but if you can live with it it's not a real problem.

If you really want the car, you would be well advised to have it inspected by an independent Mercedes specialist. Where are you located? Someone here may be able to recommend one near you.

Just be careful. There's nothing so expensive as a cheap Mercedes, if you can't afford a good one you certainly can't afford a cheap one etc. etc.

 

[m2287]

The mileage isn't an issue, the question you have to ask is "has it been looked after?"...

Impossible to tell without taking it for a really good test drive but even then I'm sure you could haggle it down to around 2k which would be a good price id say...

 

[automaniaman]

Walk...

 

[John]

As long as they make it patently clear that the sale is on a trade basis and the buyer signs an invoice stating that they accept there's no comeback, I can't see the problem.

The place I bought my E55 from regularly has "part ex to clear" with "no warranty implied" etc. type wording.