CL500 - My ULEZ Friend!

[Alex225]

Some of you may have seen my other post but sadly I will be moving my S Class on due to the encroaching ULEZ. Sadly I'm just inside the M25 and in the firing line for the new ULEZ expansion.

The only option to get round this is the obvious choice, a V8! So I started hunting down the CL models. I fancied a change from the S, as superb and comfortable as it is, I don't actually ever use the practical side of it, no one actually has sat in the back in years. A CL offers the comfort and refinement but looks a lot prettier (IMO).

So I started hunting and it turns out the CL is rarer than I expected. I was anticipating hundreds of them for me to scour through, it turns out that on Autotrader there was 88 ranging from £2-3k to ~£35k. My budget was £13k max which put me in strange territory. Yes if I wanted low mileage (60-70k) and an early example with base spec, there were a few but a bit uninspiring. Up the budget a little and I'm looking at 2010 models with a few more miles (85-95k) but there seemed to be at least a few with the kind of spec I wanted.

Long story short, I have ended up putting a deposit down on this rather nice 2010 CL500. It's got the 5.5 V8 (380bhp) with the AMG styling pack which I think really enhances the look. The interior is a light grey with dark wood interior, including wood trim on the steering wheel. It has night view assist as well as air cooled seats so a couple of nice extras and is in lovely condition all round. It also has soft close doors which I don't know if they're standard but I like very much! haha

Importantly it has a full service history and a pretty clean MOT history. I have managed to get a gearbox service thrown in and free delivery, so it should be with me on Thursday.

I only managed to get a couple of pics so far.

From inside it reminds me of my CLS63, lower seating position and sportier feeling but the silence and refined of my S Class.

I already have a list of things I want to get done although really nothing major. I'd like the centre arm rest repainted, I'll use my usual leather repair guy to do that as it's not stretched leather just clearly where an elbow has been resting. Guess that is the idea of an arm rest haha. There's also a tiny hole in the material to the left of the passenger seat so will look into that being repaired and lastly a wheel refurb. I believe they were done by the previous owner but there's a few nicks out of them and I'd like them diamond cut with a light anthracite finish like my S Class wheels.

First things first, get it, clean it and brace myself for a full tank of fuel! haha

 

[SL03WLY]

Congratulations on the new purchase.

Also, that first picture you have posted...absolutely ace!

 

[Bigdrew]

Looks a very nice car

 

[neilrr]

What an upside down world we live in when that behemoth qualifies for no ULEZ charge while many far more efficient cars, some of them diesels, get clobbered.

 

[W1ghty]

Jesus you don’t hang around ! I love the look of the CL

 

[SmartAmg]

Lovely motor, Alex.

 

[Alex225]

What an upside down world we live in when that behemoth qualifies for no ULEZ charge while many far more efficient cars, some of them diesels, get clobbered.

Isn't it just mate. It's ok to do 12mpg through a city but double that but in an old diesel that's certainly not chucking out black smoke like the old days isn't acceptable.

It's a shame as I love my S and it's been great and remarkably good on fuel but won't be feasible. Our ML350cdi isn't compliant either despite being a 2011 but it's new to us still and a bloody good car so we'll suck it up on that.

Jesus you don’t hang around ! I love the look of the CL

Haha no, although I've been pondering it for some time so been looking at what's about and working the maths out.

I hope it's as nice to own as my initial impressions.

 

[W1ghty]

Isn't it just mate. It's ok to do 12mpg through a city but double that but in an old diesel that's certainly not chucking out black smoke like the old days isn't acceptable.

It's a shame as I love my S and it's been great and remarkably good on fuel but won't be feasible. Our ML350cdi isn't compliant either despite being a 2011 but it's new to us still and a bloody good car so we'll suck it up on that.


Haha no, although I've been pondering it for some time so been looking at what's about and working the maths out.

I hope it's as nice to own as my initial impressions.

Looking forward to the “Full” CL thread with all your usual high quality pics

 

[Alex225]

I'll certainly be taking loads of photos. I might even take the day off Friday so I can give it a clean to my standard haha

 

[John]

Congrats.

One of the best looking pre-facelift versions I've seen.

Silver and those wheels really do it justice!

 

[ALFAitalia]

My derv ALFA does 50 plus MPG.....but costs over £14 per day in the ULEZ.....An E63 or F10 M5 is free. Mine is Euro 5, so DPF etc and no black smoke....but they need to be E6! My ALFA will kick out a fraction of the carbon an E63 will.....but because its tiny amount of particulates might annoy a few sensitive asthmatics I cant use it in London!! But killing the planet with a high carbon V8 is perfectly fine. To be honest I cant imagine that thirsty petrol cars will be except from ULEZ payments forever (they are not particulate free....that's why the latest ones (the latest ALFA Giulia Quadrifoglio for example) have particulate filters too)....But I will worry about that nearer the time....its not like I go into big cities by car much anyway.

 

[HB]

Some of you may have seen my other post but sadly I will be moving my S Class on due to the encroaching ULEZ. Sadly I'm just inside the M25 and in the firing line for the new ULEZ expansion.

The only option to get round this is the obvious choice, a V8! So I started hunting down the CL models. I fancied a change from the S, as superb and comfortable as it is, I don't actually ever use the practical side of it, no one actually has sat in the back in years. A CL offers the comfort and refinement but looks a lot prettier (IMO).

So I started hunting and it turns out the CL is rarer than I expected. I was anticipating hundreds of them for me to scour through, it turns out that on Autotrader there was 88 ranging from £2-3k to ~£35k. My budget was £13k max which put me in strange territory. Yes if I wanted low mileage (60-70k) and an early example with base spec, there were a few but a bit uninspiring. Up the budget a little and I'm looking at 2010 models with a few more miles (85-95k) but there seemed to be at least a few with the kind of spec I wanted.

Long story short, I have ended up putting a deposit down on this rather nice 2010 CL500. It's got the 5.5 V8 (380bhp) with the AMG styling pack which I think really enhances the look. The interior is a light grey with dark wood interior, including wood trim on the steering wheel. It has night view assist as well as air cooled seats so a couple of nice extras and is in lovely condition all round. It also has soft close doors which I don't know if they're standard but I like very much! haha

Importantly it has a full service history and a pretty clean MOT history. I have managed to get a gearbox service thrown in and free delivery, so it should be with me on Thursday.

I only managed to get a couple of pics so far.

From inside it reminds me of my CLS63, lower seating position and sportier feeling but the silence and refined of my S Class.

I already have a list of things I want to get done although really nothing major. I'd like the centre arm rest repainted, I'll use my usual leather repair guy to do that as it's not stretched leather just clearly where an elbow has been resting. Guess that is the idea of an arm rest haha. There's also a tiny hole in the material to the left of the passenger seat so will look into that being repaired and lastly a wheel refurb. I believe they were done by the previous owner but there's a few nicks out of them and I'd like them diamond cut with a light anthracite finish like my S Class wheels.

First things first, get it, clean it and brace myself for a full tank of fuel! haha

Stunning. Only an old Merc like this can look so fresh and attractive. I’d buy one in a heartbeat ….. goes to open AT app .

 

[bolidemichael]

Love it... more than the stinky S Class

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

What an upside down world we live in when that behemoth qualifies for no ULEZ charge while many far more efficient cars, some of them diesels, get clobbered.

“EU regs, Guv.” The bloke who drives one mile in London during one day in an older car pays the same ULEZ charge as the driver of an old delivery van doing 100 miles in a day. And, of course, the Amazon driver doing 200 miles in a newer van in the most congested areas and at the most congested times pays no ULEZ at all. Because it’s all about the rate per km emitted, not the total amount actually emitted by that driver on that day.

No reference to the distances, the crowding or the time of day. And all done, as always, as a “justifiable” means of raising “green tax” income to finance the vote winning projects of local politicians.

For sure we need to reduce traffic levels, and we do need to find ways to subsidise clean, frequent and safe public transport, but this is a cack-handed way of doing it,

As an example, by taxing normal people off the roads, we’ve “driven” the young into working and living in city centres rather than the ‘burbs or regions because that’s where the public transport is. “Unintended consequences.”

Great C216 though, stylish colour choice, and personally I think the 5.5 is the better driver’s engine than the later 4.7, so good choice.

As a BTW,, to answer your question, I think soft close was standard on these.

 

[Alex225]

Congrats.

One of the best looking pre-facelift versions I've seen.

Silver and those wheels really do it justice!

It really is a handsome car. Looking at the models for sale, most are silver, black or a kind of champagne colour and without the AMG kit and boring wheels they're not particularly interesting. The drive would still be awesome but they're quite subdued. I think the W221 S is a more striking car in bog standard trim.

By contrast the AMG styled models (and full bore AMGs) look so much better. In black it's nice but loses the detail and in silver it just sets the extra angles off nicely.

My derv ALFA does 50 plus MPG.....but costs over £14 per day in the ULEZ.....An E63 or F10 M5 is free. Mine is Euro 5, so DPF etc and no black smoke....but they need to be E6! My ALFA will kick out a fraction of the carbon an E63 will.....but because its tiny amount of particulates might annoy a few sensitive asthmatics I cant use it in London!! But killing the planet with a high carbon V8 is perfectly fine. To be honest I cant imagine that thirsty petrol cars will be except from ULEZ payments forever (they are not particulate free....that's why the latest ones (the latest ALFA Giulia Quadrifoglio for example) have particulate filters too)....But I will worry about that nearer the time....its not like I go into big cities by car much anyway.

There is definitely some questionable logic in it I must admit.

Stunning. Only an old Merc like this can look so fresh and attractive. I’d buy one in a heartbeat ….. goes to open AT app .

Yep, for 12 years old it's a lot of car and to be honest, driving it you just couldn't tell. In my E Class it had the odd creak here and there but my S Class and this CL are silent.

Love it... more than the stinky S Class

Don't get me wrong, I love the S Class, for the type of driving I do it couldn't be more perfect. Economical, tonnes of torque and so refined. If I didn't live in the proposed ULEZ I likely wouldn't sell it. But I admit this is a little more special.

“EU regs, Guv.” The bloke who drives one mile in London during one day in an older car pays the same ULEZ charge as the driver of an old delivery van doing 100 miles in a day. And, of course, the Amazon driver doing 200 miles in a newer van in the most congested areas and at the most congested times pays no ULEZ at all. Because it’s all about the rate per km emitted, not the total amount actually emitted by that driver on that day.

No reference to the distances, the crowding or the time of day. And all done, as always, as a “justifiable” means of raising “green tax” income to finance the vote winning projects of local politicians.

For sure we need to reduce traffic levels, and we do need to find ways to subsidise clean, frequent and safe public transport, but this is a cack-handed way of doing it,

As an example, by taxing normal people off the roads, we’ve “driven” the young into working and living in city centres rather than the ‘burbs or regions because that’s where the public transport is. “Unintended consequences.”

Great C216 though, stylish colour choice, and personally I think the 5.5 is the better driver’s engine than the later 4.7, so good choice.

As a BTW,, to answer your question, I think soft close was standard on these.

That's a great post and a whole other topic of ULEZ and it's questionable logic! Interestingly you say about taxing drivers off the roads, which in turn forces younger people into city and town centres to buy up the houses they're building at frantic rates. High rise stuff in areas where it's never really had a place. Aaaanyway.

I'll let you know on the 5.5 engine, I'm anticipating it feeling very much like a paired back version of my CLS63 engine. And good to know on the doors, they're a cool touch.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I'll let you know on the 5.5 engine, I'm anticipating it feeling very much like a paired back version of my CLS63 engine. And good to know on the doors, they're a cool touch.

I'll look forward to your comments comparing to the CLS63.

I'm sure the difference is noticeable on Bundesautobahn 5, but sceptical about it iwithin the M25.

Which, in part, is why I didn't enjoy the 430bhp C216 compared to the 380bhp C216

 

[Londonscottish]

Some of you may have seen my other post but sadly I will be moving my S Class on due to the encroaching ULEZ. Sadly I'm just inside the M25 and in the firing line for the new ULEZ expansion.

The only option to get round this is the obvious choice, a V8! So I started hunting down the CL models. I fancied a change from the S, as superb and comfortable as it is, I don't actually ever use the practical side of it, no one actually has sat in the back in years. A CL offers the comfort and refinement but looks a lot prettier (IMO).

So I started hunting and it turns out the CL is rarer than I expected. I was anticipating hundreds of them for me to scour through, it turns out that on Autotrader there was 88 ranging from £2-3k to ~£35k. My budget was £13k max which put me in strange territory. Yes if I wanted low mileage (60-70k) and an early example with base spec, there were a few but a bit uninspiring. Up the budget a little and I'm looking at 2010 models with a few more miles (85-95k) but there seemed to be at least a few with the kind of spec I wanted.

Long story short, I have ended up putting a deposit down on this rather nice 2010 CL500. It's got the 5.5 V8 (380bhp) with the AMG styling pack which I think really enhances the look. The interior is a light grey with dark wood interior, including wood trim on the steering wheel. It has night view assist as well as air cooled seats so a couple of nice extras and is in lovely condition all round. It also has soft close doors which I don't know if they're standard but I like very much! haha

Importantly it has a full service history and a pretty clean MOT history. I have managed to get a gearbox service thrown in and free delivery, so it should be with me on Thursday.

I only managed to get a couple of pics so far.

From inside it reminds me of my CLS63, lower seating position and sportier feeling but the silence and refined of my S Class.

I already have a list of things I want to get done although really nothing major. I'd like the centre arm rest repainted, I'll use my usual leather repair guy to do that as it's not stretched leather just clearly where an elbow has been resting. Guess that is the idea of an arm rest haha. There's also a tiny hole in the material to the left of the passenger seat so will look into that being repaired and lastly a wheel refurb. I believe they were done by the previous owner but there's a few nicks out of them and I'd like them diamond cut with a light anthracite finish like my S Class wheels.

First things first, get it, clean it and brace myself for a full tank of fuel! haha

Glorious-looking car. Love it Esp on those wheels with the AMG body parts.

 

[clk320x]

Enough of the ULEZ stuff… what mods are you planning? Lovely car - enjoy!

 

[Alex225]

I'll look forward to your comments comparing to the CLS63.

I'm sure the difference is noticeable on Bundesautobahn 5, but sceptical about it iwithin the M25.

Which, in part, is why I didn't enjoy the 430bhp C216 compared to the 380bhp C216

Yeah I bet the extra torque would be nice but on a gentle cruise I don't think it'll be lacking.

I'm expecting it to rev up like the 6.2 but just be slower. That engine just feels urgent the whole time, I'm hoping this is a more lazy V8. Relaxing I guess like my S Class is.

Glorious-looking car. Love it Esp on those wheels with the AMG body parts.

Those bits and pieces definitely set it off nicely.

Enough of the ULEZ stuff… what mods are you planning? Lovely car - enjoy!

Well I've got some cosmetic bits and pieces to do first. Some leather TLC, a small hole in the rear next to the back seat and I'd love the wheels refurbished.

I love the contrast I got from my S Class wheels. Genuine Mercedes light anthracite with a diamond cut. Just not sure how well it would lend itself to this wheel design as there'd be likely more anthracite than polished face on show so undecided.

 

[bolidemichael]

Apologies if I've overlooked it, but how did you sell your S Class?