CL500 running costs

[ras8963]

Bit of a liberty maybe having just said hello but after doing a search i seem to be struggling for info.
I would appreciate some advice on (actual) running costs on a CL500, I have been looking at a few, pricewise I am somewhere in the 2001- 2005 bracket I guess, importantly for me is to buy one with less than 60k miles and hopefully one or two owners.
I dont even seem to be able to find the car tax bracket for one of these...I plan to phone "merc" insurance tomorrow to get a quote and if anyone can give me an idea of A/B service coss and general fuel mileages i would be most greatful,
Thanks
Roy

 

[steve333]

Hi Roy,welcome to the forum,as far as a & b servicing you can find the costs on mercedes benz uk website & follow the links to servicing(i forget exactly how to pull up the menu servicing price list but you should work it out when you are on the website,it not only lists service pricing when you look at your model but also things like pads/discs/wiper blades etc,good luck

 

[ras8963]

Hi Roy,welcome to the forum,as far as a & b servicing you can find the costs on mercedes benz uk website & follow the links to servicing(i forget exactly how to pull up the menu servicing price list but you should work it out when you are on the website,it not only lists service pricing when you look at your model but also things like pads/discs/wiper blades etc,good luck

Thanks Steve i didnt think of that, good point.
I need to get some idea of fuel running costs also, friend of mine has an SL I wonder if it might be similar,
all the best
Roy

 

[steve333]

No problem,the cl is a heavier car than the sl so doubt fuel consumption will be the same,you can check all the facts/figures on www.parkers.co.uk

 

[Smiley]

The least of your concerns of overall running costs with a W215 CL will be the regular servicing and fuel costs - the thing that will really make a difference are all the running repairs to things like suspension, brakes and electrical gremlins - there is practically nothing on these cars that is cheap (or even moderately priced) to repair.
I was going to buy one a few years ago but others' experiences of their cars really put me off.

 

[ras8963]

Thanks - thats a worry...

 

[BlackC55]

They are a cheap car to buy but not to run. A £50k+ car will never have reasonable running costs.

 

[Noodle-Pulp]

I plan to phone "merc" insurance tomorrow to get a quote

I couldn't get a competitive quote out of MB...they quoted me £1000.00 more than the cheapest for every MB I've owned, it pays to shop around, and be confident with your decision.

 

[timskemp]

If you're lucky, and nothing goes wrong, and you don't damage it then it'll be as cheap to run as any other 5 litre engined luxury car. Damage a panel, window or wheel and it'll be "ouch" as you'll find out that the laws of mass production don't apply. Break the suspension and it'll be dear again.

Other than that, most of the mechanical bits exist in other mercs, so I'd not expect them to be any dearer to look after...

Does the CL500 hav 16 spark plugs?

 

[BlackC55]

If you're lucky, and nothing goes wrong, and you don't damage it then it'll be as cheap to run as any other 5 litre engined luxury car. Damage a panel, window or wheel and it'll be "ouch" as you'll find out that the laws of mass production don't apply. Break the suspension and it'll be dear again.

Other than that, most of the mechanical bits exist in other mercs, so I'd not expect them to be any dearer to look after...

Does the CL500 hav 16 spark plugs?

Yes. 16 beautys.

 

[LTD]

I have a 2003 S500 - probably similar in weight and the same engine. Paid £10.5k for mine at 6 years old.

I get 17 mpg on the commute, 20+ if light of foot and get 27-30 on motorway trips.

My bills have not been heavy in the 16 months I have had the car. Rear brake discs/pads/shoes and a ball joint and control arm. Servicing through my local Indy was very reasonable. Tyre wear has been better than expected. 15k on the rears so far (Dunlop SP9000).

Yes, they are uber-expensive to buy from new but nobody is going to pay huge sums for a car and not want reliability as standard. They are cheap because most people won't look twice at that price and buy a new Focus / Golf etc. in the belief they are getting a better car.

Look hard and get a good one. You will smile

 

[Davo]

I love mine, though Ive not had it long. One thing that influenced me to get a 2000 one was the road tax.

Whereas car tax on all models registered before 1st March 2001 is based on engine size, cars registered on or after that date are taxed according to their emissions. Mine is £112.75 for 6 months.

I do find I avoid the mpg indicator on the trip computer, using it locally it can be in single figures!

 

[asad7860]

buy it with a tier 1 £0 xs mercedes warranty - then you should be able to run the car for about £2500 per year (Warranty approx £1000, tyres, brakes, service £1500)

 

[Davo]

I used to race motor bikes, and worked for car and bike race teams. Motor sport is the ultimate money pit. When I raced in the Manx GP, because the bike was flat out for miles we used race spark plugs at £66 per set, 13 years ago - when I worked for Honda's Superbike team, sometimes they'd try a set of tyres @ £200+, do 2 laps and take them off. Race fuel was £18 a gallon, I used to put it in the paddock scooters and the genny, because it was convenient (and someone else was paying).

The golden rule is that if you knew how much it cost, you wouldn't do it.

I am using the same approach with the CL500.

 

[George edin.]

I got mine about 6 months ago and it's a love hate relationship.
I love the looks of it, the driving experience, and all the luxuries that come with it….however, I paid more than 2k on repairs (suspension, heating motor, hand brake, power steering pipe and so on) and I’m about to pay a few more hundreds of pounds for new tyres.
Fuel consumption you will be lucky to get 23 mpg on the motorway but when you buy a 5 litter v8 you don’t really expect any better.
So if you are still thinking of getting the cl…. go with your eyes open.
I personally haven’t regret it yet……but ask me after the next repair and it might be a different answer……
Good luck

 

[Smiley]

I got mine about 6 months ago and it's a love hate relationship.
I love the looks of it, the driving experience, and all the luxuries that come with it….however, I paid more than 2k on repairs (suspension, heating motor, hand brake, power steering pipe and so on) and I’m about to pay a few more hundreds of pounds for new tyres.
Fuel consumption you will be lucky to get 23 mpg on the motorway but when you buy a 5 litter v8 you don’t really expect any better.
So if you are still thinking of getting the cl…. go with your eyes open.
I personally haven’t regret it yet……but ask me after the next repair and it might be a different answer……
Good luck

Sounds about par for the course. The cost of the fuel and the road tax difference (which is only about £40 or 50 a year between pre 2001 and 2001-06) pales into insignificance in the decision to run one of these beautiful money pits. The MB dealers must love the owners of these cars!

 

[ras8963]

servicing

sorry to bring this up again chaps, but due to one or two issues I have yet to purchase my CL, that said sales seem so slow even those i looked at 4 -5 months ago are still on the market.....my question though is that I havn't managed to get a heads up on the A and B typical servicing costs I cant seem to get the info directly online from MB, does anyone have an idea please?Thanks
R