Cl55 amg

[Ben's Mercedes]

Dear All

I got into Mercedes ownership a couple of years ago when i bought a very tidy looking '87 260e on a whim at a car auction. I fell in love with the w124 and subsequently picked up a unimog 404 and a '89 300te 4matic, which turned out to be a dog causing me to sink £6,000 into a £1500 car. You'd think I'd have had enough at this point, but I think I've developed a taste for saving sheds. What I'd really like now is a CL55 AMG as a daily driver.

After learning the 300te's shortcomings the hard way, I wondered if any of you out there could encourage/discourage me on the CL55? Also, what are the problems/costs/solutions with this model.

 

[m2287]

Daily it won't be cheap.... I'm lucky to get 4k out of a rear set of tyres, I average 19mpg.

Oil changes are around £80 DIY with mobil1 and a filter
Lots of electrical problems.... Audio, windows, speedo is prone to breaking as are the cables in the door hinges.
ABC suspension is excellent when it works but not so much when it breaks (it will break!!!)

Otherwise the cars are amazing!!!

 

[Ben's Mercedes]

Crikey, I guess transferring that much power to the road is going to shred some tyres.

I've seen a few comments on problems with the ABC suspension. What breaks? Is it the same thing over and over? If so, how expensive?

One more thing... is the CL55 worth the extra expense over the CL500?

 

[Giantvanman]

a unimog 404

Tell us more about the Unimog, please. Fascinating vehicles.

 

[noy91]

I have my CL55 as a daily and I've done 13,000 (since March) on my current set of tyres and I'd image they're good for 20k. Occasionally I will break traction on purpose but for the most part you can be the quickest car on the road without having to stress the tyres too much.

Cruise control at 80 will give you about 27mpg, my usual 15 min journeys on a mix of dual carriageway and urban roads yields about 18mpg. My best over a tank has been 25mpg.

Bills can certainly be big when they come but so far I've managed to avoid them! Supposedly 2002 and 2003 weren't good model years but not sure how much truth there is in that.

As for whether the 55 is worth the extra over the 500 it depends on your priorities; on one hand the 500 comes with the 7 speed box (presuming we're talking facelift cars), so even more relaxed at speed and 30 should be achievable if careful. It also comes with the core 'CL-ness' of ABC, pillarless windows and the 215 body shape and refinement.

Conversely, the 55 gives you an extra 200bhp and some nice AMG bits like the quad exhausts and seats, very slightly at the expense of cruising refinement. The extra torque means there's never really any need to rev beyond 2500rpm unless you really want to shift, but it will reign in Ferrari's when you do. Brakes on the 55 feel noticeably stronger in my view as well.

Ultimately, I'd say the 500 is undoubtedly better value but the 55 the more complete expression of the car, as indeed is the 600. I personally made my decision on provenance, condition and equipment rather than engine.

 

[noy91]

Tell us more about the Unimog, please. Fascinating vehicles.

This

 

[Ben's Mercedes]

The unimog is some piece of machinery. It is a 1969 ex Belgian army ambulance which has covered 10,000km in 45 years. It's got the low compression version of the mercedes 2.2 M180 engine.

I bought it as a non runner, needing only a civilian electronic ignition upgrade to get it through the mot. The low compression head could do with switching for a civilian high compression one. This apparently makes them more drivable. But in standard form, downhill, with a fair wind behind her, she can top 100km/h which is bloody terrifying. 8mpg is pretty normal. Off-road, it is awesome. Really low gearing, acute angles of attack and massive tyres means it can tackle almost vertical slopes.

Unfortunately, it seems that the cam that pushes the mechanical fuel pump may have broken off, so I am scheduling in fitting an electronic fuel pump. The 4matic took priority recently.

 

[Ben's Mercedes]

Noy91, an extra 200bhp makes the cl55 sound an absolute beast. I do think a normal cl500 would adequately suffice for my requirements. I guess I'll pick the best i can get. I'd like a late model. 2005-2007 and I'm budgeting about 10-15k for a good'un.

Anyone wanna buy a totally original and tidy '87 260e in metallic green?

 

[noy91]

There's a very few W215s on 06 plates but after that you're into the W216. Mine's a November 2005. I believe they're officially the slowest retailing used car in Britain, so dealers are usually keen to shift them.

£15k will basically give you the pick of W215 500s. Its down to personal preference, but equipment wise I'd be looking for one with keyless go, ventilated seats, powered boot and a wood and leather wheel. Distronic is also a great option.

Edit: would be intrigued to see a picture of the 260E if there's one to hand!

 

[Ben's Mercedes]

My 260e

As a bit of a newbie, I'm not sure this has worked.... but hopefully, here's a photo of my '87 260e


Ben

 

[Giantvanman]

^ Very nice.

Thanks for the run down on the Mog.

 

[Jitzz]

Hi Ben,
I've got the CL55 Kompressor and don't regret the decision one bit - it's an awesome bit of kit !?! I'd thoroughly recommend one.....

Mine gives me approx 20-25mpg on a mixed run of 'A' roads and motorways so not that bad for what it is. Best I've had on the computer was 28mpg - driving like a granny.

In terms of running expenses, (bearing in mind that it was a £100k+ car new) it's not that bad either. Regular services at my local Indie are not stratospheric and most of the other costs were due to my OCD nature and wanting things to be perfect!

With regards to the 'big ticket' item costs of the ABC system and shocks, you'll find that there are a number of companies where you can get replacement parts for a fraction of dealer costs for example, the strut from MB was c.£1500 each, but sourced one from the states for $600.

All in all, you'll find the CL a very capable car - whichever guise you go for. But in my opinion the AMG is just that bit more special !!

Buy one on condition and ensure it's got extensive service history - won't go far wrong

Hope that helps

Jitzz

 

[m2287]

People who say they are getting over 20mpg are relying on the trip computer which is completely out... The only way to know is tank to tank measurements, mine once said I got 32mpg, yea... Right!

 

[Borys]

People who say they are getting over 20mpg are relying on the trip computer which is completely out... The only way to know is tank to tank measurements, mine once said I got 32mpg, yea... Right!

Don't agree
Mercedes trip computer is quite accurate. Had a w220 cdi before and trip computer was bang on vs tank to tank calculation
Also it can give an indication if something is wrong. Mine is showing 34mpg and in a real world I have 20mpg on a diesel (is this a normal fuel consumption by you on a motorway run? ) don't think so - result tracked an egr problem

 

[m2287]

Don't agree
Mercedes trip computer is quite accurate. Had a w220 cdi before and trip computer was bang on vs tank to tank calculation
Also it can give an indication if something is wrong. Mine is showing 34mpg and in a real world I have 20mpg on a diesel (is this a normal fuel consumption by you on a motorway run? ) don't think so - result tracked an egr problem

My c220 cdi used to say 60mpg+ When I was getting 45, my s320 cdi has said 60mpg before... It is commonly known that MB trip computers are very optimistic.

32mpg from a 5.5 litre v8, if it was true mercedes would have sold a lot more I'm sure!

 

[Borys]

My c220 cdi used to say 60mpg+ When I was getting 45, my s320 cdi has said 60mpg before... It is commonly known that MB trip computers are very optimistic. 32mpg from a 5.5 litre v8, if it was true mercedes would have sold a lot more I'm sure!

Wow 60mpg never saw such a figure on a merc
And 32mpg from a v8 is possible

 

[m2287]

Also my w220 s320 cdi does around 28mpg average but "normally" displays 35mpg!

 

[m2287]

Wow 60mpg never saw such a figure on a merc
And 32mpg from a v8 is possible

I took a picture, I'll try find it and upload! I'm sorry but in over 4 years I have NEVER had more than 23mpg from a full tank of fuel in my CL55, I average 360miles brim to brim with average driving and afew blasts here and there. The OP wanted to know real world costs and that is the real world cost, I challenge any other cl55 AMG driver to try a brim to brim calculation and get more than 400 miles (it's not easy)...

 

[MikeAMG]

My CL seems To give accurate readings every time I have checked against tank to tank calculations. But it only normally shows 18MPG!!

 

[m2287]

18 is bang on what I get (almost 20 gallon tank and 360 miles to it!) always seems to say around 20mpg or so though, sometimes it's way off if I take it on a long run...