peterg1965
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 1,144
- Location
- Lancashire
- Car
- 2019 Audi Q7, 2018 Mini Cooper S, 2016 Porsche 718 Boxster S
I went to Mercedes Benz South Lakes in Ulverston today to look at, and drive, a CLK500 and an SL500. Both cars are for sale under the 'Approved Stratstone' programme as opposed to the Approved Used MB one. Reason for that is the age of the cars apparently.
Anyway, I drove the 2003 (03) Tansanite CLK500 first. It was a 51000 mile car, with blue roof and light grey leather interior. Well specced with COMAND, TV, Keyless Go (I love this), 6CD, Telephone but strangely enough no heated seats. First thing that struck me was the fantastic soundtrack. Salesman drove it up to the showroom door and whilst he went to find some trade plates I sat in it and blipped the throttle a few times. The noise, the noise..... just what I have been missing!
My impressions over a 5 mile or so test drive on some windy South Lakes roads were very favourable. It felt just right, a little bit of scuttle shake I thought, probably to be expected from a big convertible but there was plenty of power and a very smooth ride. By the end of the drive I knew that I 'need' a V8! I am not convinced I want a cabriolet, but nevertheless, the CLK was just right. A good compromise of space and performance, the boot space, even with the hood down, is better than my old Audi A4 Cab. The other plus sides for this car; the wheels - 17" AMGs with good tyres all round and full service history (of course) although he couldn't find the book. The car has two previous owners. It is up for £13994, which in today's climate just seems to be a little too expensive. There seemed to be no inclination to reduce the price, although I didn't push for a deal.
Next was the SL500 in Tellurite Blue. I was really looking forward to this, however, although the performance and engine note were largely on a par with the CLK, I was slightly underwhelmed with the SL. It was a very twitchy ride, certainly not as smooth as the CLK. I didn't get to grips with the ABC so I suppose selecting different settings may make a difference. The inside didn't feel particularly special, don't know why. The exposed roof hinge mechanism in the back didn't look right to me. This was a 5 previous owner car, having had 5 different numbers plates. It had only covered 41500 miles and was on a 52 plate. It did look fantastic from the outside though! It was for sale at £18300, what put me off this car was the number of previous owners and lack of 'proper' Merc warranty. It is one of the cheapest R230 SL500 on the market, but to me it is still expensive for a 6 year old car.
In summary, out of these two cars the CLK wins for me. Next move, sell the Jaguar and hold out for this car coming down further in price. Altenatively there is a low mileage 52 plate CLK500 Coupe for sale at £8700 on Autotrader! Either way, I am certainly convinced that a Merc V8 is for me!
Anyway, I drove the 2003 (03) Tansanite CLK500 first. It was a 51000 mile car, with blue roof and light grey leather interior. Well specced with COMAND, TV, Keyless Go (I love this), 6CD, Telephone but strangely enough no heated seats. First thing that struck me was the fantastic soundtrack. Salesman drove it up to the showroom door and whilst he went to find some trade plates I sat in it and blipped the throttle a few times. The noise, the noise..... just what I have been missing!
My impressions over a 5 mile or so test drive on some windy South Lakes roads were very favourable. It felt just right, a little bit of scuttle shake I thought, probably to be expected from a big convertible but there was plenty of power and a very smooth ride. By the end of the drive I knew that I 'need' a V8! I am not convinced I want a cabriolet, but nevertheless, the CLK was just right. A good compromise of space and performance, the boot space, even with the hood down, is better than my old Audi A4 Cab. The other plus sides for this car; the wheels - 17" AMGs with good tyres all round and full service history (of course) although he couldn't find the book. The car has two previous owners. It is up for £13994, which in today's climate just seems to be a little too expensive. There seemed to be no inclination to reduce the price, although I didn't push for a deal.
Next was the SL500 in Tellurite Blue. I was really looking forward to this, however, although the performance and engine note were largely on a par with the CLK, I was slightly underwhelmed with the SL. It was a very twitchy ride, certainly not as smooth as the CLK. I didn't get to grips with the ABC so I suppose selecting different settings may make a difference. The inside didn't feel particularly special, don't know why. The exposed roof hinge mechanism in the back didn't look right to me. This was a 5 previous owner car, having had 5 different numbers plates. It had only covered 41500 miles and was on a 52 plate. It did look fantastic from the outside though! It was for sale at £18300, what put me off this car was the number of previous owners and lack of 'proper' Merc warranty. It is one of the cheapest R230 SL500 on the market, but to me it is still expensive for a 6 year old car.
In summary, out of these two cars the CLK wins for me. Next move, sell the Jaguar and hold out for this car coming down further in price. Altenatively there is a low mileage 52 plate CLK500 Coupe for sale at £8700 on Autotrader! Either way, I am certainly convinced that a Merc V8 is for me!