Drove two V8s today!

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peterg1965

MB Enthusiast
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Dec 22, 2007
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Location
Lancashire
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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.

clk4.jpg


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.

sl4.jpg


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!
 
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.

Just to put that into perspective, back in 2004 I paid £21k for my R129 SL500 ... which was then seven and a half years old. That was as a full Approved Used car though, with Tier 1 warranty.
 
I'd love to go car shopping with you peter, it started as a hunt for an economical mile muncher and has ended with the need to have a V8 coupe. I like your style :D

I am surprised the SL dissappointed you and the CLK didn't, as reviews give the SL the nod. However £8700 for an CLK500 is brilliant and I hope your purchase goes to plan.
 
I'd love to go car shopping with you peter, it started as a hunt for an economical mile muncher and has ended with the need to have a V8 coupe. I like your style :D

I am surprised the SL dissappointed you and the CLK didn't, as reviews give the SL the nod. However £8700 for an CLK500 is brilliant and I hope your purchase goes to plan.

Give me some credit please. I arrived here having purchased a Jag X-Type diesel! That is economical and a mile muncher but very BORING!

I reckon the SL I drove just wasn't right, I never like accompanied test drives at the best of times, there is never enough time to have a proper play with the car. Stratstone only seem to offer escorted tests, I have been to other dealers (BMW) where they have been more than happy to give me the demo keys for a couple of hours, even overnight.

That £8700 CLK500 has just sold, the seller emailed to tell me. I have seen another on Pistonheads and have emailed the seller. No Keyless Go or Xenons I don't think but it looks good in Silver.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/831147.htm
 
The car on PH looks cool. I wouldn't be too worried re minus keyless go but xenons are nice, however with all these cars condition is more important than kit and ideally go for a good well maintaned example and you'll have a whale of a time in it.

I lost track of the diesel Jag, the XJ was nice...
 
Xenons are a must Peter.... They are excellent... Keyless go is cool but a gimmick in my eyes, even though I have it and use it all the time....
 
Thanks Greg. I do like the Tansanite Blue Cab, it had Xenons, but it is too expensive I think. I will watch and wait to see if the price comes down. The one near Wokingham is still for sale, he put it up to £11995 and now it has come back down to £10995. I have noticed that the ones less than £9K are slowly selling, the two private sale ones I have seen and Jay sold his £8.5K 500 very quickly too.
 
I like the cab you drove, it looked a nice car but I agree its a tad dear...the one in Wokingham, I felt was a very nice genuine car, went like stink and felt very well looked after and everything just felt right... The trader seller also seemed a genuine type of fella too

If I can help with any other viewings just let me know....

Regards
 

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