Fell in love with the CL (W215) - but which one to buy? - and with what options?

[kmadsen68]

Thx. The car does look nice and as I am partial to the light grey interior less milage is better as it wears more easily.

But is the consensus that the facelift model is better???

I thought there were more advanced electronics on it and hence more to go wrong - or did I miss something???

Looking for a great car to drive (not fast) with as little as possible to go wrong (relative that is - things WILL go wrong with this car I know)...

 

[Deleted member 37751]

From the experience I have of Mercedes and including the knowledge I've picked up from this forum, from the mid-90s to the early-00s they weren't up to the standard of what you'd come to expect from Mercedes e.g. galvanising panels from 2003 etc etc

So, using this as a yardstick, I would recommend that you get the newest possible 215 that you could possibly buy.

 

[jaymanek]

There's a great review (buyers guide) of the W215 CL in this months Practical Performance Car Magazine (PPC).
If I can remember correctly a multiple owner/expert suggested a pre facelift CL500 or 55 as there are less things to go wrong and the 5 litre engine is a wonderful power house, things get a bit pricey in the or 600 league.
For me, I would look at the CL55, I bought an ML500 and always wished it was the 55.

Thats one of my ex cars they took photos of... and the "expert" is yours truly!

Must go and find the mag... they said they would send it to me for free but nothing yet...

 

[developer]

So, using this as a yardstick, I would recommend that you get the newest possible 215 that you could possibly buy.

This is bang on - a bad CL can be an mega moneypit - as late as possible gives you a better chance of a good one.

Parktronic is a must, distronic is ace, though generally not recognised as such by those who haven't used it.

Be selective - there's plenty around.

I can see why you're smitten - great looking cars and virtually unique in their sector.

 

[kmadsen68]

Whoa, a real expert. I bought the mag and have it. It looks very good. If you would like a scan of the pages, let me know and I will be happy to email it to you...

So sounds like I am now looking for a 2004 / facelift model... Ahh, the chase and finding the car is almost as exciting as actually driving it...

Thats one of my ex cars they took photos of... and the "expert" is yours truly!

Must go and find the mag... they said they would send it to me for free but nothing yet...

 

[hawk20]

Yes, someone told me could be 3-5k to fix. But could be a good bargaining point price-wise.
Any idea to the price (seems a bit high to me, even if the ABC is OK).

Unless you have oodles of money read the current issue of What Car which shows the CL as the most unreliable car money can buy other than the SL.

 

[Melk63]

Lots more info on other posts, but FWIW:
- Go for post Sept 2003, it has galvanised body, DVD based Comand, facelifted (front and rear lights)
- Any warning lights on the dash, walk away.
- Look out for paint bubble bottom of door edges, where pillar joins rear quarter.
- CL500 engine is adequate, but CL600 (bi-turbo from 2003 onwards) is awesome, but could be costly if not under warrantee.
- Get the car under full warrantee immediately after purchase (around £800 per year)
- Must have's include Keyless Go, 19" alloys, Parktronic (standard?).
- Nice to have's include Distronic, linguatronic, multi-contour seats, etc, etc,.
Mel.

 

[bh13coupe]

For that money, go facelift, higher powered V8 in CL500 and better gearbox, corrosion issues are supposed to be sorted on the facelift.
Pre Facelift in perfect condition would expect to pay £10k max

 

[kmadsen68]

Well, will rather spend less and have more for repairs... Also, kind of like the interior and the buttons of the early CL better - retro, I guess.
Anyway, offered euro 10-12k for the car, but not response yet. Let's see how hungry they are

 

[jaymanek]

Whoa, a real expert. I bought the mag and have it. It looks very good. If you would like a scan of the pages, let me know and I will be happy to email it to you...

that would be great if you could as I cant find a copy anywhere! my email is sales AT mercland.com

 

[A1GSS]

I'll add my two penn'orth... I had one of these for a short while, a 2004 car post facelift, 7 Speed. Beautiful thing, gorgeous to drive, not bad on fuel and surprisingly cheap to insure... but... I kept it for five weeks during which time so much went wrong I returned it to MB for a full refund.

I agree with other posters' recommendations regarding the need for a warranty.

Also think that the 500 engine is more than adequate although the 55 Komp sounds gorgeous...

Other points:

- the doors are long and thick, makes getting into or out of the car in "standard" car park spaces a squeeze despite the trick hinges
- iPod integration into Comand is expensive if you want it but do-able
- imho the wood trim on the steering wheel is a very nice option
- I found that the key-less go was completely pointless, just more to go wrong and didn't work reliably (like so much else on the one I had)
- Lots of silver ones around, fewer black
- soft close windows seem very unreliable, my earlier CL (panzer) had them and they were problematic in that one too

Lovely car let down by reliability issues.

Best of luck. Don't let me put you off...!

 

[Maaca]

Kind request for scan

Whoa, a real expert. I bought the mag and have it. It looks very good. If you would like a scan of the pages, let me know and I will be happy to email it to you...



Hi, I am just before deciding one CL, and would like to kindly ask you for one copy of that article if possible? [email protected]
Many thanks for that!
M