Newbie - advice required, 2007/8 CL or SL?

[Parisien]

Hello MB forum,

Its a number of years since I've owned a Mercedes, actually back in the 80s!

Currently running a Maserati 4200, I am thinking of changing next year and have started my usual 6-9 months of research! I could still change to a fresher, lower miles 4200, but am also impressed by the two cars noted above.

Apart from the obvious pros and cons, I'd be delighted if a few owners of the CL or SL of approximately the year listed, could fill me in on the finer points of each car, perhaps in the format below -

Top 5 things that must be checked on inspection....
The top 5 things that never give bother....
Known smaller/intermittent problems.....
Things you'd wished you'd known before you'd bought one....
The things that surprised/pleased you most about it.....
Service costs.....

Thanks once again to anyone who can help out,

P

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Welcome to the forum.

I was almost enticed into a Quattroporte last month but it was a little too small for my needs...

 

[Parisien]

Its quite a car, lovely environment to be in, as they've aged the quality has improved, great value for money, like the two listed above,but time for a change.

Oh, and thanks for the welcome


P

 

[Parisien]

At the risk of answering my own question and not realising nearly all the info I require is in a 6 page spread in this months Mercedes Enthusiast, whose overview of the R230 range is both interesting and useful, it seems the SL350 may well be the car I will actually do more research on and eventually buy.

Having said that I always place more stock in owners first hand experiences and opinions.

 

[Oli]

If you want to take out the worry of ABC Suspension then go for the SL 350, if you're going to go for the 500 there's very little point and you might as well go for the AMG version, running costs will be broadly similar and it will be easier to sell on.

 

[Parisien]

Hi Oli, it certainly seems to have been a major bug bear, along with the SBC unit. I wonder how common either fault was? Performance wise there doesn't appear to be much in it, bar better fuel consumption.

Plus as in the Maserati 4200 series, the boot letting in water seems almost universal!

P

 

[Aitch55]

Hi Oli, it certainly seems to have been a major bug bear, along with the SBC unit. I wonder how common either fault was? Performance wise there doesn't appear to be much in it, bar better fuel consumption.

Plus as in the Maserati 4200 series, the boot letting in water seems almost universal!

P

Although my SL is older than your interest range I can assure you that in most cases the leaky boot is a simple DIY fix. Cost me less than a tenner and an hour or so. The thing to worry about is how wet the boot is or has been if it shows signs of water ingress.

There's a hygroscopic sponge casing around a vital piece of expensive, water sensitive electronics in the boot floor.

Lovely car imo.

 

[Parisien]

Hi Aitch, yes the central locking ECU I believe, will have a good look and check to ensure all good.

On Piston Heads, they seemed to be a bit scathing about the 2002-08 R230, am hoping to get some positive stuff on here!


P

 

[Aitch55]

Hi Aitch, yes the central locking ECU I believe, will have a good look and check to ensure all good.

On Piston Heads, they seemed to be a bit scathing about the 2002-08 R230, am hoping to get some positive stuff on here!


P

People are always ready to shout about their negative experiences.

There are plenty of owners who enjoy their R230 but a few disgruntled ones also. A very sophisticated £100K car can develop some very sophisticated, expensive problems. The driving experience takes some beating.

 

[Parisien]

Its to get an overview, if there are known frailties and I am going in eyes open, then thats my responsibility, hence why I spend some time doing the research and picking endless sets of brains.

P

 

[Oli]

Although my SL is older than your interest range I can assure you that in most cases the leaky boot is a simple DIY fix. Cost me less than a tenner and an hour or so. The thing to worry about is how wet the boot is or has been if it shows signs of water ingress.

There's a hygroscopic sponge casing around a vital piece of expensive, water sensitive electronics in the boot floor.

Lovely car imo.

Hi, sorry to go off topic but could you PM me details of the boot fix?, mine is ok at the moment but wouldn't mind making sure before the end of the Summer.

 

[Spin_bowler]

At the risk of answering my own question and not realising nearly all the info I require is in a 6 page spread in this months Mercedes Enthusiast, whose overview of the R230 range is both interesting and useful, it seems the SL350 may well be the car I will actually do more research on and eventually buy.

Having said that I always place more stock in owners first hand experiences and opinions.

Wickedred is trying to shift his on the classifieds on here, maybe worth a look.

 

[Parisien]

Saw that Spin bowler, too old, too many miles.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hi, I have a CL600 biturbo. It is a 2005 with 40k on the clock. MB warranty will cover your car up to 100000 miles. The cost varies with the car. What you want is the Tier 1, this is what you get with an approved used. To give you some idea I extended the warranty on mine in 2012 and again this year (Tier 1) cost this year £1100 and change. Not cheap,. but this gives me total peace of mind. The ABC is something that once experienced you will want nothing else. What I can say is that the CL600 is roomy, comfortable, and a pleasure to drive. I get 21MPG and I am what would be termed as a spirited driver. The rear seats are proper seats not token ones. It get admired wherever I park. Just had a service including brake fluid change and an MOT........£218 if I remember. Any more questions just send me a PM, or come up and have a look.

 

[Parisien]

Hi Woodythewise, thanks for that, have sorta settled on the SL350 ( its almost coupesque with top up according to the journos), sans ABC, prefer the years mentioned plus lower miles.

P

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hi. I was not trying to sell it, just letting you know of its virtues, and letting you know about the warranty that can be purchased for peace of mind on any Mercedes you wish to purchase.

 

[Parisien]

OOooopps, no problem, had read up on the CL, a great Mercedes by any measure, plus I didn't know about the MB warranty; can it be bought for any Mercedes, or only one sourced within the MB network?

P

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hi. The warranty can be purchased independent of any Mercedes dealer.
Mercedes-Benz warranty services.
PO box 1183
Croydon
CR9 1HR
TEL 0845 641 9778
FAX 020 8603 0320

 

[C43AMG]

I would of thought the difference in power from your Maserati and a SL350 is vast and a 55 would be on par ??

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Oh, one more thing if you are into figures.
500 bhp 800nm torque.