For sale my 2000 Mercedes CL500. I bought this on a whim because I needed to do a couple of thousand motorway miles up and down the M1 over the festive period and didn’t have anything suitable that didn’t leave my wife and child effectively stranded at home. It has been an absolute joy to own and without doubt the most effortless motorway cruiser that I have driven. I should have bought a diesel really, but I find myself unashamedly addicted to V8s.
The spec is unbelievable and the interior is sumptuous – the original owner specified this car with £4000-worth of Nappa leather plus another £1000 for the Comfort seats, which are both heated and cooled and offer massage function for driver and passenger. Testament to Mercedes build quality is that this all works. Until being sat on the M1 in rush-hour festive traffic I’d never seen the appeal of a massage without a happy ending. They're superb.
I bought this from a chap locally who had owned it for a couple of years, and who in turn had bought it from the estate of a deceased lady in London who bought the car when it was less than a year old. It has an extensive service history file plus all original manuals and handbooks, plus build spec that shows the cost of optional extras.
The MOT runs until September 26 2018 and it was also serviced by a local garage at the same time as testing, at around 112k miles. This week I have had two new tyres fitted and four-wheel alignment carried out. The only other job that may be required before the next service is due in circa 8000 miles is discs and pads.
This is low mileage for a car of this age and type (which so often live in the outside lane of the motorway) and it shows with the way it drives. The 5.0 V8 is glorious – lovely and quiet in normal use, but providing an awesome soundtrack when you open it up and providing very surprising economy on long runs. Over 30mpg can be achieved if you keep the speeds to almost legal levels on the motorway and I have persistently returned over 400 miles to a tank of fuel with the best being 32mpg over 194 miles. Not bad for a 5.0 V8 with over 300bhp! No troublesome weeping cam cover gaskets or leaks anywhere else, either. It’s obviously benefitted from preventative maintenance from somebody that could afford to buy a £70k car in 2001!
The 5-speed automatic gearbox changes gear smoothly and precisely, and you can also knock the selector across to change gear manually if desired. I’ve never needed to as with kickdown you never need to travel any faster! It really does drive beautifully - incredibly quiet on the motorway (it makes our TDV8 Range Rover feel like a Defender), but with precise handling and a very tight feeling chassis and steering.
Elsewhere inside the seats are electrically controlled and have memory settings for driver and passenger. All windows are electric as is the glass sunroof and the soft-close doors function as intended. Oh yes, and the glass is double-glazed. Like a house. There’s Alcantara/suede headlining to enhance the tactile nature of the interior, along with walnut dash and wheel inserts. Also specified with a fully-functioning COMAND sat nav system, although I cannot fathom the very 00s carphone and Bluetooth setup. The parking sensors do not work due to a damaged rear sensor, but you’ll forget all about that once you’ve discovered the electric rear blind. It is also fitted with Keyless-Go and although the car comes with the correct keys and access card, I haven’t been able to get this to work – the problem apparently lies with a sensor in the passenger door, but I have not investigated further. You obviously still have perfectly functioning remote central locking. The function that blew my mind most of all is in the rear – clip the seatbelts in and the headrests automatically fold out from the seatbacks.
Other highlights include the Advanced Body Control (ABC) system that makes this big Mercedes handle incredibly well without compromising that famed S-Class ride quality. Dual-zone climate control all works as intended and you’re surrounded by airbags. The stereo is also superb.
It had a new battery fitted last year and as a 2000 car it is still in the lower tax band – it costs just over £20 a month and I also have it covered on a classic insurance policy for circa £200 a year. A big V8 has never been cheaper to run!
It also has a complete and original toolkit and first aid kit.
The body looks really good overall and I think the colour really suits it – stands out from the usual silver. It's pillarless so obviously looks amazing regardless. 18-inch Monoblocks look the part, although these are flaking in a few places as you’d expect of unrefurbed wheels really. These are aluminium and plastic bodies so do not suffer from rust as some Mercedes of this era do, but please consider that this is an 18-year-old car so will have marks commensurate with its age and mileage. There are a few scuffs, marks and areas of reaction under the paintwork such as on the passenger rear arch and on the leading edge of the bonnet etc, but nothing that seriously detracts from the look of the car or which couldn’t be sorted for not a lot of money. The lens in the mirror-mounted passenger side indicator is cracked. It's still a very nice thing indeed and your neighbours will think you're doing well for yourself.
Viewing is encouraged. I travel a bit for work and will be going down south soon so I may even be able to deliver for the cost of petrol and my onward journey.
The spec is unbelievable and the interior is sumptuous – the original owner specified this car with £4000-worth of Nappa leather plus another £1000 for the Comfort seats, which are both heated and cooled and offer massage function for driver and passenger. Testament to Mercedes build quality is that this all works. Until being sat on the M1 in rush-hour festive traffic I’d never seen the appeal of a massage without a happy ending. They're superb.
I bought this from a chap locally who had owned it for a couple of years, and who in turn had bought it from the estate of a deceased lady in London who bought the car when it was less than a year old. It has an extensive service history file plus all original manuals and handbooks, plus build spec that shows the cost of optional extras.
The MOT runs until September 26 2018 and it was also serviced by a local garage at the same time as testing, at around 112k miles. This week I have had two new tyres fitted and four-wheel alignment carried out. The only other job that may be required before the next service is due in circa 8000 miles is discs and pads.
This is low mileage for a car of this age and type (which so often live in the outside lane of the motorway) and it shows with the way it drives. The 5.0 V8 is glorious – lovely and quiet in normal use, but providing an awesome soundtrack when you open it up and providing very surprising economy on long runs. Over 30mpg can be achieved if you keep the speeds to almost legal levels on the motorway and I have persistently returned over 400 miles to a tank of fuel with the best being 32mpg over 194 miles. Not bad for a 5.0 V8 with over 300bhp! No troublesome weeping cam cover gaskets or leaks anywhere else, either. It’s obviously benefitted from preventative maintenance from somebody that could afford to buy a £70k car in 2001!
The 5-speed automatic gearbox changes gear smoothly and precisely, and you can also knock the selector across to change gear manually if desired. I’ve never needed to as with kickdown you never need to travel any faster! It really does drive beautifully - incredibly quiet on the motorway (it makes our TDV8 Range Rover feel like a Defender), but with precise handling and a very tight feeling chassis and steering.
Elsewhere inside the seats are electrically controlled and have memory settings for driver and passenger. All windows are electric as is the glass sunroof and the soft-close doors function as intended. Oh yes, and the glass is double-glazed. Like a house. There’s Alcantara/suede headlining to enhance the tactile nature of the interior, along with walnut dash and wheel inserts. Also specified with a fully-functioning COMAND sat nav system, although I cannot fathom the very 00s carphone and Bluetooth setup. The parking sensors do not work due to a damaged rear sensor, but you’ll forget all about that once you’ve discovered the electric rear blind. It is also fitted with Keyless-Go and although the car comes with the correct keys and access card, I haven’t been able to get this to work – the problem apparently lies with a sensor in the passenger door, but I have not investigated further. You obviously still have perfectly functioning remote central locking. The function that blew my mind most of all is in the rear – clip the seatbelts in and the headrests automatically fold out from the seatbacks.
Other highlights include the Advanced Body Control (ABC) system that makes this big Mercedes handle incredibly well without compromising that famed S-Class ride quality. Dual-zone climate control all works as intended and you’re surrounded by airbags. The stereo is also superb.
It had a new battery fitted last year and as a 2000 car it is still in the lower tax band – it costs just over £20 a month and I also have it covered on a classic insurance policy for circa £200 a year. A big V8 has never been cheaper to run!
It also has a complete and original toolkit and first aid kit.
The body looks really good overall and I think the colour really suits it – stands out from the usual silver. It's pillarless so obviously looks amazing regardless. 18-inch Monoblocks look the part, although these are flaking in a few places as you’d expect of unrefurbed wheels really. These are aluminium and plastic bodies so do not suffer from rust as some Mercedes of this era do, but please consider that this is an 18-year-old car so will have marks commensurate with its age and mileage. There are a few scuffs, marks and areas of reaction under the paintwork such as on the passenger rear arch and on the leading edge of the bonnet etc, but nothing that seriously detracts from the look of the car or which couldn’t be sorted for not a lot of money. The lens in the mirror-mounted passenger side indicator is cracked. It's still a very nice thing indeed and your neighbours will think you're doing well for yourself.
Viewing is encouraged. I travel a bit for work and will be going down south soon so I may even be able to deliver for the cost of petrol and my onward journey.
