MB CL500

Hachiko

Has anyone here experience of these barges? I am interested in knowing what models came out, facelifts etc. I know a new ish model was out in 07 or 08 but before that the previous ones seem to have some facelift of sorts also.

There is a 05 reg not far from me and I am half tempted to take for a spin.

Goes without saying I would not take kindly to some eye popping bills, everyone knows Lexus petrol cars are as reliable as you can get, even the uber expensive barges are bomb proof.

Just seeing if anyone has first hand experience of owning these.

colm_mcm

I know someone who had the previous model and this was ruinously expensive to keep on the road.
I know it's not the same one but I get the feelin the same applies.

ironclaw

Seriously quick car but you won't keep fuel in it. Topaz jokingly offered my friend a tab as he was in their so much. Averaging something like €120+ every couple of days. Put the foot down and you'll see the petrol needle move in turn. Great spec however and they can be picked up for half nothing if you arn't too picky on the year.

Hachiko

ironclaw wrote: »

Seriously quick car but you won't keep fuel in it. Topaz jokingly offered my friend a tab as he was in their so much. Averaging something like €120+ every couple of days. Put the foot down and you'll see the petrol needle move in turn. Great spec however and they can be picked up for half nothing if you arn't too picky on the year.

I am surprised its that much to run on fuel

here is economy from a Lexus ISF, which by all accounts is doable to keep on the road, aside from the cost of buying one

Urban mpg 16.8 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 34.0 mpg
Average mpg 24.8 mpg
CO2 emissions 270 g/km
Annual Tax £505

a 2005 MB 500CL

Urban mpg 16.3 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 35.3 mpg
Average mpg 24.8 mpg
CO2 emissions 270 g/km
Annual Tax £290

IS250

Urban mpg 20.9 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 36.7 mpg
Average mpg 28.8 mpg
CO2 emissions 231 g/km


Doesnt seem much in it, unless I am missing something., keep in mind my mpg around town and city is brutal anyway..! I know mpg will double when i go out onto the motorway, but also in the city the mpg is worse on these cars but you are in a much nicer place.

George Dalton

colm_mcm wrote: »

I know someone who had the previous model and this was ruinously expensive to keep on the road.

+1

A complete and utter money pit.

Voodoomelon

Someone on here also commented before that they are an actual barge, with boat-like handling and no road feel at all. Quick in a straight line, but that's it.

Hachiko

I'm surprised they are getting such a bad rep, I know that German cars have this money pit tag over them but I would expect more from a flagship car like a CL500.

I could go buy a number of decade + old Lexus cars SC430, LS430, even a LS400...I would be pretty confident once they have been looked after and they have had all the service done that I could run one without much worries at all. All of these cars were expensive when new, just like a CL500.

I would expect a CL500 that had all the stamps to be relatively trouble free. I can live with the petrol, tyres, occasional sensors, and routine servicing, spark plugs and all that but would not expect any major issues, like transmission, ECU etc going wrong.

Hachiko

LIGHTNING wrote: »

My arse you will see anywhere close to 24.8 mpg!

yeah, seems a bit optimistic, and this is just the entry 5 litre model.

Hachiko

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Someone on here also commented before that they are an actual barge, with boat-like handling and no road feel at all. Quick in a straight line, but that's it.

most of the comments on autotrader were positive, I get the impression it would not be far off a rolls royce inside. Totally occluded from the outside world, the suspension is active also and will raise and lower the car depending on the speed. This is a almost 100k car from new., seems incredible come to think of it.

Voodoomelon

Indeed, they were only designed for two things, speed and comfort. I can't imagine it's much fun on the twistys.

mickdw

Hachiko wrote: »

I'm surprised they are getting such a bad rep, I know that German cars have this money pit tag over them but I would expect more from a flagship car like a CL500.

I could go buy a number of decade + old Lexus cars SC430, LS430, even a LS400...I would be pretty confident once they have been looked after and they have had all the service done that I could run one without much worries at all. All of these cars were expensive when new, just like a CL500.

I would expect a CL500 that had all the stamps to be relatively trouble free. I can live with the petrol, tyres, occasional sensors, and routine servicing, spark plugs and all that but would not expect any major issues, like transmission, ECU etc going wrong.

They are known as a money pit and no doubt repair via mercedes dealer would be laughably expensive.
I'm just wondering what are they like in terms of maintaining for a more reasonable sum at an independent.

Hachiko

are you basing this on fact or experience? Does the same count for the S class Mercs of that era? Having never owned a Merc I am rather surprised that they are this bad (if true).

ironclaw

Hachiko wrote: »

are you basing this on fact or experience? Does the same count for the S class Mercs of that era? Having never owned a Merc I am rather surprised that they are this bad (if true).

My friend who ran his threw money at it. Probably had it 6 months if even. He was always changing cars, and big engined cars mind you e.g. super charged Jags, Dodge Hemi's etc but its stands out as one of the most expensive to run and maintain.

I'd love one for the weekends and pure fun of owning a 5L barge, but I wouldn't even remotely consider it as a daily driver.

BMJD

Someone here had one a year or two ago, they posted a video review of it, it might show up in a search

Supergurrier

Guess how much 1 new shock absorber costs ?

1050e

/Hops on train to nopeville

_Kaiser_

Friend of mine has a 04 5L one.. I always wince when he tells me how much the latest maintenance bill costs.

It's a nice machine to sit in but you'd want plenty of cash to back it up.

166man

Hachiko wrote: »

Has anyone here experience of these barges? I am interested in knowing what models came out, facelifts etc. I know a new ish model was out in 07 or 08 but before that the previous ones seem to have some facelift of sorts also.

There is a 05 reg not far from me and I am half tempted to take for a spin.

Goes without saying I would not take kindly to some eye popping bills, everyone knows Lexus petrol cars are as reliable as you can get, even the uber expensive barges are bomb proof.

Just seeing if anyone has first hand experience of owning these.

They're going to cost money, more than a Toyota anyway that's for sure.

They're also going to be 10 year old + models you're looking at, you can't expect perfect reliability at this age and price point.

From your previous posts it seems like reliability is number one on your priority list. If that's the case and you want a big barge I feel like you should stick to Lexus.

Voodoomelon

I think the issue is that the CL isn't really a popular car with DIYers. Not for any particular reason other than it's probably seen as an older persons car, so not a lot of young DIYers have them. So anyone that has one is sending it off for work, either at the dealer or an independent, with high parts bills and varying labour rates.

I can't see how they're any more to run than any other flagship coupe or saloon if you turned a spanner yourself. 17-18mpg would be reasonable for less than 10k miles a year, along with DIY services and occasional suspension/cooling work.

frozenfrozen

a lot of these 5 litre cars have been abused at one time or another and if they've been rallying ****e backroads all their lives they'll probably be a money pit. I can't see why a well minded cl500 would be prohibitively expensive to maintain, as long as you don't hit a big pothole at 80mph and take out a 1050e shock

Hachiko

166man wrote: »

They're going to cost money, more than a Toyota anyway that's for sure.

They're also going to be 10 year old + models you're looking at, you can't expect perfect reliability at this age and price point.

From your previous posts it seems like reliability is number one on your priority list. If that's the case and you want a big barge I feel like you should stick to Lexus.

That's not great on a flagship Merc, I could buy a Lexus ls400 (launched in 1990 i think), i would be very confident i could have a few years trouble free motoring with one.

After being in a IS250 over a year and a half reliability is a given, luxury too and all toys. I thought the Merc would be interesting but on hindsight 300 odd HP from 5 litres is not all that great, but the idea of such a well engineered and specification flag ship is what i like too.

Hachiko

frozenfrozen wrote: »

a lot of these 5 litre cars have been abused at one time or another and if they've been rallying ****e backroads all their lives they'll probably be a money pit. I can't see why a well minded cl500 would be prohibitively expensive to maintain, as long as you don't hit a big pothole at 80mph and take out a 1050e shock

this is what I spotted

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201509297329054?page=1&sort=default&make=mercedes-benz&postcode=so152sn&search-target=usedcars&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&radius=20&model=cl&logcode=p

frozenfrozen

it looks well, the thing about them producing only 300hp from 5 litres is that it makes so much torque low down in the rev range, probably max torque at around 3000 revs which is really what makes or breaks a barge in my books, just having that seemingly infinite effortless power.

that one has all the toys and looks very well

power pants

my friend has one in black. He has never grumbled about the costs or that they give any trouble.

166man

Hachiko wrote: »

That's not great on a flagship Merc, I could buy a Lexus ls400 (launched in 1990 i think), i would be very confident i could have a few years trouble free motoring with one.

After being in a IS250 over a year and a half reliability is a given, luxury too and all toys. I thought the Merc would be interesting but on hindsight 300 odd HP from 5 litres is not all that great, but the idea of such a well engineered and specification flag ship is what i like too.

Then I think you should just go buy a Lexus! It seems like all you want is reliability and you forget that you're buying at the cheaper end of the scale here. These cars are complicated and have technology that was ahead of its time.

power pants wrote: »

my friend has one in black. He has never grumbled about the costs or that they give any trouble.

What one has he got, is it the V8? Or did he maybe convert it to a 1.9TDI....?


Lol

power pants

its a v12 as it happens and no he didnt convert it to diesel as he lives in the uk and got it on a lease deal

hope this answers your questions

frozenfrozen

is it the v12 that turns off a couple cylinders when not in use/under load?

listermint

LPG conversion prob worth it on these ? 0.62 versus 1.30 per litre .

It's not exactly a sports car more built for comfort cruising after all

mickdw

What are mercedes of that era like in terms of repair by other than mercedes.
With audi for example, there are certain components that need a live factory link to code so they are dealer only.
If the merc was like that for a high percentage of its electronic components, well it would be a no hoper.
If on the other hand alot of the control units can be swapped for used ones and are possible to code with good mercedes diagnostic equipment, then I could see it being possible to run one.
There are alot of businesses rebuilding modules too so that takes away alot of the cost headache re main dealer prices.
Can used suspension units easily be swapped in on these?
Can an ecu be replaced without dealer?

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

I remember when these (presumably the AMG) were the F1 safety car. I always hankered after one.

It's still a good looking vehicle.

macker64

I've had 2 of these V8's in the past so I am in a position to offer you factual advice.

If you are good with the spanners and enjoy doing your own maintenance you will be able to cut down on the repair bills.

They are jam packed full of electric gizmos which can, will and do go faulty.

They are very thirsty, extremely quick off the mark but not great on twisty roads.

They will put a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel!!

They are not as reliable as a Lexus so if thats what your looking for you will be dis-appointed!!

power pants

at last someone that knows what they are talking about and not just some wikinerd

166man

power pants wrote: »

its a v12 as it happens and no he didnt convert it to diesel as he lives in the uk and got it on a lease deal

hope this answers your questions

A V12 CL600 on a lease must be a pricey thing..!


Keeps getting better and better

power pants

probably as expensive as restoring an old alfa I would guess:o

mickdw

A v12 cl600 on a lease I'd image is new so as such it would be under warranty so unlikely to suffer expensive repairs from owners pocket. Also, it would be an entirely different model to what is being discussed here.

Hachiko

166man wrote: »

Then I think you should just go buy a Lexus! It seems like all you want is reliability and you forget that you're buying at the cheaper end of the scale here. These cars are complicated and have technology that was ahead of its time.




What one has he got, is it the V8? Or did he maybe convert it to a 1.9TDI....?


Lol

I keep banging about Lexus but once you go driving them you can see for yourself, the LS400 is still an advanced car terms of technology (for when it came out it was ahead of most other cars) but its still as reliable today as when it was launched, could say the same for all the other high end models launched 10 or more years ago.

I am sure the CL500 is a good work horse once they are looked after but I am a bit weary now with all the criticism.

Hachiko

frozenfrozen wrote: »

is it the v12 that turns off a couple cylinders when not in use/under load?

ffs

Hachiko

listermint wrote: »

LPG conversion prob worth it on these ? 0.62 versus 1.30 per litre .

It's not exactly a sports car more built for comfort cruising after all

I am aware of that.

Hachiko

mickdw wrote: »

What are mercedes of that era like in terms of repair by other than mercedes.
With audi for example, there are certain components that need a live factory link to code so they are dealer only.
If the merc was like that for a high percentage of its electronic components, well it would be a no hoper.
If on the other hand alot of the control units can be swapped for used ones and are possible to code with good mercedes diagnostic equipment, then I could see it being possible to run one.
There are alot of businesses rebuilding modules too so that takes away alot of the cost headache re main dealer prices.
Can used suspension units easily be swapped in on these?
Can an ecu be replaced without dealer?

it uses MOST as its communication interface i think, I can't imagine it being good news if anything went wrong.

Hachiko

macker64 wrote: »

I've had 2 of these V8's in the past so I am in a position to offer you factual advice.

If you are good with the spanners and enjoy doing your own maintenance you will be able to cut down on the repair bills.

They are jam packed full of electric gizmos which can, will and do go faulty.

They are very thirsty, extremely quick off the mark but not great on twisty roads.

They will put a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel!!

They are not as reliable as a Lexus so if thats what your looking for you will be dis-appointed!!

thank you sir.

Tommyboy40

I have 2 Mercedes V8's and they are worth every penny. You could buy a Lexus if you could live with a plastic interior.

chriity139

I have looked into getting cl55 amg's before. After having a Subaru impreza sti I was well aware of fuel costs and road tax which didn't bother me.

I said it to my mechanic mates a few of them work on such cars and they said if you can afford to fix parts in it by all means go for it but with the millage I do a week the running costs would have been enormous so I opted out of it.

One thing I learned from 7 years of Subaru ownership. People that are not into cars will never understand the money car people are willing to put into them regarding maintenance, tax, general running costs etc. The only thing that matters is how that car makes you feel. Everytime I drove the impreza it made me smile. That alone was enough for me to run a car that could barely manage low 20s mpg cruising on the motorway and low teens around town.

Life is too short to think what if's. If a cl500 is what you want then go off and get one and don't let what other people say put you off I never have and I am yet to regret buying any car I've owned

mickdw

chriity139 wrote: »

I have looked into getting cl55 amg's before. After having a Subaru impreza sti I was well aware of fuel costs and road tax which didn't bother me.

I said it to my mechanic mates a few of them work on such cars and they said if you can afford to fix parts in it by all means go for it but with the millage I do a week the running costs would have been enormous so I opted out of it.

One thing I learned from 7 years of Subaru ownership. People that are not into cars will never understand the money car people are willing to put into them regarding maintenance, tax, general running costs etc. The only thing that matters is how that car makes you feel. Everytime I drove the impreza it made me smile. That alone was enough for me to run a car that could barely manage low 20s mpg cruising on the motorway and low teens around town.

Life is too short to think what if's. If a cl500 is what you want then go off and get one and don't let what other people say put you off I never have and I am yet to regret buying any car I've owned

Yep. You only live once. I know a multi millionaire in his 70s and he always wanted to get a sports mercedes but never got round to it. Too low for him now.

Voodoomelon

chriity139 wrote: »

Everytime I drove the impreza it made me smile. That alone was enough for me to run a car that could barely manage low 20s mpg cruising on the motorway and low teens around town.

I was always baffled by the MPG on these, they max out at 2.5l and 4 cylinders don't they? How is consumption so poor?

vintagevrs

Think the perm 4wd has a part to play in these type of cars. That along with the temptation to give it some beans all the time probably has an impact. But yes low teens is mental.

I like my cars but would find that very hard to stomach.

Skylinehead

I think the boxer engine layout they use inherently uses more fuel, which wouldn't help.

mickdw

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I was always baffled by the MPG on these, they max out at 2.5l and 4 cylinders don't they? How is consumption so poor?

Sounds like a realistic consumption to me.

chriity139

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I was always baffled by the MPG on these, they max out at 2.5l and 4 cylinders don't they? How is consumption so poor?

No 2.0 engine the later like the hawk eyes came out with the 2.5 engine. Its just the normal with highly tuned petrol engines. They wernt built to be friendly with your pocket just to put a big smile on your face.

Out of a full think I would be lucky (really lucky) to get 400kms on the motorway with no boost what so ever. Normal driving be lucky to get 310-340kms a tank which was 90 euro to fill.

You will read on reviews you can get high 20's low 30's with them but you just cant not in the real world anyway

I know lads who have emptied the tank in under an hour on a track.

Evo's, skylines, supra's would be the same even ek9's can be pigs on juice.

JC01

chriity139 wrote: »

No 2.0 engine the later like the hawk eyes came out with the 2.5 engine. Its just the normal with highly tuned petrol engines. They wernt built to be friendly with your pocket just to put a big smile on your face.

Out of a full think I would be lucky (really lucky) to get 400kms on the motorway with no boost what so ever. Normal driving be lucky to get 310-340kms a tank which was 90 euro to fill.

You will read on reviews you can get high 20's low 30's with them but you just cant not in the real world anyway

I know lads who have emptied the tank in under an hour on a track.

Evo's, skylines, supra's would be the same even ek9's can be pigs on juice.

I'd agree with you on the subarus but ek9s can easily do high 30s and skylines can do low 30s on a motorway cruise. JZ engines like in chasers, supras etc are unbelievably good on petrol if your not ragging them.

Subarus and evos are just silly though

Staph

I get between 27-30 mpg in my Subaru Forester. Wouldn't be going easy all the time either 😀, especially with the AWD.

JC01

Staph wrote: »

I get between 27-30 mpg in my Subaru Forester. Wouldn't be going easy all the time either 😀, especially with the AWD.

My comments were specific to sti imprezas so a much more tuned version of the boxer. Still the best sounding thing I'v ever drivin mind

chriity139

JC01 wrote: »

My comments were specific to sti imprezas so a much more tuned version of the boxer. Still the best sounding thing I'v ever drivin mind

One of the best sounding engines ever produced I think without going into supercar leagues.

I heard those JZ engines are very hard on juice. Its very very hard to drive an ek9 in the kind of way that would return 30+ mpg due to the immense fun they are.

I will 100% be back in an impreza some day hope a clean type r