Description
When given the opportunity to buy this fantastic Merc Coupe I thought it would be interesting to compare & contrast it against my beloved 8-Series BMW, as a period contemporary. Objectively it's better in more or less every way; faster (more power from the 300+ bhp V8, and lighter due to being mostly aluminium and composite body), handles better (active hydraulic suspension, lighter..), and better spec (double glazing, AC that blows through the perforations in the seats, etc etc), and yet I never use it. Personal preference I guess, but my BMW is purple & has pop-up headlights, so...
The CL500 passed it's MoT today, so is mechanically & structurally ok, but has covered only 131 miles since last years, and is cosmetically in need of a bit of attention, so I'm listing it here at the very bottom end of the Cars & Classic valuation range (Fair: £3250 - Good: £5340 - Excellent: £6660 - Concourse: £9360) on the off-chance someone is looking to buy at this time of year. The worst bits are along the top of the NSF wing (lacquer peel), door bottoms (paint flaking - not rust, they're aluminium), and the rear screen has a small chip. It's only done a bit over 87k miles, so all the expensive bits are ok. It has just had 4 new tyres fitted (275/ 30-20's are not cheap!), but has picked up a vibration in the process, so can't have been balanced properly. The interior is nice too, but I'd say could also do with a bit of love (centre cubby has lost its lid, boot release button doesn't work, wooden steering wheel has some cracks, etc). I'm probably being over-critical, but I want to be honest, and not have people turning up expecting a concourse example for £3250. These were almost £100k new, a mad amount of money in 2001, so this really is champagne motoring on a lemonade budget. I don't think you'd find a much better looking / driving / imposing car for this sort of money, but if it's still here come the NY I'll sort all the cosmetic / tidy-up stuff, and re-list it for something more in the 'Good' price range than the 'Fair' one.
Any questions welcome, as are viewings if you're genuinely interested. Thanks!
