Highlights
- Thousands of pounds spent on it
- Adjustable coil overs fitted
- New alloys fitted
- Full respray undertaken
- Filled with amazing 00s features
The Appeal
If a big, luxury, Mercedes cruiser isn’t appealing enough to you already let’s add a few interesting facts in to spice it up. Under the bonnet is a 5 litre V8 mated to a smooth automatic box, it rides on good quality aftermarket coil overs, and produces a rapturous noise from its quad tailpipes.
Once again, if that isn’t enough to excite you, then maybe you should go and look for a smart car instead. This Mercedes will provide you with so many happy memories long into the future.
The History and Paperwork
- This CL500 has an amazing dossier of paperwork from its time on the road
- There are a lot of Mercedes original handbooks and instruction manuals
- Most importantly the service book is still present, with the last stamp being for just over 100,000 miles
- Along with a few older V5s, the most recent one is present making a change of ownership nice and easy
- You will also find almost every MOT certificate from its time on the road
- But then we get into the paperwork folder
- This folder is filled with invoices from this cars time on the road, some are well into the thousands
- These have been photographed and can be found in the gallery below
- Since owning the car the vendor has changed a few parts
- Firstly, there has been a new exhaust back box fitted, this allows the V8 to grumble nicely
- Along with the exhaust, a full respray was undertaken. It stayed the original colour, but more metal flake was used
- Most importantly the troublesome hydraulic suspension has been replaced with some good quality adjustable coil overs
- However, if you wish to return it to hydraulics, all of the connectors and lines are still in place
- You should be able to spend a good afternoon or so trawling through this paperwork to understand the pampered life this car has lived
The Interior
- Big comfortable seats
- Double glazed windows
- Lots of luxurious features
At the heart of any car is the interior, and the interior fitted to this Mercedes is full of luxurious materials and expensive options from the time. You are likely to never want to get out of this cabin, it is that comfortable. The seats fitted to this Mercedes are more like armchairs than they are car seats, the seat bases are huge, and the backs are just as big meaning you will always be cradled comfortably as you waft down the motorway. The front seats are presented in good condition, the leather has no obvious rips, tears, or stains. You may wish to spend an afternoon with some leather cleaner to bring them back to their true ivory colour, but they are ready to go as they are. In the rear, the seats are in good condition as well.
In the front of the cabin, you will find a wealth of toys and buttons from the early 2000s, in the centre console, there is the wonderfully retro infotainment system of the time. Within this system, you will find displays for the radio, CD, and even a tape deck. There is a sat-nav feature but this will require you to source a new CD to make it work. Surrounding the screen is a lovely section of wood veneer that looks wonderful. The steering wheel has a few buttons to press on it, these will cycle through menus and displays on the LCD screen behind the steering wheel. Speaking of the LCD, it does display a couple of fault codes, but these are easily explained.
There is an SRS light that comes on, this is apparently down to a broken seatbelt clasp on the front passenger seats. So hopefully after replacing this it will go away. You will also see an ABC fault code, this is to do with the hydraulic suspension, but as this is no longer fitted you can disregard this. Overall, the interior is in good condition and ready for you to hop in and drive away into the distance. Sure, are you look around the interior you may find a few marks here and there, but none are cause for concern just yet.
The Exterior
- Full respray completed
- New alloys fitted
- Aftermarket quad AMG tailpipes
During the current ownership this CL500 has been treated to a few exterior tweaks that make for a striking, yet subtle exterior that hides a monster under the bonnet. To begin with, the original Tanzanite blue has been enhanced ever so slightly. It has been stripped back and reapplied, but with even more metal flake. This means that in the right light the paintwork sparkles like you won’t believe. If you wish to make it pop even more, then a session with a detailer will make it even better.
Complementing the new paintwork, you will also find a new set of large alloy wheels. These 20” rims really make this example stand out from the crowd, that’s for sure. If you cast your eye across the full extent of the vast exterior you may find a few marks, but there aren’t any major areas of damage that will need your attention now. One of the best features of the exterior of any CL is in fact the pillar doors, which makes it feel like a convertible without the complicated mechanisms that can so often go expensively wrong. With all of the windows fully down the exterior looks complete.
This Mercedes CL500 will look excellent driving down the high street or parked up within your collection.
The Mechanics
- Big V8 under the bonnet
- Smooth automatic gearbox
- Excellent aftermarket back box
- Absolutely mega on the road
Now we have got to the section where this CL500 will truly leave its mark. Under the bonnet is no 2.0l diesel or small petrol engine, in fact, there is a huge 5.0l V8 shoehorned into the engine compartment. Turning the key wakes the beast, and it barks into life. As you can see from all of the paperwork that comes with the car, it has been well looked after throughout its life. The current owner mentioned that if you tot up all of these invoices, you’re approaching close to £40,000 this is a huge amount of money for any car.
Along with the quad tailpipes, the current owner has removed the original hydraulic suspension system. Over time this system fails and will lead to a hefty repair bill, around £1500 a corner if you’re wondering. To negate this issue all four corners now ride on an adjustable coil overs, you can set these up to your own parameters should you win the auction. Whether you’re cruising down the motorway or on some tight and twisty back roads this CL500 will be the perfect addition to any collection.
Summary
Well, what is not to love about this Mercedes? It has all of the toys you could ever want, oodles of power, and a luxurious interior. When you get in and experience this CL500 you will wonder how you’ve gone so long without one.
As we drew closer to the end of normal combustion engines, then why not go out in style with a massive V8, acres of leather, and a soundtrack that will stick with you forever.
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All items in this listing are sold on an “As Is - Where Is” basis. Photos and listing descriptions should be used as a guide only. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information in this listing and Car & Classic performs a level of due diligence prior to the auction, we do not warrant the accuracy of the listings. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Inspection is highly recommended prior to bidding. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion.
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