Mercedes-Benz CL (2000 - 2005) CL500 2d Auto (02) Owner Review

CL500 2d Auto (02)
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class Coupe 00-

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In their own words

As long as you remember you are getting a 95% discount from the new price when you buy one of these today, it's a fabulous and very cheap car to run. I get 30mpg and tyres, servicing and routine parts are similar to an E class. Engines and gearboxes last indefinitely but anyway hardly any cl gets a high mileage or hard use. The equivalent age/mileage Bentley Continental or 911 is six times as much to buy. Spend less than you can afford and keep a big chunk of cash back for the inevitable suspension rebuild(s) and you'll be in motoring heaven. It's simply glorious to drive and own and loaded with wonderful features that have kept it bang up to date to look at and to drive. I had a new shape SL 350 before this costing 20 times the price, we all prefer the CL500. It's blindingly fast when you want to be a yobbo and serene and sober when you don't. Plus it must be one of the best proportioned coupes ever styled.

How reliable do you find the car?

This is a complex £100k car, so it's very expensive to fix on the thankfully rare occasions that things go wrong. The weakest link is the suspension which, along with a class and SL is pneumatically assisted & needs regular use. Expect four figure bills when (not if) work is required. I ran an earlier model to 160,000 miles and had to have two rounds of repairs and this one has cost me £1200 already.

Does the car do everything you expected it to do?

The CL is just so fast and comfortable, I love large Mercedes and have had several but this is far and away the best.
  • How they rated it

  • Reliability: 3 out of 5 3.0
  • Meets Expectations: 5 out of 5 5.0
  • Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5.0
  • Marcus Wood recommends this car

About their car

  • Fuel type Petrol
  • When purchased November 2016
  • Condition when bought Used
  • Current Mileage 100,000 miles
  • Average MPG 28 mpg