Is there any better plus-sized luxury saloon than the Mercedes-Benz S-class? Of course not. The thing is, though, there can often be a superfluous number of doors.
Thank goodness then for the Mercedes-Benz CL-class, which you can enjoy driving without being mistaken for a private hire chauffeur.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, or the CL. I notice the S500 designation has come back and the big-engined continent-crushing coupé has never been better value or arguably, a riskier buy.
About £2000 gets you into a later 1990s example, or even an early 2000s car at a push. You might feel safer spending £3000, except you probably won’t be whether you bag a CL420 or CL500. As ever there is the usual ragbag collection of Category D insurance write offs and those with marginal, fast-fit centre histories.
You can take a risk and you might get a year out of it without that much drama. Fuel bills will be big and if there is any work required to the suspension, electronics or some bodywork to be finessed, then you will need a mortgage.
It is always worth reminding bargain-hunting used car buyers that the original purchase price is always the best indication of future running costs.
For example, a 1999 Mercedes-Benz 600CL cost £108k. Even with that sobering six-figure sum in mind, I was still tempted by a CL that looked like a part exchange at a home counties car dealer with 115k miles and what seemed to be a full Mercedes history at £3450.
My default safety budget of £5000 throws up one-owner 2004 examples, but also some that have scary air suspension issues.
Then all of a sudden some very tempting AMG-related CL55 versions hove into view along with rather more CL600s than I bargained for. At this point you can also make a choice between a properly built W140 version built from 1992 to 1999, or the later four-eyed W215s that pop up everywhere.
£6000 brings up those lovely old W140s with proper histories and few owners; perfect for traditionalists who can also justify buying an oldster because the road tax is a tad cheaper.
Modernists, though, can pay the thick end of £9999 and get themselves a 2003 CL55, which has a full service history and is being sold by a dealer with some semblance of warranty.
At the right price and spec and with proper credentials is this the best big coupé money can buy? Or should I be looking elsewhere?
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great car
those V12s were the best cars I have ever owned. i had both from new and they are way more economical than people realise. they do the stated MPG. If driven sensible you can get upper 20sMPG. the kit is amazing, the ride superb and the torque and power great. I have had an F10M5 and an Aston V8 since and both don't come close. Sadly I cannot afford 120k these days so i drive a 335d touring x drive. Great car but i still hanker after the CL. Top motor
Was very tempted by a used CL
I do love the Jaguar XJS, but a very good condition one of these sells for more than the CL.
Similarly...
I even found a glass hardtop for it. I'd been looking for ages and saw a few on eBay.de that seemed to go for around 1500 euro (it was £5k option new). One Sunday morning, up popped an example near Sunningdale. Same colour (Azurite blue) and everything. I was there by noon and found the gentleman seller had a silver R129 on his drive. I asked him about the spare roof: his former blue SL had been in the Merc dealer having its adaptive suspension seen to (again) and his car was destroyed in an overnight fire at the workshop. I got the roof for about a quarter of the German price. Result.