2002 Mercedes-Benz CL500

Description

Yes, it's an A-list Mercedes-Benz with a V8 and every luxury you can imagine for the price of a used Hyundai. Given the Mercedes-Benz reputation for durability and quality, the mileage on this 2002 CL500 shouldn't scare you and once you've experienced the endless reserves of torque from the V8 powerhaus, you'll never go back to driving ordinary cars again.

The CL class was the top-of-the-line coupe, a 4-seater hardtop with dramatic styling and the heart of the S-class flagship underneath. There's a bit of formality to the design, but the sleek rounded hardtop gives this big coupe a sense of style that makes everyone sit up and notice. Finished in ebony black, it has a serious look that is befitting a car that cost well over $100,000 when it was new. And thanks to the quality that went into such a machine, the finish is still in great condition with a deep shine marred only by very minor nicks that inevitably come from driving on public roads. There are no signs of major accident damage and panel alignment is typical of Mercedes-Benz build quality, with doors that open and close like they're on ball bearings and seal up like the airlocks on a submarine. A few chrome details set off the design and accentuate the car's size without being obvious about it. This is class and elegance personified in sheetmetal.

The lovely Designo Mocha interior is simply stunning. Forget the plain, conservative Mercedes interiors of yore, this lovely chocolate brown leather cocoon is almost like artwork. The seats hold you in place without feeling restrictive and everything is made of natural materials, not fake stuff: seats are leather, the carpets are wool, and that's real walnut on the center stack, doors, and even the steering wheel. It's all in excellent condition with only nominal wear and tear that comes with age, and as you'd expect, everything works properly. The backlit instruments offer big, easy-to-read dials and several digital information centers that may seem quaint today but were cutting edge in 2002. You also get every luxury feature Mercedes-Benz engineers could dream up, including the basics like power windows, locks, seats, mirrors, and sunroof, automatic climate control, a power tilt/telescope steering column, and a bunch of other stuff that will delight technophiles everywhere. There's plenty of room up front and even rear seat passengers will be happy for longer drives, and the cavernous trunk has plenty of room for your luggage.

The DOHC 5.0-liter V8 was built to storm the Autobahn at triple-digit speeds for hours on end, so it's barely working on US highways and reliability is bulletproof. It's stuffed into the engine bay and hidden under a plastic shroud, but the rumbling exhaust has a wonderful V8 tenor to it that suggests there's some sport in this luxury car after all. It's been properly maintained and serviced all its life, so the mileage is really not a big deal, and the way it runs today is still quite impressive, especially considering the price. The 5-speed automatic transmission is unobtrusive when you're just driving but leaps into action when you need it, balancing the V8's torque with the tires' available traction so there's an unending stream of torque. It's quite clean underneath thanks to a lifetime in a warm, sunny climate and the handsome factory alloys are in excellent shape and carry recent Dunlop rubber.

Complete with service records and manuals, this is a heck of a lot of German tech for pennies on the dollar. Call today!