At $7,500, Does This ‘Near-Mint’ 2003 Mercedes CL500 Cost A Mint?

According to its ad, today’s Nice Price or No Dice CL500 “runs and drives like a dream.” Let’s see if the price tag on this grand touring coupe is equally dreamy.

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Just like tres leches cake, a three-row wagon can be a treat to have. Roomy and yet garage-able, it’s an automotive icon that has sadly fallen out of favor in preference for less efficient crossovers and SUVs. That doesn’t mean that they still can’t be had, as was proven by the 1989 Buick LeSabre Estate we looked at just yesterday. As intriguing a prospect as that big Buick might have been in concept, the $9,500 asking price brought us back to reality, and to our senses. A 78 percent No Dice loss was the result.

Another body style that has fallen under the crushing weight of SUVs and crossovers is that of the two-door coupe. Once very popular and at the top of almost any manufacturer’s lineup, coupes today are few and far between.

Germany’s Mercedes-Benz still keeps the coupe flame alive, going so far as to even offer them the body style its own category on the MBUSA Web site. Now, to be honest, two of the four models promoted there are, in actuality, four-door saloons, but, still, it’s the thought that counts.

Back in the late ’90s, when Mercedes created the C215 model line, the whole goofball idea of coupes having four doors was still looked upon askance. Not only was the S-Class derivative given a traditional two-door coupe body, but it was designed with a pillarless roof for even more old-school appeal.

In contrast to its traditional style, the CL was built with the latest in bodywork technologies. These included composite front fenders, aluminum bodywork behind them, and magnesium door structures, all designed for weight savings. Despite those efforts, the CL is still a big, heavy car.

This 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL 500 is promoted by its seller as having a clean title and just 87,000 miles on the chassis. It’s also touted as being an “AMG,” but aside from the thus-branded alloy wheels, there isn’t anything of that tuner evident on the car.

What it does have is the vaunted M113 5.0-liter V8 under its shapely hood. In various guises, that engine served as a Mercedes mainstay for a decade and a half and is today considered one of the best the company has ever produced. Here, it makes 302 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque. That’s needed to move the car’s not insubstantial two-tons and to run the combo power steering/hydraulic suspension pump that feeds the car’s complex 3,000-psi Active Body Control (ABC) suspension. A five-speed Mercedes automatic does transmission duties, and the car is exclusively rear-wheel-drive.

According to the ad, everything works as it should. The ad describes the car as being in “near mint condition” and claims it has been “meticulously maintained.” Apparently, the most recent maintenance involved the installation of a new battery “for reliable performance.” It’s also claimed to have “Ice-cold AC, fully functional heat,” and for all other systems to be in “excellent working condition.”

It looks pretty spectacular, too. The pewter paint seems to be without noticeable flaws, and the headlamp lenses exhibit no yellowing or scratching. The AMG wheels do show some scuffing, something that should be taken into account, but which is probably one of the easiest aesthetic issues to address. We don’t get a great look at the cabin in the ad, but what we do see seems unblemished and un-worn. And for those who bemoan the modern trend in distilling controls down to a dashboard screen, the CL offers buttons galore and more tech than could be thought possible. On the downside, that’s all stuff that can go wrong, and in an old car (this car is over two decades deep in its existence), that can spell trouble. Expensive trouble.

But who cares when there is nothing obviously going pear-shaped at the moment? And who’s to say that this particular old Benz wouldn’t just plug along, problem-free for miles and years to come? It is, after all, a car that, to date, has been well maintained and seemingly doesn’t hold any surprises. Could that be worth its $7,500 asking? That’s fully two grand less than yesterday’s Buick, and while the Mercedes isn’t as commodious as that wagon, it seems nice enough a ride to make multiple trips transporting passengers a pleasure rather than a task.

What do you think? Is this seemingly well-presented (except for the whole AMG thing) CL 500 a deal at $7,500? Or is that too much to spend without a crystal ball to see into the car’s maintenance future?

You decide!

Orange County, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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