Purple Petrol Eater - Massive Merc Collection

[cort16]

So has been mentioned in other threads I lobbed a bid last minute on an X reg (year 2000) Mercedes CL500 not thinking that I'd get it for the price I bid. After figuring out it was too long I considered calling the owner and saying I'd refund him his auctions fee's if we could call it quits but didn't want to be one of the THOSE ebay types so took a deep breath and started sorting out a pickup. As it turns out the seller was considering doing to the same to me as it sold for way less than he wanted oh well.

 

After a lot of phoning around dealing with shite hawk insurance companies I managed to get full comp on it for a decent price with a specialist who reflected the NCB I had on the Juke.

 

The only thing I needed to do was get the money from the bank. The problem is the Bank of Scotland opens at 9.15 and my train was at 9.33 and missing this would fuck up the whole thing as the seller was picking me up at the station.

I was standing outside the bank at 9.20 hopping from foot to foot so eventually chapped the door to be told Wednesday was training day and they opened at 9.30. Nnnnnnnng.

I got the ticket, which was 27 fucking quid from Glasgow to Carlisle a 1hr 10 minute journey. robbing bastards.

 

This hurt

 

IMG_1785 by cort16, on Flickr

 

 

So I departed Troonshire at 9.33 with no cash money so made a call to a branch on Glasgow who got it ready for me to dash out and pickup between Trains.

 

IMG_1787 by cort16, on Flickr

 

The Virgin train to Carlisle smelt of piss, and the interior had the wear of Morris a ital with 320,000 miles on.

 

IMG_1793 by cort16, on Flickr

 

Got there in the end and headed off to get the car. Thank fuck he picked me up as his place was in the ARSE END of nowhere. It took 40 minutes to drive to from Carlisle and has splended view of Sellafield Nuclear power station.

 

Plenty fish in the sea apparantly.

 

 

The seller seemed like a nice chap and into his car. New fast ones rather than old rusty ones but that's probably a good sign in this car. The car looked good so after a cup of coffee and a rummage through some of the high dollar receipts in the book I headed off. I didn't get any pictures of Sellafield as at this point my work called me up to depress me about something work related.

 

I stopped for some petrol (obviously).  No fluids pissing out of it. Good sign

 

IMG_1797 by cort16, on Flickr

 

 

 

It took ages to get back to Carlisle and I decided to go up the A76 via Cumnock rather than up the M74 as it's a nice if not slow run. The car drives very well the power comes in smooth until about 3500rpm then BOOM you're off. It's got the sports ABC suspension, which is famous for shiting itself but it all works okay (after the previous owner dropped a fortune on it last year) and around the twisty roads it doesnt half handle for something the size of an oil tanker.

On the way up the road I stopped at some traffic lights and noticed the temp gauge creep a bit.

 

IMG_1798 by cort16, on Flickr

 

On something like this I want to see gauge being rock solid and never moving so pulled over and let it sit for a bit and sure enough the temp creeped up. I got out the car and could hear the fan spinning but it sounded like there was a bag of revels stuck in it .  You can't hear it in the car as it's double glazed.I couldn't and still can't find the bonnet catch so couldn't check it out. It never really crept very far and didn't cause any bother on the way back but not sure I'd want to get caught in 20minutes of crawling traffic.

 

By this point I really needed a piss so stopped in Glamourous New Cumnock at the train station but no go but did notice a dent in the rear quarter. You can actually see it in the ebay pictures but it looks like a reflection. If I can get at it I think I can knock it out a bit. Weirdly my XJR had exactly the same dent.

 

IMG_1799 by cort16, on Flickr

 

After accelerating hard out the train station I got the check engine light on. My erm passenger took this picture. Radio 4 YO!

 

IMG_1800 by cort16, on Flickr

 

Now the seller had mention (on the car on the way to get it not in the advert) that this does happen now and again and recon'd it made the car drive better and to be fair it did seem smoother. I imagine it's a 2 inch valve that costs £2556.7 plus vat but it seemingly makes absolutely no difference to the way it drives. It;s gone off now.

 

Fuel wise I think it worked out about 22 mpg not to bad for a 5 litre car. At 50mph it seems to be doing about 1500rpm.

 

Interior wise this wasn't Mercedes finest hour. Loads of shiny wood and shiny buttons. It's got electric everything including self closing doors. The satnav nav and entertainment system is mind blowingly baffling. There's a button you can press that makes a bit of the console slide down with a big electronic wir so you can put your val doonican tapes in. You can tell it was high spec though. Weirdly the rev counter has 1000 rpm at the top and 7000rpm at the bottom, which I've never seen before.

The heated seats are nuclear and will also it will blow cold air down your trouser cravas as well as massaging your arse at 10 different speeds.

 

That's it. I'm reasonably happy with it given what I paid although I need to get that fan sorted out before I can take it up to work. Back in the Juke tomorrow.

[Cavcraft]

It's something else that, really something else. In a sea of BMWs that'd stand out a mile. I'm very, very jealous.

[spike60]

I've had it's smaller, cheaper bro, a CLK320 and keep playing with the idea of one but am a bit intimidated with the ABC shite. Well bought, looks all the better for not being silver too.

[saucedoctor]

Glorious. Love it.

[Partridge]

Nice one! You are now the poshest shiter (save for Lord Sterling because he has MANY Sterlings). You are a mentalist but the best kind.

 

Oh, and am I the only who spotted Sorn Me's avatar in one of the pictures?

[HMC]

Great! When new these had lots in common with a small house (price, double glazing, size, running costs etc) so much metal for the money today.

 

I want to say its a brave purchase but seeing as the last keeper has spent out on the stuff that goes wrong, its probably a shrewd one as far as bargain 5L supercoupes go!

[Pete-M]

Mercedes temp gauges often sit slightly higher than seems right. I regularly drive a couple of (virtually new) E220 CDis and a 2005 SL500 that all seem to run at about 105°c when the centre Mark on the gauge is around 90°c

[warren t claim]

WARCRAFT CL500 parked at its favourite place. 

 

 

Now exported to Australia.

 

[Sudsprint]

Fantastic decadent purchase. 

[bub2006]

Looks lovely but I do feel bitter at the 22mpg. My E class 2.0 estate barely managed 20mpg. Mainly did 16-18mpg and not enough grunt to light the tyres on gravel.

[Lord Sterling]

Shit me man. I'm gonna have to up my game Merc-wise at some point. Can't see it being soon seeing as I'm now a dole-queue botherer again.

 

I did say that a W140 would be on my next-car list though and I can't see Mrs_Lady_Sterling being very happy if I accidentally buy a CL500.

 

I will do one day, but until then, I am officially jealous.

[cort16]

I've just been out on it and the fan seems to kick in at 100 even though when it's cruising it sits to 90. Pete M's just put my mind at rest as this seems normal so phew. Bit weird though.

 

I just had to try to fit it in my lockup. Physics wins but only just. So close.

I wonder if the council would object if I welded a 5 inch extension onto the garage door.

 

IMG_1802 by cort16, on Flickr

 

I'm still not sure how this speedo actually goes around. Magnets? Magic?

 

IMG_1806 by cort16, on Flickr

 

Shite loads of buttons

 

IMG_1807 by cort16, on Flickr

[Jazoli]

Spotted you today just before you pulled in for fuel and took the obligatory petrol station shot on the way back to Carlisle, I thought it might have been the purple Merc off here as there can't be that many around, I was going the other way to the arse end of nowhere with a great view of Sellafield (its not a power station by the way )

[cort16]

Blimey, autoshite is everywhere it was the arse end of nowhere. Is it a waste treatment plant?

 

I've just gone on to tax this and it's saying it'll be taxed from 1st Nov. Fuck off I've not owned it for the first 26 days of the month unlike the previous owner who paid that tax to cover this period. What a scam. I wonder if it's worth chancing it until December?

[dollywobbler]

SO MANY BUTTONS!

[cort16]

I don't know what any of them do. You can see how they ended up going down the pie drive route what with the 20,000 button this needs to operate all the gizmos.

[Honey Badger]

Blimey, autoshite is everywhere it was the arse end of nowhere. Is it a waste treatment plant?

 

I've just gone on to tax this and it's saying it'll be taxed from 1st Nov. Fuck off I've not owned it for the first 26 days of the month unlike the previous owner who paid that tax to cover this period. What a scam. I wonder if it's worth chancing it until December?

 

Sorn then tax maybe, if you can bear the 5 days of not using it?

 

Well brought though, the 22 OMGMPG almost seems quite a reasonable price to waft about in all that luxury.

[Taff]

Blimey, autoshite is everywhere it was the arse end of nowhere. Is it a waste treatment plant?

 

I've just gone on to tax this and it's saying it'll be taxed from 1st Nov. Fuck off I've not owned it for the first 26 days of the month unlike the previous owner who paid that tax to cover this period. What a scam. I wonder if it's worth chancing it until December?

 

Now then. When I bought my 'Scort, it had a lovely tax disc until the end of December, purchased by the last owner when discs were all the rage.

 

It was highlighted to me that, as far as Doooovla were concerned, the car wasn't taxed. BUT their very own car tax checker says it was, and I'm guessing you've just found the same?

 

I checked mine daily until the computer said no, then I went and taxed it. The lovely Kerry at the Post Office (with the very pleasant bosoms) told me the tax was back dated to the beginning of the month anyway.

 

My '59 plate Honda had a speedo like that, and I asked the tech at the dealer about it. If you look carefully, there may well be a slot at the outer edge to guide it?

 

And as for your buttons, I drove my Honda for 119,000 miles in 26 months and there was still two buttons in it I had never pressed. Because I was scared

[HillmanImp]

Is similar to the Space Shuttle Endeavour:

 

 

Except Endeavour was probably slightly better on fuel and had less complicated electrics.

[Lord Sterling]

I've just gone on to tax this and it's saying it'll be taxed from 1st Nov. Fuck off I've not owned it for the first 26 days of the month unlike the previous owner who paid that tax to cover this period. What a scam. I wonder if it's worth chancing it until December?

I'd chance it if I were you, it's a matter of days and the DVLA, as much as they can be devious bastards, won't bother you over a few days. As WorldofCeri said to me, they can't exactly prove the car was on the road during that time.

 

I had this with my Merc. The DVLA eventually rolled back the stop date to the 25th October even though the date of purchase was on the 1st of November, so until the DVLA were in receipt of the V5 for change over they seemed to assume to carry on taxing the car which is why when I checked on 3rd November, it was taxed. I eventually purchased tax on the 14th November which put it back to the 1st, but the DVLA hadn't updated itself until recently. I think you still get the "14 days grace" period.

[PhilA]

Just claim that it's Thanksgiving tomorrow and you thought they'd be closed.

 

--Phil

[cort16]

So it seems there isn't an overheating issue. I took it to work this morning and got caught on the MUTHAFUCKA of all traffic jams for about an hour. It ran up to around 100C then just sat there solid.

This is good. 

[alf892]

That's brilliant.........this car has been tested by Fate and come out on top..........

 

Last night...ooh I'm not chancing that to go to work in it might overheat

 

This morning....fuck it I'm going in me new motor....

 

Fate bungs you a traffic jam.......car and driver survive.

 

You win again!

[gordonbennet]

Lovely looking car, well bought, i'm jealous too.

 

Are you likely to keep it long enough to make LPG worth doing, Benz's really take well to gassing and thare's a massive boot to take a 100 litre tank and still leave enough room for normal stuff.

[cort16]

I can't justify putting LPG on it given the mileage that I do. 22mpg I can give with if I'm using it once a week plus with a 14 year old Merc with 160,000 miles on it who's to say it won't just go pop next week?

[gordonbennet]

No thats fair enough, i sort of rule anything over 100k out but converted the Outback @ 103k cos it was good enough to justify.

[spike60]

Dunno if relevant to yours but CLK's also seem to sit at about 100c in traffic, the cooling fan seems to be variable speed as well, not just on/off like more peasanty cars. Probably worth doing a gearbox oil and filter change if you plan on keeping it, "sealed for life" seems to be a shorter life if you believe it. MBClub UK have a good guide.

[cort16]

I think it had a gearbox oil change last year I'll need to check the paperwork. It seems really smooth (for now anyway).

[Noel Tidybeard]

Now then. When I bought my 'Scort, it had a lovely tax disc until the end of December, purchased by the last owner when discs were all the rage.

 

It was highlighted to me that, as far as Doooovla were concerned, the car wasn't taxed. BUT their very own car tax checker says it was, and I'm guessing you've just found the same?

 

I checked mine daily until the computer said no, then I went and taxed it. The lovely Kerry at the Post Office (with the very pleasant bosoms) told me the tax was back dated to the beginning of the month anyway.

 

My '59 plate Honda had a speedo like that, and I asked the tech at the dealer about it. If you look carefully, there may well be a slot at the outer edge to guide it?

 

And as for your buttons, I drove my Honda for 119,000 miles in 26 months and there was still two buttons in it I had never pressed. Because I was scared

which ones? i'll go and press mine for you by proxy if you like

[nacho man]

That is ace, I would love one. My bleeding st170 is managing 27mpg on my commute luckily it ain't a long one but I would still rather look like coolio than that kevin and Perry chap that Harry Enfield used to do in my hot(slightly tepid) hatch.