I BOUGHT A CHEAP MERCEDES CL500 FOR £1,500! 

This is what we are here for Matt. I’m guessing this was a simple set of number plates and a £15 mini valet. 🤣

There should be a medal of some kind for having the balls to even consider fixing this.

This era of MB was when the accountants ran the show. Part worn tyres and a dodgy service history. Scrapyard is calling. Cheers Matt another good appraisal.

This is a very beautiful car, in its day it would have been absolutely cutting edge, both in terms of luxury and refinement. Sadly though it’s day has long gone, it really does appear to be uneconomical to repair, however that said, it would be a shame to see it broken up for spares, it is a future classic, and the mileage is very low. I’m glad I don’t have to decide its fate, I just hope you reach a decision you’re happy with Matt❤.

Does this mean we might get to see some of the repairs to cars in future? Was nice to see SPR giving their feedback on camera

In his next video, Matt is going to start a Bonfire with £50 notes, because it will be cheaper than buying all these project cars.

Addition of the mechanics into the video is amazing. I used to think about this idea, so happy you've added them.

This car deserves its life back. Please fix it completely and make it one of the few nice Cl's around!

The minute you said what you'd bought I knew it would be a money pit. I rescued 2 S Classes 01 and 04 and they broke my heart. Battery drains constantly and nothing wants to work after! I'd export it and let that beautiful V8 pump water in Africa for a 100 years...and keep that lovely steering wheel as a souvenir. I'm finished with Mercs

As soon as the missus hears "alright guys, how's it going ,welcome back" she rolls her eyes 🙄 & says "what's he sold you now!?" 🤣🤣

Absolutely awesome video. Really interesting seeing the analysis in the garage. Wonderful content mate

You have nearly 200k subscribers. If the estimated repair bill was £20,000.00, we could all give you 10p each, and that would be enough to repair the car!!👍🙂... Would love to see this beauty back on the road in mint condition!!👍🙂

You could always put it on the golden mile at Blackpool illuminations and switch the dashboard on charge 50p a child to press all the buttons 😂

Hi Matt, great video. Thanks for taking the time to post. I think you should restore it to its former glory and then raffle it to your subscribers. Also, I don't think it'll be long before a Discovery channel snaps you up for Wheeler Dealer type show. 😁👍🤞

Reminds me of my old Scirocco back in the day. 15 previous owners, plus at least 3 or 4 who'd never had the logbook, one immobiliser fob, part time dashboard electrics. It was a shed but a lovable shed.

My friend owns one, he's second owner, on a 52 plate in silver, fully loaded, every conceivable factory opinion, was 103K new. Positives, beautiful to look at and drive, been in it on many occasions. The downside, horrendous running costs, his is in perfect condition, with absolutely no rust or blemishes, done under 80.000 miles. He's keeping it forever.

Cheap to buy, but still premium price maintenance. A friend of mine had CL600 V12, 03 plate in Burgundy paint with cream interior. With all windows down in summer time, cruising was amazing.... Almost impossible to see spotless CL's on the roads these days...

it's amazing that Mercedes, once the byword for motoring lifelong quality, dropped the ball so far in that era. The S Class of the period, the W220 was also shoddily put together.

As always great video Matt - These are great cars - I have a 2001 (Y Reg) that I purchased in 2017 with just over 25k on the clock ( I did pay top whack which was about £7.5k) - it's in Almadine Black with a light interior so it looks stunning - it was hardly used until 2013 when the mileage was10.5k I think it may then have changed hands as that year it did 4k miles and had £2.5k service (16 new plugs!). It's not been a daily driver, I've done on average 2k miles per year so it's just under 40k miles now. I use Merx Cheshire an independant in Macclesfield for all my mechanical work they do a great job I've had two or three services over my time with pads and discs replaced - mainly due to standing outside over winter - no issues with the ABC - and it's been perfectly reliable. It's awesome to drive - corners flat with the ABC on, the ride is smooth and a great engine that pulls at 80 mph like it's just getting started, plus on steady motorway runs I get low 30's fuel consumption, the interior is luxury - and everything works (altough the distronic cruise control is temperamental, and I've had simillar but not as bad issues with the glove box/central console) and it has a fridge between the back seats !! So great cars worth saving - but I think yours is to far gone - maybe before pulling it apart you could consider what are the good bits look for one that was tatty iinside, possibly with a few faults and maybe a bigger mileage therefore again cheap - then see if if you could combine the two to save one then sell off the parts - I know probably just a double loss but they are such great cars for small amounts of money.

I’ve had my eyes on one since the past month , nothing like Matt to bring you back to reality 😂

You know I had one of these. Loved it. Most of those engine lights are due to the weak battery and will go when you fix the alternator. You can purchase reconditioned struts from various places with long warranties for around £600 each. Dronfields are good for breaker parts. Get it fixed 😊

Love the team at SPR, Sam just serviced my CL and looks after our E class. Super team !!

I rely on your videos to remind me not to let my heart rule my head with pretty cars! This coupe is gorgeous to look at and I guess with access to low cost parts and a lot of tlc it could fo back to its former glory. As you say, a new one would be £100k in the day. This one has a lump thats good for another 10 years so even if ut cost 10k to make it good again, maybe its worth it. For me though the cost of tax and insurance make it a no-no. I think I'd try and sell to an enthusiast, should get your £1500 back, or else parts. The engine alone could ferch that if it doesnt have issues. Best of luck.

Thanks for having us on your channel matt. Onto the next one 😉

I thought the wheels looked odd, ascribed it to the tyres... Great to see the SPR Autos operation, would be good to include some of your other 'regulars' so to speak. Good one Matt, hope it survives the parts bin LOL

Get it done up back to factory brand new documenting all the work and raffle it off. Everyone will love seeing the transformation and I am sure lots would buy a £10-£15 ticket.

Another brutally honest video, well done again Matt 🎉 - I guess the question is, for a premium vehicle with relatively low mileage, why so many issues.!?? Thank you.

Nice to see the rest of 'TEAM' behind your buisness GOOD JOB !!!

Having just watched this video.. Matt this is a very rare CL500 ! It’s probably the only Titanic model they ever produced 😄

Another must watch video! Personally I've never understood the interest in Mercedes, especially from this period. A neighbour has a 2002 S600 V12 which is falling to pieces and far beyond repair, imagine the cost new! My Lexus LS from the same period out classes them for quality and took us on a fautless European road trip. I guess it's badge snobbery?

Great editing, great audio guys. Yeah, this is the video I needed to realise I should stick with my CLK. I can only imagine the R230 also being a nightmare after several hands

These leather seats look like they lasted better than recent merc seats

Break it Matt, you may not keep this one on the road but the parts may keep another going :)

For ESP and ABS, begin with turning the steering wheel from full right to full left with your foot on the brakes. It might fix the issue, if the was only due to low battery or battery change.

Don't give up Matt. Get Dronsfield to sort out your parts. Second hand parts will save a fortune. Ask them to take part in your video and perhaps show us all what they can do, with this rather un cared for gem. I'm sure that they can get this back on the right side of decent for a couple of quid. Tackle the essential first. You were looking for a project and this is what you have. Either that or give it away to someone you don't like. Good luck and keep us updated. This could be a serial .

Merc CL500!! I clicked on this video straight away too. What a beautiful car. I love old Mercs. Unfortunately this era wasn't the best for the company. I love the shape, and for that brief moment when they go right, the power. Great content. P.S. loved the video about the low mileage Saab. 👌

As there's not many left; break it, work out which bits are good to sell on and scrap the rest. You could probably get some money for the personalised number plate as well. They're lovely motors, but this one would be more money & hassle than it's worth trying to put back on the road. May as well use it to keep other on the road.

The parent’s neighbours had one of these back in 2001 or so. I loved it but never thought it was quite up to the standards of the old 126 series SEC coupes.

Always learn something new in your video thank you

I used a company in Holland, abcspecialists, to part exchange my old ABC struts for refurbished ones at a fraction of the cost Mercedes charge for new units. Very pleased with the quality and service from them. Recommended.

Ive had a great business idea. Buy a beautiful but troubled Merc land yacht. Drive past Matts place at regular intervals till he caves!! (Repeat)

Hey Matt , I bought a 51 plate 2 owner car cl600 v12 back in 2021, it was a car I always liked so went for v12 only bcoz it was the most cleanest car in that CL market as I really was looking for cl55. An elderly couple owned it since 2003 and always kept indoor garaged by themselves on an estate in the south . I finally got used to it and really loved the way it drove, when I looked at this one you bought it’s absolutely shot from underneath where as mine was like the day it left the factory! I owned for 2 memorable years , even the MOT guy said it was amazingly so clean so shortly after I sold the car one cold November to a collector/car enthusiast from Scotland. I sure do hope this new owner looks after it 😢. I been looking into these again but cannot find one like the example I had . These cars at first seem risky investments but it soon becomes worth it as these cars grow on you one way or another!!

I had a couple of these back in 2000 ish and loved to drive them, just paid out for general servicing and cheaper to run than you think when all sorted. This one though I would stick in the ring and transfer the problem. You can’t save em all Matt

Save it Matt, a nice Christmas present for yourself 👍😀

Unfortunately, it has to be broken up for parts. Far too much corrosion on the underside, so possibly a big spend there, bodywork/paint issues another couple of grand, electrical issues, suspension issues, engine management issues, wheels, I would think that you are looking at £10k minimum just to get it back on the road. You'll definitely overspend on this one. Take care.

Just turned on, this is gotta be a "I've massively over spent" i remember when Clarkson Brought one. The coil packs were 1200 quid each 🙈

Great video as always. The cars not had part warn tyres on it, it’s just had a cheap puncture repair where they mark the tyre where the valve is, so when they put the tyre back on the rim they don’t need to rebalance the wheel.

Really enjoyed the mechanic explaining stuff . 🚗🔦👍

The CLK is just a better option if you want a coupé from this era. Not as complicated or expensive to run. Based on C-class running gear and E-class interior

Part it out or give it to Transformotion to sort it! It has a strong loyal following so should make a decent video series 😁 When it's fixed it can be raffled, should make some money in the end!

I own the same model. While many think quality is bad, the CL was one of the few exceptions of the era. It was the top of the line flagship for Mercedes at the time. When well taken care of these cars are very reliable. Sadly, this one is seriously neglected. Also, the C215 chassis rarely rusts, unlike the W220. Previous owners have ruined this car.

Once you have done all the lights on the dash, you still have all the suspension and body parts to fix. I sold an old S class 500 SE and the guy who bought it sold it to an exporter who shipped it to Nigeria. They love them for taxiwork and are not fazed by things we consider as essential safety issues! I got £1800 in the end and I can probably guarantee my old car is still going strong. It had 127k on the clock when I sold it. Great car!

Hi Matt , you could do a pre-raffle on raffle shack? . Rules could be something like if you raise £7000 you’ll agree to do the work and pass the car to the winner , if you don’t sell enough tickets then refund or just raffle the cash. That way nobody losses and we get to save another great classic motor 👍🏽

My childhood dream car. Still absolutely stunning. However, I think it's past it's time and although £2-3k is very tempting for a good condition example ABS, ABC, battery drain issues are always there, road tax and insurance are expensive so really not a good idea to get one now.

Mechanics... Always a ray of cheerful sunshine....

Legendary desing these Looks elegant in every scenario

For me it's "sell it for parts". Great video Matt.

I feel your pain matt well done for trying the quality in that car is shocking with such low mileage, my pal has a 01 focus with 126k on the clock just passed its test no advisories, just goes to show 👍

If it was me, I would get an uprated battery, alternator and coilovers on it (leave it in the most comfortable settings for obvious reasons. It will be thiugh, a lot cheaper than replacing all the struta etc). Get the electrics overhauled and welding where needed, and it (should) be good to go! No doubt this'll cost 3- 4 times the value of the car at present, but if you're a risk taker, these could increase in value as the supply of these decrease (a lot of them rot, get scrapped etc). And an old merc is always in demand, look at (dare i say it), the value of old SLs and SECs....some of them would've been dirt cheap at one point or another

Let the Transformotion lads have it!

Again, Matt loving exactly the same cars that I do! The CL has always been on my list but I've never risked buying one because of Mercedes' build quality issues in this era. I'm afraid this one is too far gone and, regrettably, not worth saving. Move on Matt.

As was mentioned these are getting pretty rare so by the time you get all the work done it might well be an expensive classic. I'm not sure how many of us would be still alive to see it though. It might be worth it for someone who has experience on this vehicle and can do a lot of the work themselves so doesn't have to pay for all the labour. They would have to have the time and enthusiasm to try to find parts. Without that I can't see it being worth it sadly.

Paid 2500 for ours 5 years ago great car .. just service it and change the hydraulic suspension oil and filters aswell we had the brake lines done front to back and a new coil pack that’s it in 5 years 👍🏽

Mat's videos are such great entertainment and full of humour, his remark on one I have just seen, the a Z3 was fitted with the optional indicators and noboby would let him out of a junction, as a BMW driver he had me howling, thanks Matt, keep up the great work.

It's a gorgeous car and such a shame to see it dismantled, but unless you're going to invest in it as a passion project to keep for yourself, I'd sell it for parts if I were in your position. Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do!

Hi Matt, for me, it’s all the rust that was the final straw. Is it really safe? I would break this down for parts, there are plenty more Merc projects out there and you are still recycling it. Great video as usual! I love watching these!

I have just bought a 53 plate CLK500 with 71k on the clock, looks mint all the electrics apart from the cigarette lighter work and it has no obvious rust. Just waiting for my merc trained mechanic to get back from his holiday then we can look underneath. Fingers crossed. I am impressed with your shop so I may be bringing it to you.

You're a brave man!

If you sell your Canada Goose jacket, that would go a long way to fixing the Merc 😇

It would be interesting to find out whether any of the previous 15 owners lived in a salt mine. In my opinion, the underside corrosion is probably the most worrying aspect of this £100k+ leviathan. PS. You're right Matt, the wheels look as though they've come off an A180. It's got to be spares - the engine could see your £1,500 back if you can sort the warning lights. Anything else you can sell, would be a bonus but a bit of a faff. Mercedes owners club perhaps?

I almost bought one 2 years ago, but after searching in Spain for a year, never found one I liked. In the end, I paid twice the price of a CL on an SL instead and haven't regretted it. These cars are wonderful when sorted, but so many have had a hard last 10 years compared to their first 10. Living outside = rust. The high cost of repairs leads to many being bodged at home, and as Matt mentioned, the build quality was more Chrysler than Merc. The engine and gearbox are good though. Strong and reliable. The ABC suspension is a money pit all on its own, the fluid needs regular changing and after 20 years, the accumulators are likely to be faulty too. But if you do that, its often good to go. If you need to replace a strut, it gets very expensive. Those wheels are the entry level spec. They were rarely seen in the UK, but fairly common here in Spain. I can't tell you what to do with this car, but i doubt that repair is economically wise. As a left field idea, if you can find a good CLK of the period, put the engine in that. A CLK500 is very rare and highly desirable. Lastly, if someone wanted a good CL in silver with graphite leather, there are lots available, for less than £6000 although finding one under 100,000 miles is unlikely.

Wow - I was thinking of getting one of these at some point. I'm not sure what else you could do other than break it up for parts. Great video.

It’s got to be a breaker. Too much cost involved to make it worthwhile I’m afraid. There must be £2k’s worth of parts there to make it viable 👍🏻

I nearly bought one of those. There was no EML showing but my mechanic's scan tool found 32 pending faults with his Merc scan tool. Terrifying

Matt i love your channel you seem a fine young business man , my current car is a jaguar xj , the x351 model its the LWB currently has 60,000 on clock . it is the 5ltre autobiography model with full rear package , im getting old this car still hass full warranty from jaguar on it for a year and a half , my point is this , when i get to old to drive i will offer it to you , it will come with FSH and every thing done by jaguar , carry on with the good work , Charlie

Banger Racing!!

Save it Matt. Great content. Love seeing these cars get looked after

I love Mercedes, having had a C class myself I know how expensive they can be, especially when they go wrong. Unfortunately Matt I think this one is too far gone and is for the breakers 😕

One of my favourite cars ever, the V12 version of the following generation is on my bucket list

No more than five or six miles away from Matt's garage is a 500 SEC project that shows how things can go wrong. It's in the process of being converted into a cabriolet! It's been sitting in the same spot covered by plastic sheeting for over five years. Well, actually the sheeting collapsed into the body about four years ago so now there's more water in it than the Titanic .

Unbelievably I’ve found one Autotrader even cheaper (for £999), good lord even the tax is £395 a year… but it does state the next MOT is due on 23/02/2018… what could possibly go wrong😂 from an era of Fisher Price quality Mercs… I’d rather trust my 1990 190E from better days! Suggest you try your hand at banger racing!

I absolutely love that! What a proper statement car. Shame its a little rough, but I am sure with some (mild) over spending and a good buff, it will be good to go! In all seriousness though, as much as I want to say its worth fixing, I sadly think this one is just that little bit too far gone. Definitely a nice donor car though with that low milage engine!

I hope you learn a lesson from this one Matt! Don't get so carried away with an old CL !

A lovely car that needs some TLC, unfortunately of the age (up to 2004 when they changed) of the accountants water based paint disaster. The lights out on the speedo usually mean the cruise control is on, all Mercs of this period are very battery voltage sensitive for some of the systems make sure the battery is good. YT are a great help in accessing hidden menus and resetting systems such as AC after new gas. ESP comes up when voltage drops but usually cancelled by turning the wheel from one side to other. However all the points the garage point out are fixable but it is the astronomical price of parts that kill these lovely cars.

Hi Matt, you could get an aftermarket suspension kit for these I believe, around £1500. Just a thought, but would be great to save it, it’s all the car anyone would ever want, for once heart over head is justified! Best of luck 👍

I'd sell it for Parts Mat..

Love the b-roll and the extra SPR bits. Could be a mainstay, imo.

Go for it mate what a fab looking car

These big powerful second hand Mercs are going around trying to get up to their original value in how much work they need doing 😂 Brilliant video, I enjoyed the walk around your brother did to see how bad it was

It’s a shame the build quality is so bad on those because they are very beautiful

Parts bin I'm afraid Matt. Thanks for the video though. love these ones about old luxury motors. Was on my dream list back in the day.

It's a pity most Mercedes get to be so badly maintained! I've had a old (1998) where most of the troubles were regular maintenance and correcting the crap previous owners did to the car. Many of those supposedly to "save money". As in total failure! Properly maintained these are awesome cars.

Massively????

Ebay, Gumtree as 'resto project' for enthusiast in my humble opinion. Back then the built quality wasn't any different on a CL/S Class than to a C Class. MB made thousands of vehicles with a poor batch of steel. I had a 2001/51 W220 S320 in silver that corroded in exactly the same places. Had it repaired under MB warranty, a massive job. New rear arch sections, bottom of all the doors and new front wings. Both sides painted. The repair work was that good it showed up the rest of the car. Usual story. Best part of this CL is that wonderful V8. Good luck Matt!

I love the look of the CL500

Project car for your friends on the rebuild channel to work on and I’m sure we can all appreciate some extra CL content. Would love to follow up on their channel soon

I love the Sl500 you had Matt much more. These look a bit weird, i would sadly part it out because Old Mercedes are sooo expensive to maintain :( Great video as usual! :D

Run for the hills Matt!

Matt! Awesome cars these CL500's one of my favourite cars of all time, especially with that 5.0 V8, I was close to buying one of these recently as they are dirt cheap now, however as shown in the video they are all rotten underneath and need upwards of £3000 spending on them so make them half decent. Such a shame as they are iconic... As much as it pains me to say it dude I'd break it for spares and see what money you get back... Then buy another V8😅

I had a 2003 w220 S500 Lwb and it did not have (very surprisingly) any bodywork issues. Nevertheless it was an endless money pit and the cost of parts alone was ludicrous. After 2 years of it draining my wallet I had enough and got rid of it. Sure it was great when it was behaving but most of the time I was just waiting for the next huge bill. I had w126s before and they were far simpler and vastly superior in almost every way.