Final Year C140: 1999 Mercedes Benz CL500 – SOLD!

November 18, 2021 Update – We confirmed the seller of this “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

There are certain cars and trucks that have a siren song; you know, that whole concept of beautiful mermaids causing the seafarers to crash into the rocks when they sought out the source of the enchanting song they sang. Mercedes-Benz vehicles from the middle-to-late 90s are a perfect example of this concept, as this beautiful 1999 CL500 coupe originally listed in October 2021 on Craigslist in Alexandria, Virginia goes to show. Gorgeous, powerful, and limited in production, this example has under 60,000 original miles and is listed with an asking price of $19,500. Comparing this price against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms this CL500 is right in the middle of a “Good” condition model valued at $16,800 and one in “Excellent” condition at $26,100.

The W140/C140 lineup was one of the more striking designs Mercedes ever penned. It has the kind of good looks that tells you we’ll see this model at Pebble Beach someday. While the coupe gets all the glory, the sedan was almost as pretty dispute being saddled with extra doors, and it truly is refreshing when you spot one like this in exceptional condition. All too often they have torpedoed down the slippery slope of second-and third-tiers of ownership, becoming a cheap hoopty at the buy-here-pay-here lots. Mercedes swung for the fences not only with luxury, loading these cars up with gorgeous wood interior accents and acres of leather, but also technology – the W140 chassis pioneered electronic stability control, HID headlights, side airbags, and more.

The Old Benz YouTube Channel features this vintage U.S. W140 promo video:

The seller’s car reminds me very much of one that went up for sale earlier this year and actually belonged to Michael Jordan. That’s not entirely surprising, considering how popular this era of the S-Class was with athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and other A-listers. The seller points out that he gets an incredible amount of attention when driving the CL500, which doesn’t shock me at all. This car is absolutely gorgeous riding on AMG monoblock replica wheels and sounds pretty damn sexy, too, courtesy of an AMG-tuned exhaust system. The seller smartly notes that as a ’99 model, it does not suffer from the same wiring harness issues that plagued earlier cars. The seller’s car has already won awards for its clean presentation, a habit that will likely continue under the next owner’s care. Good luck with the purchase if you take this minty Mercedes-Benz coupe home!

Here’s the seller’s description:

“For sale is my 1999 Mercedes Benz CL500 (W140/C140). Black (040) over Grey Nappa Leather. 1 of only 19 CL500s built for the final year of 140 production. Only 53k miles, clean CarFax report with no accidents. Title in-hand with no loans or liens. I have all the books, two keys plus a third valet key, and the receipts from my ownership. It is in excellent condition, inside and out with no warning lights or error messages on the dash. This is an extremely rare car that has been enthusiast-owned since new.

Being a 1999, this car does *NOT* suffer from any of the notorious wiring harness or A/C evaporator issues that were found in CLs built between 91-96.

The car has an AMG exhaust, as well as replica AMG Monoblocks. These wheels fit perfectly and do not rub or scrape. Tires show date codes from 2017 and have tons of tread. The exhaust is very mild and nearly unnoticeable when inside the car, but emits a lovely “burble” while idling or under throttle. It is otherwise unmodified.

If you buy this CL, you pretty much become Mercedes-Benz royalty overnight. I have had the privilege of driving some very exotic cars in my lifetime, but no other vehicle has attracted the kind of attention that this CL does. It also won 2nd In Class and the Judges’ Choice award at the 2019 MBCA Summer Concours . Getting behind the wheel is truly a joyful experience. It kills me to sell this Mercedes, but I need to raise funds for a bigger garage space (so I can buy and store more cars!).

Serious inquiries only, reasonable offers will be considered. I’m listing this locally for now but will move to Autotrader if unsold in a week or so.”

Do you have a Mercedes-Benz CL500 story you’d like to share?  Comment below and let us know!