Still surprised to see Mercedes CL models at CarMax, and this month there were two. One just sold, leaving this 2014 Mercedes CL550 the sole surviving unicorn for the moment. Reminds me of last spring when I wrote about three CL550’s available at the same time. This isn’t a spectacular car like the CL65 AMG V-12, but it is a handsome coupe nonetheless, not a lot were sold, and 2014 was the last year for the CL-class – two door S-classes, really, before being replaced by S-class coupes. This is a nine year old Mercedes and is still eligible for another five years and 85,000 miles of MaxCare!
This was also the last year for this interior. The 2015 S-class was all new. Think the “discounted” price reflects that this car was three generations ago. It’s the same interior I had in my 2010 S600. I keep mentioning that car because I keep missing it – and will until I replace it. This CL550 is fairly well equipped with heated and cooled seats, seat massagers, heated steering wheel, night vision, Harman Kardon audio, and even AWD. The front seat leg room is 42.2″ – almost out of Justin Tuckers’ field goal range.
What I originally wrote: Remember the 2017 S600 I wrote about last week and its luxurious rear seating? Not so much in the CL550 coupe. No room for humans and hard to toss guitars or groceries back there. It does have a decent trunk.
Updated by blog reader Aaron – he rented a CL550 and was able to put four six-footers in the car comfortably. Believe he’s right this shot was taken with the driver’s seat all the way back. I still hate trying to get things in the back seat of two door cars (same with my M3) but you can get peeps in here if need be. Thanks, Aaron!
The 2014 CL550 has a good enough V-8 motor, all of 4.7 liters and turbocharged and rated at 429 horsepower and 516 ft-lbs of torque. That should be plenty. Even gets 24 mpg on the highway and will cruise for well over 500 miles between road trip fill ups. This two-owner, accident free, low mileage, 2014 Mercedes CL550 is between Baltimore and Washington at the moment, here in Laurel, Maryland. (I notice the link includes “beta” – and the photo below is NOT what I’m used to and I hate it. I’ll be writing a harshly worded comment to CarMax when I’m done!) The 2014 CL550 sold for maybe $117,000 new and is nicely depreciated at $35,000.
Stock 23450827 · VIN WDDEJ9EB6EA031990
Promised you a pair of cars, and I’ll coupe my promise with this pretty, and quite familiar and gorgeous, 2013 Jaguar XK “Touring” model. If you’ve been with me over the years you know I just love hardtop XK’s. But you’re thinking, “wait! This is a “Touring” edition, it must be pretty special, right?”.
Nope. Jaguar fans probably knew. I had to look it up. The Touring model was actually a reduced-price entry level Jaguar XK that sold for $5,500 less than the standard XK. This one sold for maybe $80,000. What was left out to bring down the price? According to Car and Driver, “the low-grade Touring coupe forgoes the XK’s suede headliner for a regular woven cloth piece; 20-inch wheels get downsized to 19-inchers; and the upmarket Bowers & Wilkins audio system is shelved in favor of a “Jaguar premium” system“. That’s it! What’s wrong with an Alpine radio, anyway?
The Jaguar XK has a nice interior and as with the CL550, it’s a 2+2 with no back seat room. It’s a low mileage car and very clean inside. Not as well equipped as the CL550, the Jag only has seat heaters and Bluetooth and a rear view camera.
The last Jaguar I covered was a 510 horsepower XKR, and this one is more tame – 385 horsepower from a 5.0 liter V-8. That’s what six-cylinder Jaguar makes now. But that’s probably enough to move this 3,700 pound coupe. I was struck by the pretty dark blue over tan – haven’t seen that before. Car and Driver also noted the Touring has an aero kit not on other XK’s, although I can’t see it. Another crappy “beta” photo below. This 2013 Jaguar XK Touring is here in Denver. Unlike the CL550, though, it’s a four owner car and has been in one fender bender. I think it should be selling for $5,000 less. I’ll watch and see if it gets reduced.
Stock 22576258 · VIN SAJWA4DB0DLB50533
Wouldn’t ordinarily write twice in one day (mostly because I always lose much time when I start by deleting the 30 comments spammed from hairstylists and escorts from India – bizarre) but this 2011 Jaguar XK is too pretty and too low priced not to get on the blog quickly. Seems to be a bargain 
I started tracking this car last fall – I still have an affection for Jaguar XK’s and rue the XKR I rejected. This XK has been neglected so long it has dropped $3,000 since I found it. It’s a pretty basic 11 year old, three-owner, low mileage, California car. YEs, it only has the 4.2 liter 300hp V8, but it’s plenty perky. I I am starting to think about flipping a car – drive something for six months and enjoy it, put it on the market back east, and drive it until it sells? think it’s beautiful and with 
With every car I don’t buy I get smarter on this whole process. Or maybe dumber. Eventually I’m going to score a Porsche for the price of a Pinto, or I’ll give up and buy a minivan. Writing from a hotel room north of Raleigh, where I went to see this 2011 Jaguar XK. Not an XKR, but at $26,998 and only 34,000 miles I thought it might be the bucket list Jaguar for me without spending too much. I had set aside my pursuit of the Mercedes S600 (for now), thinking I can always buy a big sedan, but my knees and back are suggesting time is short for a sports car.
I thought the Jaguar looked vaguely familiar, a lot like the one I saw briefly in Baltimore last summer and was aghast at the pock-marked front fascia and more than a few touch up paint blemishes on the driver side. It was an XK that looked like it was half-way through puberty. But I never made an appointment to see it in Baltimore, just stopped by and eye-balled it, and couldn’t find the original ad. So I asked the young sales rep in Raleigh if this could be the same car. He sent me photos, and sure enough, the front end was clean and I hatched a plan to go see it.