Advice required on value of unusual car - W124 E36 estate

[verysideways]

Hi everyone,

As many of you know back in February i became the rather proud owner of an E36 which was due to be crushed under the scrappage scheme. Thankfully i managed to get in there before the deal was done and saved the car by matching the £2k the chap would have got from the scrappage scheme.

Since then i have spent about 20 hours going through the car - basically cleaning it inside and out to bring it back to life. I've also bought a steering wheel to replace the one that's in the car (identical, just in much better condition) and i've just put 12 months MOT on it and 6 months tax.
I'd love to keep it, and i have enjoyed every mile i've done in it, but the reality is that i ride a bike to work every day and have two other cars and a jetski for the weekends (as well as access to several other cars for work) so i don't need it and am only using it for the sake of it. Space is also something of any issue, i have too much stuff and neighbours who are less than pleased with me.

So to the crux of the matter - i have NO IDEA what it's worth. I'm sure it's worth more than i paid for it, but i've heard figures ranging from £3k to £8k. Ultimately i want it to go to a good home, preferably someone who is a W124 enthusiast, which is why i have made no attempt to advertise it on ebay/autotrader/pistonheads. I'm in no hurry to sell it, i'd rather wait for someone to come along who will cherish it and respect it.

Supplied new in April 1995 at Mercedes Benz of Cheltenham & Gloucester (previously known as Warner's). Bought by second owner in June 1995 for £51,860 and driven by him every day for 15 years. Almost every service from new from the supplying dealer (with two exceptions), and the first service book runs out of pages at 170k miles. The second service book then brings us to 247k miles and the car is now on 251k.
Had new front wings a couple of years ago (£1500) and last September has a thorough overhaul of the aircon system (at MB Gloucester) which resulted in a bill of over £1000 (aircon blows ice cold!).

Being 1 of 7 rhd E36 estates it's a rare old beastie, and as it's run on Mobil 1 all its life it doesn't burn any oil and it still pulls like a train (although it does sound a bit tappety).

Any ideas?

Pictures here:
E36 AMG

Here's a couple:

And here's the spec from the VIN:

Lights BOSCH
Wiper BOSCH
Cab 00000
Delivery date 10.04.95
Dealer Great Britain (537)
Interior leather mushroom (265)
Paint 269 tourmaline green metallic (с 1994)
Options
240 outside temperature indicator (с 01.03.1982)
280 steering wheel (400 mm dia.) and gearshift lever in leather trim; on W202 390 mm dia. (с 01.05.1984)
291 airbag for front passenger
airbag for front passenger (с 01.10.1993)
airbag for driver and front passenger (if driver airbag standard - then only for passenger)
300 storage box in front tray (с 01.05.1988)
341 additional lamp (с 01.09.1982)
362
412 electric sliding roof with tilting device (с 01.07.1983)
420 automatic transmission, floor shift (с 01.01.1963)
440 tempomat (cruise control) (с 01.09.1975)
461 instrument with mileage reading and english lettering (с 01.04.1990)
541 double roller blind used as luggage and passenger guard (с 01.01.1980)
551 anti-theft warning system (с 01.11.1978 по 31.03.1998)
570 folding armrest front w202/210 stowage box front with armrest (с 01.04.1970)
front folding armrest w202 - housing at front with armrest
588 automatic climate control and electric window lifters (front and rear doors) (с 01.01.1977)
593 heat-insulating glass, all-around, heated rear window pane (single-sheet safety glass), band filter
green heat-insulating glass all round, heated rear window, single pane safety glass - tinted strip (с 01.01.1972)
600 headlamp wiper/washer (с 01.08.1971)
613 lamp unit, asymmetrical, l.h. traffic (с 01.02.1963)
620 emission control system
vehicles with catalyst technique (с 01.03.1985)
653 sports chassis with 8-hole light alloy rims (с 01.01.1990)
668
722 baggage rack, integrated (с 01.07.1981)
731 wood trim, burred walnut root (с 01.08.1980)
798 AMG cpl. wheels, 4 pcs. 7.5 x 17 et35 245/45, 1-piece (с 01.01.1992)
833
880 closing system with infrared remote control (с 01.02.1988)
957 AMG technology package (с 01.01.1992)
extension tube on the roof, front left

So, what should i do?

 

[manalishi]

Rare, high spec (climate control, cruise, etc) and definitely worth saving if the suspension and engine are sound. £8k may be a bit of a reach, though (educated guess).

There are a few rust patches (by rear lights), so it'd be worth tackling before sale and/or checking to see if it's symptomatic of rust elsewhere.

 

[The Boss]

not sure, but achieving £10k is feasible if not more, if you address all outstanding issues..

you have a lovely car though.. im jealous..

you possibly have the highest mileage around on this car, so surely this has its own premium too

 

[d w124]

I will have to thank you for your offer,and is killing me as i bought this a day before

All the best with the sale and i hope it goes to a good home

 

[swannymere]

I'd love your car and would cherish it, unfortunately i have no money

 

[neilrr]

not sure, but achieving £10k is feasible if not more, if you address all outstanding issues..

you have a lovely car though.. im jealous..

you possibly have the highest mileage around on this car, so surely this has its own premium too

If we lived in Upside Down World perhaps, but with 250,000 miles on the clock I'm afraid here in the world we do inhabit it's value is going to be quite a bit lower than £8-10K

 

[jaymanek]

agreed, thats very optimistic... its very high miles and id say 3-5k will be pushing it..

 

[grober]

Be interesting to know what the previous owner bought to replace it! Sadly at 250,000 miles even the best looked after engine is probably needing a bit of work. Being an non standard AMG engine a rebuild might be quite expensive in parts alone? It really needs to go to someone prepared to undertake a complete body/ mechanical stripdown and refurb and crucial to this would the existing body condition -in particular the rear arches, subframe and sill area. On that basis and without a detailed body inspection I would price it at the lower end of the price range you quoted sorry.

ps:- I still give you credit for saving it from the crusher and hope you find a suitable buyer -just don't expect to make much money on the deal.

 

[chiefski26]

Put on ebay at 8k and let people make you offers

 

[rees_A]

I'd suggest you'd be lucky to get 4.5-5 for it....I wouldn't buy a car with that high mileage especially not at over 5k

 

[mercboiuk]

Be interesting to know what the previous owner bought to replace it!

A new Audi RS6 Avant, IIRC

Back on topic, if I could justify it, I would definately have your E36, verysideways!
I'm with the camp that think that the £8k you've heard is a little optimistic. A hard one to judge. It's heart-warming to hear you're in no hurry to sell, waiting for the right person to come along

Darren

 

[d w124]

It's heart-warming to hear you're in no hurry to sell, waiting for the right person to come along

Darren

Totally agree and to be honest he offered me the car at a very very good price,but i just can`t have it now

 

[mercboiuk]

Totally agree and to be honest he offered me the car at a very very good price,but i just can`t have it now

Sell the 320 Estate...Job done!

Darren

 

[nullogik]

What a lovely nice car but £10k for a 250000 mile car is very optimistic even if its only one of seven. 250k on an AMG engine is likely to scare off a lot buyers with the potential for expensive repairs in the future.

I remember only a few months back there was one flagged up on the EBay section of this site in the same colour with 69000 miles. Looking back at the thread he had it up for sale at £7500 on Pistonheads and on EBay it reached £7500 then several bids were retracted. On another forum he indicated that the reserve had been dropped to £5k after being messed around by time wasters.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/spotted-ebay/82625-w124-e36-estate.html

E36 Amg Estate W 124 series - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums

We never did find out how much that went for but going by those two threads I'd say perhaps £3k would be reasonable price to achieve.

Another interesting thread re: prices

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/spotted-ebay/35888-w124-e36-estate.html

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Looks great, but as others have said the mileage won't be on it's side.

It's nice to know it's been used and cherished, but at the end of the day 250k miles is going to be too steep for most people no matter how rare the car is.

I'd say anything from 2.5k to 4.5k.

Not sure what you've spent on it, credit to you for saving it but I'm not sure if you'll turn a huge profit.

 

[d w124]

Sell the 320 Estate...Job done!

Darren

I already love it though is not that i did`nt think about it

 

[bolide]

I've driven a couple of these and have found them curiously undramatic. They are going to appeal to collectors and these people won't consider a car with that mileage

I saw the one in Cardiff. Nice enough car, but once I started adding up the costs involved it getting it "right" it just wasn't viable. Your car has double the mileage

If it had less than 100k it'd be worth about £15k if it was perfect. A 250k E320 is worth less than £1500. So what is the rarity / badge / engine worth?

Nick Froome
the independent Mercedes Estate specialists

 

[Ade B]

^Nick beat me to it!

I'd just advertise it at or near a price you'll accept and see what happens. Looking at the usual places, the market for 124s is all over the place with scruffy cars on for silly money.

I would of thought only an enthusiast is going to spend money on a 250k mile car. You just need to find him/her and agree a price.

Best of luck.

Ade

 

[verysideways]

A very interesting set of responses - thanks everyone!
In all honesty i'm not interested in making a profit, i'm sure i can get £3k back from it without any problem.

As regards the arches (front and rear) and sills they are all in excellent condition, better than some i've seen with 100k miles, and whilst it's not perfect by any means the couple of rust spots on it are tiny. Everything works (mirrors, windows, sunroof, air con/climate, heated rear window, etc.) and it drives beautifully - very quick and very quiet.
Not the best fuel economy around town but amazingly frugal on the motorway.

Anyway, if any of you know of anyone who wants a useable piece of motoring history and WILL LOOK AFTER IT then please get in touch.

In the meantime i'll continue to enjoy it

 

[abecketts]

i'd love it but as inspector Clouseau would say "now is not the time Kato"

You mention the engine is sounding a little tappety i'd guess that whilst you attend to that you'd do the head gasket and the wiring loom?