Buying etiquette (private sale) SL500 R129 (again)

[DSLiverpool]

I accept the nicer cars cost more and it's easy to overlook the pricier ones on private sale as being sold by dreamers but after looking at this bloody car for a month that is very overpriced ( in my opinion and against other nice ones on sale) I thought I would consult the forum.

2 R129s stand out both in trader for a month, the private sale one is £15k 97 69k miles looks black says blue looks nice just missing heated seats - private sale how do I offer him £12k Any tried and tested ways of saying " look mate your dreaming take my offer" (assuming not a dog) it's to far to view and make an offer I need to know he would accept before I view.

Second car is worth £15k IMHO it's up for £16k with a dealer and is a perfect example - to be honest it's worth it but the dealer is out of touch saying the platinum warranty covers each claim to £1k which is too low but I haven't haggled on warranty as I don't want to spend £16k

So car one - what would YOU do, it's not worth £15k

Ps I can't link as I'm on the ipad but search SL over 10 years at £15k you will see it

 

[LTD]

Just be blunt, offer him the £12k firm and walk away if he refuses. You'd never negotiate it down to there.

You can haggle with a dealer over 5-10% but never win with the public if they are over-priced to begin with.

 

[NOMONEYBUTAMERC]

Ask to test drive car 1. After testing it point out any possible faults/lack of extras ,tell the seller you love the car but have others to view of similar age/spec . Ask him how he arrived at his asking price, what warranty he can offer ( he almost certainly can`t ) , and what is the lowest price he would accept for a quick sale. Tell him you would be prepared to pay £12k . You may be pleasantly surprised. If you reach an agreement , get him to sign a bill of sale stating that there is no outstanding finance or logbook loan against the vehicle. If he refuses , walk away from the deal. Never pay an inflated price just because the seller says its worth it.

 

[Paddcomp]

Present a case with other cars you've seen for less money and similar spec. Explain why you believe the car is worth £12k?

Maybe start by asking if the vendor is open to offers, and if he's had any interest to date. ie no one's offered him £15k or it wouldn't be for sale.

If your final price is going to be £12k I would start lower and work upwards, I think that's how negotiation works.

 

[LTD]

Dave

Do you mess around 'doing the dance' with your business ? Didn't think so .....

Just get it done .......... properly.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Don't go around picking holes in his car or his pricing methodology, just say that's your budget, the car is lovely etc etc but £12k is whats it's worth to you and make an offer. If the car is only just on the market you have a low probability but if it's been around for some time, you never know. Just at present some people have an inflated sense of what it's worth. Frankly calling remotely stating you aren't coming unless he agrees to a low ball offer has a pretty low chance of success.

People who tell me they can buy another one more cheaply get told to go and buy it then. It does nothing to help your prospects and a seller might actually take that as a sign you really want the car, otherwise you would have bought the other.

You have a far higher probability of getting the dealer down if he thinks you're serious.

 

[DSLiverpool]

I can't just buy it for his asking price I don't need it badly enough but SL500s are getting thin (nice ones) .

I'm going to do 2 things, the lovely blue 42k special - I will ask the dealer for his best discount on the basis it's a long way to go, I will email the chap with the private sale asking same thing maybe follow up with a call.

If no joy it will be a winter spent looking which isn't so bad, I like looking - my thread on 3 Mercs for £45k still applies and a S class will join the SL - you get a lot of S for £15k and a S63 for £20k

Will update

 

[DSLiverpool]

Guys I can't view it without knowing he will drop, it's 270 miles away !! So I can't visit and haggle buy I will visit if I know he will accept beforehand. Besides if I see a "right" car I cannot criticise it.

I love the staggered monoblocks on the private sale, on the dealer car they are std monos

 

[Charles Morgan]

Ring him and explain. The worst he can do is say no which ends the speculation.

 

[Charles Morgan]

What about this one, and stick some staggered mono blocks on? You won't be far off your budget at that point.

 

[RKC-benz]

Guys I can't view it without knowing he will drop, it's 270 miles away !! So I can't visit and haggle buy I will visit if I know he will accept beforehand. Besides if I see a "right" car I cannot criticise it. I love the staggered monoblocks on the private sale, on the dealer car they are std monos

Go and see the private car. I'm always insulted by putting cars for sale and having haggling phone calls without people seeing the car.

Phone and have an honest conversation about the car. Tell him it sounds like the car you want but it's a long way away - and maybe a tad overpriced.

If you go visit he'll know you're interested and will already be spending the money in his head. See it and nail him on price.

 

[prprandall51]

Picking holes in the car will alienate him and just telling him your max budget will leave him thinking you are a no-hoper.

I suggest you are honest. Tell him politely that your opinion is that you don't think the car is worth that much and that you have an offer on the table of £12K. You appreciate he will probably not be interested in that at the current time but that you would be grateful if he would bear you in mind should he not find a buyer at a higher price. Then leave him be for a week to allow him to realise for himself that there isn't a buyer out there willing to spend £15K.

No amount of persuading will convince him that your market assessment is right and that he is being over-optimistic - he can only come to that point of view through the process of sitting beside a phone that isn't ringing.

 

[Abb]

Guys I can't view it without knowing he will drop, it's 270 miles away !! So I can't visit and haggle buy I will visit if I know he will accept beforehand. Besides if I see a "right" car I cannot criticise it. I love the staggered monoblocks on the private sale, on the dealer car they are std monos

Where is it located?? You could always ask a forum member to carry out a preliminary viewing on your behalf. Am sure being the helpful bunch they are on here would muck in an help.

Alt find a local Indy to where the car is located, contact them and ask them to carry out an inspection of the vehicle. This will probably cost you less than what it would in fuel and more importantly in time. You will then know of any faults/negotiating points etc, and less likely to insult the seller with you thoughts on his pricing, you use the report findings to lever the deal!

 

[Teflonso]

Phone call. Say, "Look, here's my budget and here's what your car is worth to me". It's always useful to look up the Cap and Glass's guide prices - it's entirely possible that the vendor is simply working to the numbers.

If it sounds promising go and take a look. If not, move on.

If the price is genuinely too high then it will still be there in 3 months time and you can have a more realistic conversation then. On the other hand, it's obviously a desirable car so he might be willing to sit it out until next spring.

.

 

[paneraiseeker]

I accept the nicer cars cost more and it's easy to overlook the pricier ones on private sale as being sold by dreamers but after looking at this bloody car for a month that is very overpriced ( in my opinion and against other nice ones on sale) I thought I would consult the forum.

2 R129s stand out both in trader for a month, the private sale one is £15k 97 69k miles looks black says blue looks nice just missing heated seats - private sale how do I offer him £12k Any tried and tested ways of saying " look mate your dreaming take my offer" (assuming not a dog) it's to far to view and make an offer I need to know he would accept before I view.

Second car is worth £15k IMHO it's up for £16k with a dealer and is a perfect example - to be honest it's worth it but the dealer is out of touch saying the platinum warranty covers each claim to £1k which is too low but I haven't haggled on warranty as I don't want to spend £16k

So car one - what would YOU do, it's not worth £15k

Ps I can't link as I'm on the ipad but search SL over 10 years at £15k you will see it

Pick up the phone and just tell him i have XYZ to spend...will you accept. No need to explain or justify your offer.
He will either say yay or ney.

Sometimes people get annoyed if you try to justify your lowball offer.

 

[lordlee]

Also remind the seller that its a convertible so will be difficult to sell over the winter. Its November in a few days so if he doesn't sell it in a few weeks he's little chance of selling it again until March. People are just happy to wait until the spring to buy.

 

[Reggie-rock]

If a car is overpriced the seller will know due to little interest.
I consider myself a wheeler dealer and will always get a good discount as you must remember you have the upper hand by being the buyer, so be honest with him and scrutinise his reaction to what you think his car is worth.
The way I look at it, there is more cars for sale than there are buyers especially this time of year, so if you have the money ready to hand over, your in a very strong position.

 

[MicB]

Buy from the dealer at £15k trading off the formal warranty......you still have some statutory rights and if you feel in need of an insurance warranty later buy one after your statutory rights have expired.
Gives you a chance to assess the car properly.......at £15k an R129 should be a very good sorted car and reasonably bomb proof.
Plus if £1k in £16k is a deal breaker for a car you have identified you want......maybe you cannot afford to own the car?

Mic

 

[DSLiverpool]

I'm up and ready to do my best nice buyer routine, slightly caught off guard by the mrs asking if the kids seats will fit (er no) but that's a minor issue.
I'm coming into wanting the dealer car after all I only need 2 wider wheels to update it
Cost, price, value - to be honest this is about reality and market value not what I can afford and the private sale I'm doubting £12k now whilst the dealer car with winch, miles and stand is very appealing.

 

[dan1502]

A big part of the problem when looking for these (or any car) is that you can't really tell what condition they are in by the pictures. I would just call and ask about it and state that even if it is in prisitine condition you don't belive it is worth his asking price so need to know how willing he is to negotiate before making such a long journey. Bear in mind though that with those alloys and the AMG kit and suspension (if it as those), it would be worth quite a bit in pristine condition.

I used a questionnaire to remind me what to check when looking as otherwise I tended to forget to check something. If I was thinking of travelling a long way I would ask them to look around the car either with me on the phone or email the questionnaire. If they wouldn't then I didn't bother travelling however I have a few stories of when they were completely dishonest in their answers resulting in wasted journeys.

The colour could be the blue/black colour. I forget the name but it's nice.