Is this as cloned? 190E. E871NOW

[MichaelMB]

Photographed next to the Wellbeing Warehouse Newmarket, in what appears to be a new development. As seen in the 2nd picture.

Thanks, reassuring that it exists in Newmarket. For some reason I can't see any photos though

 

[Doodle]

Mark Taylor of MTSV tells me he viewed this car some years ago and it was very good then. Anyone here know it? Is it likely to have a dodgy owner in Newport called James?

In reality this means little; I've gone several times to view a previously known car only to find it in a very poor state. 2 that instantly spring to mind include a W140 previously owned by a very trusted source some 5 years earlier and in immaculate state when they parted with it, one was my own Landcruiser being sold by the person who bought it off me a couple of years beforehand. Both had been utterly ruined by neglectful and careless ownership.

 

[MichaelMB]

In reality this means little; I've gone several times to view a previously known car only to find it in a very poor state. 2 that instantly spring to mind include a W140 previously owned by a very trusted source some 5 years earlier and in immaculate state when they parted with it, one was my own Landcruiser being sold by the person who bought it off me a couple of years beforehand. Both had been utterly ruined by neglectful and careless ownership.

Thanks. To date the experience of dealing with the seller has been horrendous. If I view it (probably) and it stinks as much as the seller, I will reluctantly walk

 

[Fastcar155]

Please make sure you do.

 

[Pontoneer]

The 1988 190E has, according to Mark Taylor, been For Sale on Auto trader for ages but the private vendor's replies to me are very suspicious. Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

He answered a few general questions but is "too busy" to answer some specifics, take a couple more photos, give his surname, confirm he has the V5 or, as yet, get an MOT on it, promised a week ago. The car has usually sailed through without advisories so should be easy.

I'm in Somerset a long way from him in Newport but happen to be able to get a lift there on Wednesday only. He knows that, won't confirm it's even booked for the MOT. Sounds like he has cloned an ad but he hasn't done the "deposit needed" scam so it's beyond me.

Mark Taylor of MTSV tells me he viewed this car some years ago and it was very good then. Anyone here know it? Is it likely to have a dodgy owner in Newport called James?

In the ad he doesn't mention it having Aircon but photos show it does. He explained that by saying it's faulty "needs a regas mate" but won't state the symptoms. Feeling nervous! I have even told him that his extremely slow and unhelpful replies make me feel this way and asked for improvement but it's no better

Interesting , car certainly looks very clean in the photos .

Probably due to it being a Jap import , but in addition to the air con , the electric windows look to be retrofits - the give away is the grommet where the manual winder used to be in the front door card ; in the back doors they just put the door switch where the hole used to be . Also that bit of wood where the radio would have been is non original ; if the car was supplied without a radio , the blanking plate would have been blue to match the console , and usually would have had the model designation on it .

It is a pre-facelift , although a late one , as was my E-reg 2.6 , although mine came with the fifteen hole alloys and an aftermarket tow bar ( which didn't bother me too much , although I'd have preferred an Oris ) . I got my car cheap from a club member , after seeing it in the Gazette and being the first to phone ; the car was cheap because the heater matrix was leaking - not an expensive part , but it took me a weekend to strip out the dash , replace it and build up again - and I had a good car for £500 , if not pristine and concours .

Just a thought related to that - the car for sale has a Mercedes-benz Club badge and windscreen sticker ; I'm no longer a club member , but there may well be others here who are - possibly worth making enquiries through the club whether anyone knows the car - may not turn anything new up , but wouldn't do any harm . The club badges are not present either in the windscreen nor on the grille , in the Pistonheads photo , so the Club member probably came after the Pistonheads owner , or was that person , since he did state the photo was when 'just bought' . However , if you can trace a later owner , you may learn something further .

A couple of pics of my E-reg 2.6 for comparison . Along with a younger and slimmer me ! That was 16 years ago , when i was 50 as that trip was just before my son was born , and her ladyship can be seen 'with bump' in the last photo !

 

[ChipChop]

Based on the mileage shown in the Autotrader ad and the cars MOT history the photos must be from a year ago. I would ask for hi-res photo confirmation of the cars current condition before proceeding.

 

[Smiley]

I have to hope he is a pillock rather than a criminal. If a car like this purports to be, with the spec I want, I'd have walked long ago.

Be funny if the seller is on this forum.

 

[V12cat]

Based on the mileage shown in the Autotrader ad and the cars MOT history the photos must be from a year ago. I would ask for hi-res photo confirmation of the cars current condition before proceeding.

If so, not much more than a year as in May '23 the car park it is photographed in was a building site. According to google maps street view.

 

[ChipChop]

If so, not much more than a year as in May '23 the car park it is photographed in was a building site. According to google maps street view.

+7 miles since last MOT test 13 months ago seems unlikely though imo, especially as the car is still taxed so you would assume was in use up until the MOT expired last month.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

+7 miles since last MOT test 13 months ago seems unlikely though imo, especially as the car is still taxed so you would assume was in use up until the MOT expired last month.

He's had it on the market for just over a year, so presumably has replaced it already. Possibly only taxed to allow prospective drivers to test drive it, or maybe it's kept on a public road. His jaded attitude could well be explained by the fact that he's been trying to sell it for so long and has dropped the price over £2000 in that time.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

+7 miles since last MOT test 13 months ago seems unlikely though imo, especially as the car is still taxed so you would assume was in use up until the MOT expired last month.

In fact, if those photos were taken for the original advert, then those 7 miles were done before 17/10/23.

 

[ChipChop]

He's had it on the market for just over a year, so presumably has replaced it already. Possibly only taxed to allow prospective drivers to test drive it, or maybe it's kept on a public road. His jaded attitude could well be explained by the fact that he's been trying to sell it for so long and has dropped the price over £2000 in that time.

Who knows. One thing is for sure the current owner is not very good at selling cars.

 

[MichaelMB]

Who knows. One thing is for sure the current owner is not very good at selling cars.

Fully agree with that! In the one brief conversation we had, he sounded early 30s. Other than saying he was "too busy" to answer questions, he also said he was worried I would try to haggle the price further.

 

[MichaelMB]

Interesting , car certainly looks very clean in the photos .

Probably due to it being a Jap import , but in addition to the air con , the electric windows look to be retrofits - the give away is the grommet where the manual winder used to be in the front door card ; in the back doors they just put the door switch where the hole used to be . Also that bit of wood where the radio would have been is non original ; if the car was supplied without a radio , the blanking plate would have been blue to match the console , and usually would have had the model designation on it .

It is a pre-facelift , although a late one , as was my E-reg 2.6 , although mine came with the fifteen hole alloys and an aftermarket tow bar ( which didn't bother me too much , although I'd have preferred an Oris ) . I got my car cheap from a club member , after seeing it in the Gazette and being the first to phone ; the car was cheap because the heater matrix was leaking - not an expensive part , but it took me a weekend to strip out the dash , replace it and build up again - and I had a good car for £500 , if not pristine and concours .

Just a thought related to that - the car for sale has a Mercedes-benz Club badge and windscreen sticker ; I'm no longer a club member , but there may well be others here who are - possibly worth making enquiries through the club whether anyone knows the car - may not turn anything new up , but wouldn't do any harm . The club badges are not present either in the windscreen nor on the grille , in the Pistonheads photo , so the Club member probably came after the Pistonheads owner , or was that person , since he did state the photo was when 'just bought' . However , if you can trace a later owner , you may learn something further .

A couple of pics of my E-reg 2.6 for comparison . Along with a younger and slimmer me ! That was 16 years ago , when i was 50 as that trip was just before my son was born , and her ladyship can be seen 'with bump' in the last photo !

View attachment 162799View attachment 162800View attachment 162801View attachment 162802View attachment 162803View attachment 162804View attachment 162805View attachment 162806

Yours looks great, as does the car! I hadn't noticed the window handle blanking plugs, not pretty but oh well. Japanese spec radios aren't much use here, wrong band width, but it's odd not to have replaced it. I will if I buy. He has at last confirmed a V5 in his name (as yet all I have is James) and that the MOT is booked for Tuesday....a bit late if it needs work. I suspect too that the photos are how it looked more than a year ago.

 

[Pontoneer]

A bit more money , but this looks like a nice , genuine UK car in good condition ... and mileage isn't astronomically greater . Just a thought .

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

Incidentally , the business the blue car is photographed outside ( an automotive bookseller ) is located in London Rd , Hook , Hampshire RG27 9GR . A lot closer to you than Newport !

Strangely enough I bought my current W124 from a seller in Hook !

Below is my W124 , would be spooky if it was the same seller , although my car was photographed in a garden , but stranger things have happened .

 

[MichaelMB]

A bit more money , but this looks like a nice , genuine UK car in good condition ... and mileage isn't astronomically greater . Just a thought .

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

Incidentally , the business the blue car is photographed outside ( an automotive bookseller ) is located in London Rd , Hook , Hampshire RG27 9GR . A lot closer to you than Newport !

Strangely enough I bought my current W124 from a seller in Hook !

Below is my W124 , would be spooky if it was the same seller , although my car was photographed in a garden , but stranger things have happened .

View attachment 162815View attachment 162816View attachment 162817View attachment 162818

Many thanks, but it misses out on some of my preferences sadly. Looking for an engine other than 6 cylinder petrol, for economy, Behr factory aircon, no sunroof. But appreciate the heads up

 

[DSM10000]

A bit more money , but this looks like a nice , genuine UK car in good condition ... and mileage isn't astronomically greater . Just a thought .

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

Incidentally , the business the blue car is photographed outside ( an automotive bookseller ) is located in London Rd , Hook , Hampshire RG27 9GR . A lot closer to you than Newport !

Strangely enough I bought my current W124 from a seller in Hook !

Below is my W124 , would be spooky if it was the same seller , although my car was photographed in a garden , but stranger things have happened .

View attachment 162815View attachment 162816View attachment 162817View attachment 162818

That is such a good looking and beautifully proportioned car.

 

[ChipChop]

The good thing about w201's is there is always plenty of them for sale so not the end of the world if the import car turns out to be a dud. There is a rather nice sleeper w201 for sale on ebay currently. Has a little bit more power than stock though.

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[MichaelMB]

The good thing about w201's is there is always plenty of them for sale so not the end of the world if the import car turns out to be a dud. There is a rather nice sleeper w201 for sale on ebay currently. Has a little bit more power than stock though.

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

View attachment 162827

Nice, though in my case I'm after a standard, reliable plodder

 

[MichaelMB]

Looks far too cheap for a car in that condition imo. The engine bay looks immaculate for a car that was imported in Feb 2016.

If you have the sellers address maybe ask on here if there is anyone local who could view or even just drive by to see if the car is present. Does the car show up on Google maps/ streetview? Last change of V5 was August 2023.

The seller James no surname remains dodgy. Yesterday he claimed to have booked it in for an MOT today (the ancient advert does say it has 12 months no advisories) but wouldn't say where it was booked in. Now today has come and he claims that the booking was cancelled first thing this morning by the garage (?!?!) and he has tried, but can't book another for today. No alternative proposed by him, and he knew 10 days ago that tomorrow is my only chance of a lift from Yeovil to Newmarket.
Something stinks. In the meantime a 1989 example has cropped up, very genuine sounding seller, nicer colour (to me) but I will have to fly to Edinburgh.....oh well!