MB Sales or not as the case may be

[futsysmids]

Can anyone answer a question for me?

I have been observing on Ebay for the past couple of months a whole host of E Class MB's, all 320cdi's and not one of them have sold.

I am in the market for changing my C180 and getting a E320 cdi - must be a 2000/2001 model - no later - car tax implications.

But none of them have sold - any reason for it. I mean the new tax rules don't affect a 2001 e320cdi - so whats the problem?

Are people running scared?

 

[Dieselman]

Cars with bigger engines are struggling to sell at the moment. The cars in question are W210 model which have a slight reputation for being rusty so maybe people are waiting for w211 to drop in price a bit.
In addition the 320 is a facelift model and they are definately cost reduced so show wear more readily.

IMHO a decent E300TD will sell at a price wheras a 320Cdi seems to struggle a bit, maybe because some people are looking for cars to run on veg oil and because the 300 is bombproof mechanically.

A decent W210 is actually a good bet, but a problem CDi will cost a small fortune in repairs.

Would I buy one. Yes I would, but I'd check it out fairly thoroughly first, both corrosion wise and injection system, especially injectors.

 

[gina2201]

Alot of cars don't sell though on ebay, many cars don't reach their reserve, or have a high start price that puts people off from bidding in the first instance. Sometimes the car gets sold off ebay and simply removed. Ebay - people want a bargain (who doesn't) and they don't tend to fetch as much as a private sale, although they now have classified ads too!

 

[normanr]

The bigger cars aren't selling anywhere not just ebay I put my C200 on ebay with not even any lookers, also put it in trade-it 3 times not even one phone call.
No it was not too dear, Ebay I started at £1000 and trade-it I was asking for £2500 or near offer.
It is a 2 owner 64000 miles and when I advertised it there was a full 12 months mot plus 4 months tax

 

[futsysmids]

E Class Diesels Not Selling

Yesterday an auction for a 2001 E320 CDI finshed on Ebay - the starting price was £5000 and it had a reserve.

The car did not sell, in fact nobody bid on it at all.

It was an 2001 E320 CDI Avantgarde, in silver, FSH, 118k, leather, auto, etc, in what looked like immaculate condition.

I emailed him after the fact coz I just missed the auction end time and the reserve was a measly £5250. Yet nobody even put a bid in.

Yet how can other sellers with classified ads justify a 2001 reg, e320 cdi avantgarde as also seen on ebay - prices and mileages vary, all leather, etc, immaculate, auto, etc - yet the prices are £8k - £11k?

 

[futsysmids]

Mercs not selling

Ok, so petrol and diesel has gone up.

My c180 will average betwix 30 - 40 mpg depending on the fuel and distance travelled.

Not having owned an E320 cdi yet - I assume they average 45 - 50 mpg?

Surely if the government are taxing the motorist to the hilt with this new road tax rule, why is it that these are not selling.

Surely comfortable motoring on a 2000/2001 plate is a little better than on a 2002 plate where your tax is likely to be £400 a some point?

 

[gina2201]

The bigger cars aren't selling anywhere not just ebay I put my C200 on ebay with not even any lookers, also put it in trade-it 3 times not even one phone call.
No it was not too dear, Ebay I started at £1000 and trade-it I was asking for £2500 or near offer.
It is a 2 owner 64000 miles and when I advertised it there was a full 12 months mot plus 4 months tax

What age/model is it?

What I was saying is people on ebay are sometimes put off by a starting price and don't want to bid. BUT if the same car had been started at say 99p with a reserve (or not) it often got bidded up to and over the higher starting bid. Stupid as it sounds it's true.

 

[glojo]

In my opinion you MUST be extremely cautious about buying any W210 E-class 320CDI. I would personally recommend you view the thing before bidding as rumour has it some sellers might not be totally honest. It would also be fair to say that one person's 'slight rust' might be a panel that is held together by paint??

I'm sure there might be some very nice 320's out there, but by rikey there are some rough ones. Please don't take this the wrong way but if you are concerned about the VED implications of owning a 320CDI then perhaps you might want to reconsider buying one as swrvicing will not be cheap and a cheap car is usually the most expensive.

Yes the VED is a pain but I think the grin factor of owning such a nice car over rides this extra 'green' tax

Go for it.

Regards
John

 

[nickcc101]

Ok, so petrol and diesel has gone up.

My c180 will average betwix 30 - 40 mpg depending on the fuel and distance travelled.

Not having owned an E320 cdi yet - I assume they average 45 - 50 mpg?

Surely if the government are taxing the motorist to the hilt with this new road tax rule, why is it that these are not selling.

Surely comfortable motoring on a 2000/2001 plate is a little better than on a 2002 plate where your tax is likely to be £400 a some point?

Y reg 2001 comes in the new tax rates also. My 2001 (july) C180 2 litre CO2 235 G/KM rises to over £400.

 

[xpc316e]

If it is what you want then why not get a pre-March 2001 E320CDi? I have not long bought a petrol E320 and made a point of it being pre-2001, and I must say that I love it to bits. It wasn't especially cheap, but it's solid, has FSH, and if I throw it away after 3 years it will cost me less in depreciation than my previous car (Hyundai Trajet).

 

[jeremytaylor]

Not having owned an E320 cdi yet - I assume they average 45 - 50 mpg?

That's optimistic. They are big heavy cars with 6 cylinders to drink through.

I had a W211 I6 320 CDI and would usually get low 40s on a run, best ever was 45. Around town/mixed I would get 30-32