ML500 - I Wonder What's Wrong With It....

[E55BOF]

It's sold at auction five times already, and five times the winner hasn't wanted it.

06 MERCEDES ML500 5.0 SPORT VERY RARE CAR INDEED,19" ALLOYS, SAT NAV 1 F/OWNER | eBay

This is a very rare beast indeed, I did a very quick look on Autotrader and there were only 3, and starting at 6k. This sports the giant 5.0 V8 engine, very smooth running, these are fabulous to drive!

www.ebay.co.uk

I wonder what's wrong with it? It has an M113, so it won't be the engine.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

We've seen this clown before. He shill bids against himself to create false interest / action in the cars - all hidden by his "private bidding" setting.

Can't remember what vehicles were involved before, but a quick search will bring up the stories.

From memory, I think he's retailing vehicles out of BCA, but I can't be certain about that.

Shill bidding car dealer on autotrader - worth reporting? - Page 10 - General Gassing - PistonHeads

All that said, caveat emptor - irregardless of the "whiff of cloven hoof," maybe it is a good car - down to the buyer to have a look - same as usual.

 

[ChipChop]

It's sold at auction five times already, and five times the winner hasn't wanted it.

06 MERCEDES ML500 5.0 SPORT VERY RARE CAR INDEED,19" ALLOYS, SAT NAV 1 F/OWNER | eBay

This is a very rare beast indeed, I did a very quick look on Autotrader and there were only 3, and starting at 6k. This sports the giant 5.0 V8 engine, very smooth running, these are fabulous to drive!

www.ebay.co.uk

I wonder what's wrong with it? It has an M113, so it won't be the engine.

Seems to be not uncommon for this ebay seller to relist their cars many times over until someone actually says yes to the sale. In fairness to them if you read their adverts they encourage buyers to make their minds up post "sale".

Read on another forum that most of their stock is direct from BCA Blackbushe car auctions.

 

[Nat]

I've dealt with them before and have bought cars from them. Yes, I think they buy from Blackbushe auctions. Some of the stuff I've bid and won - at a price I'm happy to pay - has worked out fine.

Some have been horrendous and not even fit for boat anchors so I walked. The last one was a low mileage SLK with massive spec. It was a wreck to be fair with key marks on the sides, a stabbed sidewall front tyre, flat battery, electric seat cowl ripped off, crack in the windscreen and other various defects either not mentioned or photos taken to hide them.

Reference the shill bidding? I think so too. Many times I've seen very low or zero feedback bidders winning the auction and when you could see their bidding history they'd coincidentally bid on numerous other cars. I preferred the old system ebay had where you could see who exactly bid on it, won the last auction and when it was relisted you could contact them to ask why they didn't buy it. That private bidding stuff is nonsense and lets them do what they want.

Ebay just don't care. I stopped selling on there years ago when they stopped sellers from leaving neg feedback. Too many dumb ****s on there for my liking.

Ref that 500? I'd imagine the "true buying/bidding" price they want will be about £4.5/5k. Is it worth it? Who knows but if anyone does bid on it from here, I'll be happy to meet them there and bring along a plug in diagnostic to check for any faults and give it a thorough going over. Worse case scenario is it's no good and to walk away.

 

[horatio]

Given the extortionate BCA private buyer fees you might not pay more than you would have at auction all in and you get to inspect the car to a greater degree.

Law of averages the majority of the cars they punt are surely sheds but there might be the odd diamond in the rough.

 

[ChipChop]

Given the extortionate BCA private buyer fees you might not pay more than you would have at auction all in and you get to inspect the car to a greater degree.

Law of averages the majority of the cars they punt are surely sheds but there might be the odd diamond in the rough.

I think it is 6% on a decent car at Copart. How much are BCA fees on say a £15000 car?

 

[Nat]

It's been relisted a few times recently.

 

[Doodle]

Also known as Sterling Cars, I pass their site on a daily basis on my commute to work (or did until Covid). Auction dregs that keep going round until someone finally agrees to take them home, and a smattering of cubic zirconias in amongst the rough.

Potentially another Motorhub, given that in some cases they appear to make a noticeable loss over their auction costs.

 

[E55BOF]

Their terms of business are a world apart from Motorhub's, I'd say.

The ML is listed again; I think it's for the seventh time.

 

[Doodle]

It's not the terms of business that are being compared.

 

[Nat]

I'm going to take a drive that way later this week as I'm booked in for a service down the road in my other car.

if it is truly horrendous then I'll buy it (at a price I want) then put some mud pluggers on it and see how an ML can get to grips (excuse the pun) with some of Hampshire and Somerset's finest off roads