Reliable?!

[Spinal]

From this auction:

1998 MERCEDES C250 ESTATE ELEGANCE TD AUTO SILVER | eBay UK

it has been very reliable this is due to it having a very good service record .
In the last eighteen months it has had many new parts fitted which include water pump ,power steering pump ,new steering arms,and a complete brake renewal all round,new auxiliary belt damper and tensioner and 2 oil and filter services .

Is it me or does someone else feel that a reliable car doesn't really need that many new parts?

M.

 

[jonnyboy]

But it's done in the area of quarter of a million miles Michele.
Not particularly unreasonable I think. I'd be more concerned about the glow plug to be honest.

 

[Spinal]

ah - but he's had it only 18 months.... and it's needed all that in the last year and a half...


and another one...
1994 MERCEDES C220 D SILVER | eBay UK

DOES NOT CURRENTLY RUN, THE BONNET VARNISH IS PATCHY AS PER THE PICTURES.

ON THE PLUS SIDE IT RUNS WELL, HAS A LONG MOT AND TAX AND IS CURRENTLY BEING WORKED ON SO IT SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING, WILL UP DATE

So... does it run or not!?

 

[Dieselman]

ah - but he's had it only 18 months.... and it's needed all that in the last year and a half...


and another one...
1994 MERCEDES C220 D SILVER | eBay UK


So... does it run or not!?

Obviously not at present, but it's being fixed for sale.

 

[Dieselman]

From this auction:

1998 MERCEDES C250 ESTATE ELEGANCE TD AUTO SILVER | eBay UK



Is it me or does someone else feel that a reliable car doesn't really need that many new parts?

M.

All machines need service parts eventually. If they have gone 250k miles and been done recently they should do the same again.

You seem to be confusing breakdowns and maintenance. Maintenance is what makes cars reliable.

The hunting is the glowplug, not fuel drainback.

 

[markjay]

This is the sort of things that always leave me perplexed..


You know the type of ad, listing a long list of items that have recently been replaced.

Logically, it makes sense, if all these have been replaced, surely the buyer is getting good value.

But realisticly I find this off-putting. Do we really need to raise the subject of hefty repair bills when selling an old car/


Similarly, the airline industry will never ever mention safety in a commercial.

Logically, you would assume that an airline with exemplary safety record will prove attractive to travellers.

But in reality, people are put-off flying when safety is mentioned. So the industry solution is that it simply isn't mentioned....

 

[Will]

As said - good maintenance improves reliability. The list of items that have been replaced should be seen as a postitive aspect of the car, as it shows attention has been paid and time/money invested when needed.

It certainly shouldn't be offputting on a higher mileage (228k) car IMHO

 

[Rob77]

Agree with Will and DM. I've spent a good deal on mine too. Things just need doing after umpteen k miles and either the seller has done it or you can expect to have to do it yourself

 

[Richard Elliot]

The ridiculous urban myth of the 1000000mile or km or whatever merc raises its dubious head. 'Just run in', my **** as Mr. Royle might say.

I get this sort of comment about my 300TD 124 the whole time, heartbreaking to tell them that Mercedes DONT actually last forever, just a bit longer.....

 

[Richard Elliot]

btw sounds like this person is sick of repairing stuff, and can't be bothered to sort the glow plugs out even though its a simple job.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Is it me or does someone else feel that a reliable car doesn't really need that many new parts?

M.

But that's what will make it a reliable car; the fact that they have spent money on its upkeep.

I've had a similar scenario with my van sales, I was putting them up for sale and listing all the work that they had done in the past 12 months or what I'd had done to bring it up to scratch. The buyers were then ringing up saying 'well, the van's had a lot of work done- what's going to go wrong next?'

So now I simply state 'recent service' and I don't get asked these questions anymore.

I suppose it's a case of 'What the eyes don't see, the heart doesn't grieve over'.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Interesting Sweatpea. Whenever I see the phrase 'thick history with thousands spent' or similar, it tends to be some form of red flag. Perhaps it is a case of protesting too loudly.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Interesting Sweetpea. Whenever I see the phrase 'thick history with thousands spent' or similar, it tends to be some form of red flag. Perhaps it is a case of protesting too loudly.

Fixed that for you
In my experience Charles, it shows that the seller is genuine and is showing this by being honest about the cars history.

Answer me this; if you came to look at one of my vans and I told you everything about it's history and what might need to be done in the coming years, would you walk away? Or would you prefer me to be a 'salesman' and tell you next to nothing about the van and just give you the hard sell? It's a genuine question because I like to know people's thought processes when purchasing a motor.

 

[Dieselman]

I would personally prefer to know what has been done, but that's because I can appreciate what it means. Most people can't, so all they wan to know is if they turn the key will it start and run...and is the paint shiny...

 

[Charles Morgan]

Fixed that for you
In my experience Charles, it shows that the seller is genuine and is showing this by being honest about the cars history.

Answer me this; if you came to look at one of my vans and I told you everything about it's history and what might need to be done in the coming years, would you walk away? Or would you prefer me to be a 'salesman' and tell you next to nothing about the van and just give you the hard sell? It's a genuine question because I like to know people's thought processes when purchasing a motor.

Ooops...too much time over the weekend repainting my patio walls and sweaty gardening.

If I heard someone walk through its history and what had been done, then I would be much more receptive than the opposite. However I am not sure I would represent a standard buyer. I think my objection to the history file bursting with evidence of expenditure is the seller trying too hard, possibly also my sensitivity to cliche. Perhaps I would respond better to all servicing done properly and parts replaced as required.

And the paint must be shiny.

 

[markjay]

Yes, I would want to know everything about a car I buy, and would tell everything to a buyer regarding a car I sell.

But... my point is that I wouldn't mentioned costly repair bills in the advert, I think it's a put off, and will similarly be put off by an advert showing same.

IMO this is something to be raised and discussed in full between seller and potential buyer when the car is being seen. But nothing to brag about in an advert...

 

[markjay]

In the same way... you list the options your car has, not the other way around.

You are still being fair, and if a buyer asks if the car has SatNav, you say no it does not.

But you wouldn't put up an advert in the classified saying 'MB for sale, no SatNav, no Bi-Xenon, no Parktronic and No heated seats'... yes, it shows you are honest, but it will not sell the car.

You can sell a car and still be honest about it... show the receipts and discuss the repair bills once a potential buyer contacts you, not before.

 

[Rob77]

Hahaha I think that's a bit off topic

 

[Spinal]

Turning this into my eBay griping thread!

A fantastic pair of fake oakleys... for £40 including 4 extra pairs of lenses! (RRP £90 for the glasses, plus another £90 for each pair of lenses)
OAKLEY Flak jacket with interchangeable lens | eBay UK
Telltale signs:
- Fake Oakley bag
- Gap between lens and frame
- Untidy rubber over ear
- Oakley logo on lenses

but the part that really annoys me is that when I enquired, the seller stated that these were the 2009 model which is why they are "different"... gah! I've been wearing flak jackets for years now (on my 4th pair as I keep losing them!), and they haven't changed! (well they have, they've change the exchangeable nose-piece so it's harder to loose...)

 

[Rob77]

I'd like to see eBay get to grips with the sellers of fake stuff but I can't see it happening unless they are forced to

It's like eBay brings all the joys of shopping in some 3rd world country into the average British living room. Traditional UK buyer protection legislation? Forget it and trust in PayPal. Bought a piece of counterfeit cr@p? No problem, spend more cash returning it to the dodgy seller and he'll give you a full refund (but not for returning it) and he'll then trot it out again to some other poor fool