stunning low mileage w124 saloon!

[neilrr]

I've never understood why people get so excited about low mileage in an old car.

It's a pretty ordinary 320E in an unpopular colour with the wrong wheels (why?), MB Tex described as leather, ESP (which no W124 came with) that sits too high at the back.

IF the 32,000 miles is genuine it's been driven on average 2,000 p.a. so almost certainly used for short stop-start journeys 'to the shops' & by one dithery old owner who would never get the thing properly hot & use it the way it was designed to be used. Hard miles. These cars are at their best when used, brought up to operating temperature & exercised regularly & driven freely.

I'd bet my life that "FSH" doesn't mean anything of the sort. More likely the 'oil change every 6,000 or every 12 months' rule has been interpreted as 'oil change every 6,000 miles or every 2-3 years, whichever comes first'.

It's cheap enough but looks fishy to me. No doubt one of the MB specialists will have grabbed it & sell it to a low mileage obsessive for £7,500.

 

[The _Don]

I've never understood why people get so excited about low mileage in an old car.

It's a pretty ordinary 320E in an unpopular colour with the wrong wheels (why?), MB Tex described as leather, ESP (which no W124 came with) that sits too high at the back.

IF the 32,000 miles is genuine it's been driven on average 2,000 p.a. so almost certainly used for short stop-start journeys 'to the shops' & by one dithery old owner who would never get the thing properly hot & use it the way it was designed to be used. Hard miles. These cars are at their best when used, brought up to operating temperature & exercised regularly & driven freely.

I'd bet my life that "FSH" doesn't mean anything of the sort. More likely the 'oil change every 6,000 or every 12 months' rule has been interpreted as 'oil change every 6,000 miles or every 2-3 years, whichever comes first'.

It's cheap enough but looks fishy to me. No doubt one of the MB specialists will have grabbed it & sell it to a low mileage obsessive for £7,500.

Would you say no to a £6k profit ?

 

[billyboy88]

Buy in haste, repent in leisure

This is ebay so be very, very,very carefull!
I would advise not to make a offer, but arrange to see the motor first, as they can and do, hide anything in the pics.
Also check over all the documentation carefully.

 

[d w124]

Just had a thought.

I have offered the asking price. Lets see what happens.

He did not accept it report it mate

 

[d w124]

This is ebay so be very, very,very carefull!
I would advise not to make a offer, but arrange to see the motor first, as they can and do, hide anything in the pics.
Also check over all the documentation carefully.

If the car is not as described,you can walk away even though you`ve made an offer

 

[manalishi]

How do you tell the difference? Is it the horizontal row of buttons as opposed to just the three vertically-placed buttons?

Yup. IIRC, there are some cabin sensors tucked here and there as well.

If the car is not as described,you can walk away even though you`ve made an offer

Exactly.

neilrr - I agree with you entirely. Please buy my lower-spec 280E in the much better midnight blue with genuine leather and with a healthy 135,000m and a proper FSH under its belt. Pics in Classified, and yours for the same price. You can't tell me that you're not interested - I've just ticked all of your boxes.

 

[jonnyboy]

He did not accept it report it mate

I suspect he's got greedy, due in no small part to this voracious thread?

 

[jonnyboy]

Yup. IIRC, there are some cabin sensors tucked here and there as well.



Exactly.

neilrr - I agree with you entirely. Please buy my lower-spec 280E in the much better midnight blue with genuine leather and with a healthy 135,000m and a proper FSH under its belt. Pics in Classified, and yours for the same price. You can't tell me that you're not interested - I've just ticked all of your boxes.

What a shame thats not an estate

 

[Setanta]

I think there is something else - he is fishing for the price that the market will bear and can find this out cheaply through the advert (which is set up without a buy it now and with no obligation to accept the offer).

It also builds up interest in the car for the inevitable appearance on carandclassic and in Merc Enthusiast, unless Ironside or the other usual suspects offer £5000 to him.

This is deeper fishing than an Icelandic trawer

 

[d w124]

I think there is something else - he is fishing for the price that the market will bear and can find this out cheaply through the advert (which is set up without a buy it now and with no obligation to accept the offer).

I doubt the seller had any idea on how much is worth
Absolute bargain @ £1200 ono

 

[Setanta]

I don't believe that myself - low miles are low miles which is attractive in any car. Add to that it is "Mercedes!" and even if you don't know anything about a car, it would have to be worth something.

Query also why the most recent ownership change was in July this year, that HPI shows three (not one) owner.

And says that "I have accepted the asking price" when offers are flooding in?

There is something not right about this.

 

[neilrr]

Cheshire Classic Benz

 

[talbir]

I personally agree with Neil - a one owner high mileage car is more attractive than a multi-owner low mileage one....motorway use does no damage to a car, whereas stop-start traffic use does lots of damage everywhere.

FSH's are of little ot no value - a car's condition will tell one everything they need to know rather than a book of stamps which can be very misleading.

talbir

 

[Setanta]

To me, FSH is a stamped book and a wad of receipts for each of the entries in the book showing what work was done, when, where and what comments etc.

A stamped book without more is not "FSH" to me.

 

[billyboy88]

To me, FSH is a stamped book and a wad of receipts for each of the entries in the book showing what work was done, when, where and what comments etc.

A stamped book without more is not "FSH" to me.

And also all the past mot's with the mileage on them.

 

[Setanta]

Definitely.

I see that it is still for sale with 9 offers.

 

[manalishi]

To me, FSH is a stamped book and a wad of receipts for each of the entries in the book showing what work was done, when, where and what comments etc.

A stamped book without more is not "FSH" to me.

Although to the trade, FSH simply means a stamped-up servicing booklet. That includes main dealers. I helped my GF buy a 3yo car last month and the dealer was surprised when I asked where the actual invoices were (long gone it turned out).

I think a lot of the original buyers didn't bother keeping this rubbish. To them, these were just cars - not obsessions.

Like you, I love to see all the paperwork, invoices, MOTs, etc. But that's beyond FSH - that's FOCDSH.

 

[spy]

Although to the trade, FSH simply means a stamped-up servicing booklet. That includes main dealers. I helped my GF buy a 3yo car last month and the dealer was surprised when I asked where the actual invoices were (long gone it turned out).

I think a lot of the original buyers didn't bother keeping this rubbish. To them, these were just cars - not obsessions.

Like you, I love to see all the paperwork, invoices, MOTs, etc. But that's beyond FSH - that's FOCDSH.

I think you will also find that if a car goes through a $tealer, they bin supporting paperwork quoting data protection !

 

[Setanta]

I think you will also find that if a car goes through a $tealer, they bin supporting paperwork quoting data protection !

This

As for being OCD, keeping records for what is often the second most valuable asset after the home is not OCD

 

[tpwuk]

It is a little bit OCD. I don't keep all the paperwork for the things I spend on my house!

Now where's that invoice for my £15K conservatory....gawd knows!