W210 and S210 prices - are some dealers just making them up?

[IanT]

Actually an honest question really.

I've been on the lookout for a genuine W210 or S210 for the last few weeks and seem to be finding prices all over the place.

I went to look at a 2002 135k mile S210 (E320 CDI Avantgarde with black heated leather) that was up for £4895, established I could have it for £4600 but paused while I sent photos of it to a PDR place to see which of it's dents could be sorted. The car was very tidy, with no rust in arches or door tops. The next day it sold.

Since then I've seen several more, all more expensive and with varying mileages.

Yesterday I went to see this: Mercedes-Benz E 320 DIESEL ESTATE AVANTGARDE on eBay (end time 22-Oct-09 12:03:22 BST)

Same model and spec, very clean car on the outside, but both back door tops rusted through and most of the paint wasn't original, so all four arches were clean. That was also an estate, but a 2000V with 74k miles, up for £6995. No movement on price so I didn't think it was worth breaking out the kurust.

There is another 2001 model at this mileage and price, which I'll look at later today.

There's also a W210 (same engine, 2002 model) offered by McCarthy cars near Croydon for £9k.

And despite all of this there are other cars going for peanuts (£3k) with over 100k miles on them.

Are these cars selling that well that you can get any E320CDI and stick whatever price you want on it? I've found no correlation between high or low price and the amount of rust or overspray, and had been hoping that the lower mileage, higher price cars would be in better condition.

Sadly the pre-facelift (much cheaper) cars I've seen have all been too rusty for me to be able to repair well.

Comments welcome of course, especially from any resident dealers that might say I'm being too picky.

Ian.

 

[lynall]

I reckon you should have snapped that first one up!

I think as a general rule the sellers are dreamers, i often look at e430 for sale and some are cheap as they should be and some are so dear its almost funny.

Mcarthy one looks good all them toys and no climate tight bas****s.


Lynall

 

[Mark300SL]

BCA Paddock Wood are showing a 118k mile going through tomorrow
not quite sure about Yellow and beige

MERCEDES E320 3.2 CDI ELEGANCE Estate, YELLOW AND BEIG, 5 Doors, Auto/Manual Mode, Diesel, 118317 Miles, Margin.
X477WVX Registered 16-01-2001

PW have a lot of Mercedes Direct stuff going through and they seem to be very sensible money.

I recently looked at a C240 petrol estate for my mum, It was perfect as it DIDNT have leather but it was one owner, Silver, FMBSH, 50k from new and on an X plate. Car was mint and didnt make £3k which for such a tidy car was a real bargain (I had unfortunately already snagged a Honda for her at that point!)

 

[IanT]

I know I should have had the first one. I've kicked myself a few times after each subsequent one I've seen wasn't as nice.

Saw that linked one yesterday and just found it hard to reconcile the price with the car and it's age. Just got in from seeing another one, up at £6995 with 74k miles, over in Gravesend. It's a nice car, been through the Goodwill body repair process in 2006 and has one rusty arch (bubbles all round), some crusty bits in the back door tops that I could sort, and an inch square bleb above the rear number plate. It's a nice looking car, on a 2002 51 plate, with the extra rear facing seats.

Parkers says with 70k miles (this has 75k):
Franchised dealer: £6795
Independent dealer: £6145
Private good: £5630
Private poor: £4425
Part exchange: £5045

Those prices won't take account of the options (black leather, climate control and the extra seats) so I was thinking £6500 tops from an independent dealer. This is on a driveway with no warranty, but does include a year's road tax and two front tyres.

What does it cost these days to have a wheel arch painted and whatever blending needs to be done to match the car to a pretty impeccable standard? I reckon I could do the tailgare and door tops, and put up with the ding in the front of the bonnet.

And can anyone comment as to whether these cars are selling so well that the price guides are irrelevant?

Ultimately I'm not too fussed about having the estate, but it would be useful and mean the missus can have a smaller car again. I'd like a 6cyl diesel with the facelift (2000-2) and realistically want leather (pref black) as well. Maybe I'm being picky and should expect what I'm finding.

Ian.

 

[IanT]

Mcarthy one looks good all them toys and no climate tight bas****s.

I agree... but £9k? Really? I wondered if I should call and ask them if they'd printed it the wrong way up...

Thing is I'd pay that much for a good one if it was somewhere close to the market price. The only thing I can think of is they added the new prices of the options onto the top dealer price and went with that. I'd love to own it, good colour, great spec, and sensible mileage.

Ian.

 

[IanT]

BCA Paddock Wood are showing a 118k mile going through tomorrow
not quite sure about Yellow and beige

Hmmm, sounds awful.

I keep finding the same (yellow) one either on eBay or Auto trader, so maybe they decided just to chop it in and see what it's really worth.

The auction would be an option for me, particularly if I widened the search a bit.

Ian.

 

[Peter DLM]

The huge variation of the S210 prices around has made the settlement of my written off S210 a somewhat tramatic process. 150k miles Y reg 2001, they're suggesting £4,500 though I'm arguing for £5,000 or more and printed off all the choice adverts from the car sales websites.

They first tried £3,000 but I laughed at that and made a case for far more.

 

[renault12ts]

Take the £4500. Thats good.

 

[Peter DLM]

I may do... the car has (had?) COMAND and posh wood/leather wheel, so I really bent their ear over the valuation.

 

[IanT]

I may do... the car has (had?) COMAND and posh wood/leather wheel, so I really bent their ear over the valuation.

Thankfully I've never been in your situation, but I'd have to make my first reply "please deliver me one with the same mileage as my old one, in the same condition and with the same quality of service history etc.

I think it's a standard position now not to accept the insurer's first (or second?) offer, but it'd be much better to avoid money changing hands at all, them just 'do' the replacement.

Sounds like your old car was a nice one. Maybe you should negotiate the salvage rights?

Ian.

 

[johnsco]

Dealers are always there to deal.
Insurance settlements are always subject to negotiation.

Sometimes a bit of cheek can bring some surprising results.

When I bought Mrs J's E300TD, it was on offer by a dealer at far too high a price.
It drove OK on a test drive.
However I offered the dealer about 60 per cent of what he was asking.
He spoke to his director and came back with 65 per cent of the asking price.
I asked him about its MOT status.
He said he would service it and it would have 12 months MOT.

I said it sounded promising, but I had another one to look at.
He said ... "If I put 6 months tax on it, will you shake my hand ?"

I shook his hand.

Always negotiate.

Cheers.
Johnsco

 

[IanT]

Thanks johnsco, maybe I should try that with McCarthy Cars then... their car would be acceptable at £6k even if still over book price, provided it is every bit as good as it needs to be.

I have left a message with the seller of today's one to come back if he wants to reconsider my offer - he said he had someone else looking at it tonight from deeper into Kent.

I'm guessing that a decent repaint of the OSF arch (all bubbling is confined to the inner lip) would set me back anything up to £400. I could prep it (having been given some really useful hydrochloric acid that eats rust for breakfast, and some phosphoric based stuff to provide the etch.

Ian.

 

[shorty]

Have you tried looking in Ireland for a car ? 320 cdi can be gotten real cheap over here because of the high road tax . Heres one i found .

Mercedes-Benz E-Class 320 CDi Diesel Bargain Buy

€3,950
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Tel: 01 459 5912


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Please mention to the dealer that you found this car on Carzone.ie

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Tony Boland Autolink


Castle Grange, Nangor Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Clondalkin, Dublin.
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I would like to enquire about the 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 320 CDi Diesel Bargain Buy







Make
Mercedes-Benz
Model
E-Class
Price
€3,950
Engine
3.2 Diesel
Body Type
Saloon
Transmission
Automatic
Year
2001
Colour
Metallic Blue
Mileage
140,000 M / 225,308 KM
Owners
0
Doors
4
Location
Dublin
NCT Expiry

 

[kth286]

Ian

You must had read reports in the papers that there is a shortage of modern secondhand cars due to the credit crunch and lack of new car sales.

This has been driving prices of modern secondhand cars upwards this year.

The general public with older cars are continuing to find that old cars deteriorate and when they see the cost of repair decide it is not worth it and decide to upgrade to a better car.

Now, we as informed merc owners on here know that one has to be cautious with the purchase of 210 models in particular.

However, the general public that wants to upgrade their car (and without our knowledge of the the pitfalls of the 210 models) only see what excellent value executive cars they are. And so are not overly cautious, like you (rightly).

So, unfortunately you are in competition with those people.

It is a tricky one for you.

 

[johnsco]

I agree - It is tricky.
You have to go into this with your eyes open.
210 models do have their problems ... Especially the corrosion problems affecting both of our E300TDs.
Having said that ... With an intelligent approach, and with a knowledge of the risks, there are good bargains to be had.

Johnsco

 

[jamesk]

I am looking for something similar, but in W211 flavour - prices do seem very up and down, particularly in London.

 

[IanT]

Thanks kth286 and johnsco. I had indeed heard the news but hadn't percieved any real impact on prices yet until now. Some of the sellers I've visited have looked genuinely surprised when I've looked under door rubbers, around the rear number plate etc, so you're right on the front that most buyers won't think to do that. The only way I can compete is to turn up first and take the money with me...

I've had a message from the seller, so it sounds like the other prospective buyer hasn't decided to buy yet. I left him a message last night saying I was still interested (I've verified some of the service history) but that I thought the price was too optimistic. I also said I was willing to pay a bit over the price guide on the basis of there being 12 months tax and new front tyres (Michelins at that) and the options fitted.

Is anyone in a position to comment on the value of the car?

Here's the ad:
2002 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 CDi Avantgarde Tip

It's had 4 MB stamped 'B' services in the book from Vikings at Canterbury, then the last (major) service was carried out at a non-MB garage.
19/9/03 @ 17039 miles
16/8/05 @ 34326 miles
12/4/07 @ 48293 miles
3/11/08 @ 64561 miles
within the last month, at approx 74k miles.
It also had a MB corrosion warranty / goodwill repair in June 06.

It has anthracite leather, climate control and the 7 seat option (which I don't need), and is on 75.5k miles at the moment and has MOT until May. Under the bonnet is very clean, not all glossed up, just clean. On the test drive it was quiet, smooth and difficult to fault other than an annoying interior squeak in the back somewhere that I'd have to fix.

Condition wise it's generally very pretty and I think everything works, the exterior flaws I found were:
Ding next to the grille (big stone I guess).
Both rear door tops bubbly, probably through, but nothing to see from the outside.
OSF arch bubbly from the rear bottom to the top.
Tailgate has about 1 to 1.5 inch square of rust bubbling above the number plate.
OSR quarter paint finish doesn't match the rest of the car, it's orange peely.
The wheels had been refurbished at some point losing their polished lips, but a couple are corroded again.
A couple of very minor dings on the NS doors, easily sortable by a PDR tech.
6400 miles showing until the next 'A' service.

I reckon the OSR quarter would respond to rubbing down with some wet and dry and a block and then look acceptable.

Comments and valuations welcome.

Ian.

 

[jimmymidnight]

when i bought my W210 2001 E320 CDi Avantgarde Tip it was up for £5600 and that was with 75k, FSH, metallic black with grey leather, heated seats, a/c cd changer and all the other toys minus climate, i managed to drive it away with 12 months mot, 6 months tax and £1000 off that, but when it went to be assessed for it's repair damage, the insurance company valued it at £8k, and therefore didn't write it off even though the damage is now over £5k! This whole change in used values has left me pretty confused? could i chop mine in for a W211? who knows... haha

 

[IanT]

It all leaves me wondering just how risky a W211 / S211 would be mechanically compared to the W210 / S210. There are no shortage of higher mileage cars going for under £10k with nice specs.

Ian.

 

[jimmymidnight]

surely they will be pretty similar? if not a bit better in the old body/rust department?