where have all the 18 month old E estates gone ??

[Stuart O]

Looking for an E 280 CDI est - a couple of months ago there were quite a selection to be had on the 'direct' site - seems to be v few left these days - have I missed the boat ??

 

[jaymanek]

they are being snapped up... they were cheap for a while... expect prices to shoot up... I had dealers calling me last week to see if I would sell them any stock...

 

[SL300-24]

Check Mercedes Poole website they have one.

 

[grober]

Evidently the nearly new second hand market is doing better than new cars at the moment as people are looking to save that initial depreciation? That might explain it.

 

[jaymanek]

yes its never been so busy... dealers are running bone dry... my inventory is about half its usual at the moment and getting good cars has been difficult since the beginning of the year..

 

[maddog]

I'm struggling to find an 08 Audi A4 Avant with the spec i want , seems late model used and pre reg cars are thin on the ground because people are not buying so many new cars

 

[Smiley]

Jay
does this apply to older cars as well? I am thinking about selling my e320 cab in the spring - prices got hit so badly last year that I decided to keep it - but have one too many cars at the mo!

 

[jaymanek]

well im a bit out of touch with anything pre 2002 ish now as i concentrate on newer cars.. The demand is mainly due to no private customers buying new... everyone who are changing cars are being tempted by the silly prices of late..

 

[MikeL]

Looking for an E 280 CDI est - a couple of months ago there were quite a selection to be had on the 'direct' site - seems to be v few left these days - have I missed the boat ??

Well, they'll be twenty months old now

Mike (sorry)

 

[Dieselman]

I expect supply will ease in March though. Habitually January is a slow month on new car sales so there are no 2nd hand ones either from trade in's.

 

[hawk20]

Looking for an E 280 CDI est - a couple of months ago there were quite a selection to be had on the 'direct' site - seems to be v few left these days - have I missed the boat ??

One reason is that a lot more people are buying the 220cdi. Worth driving.

Having said that, go to the MB website and approved used search engine and plug in 2006 onwards E280cdi estate, auto, nationwide, and today there are 41 examples for sale with dealers all registered in 2006, 2007 or 2008. Pretty good selection.

 

[Stuart O]

E estates

I've seen q a few petrol versions hanging around - some are v good spec also.. whats the opinions on these 1.8 compressors, are they man enough for the size of car ??

 

[Mactech]

I was very pleased with the 1.8 Komp engine in a C180 but when I tried a E200 estate it struggled for torque pulling the bigger car about.
I would recomend any of the 'wood burners' in the E estate, I've had a 220 and 280 and both are up to the task.
But it depends what you want. If you are never want to go briskly, then there are some good bargains about on the small (an larger) petrol engined cars.

 

[GuyFawkes]

I expect supply will ease in March though. Habitually January is a slow month on new car sales so there are no 2nd hand ones either from trade in's.

Not this March, I don't think.

This is Marsh Barton Industrial Estate

Basically it is a monster car sales showroom, literally every make / marque has an outlet, except Rolls / Bentley, that one went bust a couple of weeks ago.

The other are ghost towns, no customers wandering around and staff levels cut.

Meanwhile Honda, who aren't exactly clueless, have basically shut down for a minimum of four months.

Looking on ebay motors and elsewhere I see a resurgence in the popularity of "old honest motors", and anything with 12 months MOT is worth about 300 quid more than it was a few weeks ago, eg 500 quid minimum now.

I just sold a tired old pug 405 diesel with very very poor paintwork and 6 weeks ticket left for 112 quid, the second hand car dealers buying in at 500 and selling at 1500 are making a lot of business right now.

There are an awfully high proportion of cars being sold in a price range that means they can be bought on a £1,000 limit on plastic and a small overdraft facility.

One bloke I know in the trade says no potential sale gets anywhere unless the punters first question is answered, and that is running costs / maintenance / spares prices and availability.... interestingly he says people are more interested in a 35 mpg car that is dirt cheap spares than a 50 mpg car that has more expensive spares or no simple DIY repairs.

One plod I know reckons the next 12 months the ANPR machines are going to pay for themselves several times over...

 

[Dieselman]

Not this March, I don't think.

One plod I know reckons the next 12 months the ANPR machines are going to pay for themselves several times over...

Probably, but they are effective so peeps had better watch out.

I think there will still be a fair trade in of 2nd hand cars in March as three years ago lots of people/companies bought new ones. They will come off hire/lease/hp/pcp and flood the market.
Of course some of those people will have to buy their ex rented car to stay mobile.

 

[Subyland]

Habitually January is a slow month on new car sales

Actually January is the 3rd biggest month after March and September, with 162000 regs last year.
As traditional new car buyers turn to used cars stock has depleted rapidly. That said, premium brands and late models are still depreciating each month whilst the residual values of some mainstream manufacturers have gone up.