Yet another E500 S212!

[bolidemichael]

A good find and all excellent points made. I'm surprised that it sold so quickly - though I'm assuming that when MiW posted the link it hadn't sold.

I'm worried that all of my investment in my old car will be all for nowt if written orf, as E55BOF says.

Additionally, it is clear that the purchase of my car with 116k has entailed a great deal of investment to maintain to a high level (I'm looking at another £3k now for various). However, since I couldn't afford a newer one (and they were less frequently available when I was looking in September 2017), I paid my money, made my choice etc. I would've like Mike's S212, but I'm deep into my 'sunken cost fallacy' now.

I'm not sure that the leather in the 30k example is any different to the example that E55BOF posted.

 

[E55BOF]

This Lincolnshire car has real leather. Look at the photos close up Not the stuff that most S211 E500's have.

It's a tough one. Put £8,000 extra on the table to own a car with just 30,000 on the clock and a perfect main dealer service history ? Or pay half that for a car that has 106k on the clock, a more varied history, and components and bodywork which have done 106,000 miles.

Marek did the right thing when he bought DoubleE500Mike's S212 and put his old S211 up for sale on Ebay. With 106k miles on the clock, it's still a very useful car, but a lower mileage car will be MUCH cheaper and easier to maintain.

And that Lincolnshire still be worth a lot when whoever has bought it is done with it.

MIne has real leather too.

It's not a tough one at all, I'd say. Both cars were/are overpriced, but one at least has found a mug. Write either of them off and see what the insurers will pay out...

In my opinion nobody has done the right thing by swapping a 211 for a 212, but then, I like 211s a lot, 212s less, and I accept other opinions are available...

I don't think Marek will have sold his. When I spoke to him in October, this is what I posted afterwards:

"I told him what it was valued at; he'd rather keep it than sell it for that, it's worth a lot more, that's only my opinion. No point arguing, so I wished him luck and left it at that."

and

"The E500 seller is asking close to decent E55 money. In the past I've found Parkers valuations quite accurate. You can't argue with stupid people who Know What It's Worth, though, so I didn't bother. He may find a mug, and if so, good luck to him."

I'm not impressed by very low mileage, but good luck to those who are. The interior of an engine in a car that has done only 2500 miles a year could be pretty tired, depending on the way it has done that mileage; most of the wear to bores and rings occurs in the first mile or two after a cold start.

 

[zipdip]

Well it has sold

 

[E55BOF]

I'm worried that all of my investment in my old car will be all for nowt if written orf, as E55BOF says.

Me too for mine; it's really rather nice now, but I'd be lucky to get £2k back...

Incidentally, I've noticed an oddity about the Lincolnshire car. It clearly has Airmatic, but if you look at picture 10, it has manual headlamp level adjustment. I presume it doesn't have xenons (another thing mine does have), but if it has Airmatic, which is self-levelling, why does it need manual levelling as well?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I don't think Marek will have sold his. When I spoke to him in October, this is what I posted afterwards:
"I told him what it was valued at; he'd rather keep it than sell it for that, it's worth a lot more, that's only my opinion. No point arguing, so I wished him luck and left it at that."

From the Ebay listing you posted. Yes, that's Marek - even down to the mobile number. As I said, he bought DoubleE500Mike's green S212 a month or two ago.

 

[E55BOF]

I like the colour scheme, I'd probably like the 5.5 V8, I like the facelift 211, but I don't want another one with an NTG1 COMAND, and almost all the usual 211 issues at that sort of mileage (engine mountings, rear brake pipes, front suspension ball joints, Airmatic - well, some of it, and the rest is fine at the moment) are sorted on mine now. The SBC was reset not long before I got it; it's on 60K presses of the pedal now, so plenty left before it has to be replaced.

If it had been for sale at a reasonable price when I bought mine, though, I'd have bought it instead and taken my chances on all the potential issues.

 

[bolidemichael]

Is Marek a forum member?

 

[E55BOF]

I only know his name from the ad, and I assume not, or he'd have put it up for sale on here too.

 

[bolidemichael]

I see. Well he's going to have to shift that S211 at some stage for at least half the price, or move the Periclase Green on one for the same that he paid for it.

 

[MrGreedy]

When I was looking for a 211 last year, two of my 'must haves' were the later NTG Comand, and heated seats. I love a heated seat on a cold morning!
I personally, even if I win the lottery in a couple of days (), could not have brought myself to pay anything like £17k for that. I know it's great condition, but so are many other far newer Mercs at the same money.

 

[E55BOF]

When I was looking for a 211 last year, two of my 'must haves' were the later NTG Comand, and heated seats. I love a heated seat on a cold morning!

The NTG2.5 was only fitted to the very last, MY2009, 211s. I never knew it had been in any of them, until I bought a very late 2008 with it fitted. COMAND Online can supply and fit a unit for about £1400...

 

[MrGreedy]

The NTG2.5 was only fitted to the very last, MY2009, 211s. I never knew it had been in any of them, until I bought a very late 2008 with it fitted. COMAND Online can supply and fit a unit for about £1400...

Yeah, I had limited to 08-09 models for that reason. A surprising number of 08s I saw had NTG2.5, and suprisingly some 09s didn't! If I'd have gone futher and bothered to get the data card, if would have probably revealed 08 build and late registration for sale. Possibly as a result of slow demand due to the 2008 financial crisis.

I've had a quick scoot through the w211s on Autotrader, and I'm shocked by the prices. 1 year ago, I'd set my budget at £7k, which was a rare and the highest price I'd seen for an E320, however nothing came up in the right condition with NTG2.5 and heated seats.
Today, there are 12! non E55/E63 w211s at £6950 and up to £10k, including a 2009 CAT D private sale with the earlier COMAND NTG1 and LANDSAIL tyres (whatever they are).

I guess as a result of COVID, used car prices are seriously on the up.

 

[bolidemichael]

I can't believe it... I drove past a 'straw gold' coloured S212 today in Weybridge, on my way to MB Brooklands. Front windscreen littered with National Trust type stickers... but I had a feeling. Checking my 'app', it's a unicorn!






Is this vehicle on anyone's 'list'?

Looking at the brochure, it is 794 'Pearl Beige'.

 

[E55BOF]

It's beige...

When I was going through my brief SUV phase a while back, there was a W164 ML500 with the same 5.5 engine that ticked quite a lot of boxes, and not badly priced, but it, too, was that colour, or something like it. I just couldn't; I'm an OAP, but not that O an AP...

 

[bolidemichael]

It's beige...

When I was going through my brief SUV phase a while back, there was a W164 ML500 with the same 5.5 engine that ticked quite a lot of boxes, and not badly priced, but it, too, was that colour, or something like it. I just couldn't; I'm an OAP, but not that O an AP...

Haha, well it was distinctive. I'd say it was more light gold than seventies beige and it looked pleasant enough.

 

[SW18]

My ‘list’ of S212 E500 that have been up for sale includes a ‘bronze’ one sold in early 2018 that could be the same one. When sold it had the reg GF10URY, which now doesn’t show up in the DVLA database.

If it’s not the same one, then your beige one is a new one for the list!

 

[bolidemichael]

My ‘list’ of S212 E500 that have been up for sale includes a ‘bronze’ one sold in early 2018 that could be the same one. When sold it had the reg GF10URY, which now doesn’t show up in the DVLA database.

If it’s not the same one, then your beige one is a new one for the list!

It was your list that I had in mind. What was the mileage of the 'bronze' one in early 2018?

 

[SW18]

It was your list that I had in mind. What was the mileage of the 'bronze' one in early 2018?

Good question: I just checked and I noted it as 47,000 at the time of sale in early 2018 so this one with 110,000 must be a different car.

 

[bolidemichael]

Good question: I just checked and I noted it as 47,000 at the time of sale in early 2018 so this one with 110,000 must be a different car.

Yes, as this one was on 80,000 miles at that time, so it's another for your list!

 

[SW18]

Yes, as this one was on 80,000 miles at that time, so it's another for your list!

Duly noted! I have added it to the list.

This makes at least 12 S212 E500 now, and possibly a couple more as I didn't always make enough notes to determine whether I have some duplicates.

Some stats on the 12 confirmed ones that I have on the list:
- 4 are owned by forum members (though it was 6 for a while last year)
- 4 Sport, 6 Avantgarde, 2 unknown
- 3 silver, 3 tanzanite, 2 black, 1 each of green, brown, beige, bronze
- Original owners liked to spec them well and almost all of the ones sold have had multiple extras, often £5-10k worth when new, on top of the £50k+ list price at the time