emillswrx

I'm thinking about selling my 2011 E550 and curious about what I could realistically expect to get for the car given its situation:

77k miles
Diamond white with natural tan interior
P2 package
AMG wheels brand new tires all around
Very good condition, no accidents
Purchased as CPO last year, UNLIMITED MILEAGE WARRANTY UNTIL NOVEMBER 2017 (paid $2500 for extension)
5-year tire and wheel warranty included as well (paid $1300)
New air suspension just replaced under warranty at 70k miles

KBB puts value for very good condition car at right around $28k without consideration of the warranty, but I think it's worth a bit more than that given the peace of mind of warranty which is huge for these cars. I have no idea what the market will bear, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

KEY08

Regardless of the warranty, with those miles I would be happy to get $25K for the car.

El Cid

If you can, take it to Carmax. They will give you the price they will pay you for it, whether you buy a car from them or not. Takes about 1-2 hours for them to go over the car. This would be lower than a straight sale, but it does give you a valid base.
In 2009, I took a car to Lexus and MB dealers as a trade-in. Lexus offered me $2,000 less than Carmax against a $62,000 LS. One of the reasons why I am not driving an MB.

belarus27

im curios why did you change your airmatic suspension at 70k? you had issues? thanks

KEY08

I was curious about that as well. What does "new air suspension" mean. The system typically fails one component at a time.

CarolinaBluetec

25K is about right.

emillswrx

I should have been more specific re: the airmatic. One day I woke up and the car looked like a lowrider, both rear struts failed along with the compressor, so that and any related equipment was replaced under warranty.

Is 25k really all that I can expect? It's worth way more than that for me so I'll be holding onto it and enjoying it for some time, (at least until the warranty runs out!)

KEY08

Just drive and enjoy it. My 2010 has less than 50,000 on it and it is loaded with P2, Pano and other goodies and a year left on extended warranty. I love the car, but if someone wrote me a check for $25K, they would be going home in it. The depreciation is huge on these cars.

Pntblnk

OP - I'm in the same position as you on an 11' 550 with fewer miles ((40k) P2, Pano and had both rear airmatic could replaced last year. I thought about a new S or CLS with the new models started rolling out but... couldn't stomach the huge hit of selling / trading the car. That said, I still think the 11' is gorgeous Love walking out to the parking garage after work and seeing it shine. The design lines were muted with the newer models and the 11' retains that edgy aggressive beauty.

I had a good friend and long time MB owner tell me that "these cars will last much longer than you want them to" I didn't grasp the true meaning of his statement at the time but after ~4 years into ownership I get it. Love the car and could easily fall for a new CLS, S, G or Escalade. My next ride won't be an E since they dropped the 550 from the lineup. I've been spoiled too long with the smooth power curve of the V8.

Drive it until the wheels fall off then gift it to your children.

KEY08

^ That is the right attitude. I put 100K on my E500 and it looked like it rolled off the showroom floor when I traded it in. These V8 cars are all I will buy. They are rock solid, comfortable, and fast.

Arrie

I had the rear air springs changed due to a leak. The leak was caused by a faulty sealing design. MB replaced them with the new improved design. I think they have a TSB for it. I'm amazed you had not fixed this earlier as it obviously went to a point that the compressor failed.


My car is a 2010 model, actually one of the early production for the 212 as it was made in May 2009. I intend to drive this until it cannot be fixed anymore. Rebuilding an engine and transmission should be much more economical that buying a new car no matter what you buy. I have P2 and Driver Assist Package (Distronic, lane keep assist, blind spot, parking assist), which means I pretty much have all I can ask from a car. I will not get bored with this ever.


And I absolutely love this car design. Absolute beauty compared to the new models that to me look like a space ship.

emillswrx

Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies. You're right in that it's an amazing car, really just about perfect, and I don't want to give the impression that I'm unhappy with it at all. I've been reading too many Tavarish articles on Jalopnik about buying these 8-10 year old S-classes for 10k and my wheels starting turning about having both a luxury cruiser benz, and a more dedicated fun car (V8, manual, convertible etc) for the same or less than what I'm paying for the E550. It's that same depreciation that made my CPO purchase affordable (70k list down to 38.5k after 3 years) that now makes selling it impossible financially.

I do think that it's a timeless design and that it marks an end of an era with the large NA V8...ultimately it may be appreciated by the market over the long run and I love the idea of keeping it in some capacity for many years.

Personally I think that buying a CPO high-end Benz with an extended warranty is the sweet spot, you get to drive you could never afford new with similar (actually better with the unlimited mileage clause) peace of mind...though all bets are off once the warranty expires and you notice one side of the rear is sagging

Newzchspy

There's an 08 for sale here with 82 k miles with p1 and P2 ( no pano) and he can't get $ 17, 000 for that car and it's in very nice shape as well. The market is soft for high end cars, particularly when airmatic ALWAYS seems to be an issue in people's mind.

SolidGranite

In the same boat as well. Have a 2011 with 20k miles and I would feel blessed if I received 35k on trade.

markgm

I paid 29k for a 2010 E550 with 80k miles about a year and a half ago that has every option except for rear entertainment and rear airbags. I'd say 23k-25k is about right, if you have any of the other options (4matic, driver assistance package, pano sunroof, rear entertainment, rear outlet, rear sunshades, heated wheel, split/folding seats, multicontour seat, night view, parktronic, rear side airbags) you could probably get a little over 30k.

Johnny Mo

In the same exact frame of mind, mine is Blk/Blk pano, P2, multi-contour with 45k miles. Also had the lowrider issue and had the air system replaced. I just bought summer tires, so will probably keep it another year at a minimum. Have a new teen driver in the house and don't want to start him off with this, so that's an additional consideration on swapping out. I have my eyes on a 2017 Ford Raptor as well so the availability of the Raptor will likely dictate my desire to get out of my 550.

z06michael

I paid 29k for my 11' 550 last year with 31k on it,I work at a Lexus dealer and I felt I got a steal!!!!!

KEY08

That was a great deal for those low miles.

cbeck44

$25K in recent auctions for April for similar miles.

SLpat

I am in the same boat as you. I love the car and bought my 2011 last year that had a list of $72K for $35K. My dealer called me and said he had a 2012 CLS 550 that i would love and would give me $31K for my car a year after I bought it which seems good but after thinking about it the CLS wasn't worth the extra money although it is a great car.