RapidG

Lease is up, but I'd rather sell it, because it's worth more than the leasing company is giving me for it. '02 C32, black opal metalic, blue seat inserts, auto wipers, extra set of OE wheels with all-weather tires (new), 48k mi., $32,000. Mercedes replaced the tranny and radiator under warantee this year. Ohio.

blume

if you can get that; you did awesome on this purchase!

amgmark

I don't think you will get anywhere near 32k for an 02.. I bought my 02 for 27k and I have seen them as low as 24k on ebay.. good luck though..

trips

Sold my '02 c32 (CA car also) w/ 35k miles about 9months ago for $30k...thought this was an awesome price to get at the time.

Honestly, with your miles and car that's probably seen a few winters, you'd be VERY lucky to get $27.5k.

_Tom

JDM

I'd go for the 32K, the market in your area is probably alot different than the CA market. Cars are less expensive there because there are so many, and most have been stuck in traffic their whole lives (add's to the wear and tear) Dealers here in Oregon go to Ca to buy cars cheap! and sell according to our market conditions wich results in profit!

RapidG

Yeah, but if someone offered $29, I'd take it. The buy-out is exactly at wholesale, or $25K. Mercedes finance tells me that if I lease it for another year, the residual will be down to $17k. I think they're nuts. I see C36's for sale for more than that, and they are 10 yrs old, and not nearly the car that the 32 is. No, the car has seen only one winter (stored for the other winters), and it's this one where we had almost no snow. Car is perfect as it can be.
Am I missing something here? Is the C32 a dog on the market? Maybe I'll just wait a year and try to buy one for 17K.

kaneman

The C32 isn't a dog on the market, it's that the used market is depressed for ALL high-line cars. The only cars that seem to retain their value as of late are japanese grocery getters.

AMGs and Benzes in general are a dime a dozen now and they aren't hard to get or uncommon any longer. The C36 and C43 are different. They never sold in very large numbers and finding a pristine example these days with low miles is difficult. If someone's in love with the car, they'll pay up money to get it regardless of the superiority of the C32. Look at what the '03 E55 and M5 are bringing.

Unless the car is exceptional (low miles for year, etc), you won't get a premium for it. Does it have nav? CD changer? Phone? If not, IMO take that $25k and run. California traditionally has one of the strongest used car markets so prices you see there aren't directly comparable to the rest of the country. Here is one that sold near you. IMO the 10k fewer miles your car has is offset by the color. Black Opal is not as easy a sell as Black or Silver. If you want to make the best possible sale, advertise the car in the local paper. If you get a nibble, it's far easier to get a better price.

Paul-HB

I'm listing it at $31,900 which I thought was a fair price for the SoCal market.

Below is a description with a link to the pictures. Do you think this is a fair price? The car is really perfect!

Thanks.

paul

29,800 Miles
Brilliant Silver on Charcoal AMG Leather
1 Owner Southern California Car
Clean and clear title
Clean Autocheck Background

Offered at $31,990

Rain sensing windshield wipers, Command system Navigation, Headlamp washing system, and Xenon lights. original MSRP of nearly $56,000

The interior is truly immaculate. I don’t think the rear seats were ever used! Recently, new Bridgestone Pole Position tires were installed. The front brakes have more than 50% life and the rear brakes are near new!

This SoCal car was always serviced at Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach. No service was missed! Also, this car has had zero accidents or paint work! All books and keys are included as well as the original window sticker.

California Registration paid through February 2007!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&x=0&y=-haeol9

kaneman

Now THAT is a car that'll bring close to asking price. Right color, right options, perfect condition and very low miles.

KEY08

Hey Rapid, I remember you from the C32life days if I'm not mistaken. I used to be "K". I turned my C32 into the dealer in December with 23,000 on the clock. The buy-out was right around 28K. I thought about buying it to either continue to drive or resell. Unfortunately, without an extended warranty I didn't want to stay in that car and without an extended warranty I don't believe anyone would really want to buy a high-performance MB. Everytime you open the hood on these things it seems to cost a grand.

Happy motoring and best of luck to you. I'm waiting for something to excite me before I buy again and right now that happens to be the Cayman S.

Paul-HB

Funny you should mention the Cayman S....that is why my friend sold this car...he just bought a new Seal Grey Cayman S for his wife!

SteveL1

I just went through the whole ordeal of trying to find a C32 with low miles, warranty and under $33. Could not find one without "issues". Ended up buying a new C230 with a bunch of options for that same figure. To me, driving 15-20k miles a year, the warranty was the biggest issue. At $3k for a decent aftermarket warranty, any clean car that I found ended up at $35k+.

I don't have the hp that I wanted, but I did get the updated interior, Ash leather, which is impossible to find in a C32 and a new car warranty with free loaners as long as I own it.

After 2-3 years, my car will end up being worth the same as an '02-'03 C32 but I will not have spent one cent on repairs. I would be very hesitant to pay more than $28-29k for your car without a warranty, plus the Black Opal and especially the blue insert seats will make it even harder to sell. You will have to find that one person that wants that exact color combo.

I would either walk away from the lease or accept the fact that you may only get a grand or two more than your buy out, plus it will take a while to find a buyer. When I ordered my '06 about five weeks ago, there were 90+ C32's for sale in the US. '05 C55's are now approaching the $40k mark. Good luck with your decision.

RapidG

Thanks for the input, guys. I'm turning it in. Since this car is for my wife, I'm buying a '07 Lexus RX 350. Boring - maybe, but I won't have to worry about the tranny or engine blowing. I've had several Lexus's, and put more than 200k on each without a single warantee repair on any of them. Maybe some day Mercedes will learn that quality sells.

jtc55

r u sure that C32 has xenon headlights?

car looks in really good shape. good luck w/ sale.

KEY08

If he says they are xenons, they are prolly xenons. I had xenons on my '02 and this was in the day when Bi-Xenons were not available. The normal '02 xenons look just like that. Not very sexy, but xenons nonetheless.