midasmike

found a silver over black '98 with 24K on the clock. appears to be the real deal. problem is the price. asking 23K. offered 18K and was politely turned down. can this car really be worth 23K. if so what about maint. issues with a 7 yr. old car, even w/ the lo miles. any imput appreciated. really like the car because of the mi. am trying to talk myself into it but haven't succeded yet. maybe someone can convince me. please try!!! thanx, michael

2QUIK4U

First of all, 23k is a fairly reasonable price for C43 with 24000 miles, given that the car is in good condition (leather, paint etc.). It's quite rare to find one with that low of mileage. I bought mine exactly a year ago and paid close to that. I must say that the C43 is one of the most undervalued cars on the market nowadays. Not only are you getting a car that is extremenly high quality, but it is comfortable, fast and most importantly it's a Mercedes! Yes these cars are 5-7 years old, but technologically not a whole lot has changed in that period. The newer cars have a few more extraneous gadgets, but fundamental aspects are the same (i.e. no significant suspension or chassis improvements). I personally like the bodystyle of the 202 over the 203 (just my preference) and that's one of the primary reasons I bought the car. I would also not have any reluctance buying a C43 with 40-50k miles if I was you. These cars were built to last and as long as the regular maintenance was done and the former owner took care of it you should have no issues. Just make sure to have a PPI done by an experienced Mercedes technician, also make sure they use a paint meter to determine if the car has had any bodywork done to it. Good luck on finding the right car.

Jon R

It is often a sad fact, and one not often liked, but a car with low mileage will still take a huge hit by depreciation with time.

I bought my C43 in 1999 in the $50K range. I drove it for a couple of years and then worked in Japan for 4 years. I came home, looked at the Kelly Blue Book and almost passed out. I saw my car selling for about $21K.

Part of me feels that I should be getting much more for my car if I sold it. Had I sold it before working in Japan, I would have made much more on it. But...I won't, nor do I expect to. However, that's one of the reasons I won't sell my car (I haven't got my value out of it yet and I love it).

With 18K miles on the car, I think you will get your $23K value out of it (even though Kelly Blue Book thinks it should be a little cheaper). Think about availability and realize that you might be overpaying just a bit.

I would probably go for it!

(That being said, would I sell my own car? No, it's worth far more than I could ever get for it)

Also, post pictures if you do.

StapleGun

That C43 with low mileage sounds reasonable to me. I have searched for a year prior to purchasing mine (1998 w/78K miles) and anything with less than 50K is going to command a higher price - it goes without saying that one with 24K is essentially a new car and command a premium price as well.

My only advice to you is don't be in a rush. You'll find a deal if you're willing to travel to pick one up and are patient. Look at the standard places like www.traderonline.com and ebay.

C43AMG

I think that price is high. I bought my 98' C43 in Feb. for $16,000.00 with 53k on the motor. It is very nice shape - wheels need to be re-done ( curb rash ) but that doesn't warrant another 7k in the price. The "Black Book" price at the auction ( Manheim , PA ) is $16,500.00 under the heading "Extra Clean " I would wait - if that guy thinks he can get 23K for the car tell him to take it to Barrett Jackson ( lol ).

MBCLK60

price is way too high, I just bought a 2000 for $22,300 with Starmark and 33k miles.

ProjectC55

24k miles "98" for $23k is an excellent price. Chk out these prices and you'll see some of these guys are krazee when they say 23k is too much for a C43 with that low mileage.http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...1216&x=98&y=16


That car was hardly ever driven within the past 7yrs and I'll guarantee you the owner would get his price very very soon!If ther car is clean jump on it because remember I'm not saying every, but alot of the guys on this forum can be cheap lowballers as well.IMOP.

ProjectC55

Yea that's because you're one of the lucky one's.Your car is actually worth more on the streets with that mileage and warranty.It would be very very hard to find one with the mileage you bought for that price and the price of the one the original poster is looking at.If he does'nt get it ,it will be his lose! I'd get it!!!

midasmike

thanks to all for the imput. i'm still considering the car. i've also found a car locally, a '98 blk over silver&blk w/54k and a starmark warranty good 'til 8/06. beautiful car. am in the running for that one also. i have no problem flying anywhere in the country to pick up a car. in fact i'd like to buy far away just to be able to fly out and drive it home. i appreciate all the imput. please continue when so moved, michael

nsfkid

The one with lower mileage is the ticket.
Mike,

ProjectC55

I have to agree! You're krazee if you let it get away! 54kmiles is good but 23k miles is a NO BRAINER!

midasmike

the hunt is over. victory is mine!!!!! just bought a '98 c43. white over 2tone, all options, clean and well maintained. originial ca. car from socal. should be able to assemble a history by tracing back thru a data sheet. this thing is a beast. gobs of
TQ!! new chapter in my mbz quest. my '94 coupe will be for sale sometime in the near future. has the sportline option. 1need to spruce up and fix some minor maint. issues. 30 days or so. i'm not even going to look at it for the next week. anyone sees a white blur in the bay area, that will be me getting aquainted with my new toy. thanks for all the imput. i'm sure i'll have a lot of questions in the future. i'll depend on you all for help, as i did with the coupe. HOOYAHHHHH!

ProjectC55

Price,Mileage,what happened to the silver one?

midasmike

108k, $15,000. asking price was $18,500. young asian guy. real car guy. he's buying a '02 porsche s4. or is it 4s? the c43 is nice. drove it and talked to the owner all the while driving. 45 min. later i owned it. the power of cash!!! the silver one is currently on ebay. the dealer relisted it with a $1000 opening bid no reserve. 6 days left, current bid is $14,500. 22 bidders. lots of action early. that will run the price up. if there are 2 or 3 serious rookie bidders in that group, i could go to $25K. crazy. i figuerd @ 15k i got some room, just in case. hope i can contact you with questions.

aintME

congrats mike. i bet you were smokin' a cuban driving back home eh?

ProjectC55

I got lucky and won mine on an ebay Feb 04' bid for 15k.73k miles.

midasmike

yhea baby! smoked a R&J Churchill. 15k in '04, that's the buy of the year.

ProjectC55

I still don't know how you let that 23k mile car get away and then purchase one with 108k miles! Go figure Good Luck!

nsfkid

The silver one on Ebay has been listed a few times now. He has had is for sale now for over a month. Why I don't know? They recently sold another C43.
Mike

midasmike

the car i bought is a clean, well maintained example, in a color combo i found very attractive. i drove the car for over an hour w/the owner. i found him to be knowledgeable, passionate about the car and totally believable. i wanted to fly to palm beach to drive the silver car but couldn't get a flight to fit my schedule. it could be the one that got away but i like the car i bought and will probably trade up in a year or so. anyway, please don't be too hard on me about the silver car. it could still go for big $ then i'll look good w/my car. thanks for the comments everyone.

ProjectC55

LOL!

s0vietbenz

pics!

midasmike

camera is malfunctioning. can't download pic's to computer. could be as simple as a bad cord or it could be more serious. don't know how to remedy the problem. will take the camera in to be fixed. will post pic's as soon as camera is repaired.