miss the point.What you can afford to pay for a better example of the same car is irrelevant.It is the worth of the car that is relevant.
What you overpaid is the cars worth to YOU.What the car is Worth is the market price.
If you truly feel 80,000 miles on a Mercedes is high mileage,in 3 years or whenever you reach that milestone are you going to dump the car and list it on craigslist as a fine example of a nice C43,high miles,make me an offer?
Passion and admiration for the car lead you and the so called collector into some bad choices in that case.

If the facts are patently offensive,maybe I can make them more obtusely offensive,and salve his feelings.

Your 722.6 5speed transmission is also due for a fluid change.Pay them now or pay them later.

 

You continue to proselytize and just sound more foolish.
How absurd is your above statement ???

If the buyer paid whatever then that is what the market dictates as it is factual and a completed transaction.
No "woulda. shoulda, coulda's" once cash changes hands.

"Worth" is subjective, whereas "price" is objective.

The worth that you espouse is solely in your mind, so give it a break !
You constantly want to quote chapter and verse based on your opinion.


Some of us have much higher standards and wouldn't own some of the vehicles that you think have "worth"....

Stop knocking those that have purchased and are satisfied..if they can afford it then why not

 

what Vehicles I consider are worth the money paid?
If a fool pays $10 for a 20 cent pencil in your book that becomes the pencils worth.
In my book that is a fool paying $10 bucks for a 20 cent pencil.
Seems now that there are at least 3 people that don't understand that fact.

If some chump buys an 02 E55 for 30grand and everyone and his brother knows that the car could be had for 16grand that is what the car is worth.16 grand.
Your terms are mixed up when it come to cars.
What he or the collector paid is what the car is worth to them.Not what it is worth on the market.They both over paid and I suspect by your reaction you did also.

Endure me a bit of reading
Ben Franklin
"The Whistle"

To Madame Brillon


I RECEIVED my dear friend’s two letters, one for Wednesday and one for Saturday. This is again Wednesday. I do not deserve one for to-day, because I have not answered the former. But, indolent as I am, and averse to writing, the fear of having no more of your pleasing epistles, if I do not contribute to the correspondence, obliges me to take up my pen; and as Mr. B. has kindly sent me word that he sets out to-morrow to see you, instead of spending this Wednesday evening, as I have done its namesakes, in your delightful company, I sit down to spend it in thinking of you, in writing to you, and in reading over and over again your letters. 1
I am charmed with your description of Paradise, and with your plan of living there; and I approve much of your conclusion, that, in the meantime, we should draw all the good we can from this world. In my opinion we might all draw more good from it than we do, and suffer less evil, if we would take care not to give too much for whistles. For to me it seems that most of the unhappy people we meet with are become so by neglect of that caution. 2
You ask what I mean? You love stories, and will excuse my telling one of myself. 3
When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they sold toys for children; and being charmed with the sound of a whistle, that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered and gave all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth; put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and laughed at me so much for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the reflection gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure. 4
This, however, was afterwards of use to me, the impression continuing on my mind; so that often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, Don’t give too much for the whistle; and I saved my money. 5
As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle. 6
When I saw one too ambitious of court favor, sacrificing his time in attendance on levees, his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, This man gives too much for his whistle. 7
When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in political bustles, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect, He pays, indeed, said I, too much for his whistle. 8
If I knew a miser, who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, Poor man, said I, you pay too much for your whistle. 9
When I met with a man of pleasure, sacrificing every laudable improvement of the mind, or of his fortune, to mere corporeal sensations, and ruining his health in their pursuit, Mistaken man, said I, you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you give too much for your whistle. 10
If I see one fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he contracts debts, and ends his career in a prison, Alas! say I, he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle. 11
When I see a beautiful sweet-tempered girl married to an ill-natured brute of a husband, What a pity, say I, that she should pay so much for a whistle! 12
In short, I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles. 13
Yet I ought to have charity for these unhappy people, when I consider that, with all this wisdom of which I am boasting, there are certain things in the world so tempting, for example, the apples of King John, which happily are not to be bought; for if they were put to sale by auction, I might very easily be led to ruin myself in the purchase, and find that I had once more given too much for the whistle. 14
Adieu, my dear friend, and believe me ever yours very sincerely and with unalterable affection.

If you don't Yet understand Worth from that letter,I really feel sorry for you.What next will you pay too much for?

If he paid $80,000 for the car would you tell him he made a wise purchase and that is what the car is worth?
Who sounds foolish?To quote you.
"If the buyer paid whatever then that is what the market dictates as it is factual and a completed transaction.
No "woulda. shoulda, coulda's" once cash changes hands."

Fools pay too much for their whistles.
Do we have anymore?

 

and this thread explains why i chose to modify mine!

 

Lol you guys are comedy

Seriously though, who cares what the guy paid? I probably overpaid 3 years ago but it ended up being alright in the end. I did get 50k (mostly) problem free miles with the exception of a few w202 build quality issues. The guys that bought $12-15k cars in that timeframe with more miles or in worse condition most likely spent a lot more money on maintenance than I did. It probably doesn't quite equate to the difference in purchase price between our two cases, but it is something to think about at least.

 

Please note the collector car value of the C43 the C36(one of the only other so called collector cars valued as low on the scale of investment grading and Appreciation grading of F and 1 star is the 95 Impala, that was a real milestone car)
You mention a C124 doubling?It has not even placed anywhere as a Mercedes Benz model worth any rating as a collectible.Nor will it.So your vociferous protection of what you perceive as a collectible is understood quite completely.You have no concept of what a collector car is.Your C124 is a 2grand car with no value to collectors and limited value to you,drive it enjoy it,expect it to be worth about 500 bucks in ten years.

It is a nice car enjoy it.But just because you like it does not mean it will double in price or worth in the next ten years.
Next you'll be trying to convince me a 94 w124 cab is going to be a bagillion dollar collector car someday,just because you paid to much for it.

You seriously paid too much for your Whistle

 

that think low production AMG's are collector cars,are beginning to give me the Ague.

 

I am not intolerant of your opinion and I quote what I said earlier "Of course, everyone has a legitimate right to their opinion."

The facts are that I always get well over market value for my cars, that I don't have to advertise them to sell them because people who know me and my cars are willing to buy them and pay a premium, that in 44 years I've have never had a car fail on the road and that I have standing offers for all of my current cars. But those aren't "your" facts, they are "my facts". So, in your world I live amongst fools, right? You don't need to answer.

BTW, you seemed to have completely missed the fact that I said my son is not in a position to care for his car on his own - he lives in the West Hollywood area of California, is not allowed to work on or even wash his car at his apartment or he will be fined by either the city, the homeowner's association or both. Thus, a reliable car is a must because he is forced to take his car somewhere for service and repair with the high local costs that come with the area. Your version of M-B upkeep costs aren't in his realm of reality. There is virtually no repair that is going to cost less than $1,000 for him, so that delta you so religiously hang onto is going to evaporate in a hurry if he has a car that has "needs" other than routine service. He knows and understans that liability and is prepared to deal with it and the first contingency was to buy the best car he could afford. And BTW, we changed EVERY fluid before he moved out west this summer - I wouldn't want you to worry.

Your intolerance on the forums is infamous. I have engaged in many PM discussions advising various forum members to give you a break because you often share valuable information. But in discussions such as this you are an intolerable bore whose opinion is always backed by "your" version of "facts". My comment was directed to your usual tactic of making snide comments, the particular one of which I quote "A very astute purchase for a collector car buyer.You might want to try a different hobby if you advised this as a wise purchase".

Here is a bit of advice, which I am sure you will ignore - go look in the mirror and ask yourself why you engender such reactions.

99CEEFOURTHREE - Enjoy the car. I'm outa here.

 

I'll let you wallow in your ignorance as "there is no fool like an old fool"..
Did Ben Franklin say that ?
You have your beliefs and that's why you own a bunch of beaters...

I've done extremely well in my life with the "values" I perceive....and I will venture to state that I've done much, much better then you in my sixty years...

Let's put an end to it, let you respond once more as your fragile ego needs to have the final say...

Maybe get a life instead of incessantly posting five to six times a day trying to impress others with your corrugated ...

P.S.

I was able to purchase my C124 new in 1988 for $53K , which doubtful you had the financial capacity to even consider...

 

my business in 02 at 52 to retire and enjoy time with Family,my hobbies,racing,fishing ,hunting,car collecting and building.
I could have retired and sold out in 1988,if I had wanted.
But then I would have been pissing guys like you off all that much longer
You have no Idea of what my collection is, or is or what it is worth.
Go to work.I hear your alarm ringing
I've got some beaters to go out and play with
I won't have the last word.That is always up to the guy that reacts the way you did about a poor buying decision.
Ben Franklin's letter must not have arrived at your door

 

congrats!

 

My $0.02.

You're using the asking price for higher mileage C43s to dictate what the market price is for a low mileage example. I paid 15k for mine with 48k miles on it last year and flew to Alabama to get it. There were cheaper cars and there were closer cars, but the lower mileage and condition was worth that price to me and apparently worth that price to the OP. The market price for a C43 with 120k miles on it is not anywhere near the market price for a C43 with 50k miles on it. In fact, you may see as much as 50% or more difference in price between the two. Mileage and condition plays a far greater factor in pricing in the C43 market than it does in say the E320 market.

 

premium over market value is not 6-7K dollars.In 2 years your car will have 80K miles on it,still be in nice condition and sell for about 8grand.Same for his car.Keep it in great shape and ask yourself in 2 years would I buy this car for $8000?If the answer is yes,then you could have had the same car today for $10,000 or less.They are out there if you look.12K will get a sub 50k C43 if you shop wisely and inspect.
To each his own.
Just trying to save the next guy from paying too much for his whistle
Not getting through to the ones that did already

 

hey- I can admit I paid too much, but at the time I just didn't want to take the time/effort to find another one. It's also very very different to have slightly overpayed 1 or 2 years ago rather than now...

 

If you only read half the things you write and say then I'm sure you'd agree with yourself that you yourself is Stupid!

6 known CONVERTED C43'S IN THE COUNTRY!

 

There is no point to miss.My car will not have 80k on it in 3 years as you think and maybe your just upset about me finding a more pristine example of a c43 than you have.Dont worry I am a very BIG boy with BIG shoulders and you dont have to worry about my feelings.My tranny was just serviced @ 40k so dont loose sleep over it.Enjoy your retirement and those MG's (to each his own)

 

You did good...

Four years ago I bought a 1999 C43 with 26K miles that was Starmarked from MB of South Atlanta.
Paid $24K and am very happy.
Zero problems, just maintenance and it had a three year warranty.

There are some individuals on these forums that always knock what someone else has purchased and always try to make snide remarks...

Only have to look at what's in their driveway

 

The bottom line is that there will always be a better deal out there if you look. Personally, I didn't care to wade through dozens of autotrader ads, ebay, and craigslist just to find a "good deal" on a car w/o a fully documented history. So I paid more money, and it worked out fine. I do agree w/ Olord that these cars aren't going to be true collectors items for the foreseeable future......the w124 500e/E500 is just *barely* starting to see that kind of treatment, and that is really only for the extremely unique and perfect examples (like a Limited, euro, E60, etc). There is more history, more "pedigree" and less stigma attached to the Porsche E-class, than the first mainstream AMG to hit the market. Not knocking the w202, or the C-class in general, but it has a very specific niche market these days.......most people still look at them as the base model MB, or at the very least the poor-man's AMG. I don't agree with this, but a lot of people do feel this way. For a few people, having the little car with the big V8 is important, but I think most people who are truly "collecting" MB's are looking for something a little bit different. Just my .02, take it FWIW.

 

How anyone could knock the type of purchase I or yourself made is mindless. This is the exact reason people pay a little more FOR A WHOLE LOT MORE.Yes the C43/C36 might not be exactly collector car material but they stll and always will have a ''cult'' following and anyone of those people would GLADLY PAY A LITTLE MORE 10 YRS FROM NOW FOR YOUR/MINE NICE LOW MILE EXAMPLE c43! I did not buy this car as an investment/collector vehicle.

 

By the way,a week ago there was a 99 c43 with 57k on it MB dealer was asking 19k B.I.N. Ebay.High bid was $ 14,100.To find a sub 50k c43 for 12k? You have not been shopping lately.There are may c43's all minimum 80k for a high of $13,9 low of $8900.These cars were/are BEAT.Believe me I looked at 8 cars over 4 months.Would not buy one of them.Maybe you would?

 

I'm not the one who wrote the statement I'm just agreeing to Ohlord so I guess he is stupid Who cares if your the only one with the converted motor C43. Its not like your going to win a noble prize

 

Nobel?

 

look at the big picture, compare the c43 with some new cars, great economy, reliable, powerful, nice looking, got all the goodies...

17k for a c43 with 40k miles is not to much, especially if its got all the inspections documented

go buy the new mustang for 15k if u think this is to much

youll fit right in with the traffic


the fact that you are driving a rare car is worth allot, just that fact

Ive been in cali for almost 7 years and Ive only seen like 3-5 C43s and only one c36

 

i'd happily over pay for the right car any day

 

Hey john.
What'a 332i in your sig?what car is that???