So what exactly determines the value of a car?
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So what exactly determines the value of a car?
In my eyes, C36's should go for about 7-8K and C43's should be 9-10k. It's rare, it's German, it's still freaking fast, and they go forever. So why does the market screw us? I think we, as owners, should demand high prices in our sales of the cars. I mean you have to figure there are what, less then 1000 C43's on the road in ALL OF AMERICA.
LETS MAKE A STAND AND MAKE OUR CARS WORTH MORE MONEY DAMMIT!
LETS MAKE A STAND AND MAKE OUR CARS WORTH MORE MONEY DAMMIT!
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Bay Area, CA
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
I don't think many people decide to sell their car and take a bath on it. Price is a balance of supply and demand. Unfortunately, the demand is relatively low and there isn't much on the supply side you can do. I guess we need to get one as the lead car in a movie about street racing, that should solve it...
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
I'd mark it up entirely to stigmas, both social and economic.
A Mercedes, no matter what era, year, condition is going to carry a HUGE social stigma of being exorbitantly expensive to maintain in the slightest. It doesn't matter how unbelievably false this narrative is, but perception and image is EVERYTHING. Just look at who we elect.
Second, Mercedes went a very, very long way to prove this narrative true with their idiotic dive into the normal car market from 2000-2008. Nearly every single car produced in that era has proven to be a lemon. What other car company can sell a $120,000 V8 or V12 powered super luxury sedan/coupe and then that same car be worth $13,000 5-7 years later? They supposedly started to correct all this in 2008, but jury's still out on whether or not that's true. I anxiously await word on whether or not current gen cars are up to snuff.
People even gave the w202 and w210 C and E class cars a lot of gruff for being lemons. But my 1994 C280 with 200k miles on it was still leaps and bounds ahead of my sister's brand-spanking-new C240 4MATIC in terms of engineering, reliability, and longevity. Her car had far more bells and whistles, but some didn't work, and some never worked quite right. New transmission, ECU, SRS sensors, head unit all in the first 2 years for a brand new Mercedes? Absolutely un-freaking-acceptable. You can tell I'm still sore about it. Mercedes did this to themselves.
A Mercedes, no matter what era, year, condition is going to carry a HUGE social stigma of being exorbitantly expensive to maintain in the slightest. It doesn't matter how unbelievably false this narrative is, but perception and image is EVERYTHING. Just look at who we elect.
Second, Mercedes went a very, very long way to prove this narrative true with their idiotic dive into the normal car market from 2000-2008. Nearly every single car produced in that era has proven to be a lemon. What other car company can sell a $120,000 V8 or V12 powered super luxury sedan/coupe and then that same car be worth $13,000 5-7 years later? They supposedly started to correct all this in 2008, but jury's still out on whether or not that's true. I anxiously await word on whether or not current gen cars are up to snuff.
People even gave the w202 and w210 C and E class cars a lot of gruff for being lemons. But my 1994 C280 with 200k miles on it was still leaps and bounds ahead of my sister's brand-spanking-new C240 4MATIC in terms of engineering, reliability, and longevity. Her car had far more bells and whistles, but some didn't work, and some never worked quite right. New transmission, ECU, SRS sensors, head unit all in the first 2 years for a brand new Mercedes? Absolutely un-freaking-acceptable. You can tell I'm still sore about it. Mercedes did this to themselves.
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I don't think many people decide to sell their car and take a bath on it. Price is a balance of supply and demand. Unfortunately, the demand is relatively low and there isn't much on the supply side you can do. I guess we need to get one as the lead car in a movie about street racing, that should solve it...
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From: SCV SoCal
2002 CLK430
Sulaco, Sorry to hear about your sister’s car, but hers sounds like a lemon and is nothing like either of my post 2000 MBs. My most expensive maintenance item has been tires.
As for resale, no one who spends $120K of "their money" on a car should care about resale. There are funds that are paying over 35% this year. I’ve got money in one that is over 37% YTD and has averaged over 23% for 3 years. $120K invested wisely three years ago could have made over $100K. At today's rates, people can’t afford to buy a car. Anyone who does AND complains about depreciation really should spend an hour with a financial advisor.
As for resale, no one who spends $120K of "their money" on a car should care about resale. There are funds that are paying over 35% this year. I’ve got money in one that is over 37% YTD and has averaged over 23% for 3 years. $120K invested wisely three years ago could have made over $100K. At today's rates, people can’t afford to buy a car. Anyone who does AND complains about depreciation really should spend an hour with a financial advisor.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: America
1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
It was not a complaint about depreciation versus investment. It was a complaint about the quality of the car. If you're going to talk investment, you shouldn't even be thinking about cars unless you're uber rich and can afford a fleet of vintage Ferrari Californias and 600 Grossers you intend to lock up in an underground, vacuum sealed, air conditioned vault.
There are many other cars in the $120,000 range when new that are still worth half that when they're 5-7 years old. MB's used to be in that category, and they ruined it. Alls I'm sayin!
There are many other cars in the $120,000 range when new that are still worth half that when they're 5-7 years old. MB's used to be in that category, and they ruined it. Alls I'm sayin!
