Hey MBW, Im talking with a dealer right now about a 1997 C36 with 108k miles. The dealer is asking $14,900 for it. Its black and its obviously an auto. I was wondering if this is a good deal or not. KBB (I know now that most of you agree that they are not accurate) appraised this car at $15,690. Edmunds (when AVERAGE condition rating is selected) values this car at $14,912 for dealer retail. I would assume the car is actually in CLEAN condition, which bumps the value to $17,694.

Basically, I would like to know if this is a good deal, a great deal, or a bad deal. Also, at this mileage, what kind of major maintenance can I expect to need attention within the next year. Are there any flaws that I should look out for? How can I tell if the vehicle was abused (I think I know the answer to this)? Thats about it. So much for my first post.

 

bad deal. closer to 10k.

 

whatever car it is always substract a few grand from kbb to get a more realistic value
used cars don't go for kbb anymore unless buyer is misinformed/tricked by dealer

 

in my experience, KBB is by far the lowest value out of all the books out there; cars are usually listed ABOVE KBB and sell @ KBB or slightly below; it all depends on the condition IMO; Eurosport could be right, though, I don't know; FYI, I just bought my car for about 3K under KBB

 

Dealers use the Manheim Market Report to gauge what a car is worth trade in. Add 2 grand to that and that is where it should sell at. Dealers make more money off Used then New because they have to warranty them somewhat. I will look tomorrow morning at what the value of a 1997 C36 is throughout the Manheim System!

 

None sold at a Manheim Auction in the last year! Not one. But it does list them as worth 17K with less than 60,000 miles from a dealer perspective.

 

If it is in excellent condition, it seems like a very good deal to me (especially considering it's a dealer car) and I would definitely pursue it. When considering the purchase or sale of a European import / luxury car, I use NADA - a more accurate reflection of value but, naturally, it tends to be a bit higher than most.

If I recall correctly, 97 had the fewest production numbers (rarest year of the three for the C36). That's a plus in my book, anyway. Black, however, was not the rarest color in any year.

I would ask the dealer where the majority of miles were put on. Geographical location of the car's previous life is important with respect to number of things, including the wiring harness. The majority of miles on my 95 C36 (red) were put on in the northeast. Unfortunate in terms of snow, etc. but fortunate because the engine wiring harness (that is notorious for degrading quickly) lasted a little longer in the colder climate. As soon as the car was driven in Florida and GA for a summer, wiring harness crapped right out - I am replacing it this weekend. Most shop owners who are familiar with the W202 wiring harness problem will tell you that there really isn't as prevalent a problem in the northeast as there is in hotter climates. I would also flat out present your concerns about the wiring harness to the dealer.

Wiring Harness - $1,300 part plus 2-3 hours labor
Mass Air Sensor - sometimes craps out at high miles or too much oil from a K&N air filter that might have been installed. $300+ part
Don't bust a fog light - $400+

If you surf around this site and www.club202.com, you will be a very informed consumer.

There are a lot of AMG specific parts on the car that run 2-3 times the amount of $ for replacement, so beware of that.

Other than that, I have been very pleased blowing away Mustangs (among many others) in my measley little 6 cyl. (as far as they know, before showing them what their car is NOT capable of). From a technical standpoint, I also prefer the C36 to the other W202 AMG, the C43, but I know I'm going to take a lot of heat for that one. No it's not because plug changes are easier! :p

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.