Buying a C63 that no one wants
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2008 C63
Just for perspective, a kid backed into the front of my '08 63 about 6 months ago in a parking lot. Couldn't have been doing more than 5mph. $7500 later the car was fixed. New hood, right headlight, and grill. Front bumper was fine as he was in a jeep.
The 3 parts ran about $5k. This will show on carfax now, but the accident damage was purely cosmetic.... With a front end collision anything under $10k could be cosmetic with these cars...
The 3 parts ran about $5k. This will show on carfax now, but the accident damage was purely cosmetic.... With a front end collision anything under $10k could be cosmetic with these cars...
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Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Pittsburgh
C63 AMG
Devils advocate for just a minute on this.
I drive a car worth (lets say) $45-$48k (un-wrecked of course), I get a bumper ding. Do I; A) Pay the $1500 (at worst case) to have the bumper repaired and come out clean a the end? or B) Pay a $500 deductible, have a body shop fix it, and lose $10k resale value from a bad car fax?
Bad CarFaxes showing "minor" are typically under say $2k worth damage, anything above that gets called worse from what I remember. "Minor to Moderate" sounds to me like $7K-$15K damage, which may include headlights, hood, bumper cover, bumper, etc.
Take a look at the painted bolts that hold the fenders on, if they are chipped up (fro the use of a socket for removal), the fenders were removed, and at least probably painted if not replaced. If they are not chipped up, next I would be looking for overspray under the hood. Look at the alignment of body panels and see if they all match fro the left side of the car to the right.
Im saying all of this assuming you may not know these few little tips, if you do, I apologize in advance and will quit sounding like a know-it-all pompous ***! lol
I drive a car worth (lets say) $45-$48k (un-wrecked of course), I get a bumper ding. Do I; A) Pay the $1500 (at worst case) to have the bumper repaired and come out clean a the end? or B) Pay a $500 deductible, have a body shop fix it, and lose $10k resale value from a bad car fax?
Bad CarFaxes showing "minor" are typically under say $2k worth damage, anything above that gets called worse from what I remember. "Minor to Moderate" sounds to me like $7K-$15K damage, which may include headlights, hood, bumper cover, bumper, etc.
Take a look at the painted bolts that hold the fenders on, if they are chipped up (fro the use of a socket for removal), the fenders were removed, and at least probably painted if not replaced. If they are not chipped up, next I would be looking for overspray under the hood. Look at the alignment of body panels and see if they all match fro the left side of the car to the right.
Im saying all of this assuming you may not know these few little tips, if you do, I apologize in advance and will quit sounding like a know-it-all pompous ***! lol
Just for perspective, a kid backed into the front of my '08 63 about 6 months ago in a parking lot. Couldn't have been doing more than 5mph. $7500 later the car was fixed. New hood, right headlight, and grill. Front bumper was fine as he was in a jeep.
The 3 parts ran about $5k. This will show on carfax now, but the accident damage was purely cosmetic.... With a front end collision anything under $10k could be cosmetic with these cars...
The 3 parts ran about $5k. This will show on carfax now, but the accident damage was purely cosmetic.... With a front end collision anything under $10k could be cosmetic with these cars...
From being in the car sales force for a number of years, and what I can remember of reading all those carfaxes, once you get into replacing costly parts, ie. hood, bumper cover, headlights, etc., the verbiage leans toward moderate as the costs begin to escalate over the few thousand dollar mark and starts reaching a higher percentage of the vehicles net value.
If I'm not mistaken, insurance companies base their records on percentages, cost of damage vs value of vehicle. Once it reaches a certain percentage they consider the vehicle a total loss, before that, the lingo varies of course.
Again, from what I remember, I think it is as follows:
Minor - aesthetically damaged, repairs under xyz %
Moderate - replacement of body panels etc, repairs over xyz %
Major - bag deployment, frame damage, structural integrity compromised - repairs considerably over xyz %, but under total loss %
Total Loss - repairs over xyz %
At least this is my take on it.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
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2017 C63S Coupe
The dealer knows exactly who the original owner was. Ask them to call the first owner and see if it is ok that you speak with them. There's no harm in asking and the original owner has nothing to lose. If they decline then that would be a red flag. If they think you are a serious buyer and will not purchase the car without speaking with the original owner then they only stand to benefit by getting you in touch with them. Just a thought
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
The dealer knows exactly who the original owner was. Ask them to call the first owner and see if it is ok that you speak with them. There's no harm in asking and the original owner has nothing to lose. If they decline then that would be a red flag. If they think you are a serious buyer and will not purchase the car without speaking with the original owner then they only stand to benefit by getting you in touch with them. Just a thought
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
the report came back perfect, just some rock chips on the bumpers and headlights. I asked them to drive it like they stole it and they said it was perfect too lol. I dropped a deposit.
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From: Pittsburgh
C63 AMG
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
one thing that raises a concern tho, they "said" it came back perfect, then i asked how was the repairs on the previous accident (from the first owner) and they said "it has been repaired so well, we couldn't even tell something has been repainted" idk what to take from it.. if they are bad at their job or if its true..
also, PJ and the audi dealership wouldnt release the information of the first owner, hard to contact with no name or number
edit: also, the (texas german autohous) PPI inspector also told me that he thinks the reason it isn't selling is because the car has a very specific market.. believable but I wonder if they are working with the dealership. Another strange thing is that they didn't have anything to send me when I asked for it.
also, PJ and the audi dealership wouldnt release the information of the first owner, hard to contact with no name or number
edit: also, the (texas german autohous) PPI inspector also told me that he thinks the reason it isn't selling is because the car has a very specific market.. believable but I wonder if they are working with the dealership. Another strange thing is that they didn't have anything to send me when I asked for it.
Last edited by jas0ndotc0m; Oct 30, 2014 at 11:03 AM.
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From: Alberta
This and that.
If you are going to be so paranoid go with a brand new one. Seriously, just go ahead with it already. If you're that concerned hire your own mechanic to do an independent inspection and be done with it. Did you mention it was a CPO? If so, you should have warranty and that should alleviate your concerns right there.
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From: Blasting off!
CLS63 Designo Edition, Hyundai Genesis 3.8 , Veloster Turbo, CLS500(Sold), E320 (SMOKED) R500 (Sold)
Devils advocate for just a minute on this.
I drive a car worth (lets say) $45-$48k (un-wrecked of course), I get a bumper ding. Do I; A) Pay the $1500 (at worst case) to have the bumper repaired and come out clean a the end? or B) Pay a $500 deductible, have a body shop fix it, and lose $10k resale value from a bad car fax?
I drive a car worth (lets say) $45-$48k (un-wrecked of course), I get a bumper ding. Do I; A) Pay the $1500 (at worst case) to have the bumper repaired and come out clean a the end? or B) Pay a $500 deductible, have a body shop fix it, and lose $10k resale value from a bad car fax?
To your point, I had an experience EXACTLY like this. My CLS500, I had a very light hit to the rear bumper. Since I didn't know the underlying, and it was just paint chips, it was reported to the lady's insurance that hit me. Turns out, the damage was only about $800, basically pull the bumper off, strip it, respray, and reattach.
The rub was this was on the CarFax as an "accident to the rear"..so that killed the original quote I got on the resale when I sold it. Knocked off about $4K for $800? That was not a good deal.
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
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2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
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Joined: Oct 2014
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
Oh my '11 i just got cost 35k too, which makes me wonder why no one has purchased it yet, seeing how a lot of 08-09s are selling for 35k
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2010 C63 P30
So i think it really is the market in the area and the accident , dont worry too much about why it didnt sell
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From: Pittsburgh
C63 AMG
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From: LA, CA
'11 c63
just an update to anyone that actually cares lol I just received the car. The only issues I had so far (from just listening and playing around with everything is the moonroof cracks when putting the shade back in and one of the 4 cup holder plastic broke (spring?), nothing the mb warranty won't cover.. i think. Other than that, car is in great shape.
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Joined: Jun 2012
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2009 c63
I had a 4 mph bender in just the right spot to have $10k of damage: hood, grill, light, bumper, misc parts and painting...
Car is perfect but be wary that the front bumper does not resist paint chips as well as a factory painted bumper. Stay far clear of salt trucks if you drive in winter...
Car is perfect but be wary that the front bumper does not resist paint chips as well as a factory painted bumper. Stay far clear of salt trucks if you drive in winter...
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Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Pittsburgh
C63 AMG
just an update to anyone that actually cares lol I just received the car. The only issues I had so far (from just listening and playing around with everything is the moonroof cracks when putting the shade back in and one of the 4 cup holder plastic broke (spring?), nothing the mb warranty won't cover.. i think. Other than that, car is in great shape.
Easy diy-er.
Congrats.
