E430_4MATIC

Have prices fallen on W211's?

In shopping for a W211 wagon, I'm finding the dealers' asking prices to be less than NADA, Kelly's Blue Book and Edmunds suggested retail. For those who have recently purchased used from a dealer, how much less should I offer? It's hard without some documentation suggesting the asking price is too high!

Also, I would like to add the +24 month CPO warranty. Is there wiggle room in the cost of that as well?

Thanks for any advice.

WEBSRFR

Let us know the year and whether it is a 320 or 500 so we can give you better guidance. With regards to the CPO, everything is negotiable. The warranty is generally handled separately by the finance manager person. Negotiate the price of the car first and then negotiate the price of the warranty BEFORE you sign the dotted line. This way once you have a good price for your car, you can make them give you a good price for the warranty and they will do their best to make sure they get your business.

E430_4MATIC

Thank you for your reply WebSrfr. I am looking at 2004-2006 E500 4Matic wagons.

WEBSRFR

Good choice! The W211 wagons are wonderful vehicles. I recommend you find one with NAV and HK Audio. You should be able to find a 2004 E500 for around $30K and a 2005 E500 for around $35K. Disregard the crazy asking prices you are likely to see. No one pays sticker price for a new car and neither should you for a slightly used car. Stick to these figures and good luck with negotiating!

I highly recommend a 7 year 100K mile extended warranty that covers everything. You should probably set aside another $3-4.5K for the warranty, which will allow you to enjoy the car without having to worry about strange repair bills.

If you decide to get the warranty, don't forget to get a good price for the warranty BEFORE you sign to go ahead with the deal (after you negotiate the price of the car) or otherwise they'll try to get you with the warranty.

Report back and let us know how you did!