cyclerider

My wife is resigning her job to join me in retirement, so we are beginning to downsize our lifestyle. I need to find a home for the E550. What are the pluses and minuses of using AutoTrader versus eBay? Any others I should consider? What do you think I should ask for it? KBB and Edmonds are $6000 apart on private party value, so I don't really have a good idea where to start. The car has 7,000 miles and is in perfect condition.

Looking forward to your suggestions.

Clinton Horn

I don't have an opinion of one over the other. A car like that will attract a lot of interest. Please allow me to caution you about the kind of people you don't want to attract. I had a guy call me about a car that was in Auto Trader. He came and parked a Land Rover at the corner of my lot. We got into the Impala I was selling, him driving, and drove around the neighborhood. His scam worked like this. He said he was afraid to drive any further as the car had been stored and had no current tag. As I got out of the car to assume the driver's seat, he simply drove away. No drama, no squealing tires, just calmly drove off. I was left totally in shock. I called my wife and the police in that order. The vehicle he left behind was driven away obviously by someone concealed. I am one in a miilion as he parked the car in a new housing development and planned to retrieve it later. A nosy neighbor got concerned enough to call the cops THREE times before they came to investigate. I got out for a towing fee as the cops (rightfully so) refused to let me drive it home. This young guy was very smooth. I am sure that this is an old scam but it worked beautifully on me and I consider myself to be fairly intelligent. Just remember that when you expose your possesions to 1/2 of the world population, you can expect some really clever crooks. A nice low mileage E will attract some bad elements.

cyclerider

That is one I had never heard of.

sgaar

The best(?) easiest way it to take it to Carmax. They will give you a fair price very close to KBB with no haggle etc. The whole thing is over in about an hour. Granted you will not be able to get more that what they offer. It is take it, or leave it which is the way they do business.

On the other hand, do you want to spend time listing it on Autotrader or eBay and hope that you will get more than KBB. I for one can tell you that it will have to be a VERY special car for me to pay more than KBB for a used one.

When I got my E and had to sell my Linc Navi the MB dealer didn't want to pay enough and I took it to Carmax. Done!

But again, if you are retireing you might have enough time on your hands.... ?

Long Islander

I'm puzzled. If your car had a current license plate, I wonder how was he going to get you out of the car after driving the car around the neighborhood. Did he know you had no license plate before he came to look at the car?

Davel

i've sold cars to carmax twice with good results

Clinton Horn

I really don't know. He had obviously done this before. He was a minority in a whitebread area. He claimed that he was afraid of being harassed by the police. The whole thing was very smooth. Leaving the LR at my house was designed to lower my guard. After all, he was leaving collateral. He knew the car was not currently registered. It was a 96 Impala SS that I had in my garage for 5 years and had NO insurance. It was a bonehead play from the start but you live and learn. What I thought was going to be a 2 mile test drive almost ended in a huge loss for me. The cop said the only reason they stashed the car was because they were afraid of being stopped for the tag. They probably would have come back after dark with a roll back or a stolen tag. I do not know the ways of car thieves but they are certainly creative and while I still recommend private sales, there is a risk that one MUST recognize.

spclagent7

As a sidenote... Wow!!! A 96 Impala! That is an interesting car. With the gearshift on the floor rather than the column... Glad you didn't lose it to some punks.

NCE500

I can't speak for Oregon values, but in the Southeast I would expect between $45- $47 K on a trade/wholesale transaction, about $50K private sale, and around $52 - $54K dealer sale, with an MB CPO a little higher.

If you go to an MB dealer or CarMax vs. selling it privately, the difference (loss) to you will probably be about $5K. Whether that $5K is worth the effort of retailing, advertizing, test drives, etc. is a personal decision.

From personal experience, I agree that selling a clean, low mileage car to CarMax is painless, aside from leaving a few quid on the table. Your MB dealer may also have interest given the mileage and newness of your car.

Recognizing that new cars are not particularly good investments, the E550 is a pretty amazing all round car and year 1 depreciation is always the biggest hit. For what you will get for it now you won't be able to buy anything as good back for the money....you might want to consider keeping it if you can.

Best of luck.

okc329

If so, I'd advertise there. There aren't a lot of E550's around and somebody who reads that magazine might be looking. It could be worth buy a one-year membership just to advertise the car.

cyclerider

CarMax doesn't operate in Oregon, so that won't work for me.
Thanks. Nice post.
Interesting idea.

Benz-O-Rama

Sure wish I was in the market for an E550. Good luck man, we'll miss you around here.

cyclerider

Thanks. You know, I never thought about leaving the forum. Maybe I'll lurk anonymously in the future.

Grnhilndr-2

If you want to get an idea what your car is going for, check the LuxuryMotors.com web site. They quote the price of various 07 E 550's with different mileages. Luxury Motors is located in Chicago, their prices seem reasonable. Good luck with you sale.

nycturbovr6

i just hate how our cars lose such value so dam quickly

Barry45RPM

Yup... One thing's for sure. A car is NOT an investment.

E500Newbee

Especially Mercedes...

Untertürkheim

All the more reason to buy a diesel...lowest depreciation is just one of the perks.

Dragoncoach

Possibly interested. pm sent

cyclerider

pm received. reply sent.