cbeck44

Have pretty much settled on beginning the search for a 2011 E550 W4. Seems like the large price gap ($10K) between the 2011 and 2012 is significant enough to overcome the benefit of the newer engine. Would look for a P2 car with low mileage.

Are there other things that a 2012 offers that are significant? Is there COMMAND changes that make the 2011 Nav that behind? I understand there was a change from NTG4 to NTG4.5 somewhere during the 2011 run - is there a build date when this occurred worth checking?

Finally pricing. Appears auctions have the 2011 E550's averaging $31K as of this week. I am currently seeing mostly $38K-43K CPO cars. Would purchase additional warranty.

Thoughts on where a P2, lower mileage CPO car should be for a good deal?

SLpat

The price is going to be a function of mileage and options. I have a 2001 E550 and when I was looking most seemed to have the P2. I was also looking for the Driver Assistance Package that included the Distronic which was much harder to find. I got mine in February and if you were looking for a car with P2 only with 28-35K miles they were in the $43-45K range. 35k-45K were in the $39-42K range. If you can get one in the high $30's and below 35K in miles you are probably doing OK.

I would try and make sure the one you get still is under the original manufactures warranty if only for a couple months. That way you can insure that any issues will be covered such as the fading trim that impacted many of the 2011's. While the CPO warranty is good, it does not cover trim. I am not sure if the extended warranty covers trim options.

thefisch

I am not aware of a specific build date when they started putting NTG4.5 in the 2011, but when I was looking for my 2011 I did see photos of a 7/11 build date 2011 E550 that had NTG4.5. And I recall seeing 4.0 on 3/11 build dates which tells me it could be closer to mid 2011. Just look for the sd slot instead of the pcmcia slot. But I am not sure what difference it would make other than the slot (which you can buy sd card adapter for the pcmcia) unless they also started putting in the usb port in the center console then also. One year difference is the nav maps is no big deal IMHO.

The engine would be a biggest deal for me in moving from a 2011 to 2012, unless you care about minor updates. There is another thread if you search on the exterior differences between 2011 and 2012 that mentions different DRL, blue efficiency badge, etc. I am very happy with my 2011 but I would have probably paid up to $4-5k more for a 2012 if that was an option. However, I could find none within $10-15k of what I was paying for my 2011.

In another thread, someone posted that you typically use 20-25 cents per mile as a reasonable different when comparing cars of different mileages. However, that may be valid for cars of the same model year as opposed to one year later.

kash2014

Not many running through the auctions, but an above average low mileage w4 at least 36 - 37 wholesale

hard to come by good luck

thefisch

Do you find it is a cyclical thing affected by when most of the cars were sold and the leases ending 3 years later? Perhaps now is a slow time as most of the 2011's coming off lease have already moved through but still to early to see much volume of 2012's. Does that mean you will see more 2012's come to auction in late 2014? If so, then more supply would drive the price down. Or is there no pattern to it?

kash2014

I'm by no means an expert, just an amateur with a manheim account so I'm not sure

But I can guess that this is not a slow time for the 2011s, 2010 have died off and 2012 are picking up

139 2011 e350 and 139 2011 e350 w4 have moved through this particular auction in the last 3 weeks, more volume than the 2012, 2010 combined so I wouldn't call it a slow time, but then again I don't know how many 2011 units moved in February, so you could be right


The e550 is barely averages a dozen units a month

I'd like to think it is a year round sale with MB financial services, I know they have auctions very often (I see 6 this week) but I don't know about their logistics, getting the cars from dealerships to the auctions etc etc.

I'm going to guess with the sheer volume of the e350s, combined with 27 month, 36 month leases, early lease returns, etc etc I think supply should average out in the end but then again would need a real dealer to answer your questions

thefisch

Kash, with that account you are more of an expert than I am. So it still holds up that there are 10 E350 for every 1 E550. What kind of pricing are you seeing on the 2012 E550 P2 4M?

I still go back and look at Carmax as you can search nationwide on any model or even specific features. And they take good pictures. They have about 9 2011 and 2010 E550's right now. This one caught my eye since it is loaded. Black on black 2010 E550 sport P2 distronic pano for $30,998 with 46k miles. Clean autocheck and they will transfer any car, sometimes at no cost if within a couple hundred miles. Carmax has good pricing on ELW also for up to 6 years since this one is out of warranty.

kash2014

Not many have been run through the manheim auctions.

12/17/13 ORLANDO Regular $48,600 11,609 Above GRAY 8G A Yes
04/03/14 PA Lease $35,250 59,390 Avg BLACK 8G P Yes
05/08/14 RIVRSIDE Lease $40,250 40,151 Avg STL GRY 8G A Yes
05/08/14 CHICAGO Regular $40,500 13,969 Avg BLACK 8G A Yes
05/15/14 PA Lease $43,500 27,733 Avg BLACK 8G P Yes
06/11/14 DALLAS Regular $33,300 60,580 Below BLACK 8G A Yes


not sure what packages they have exactly either.

kash2014

It looks really good,

I still go back and look at the dealership I bought my E class from too, can't wait to trade it in for a a 2014 in a few years!

cbeck44

What are the warranty options for a car like that not bought as an MB CPO? I see a 2011 at CarMax that does have a year left of factory warranty - can an extended be bought by a MB dealer if not CPO?

KEY08

You can always buy an extended warranty. That 2010 E550 with all of those options is a steal at $31K. The 2010 is identical to the 2011 and you(cbeck44) may want to open up to the 2010 year as well. These NA cars are amazing and go like stink.

kash2014

To answer your question, we don't know!

I bought and saved a few thousand dollars by buying from a dealership that buys directly from MB financial services, they usually have over 50 e class's in stock and I found what I was looking for. My car was under factory warranty and I easily purchased an Extended Limited Warranty from a dealer.

A few other posters have said that you can't if you are not the original owner, but many second owners have been able to buy the ELW with no problems.

I preferred this route, as I was able to save a couple of thousand dollars, get more options and lower mileage car.

thefisch

Since I didn't buy a CPO, I can share my experience. On a non-CPO you can still get the same extended MB warranty that is available to original owners so long as the car is still under the original b2b warranty. This is what Kash got. My local dealer would have done it for me too. If your dealer won't do it, you should call around. This coverage is more extensive than any CPO or third party warranty.

Beyond that your dealer will also sell 3rd party warranties from Fidelity, etc. If you buy from Carmax, they sell MaxCare which my service advisor said was just as good as Fidelity (which my dealer sells) but a fraction of the cost. You should ask at your local service department.

thefisch

Yeah, my wife thinks I like torturing myself. But when I spend so much time looking and researching if is hard to let go even after I purchase.

kash2014

Great points, the only caveat being if you drive a lot, then a unlimited mile CPO warranty is probably the route you want to take. I won't reach 75000 miles in 7 years so it wasn't worth it, and in my case the dealership I bought it from preps their cars pretty well as they pretty much only sell MB, so the cachet of CPO wasn't as big a deal for me.

SLpat

Your wife and my wife must be friends. She thinks I am the only one that after spending months researching and looking for a car follow it up with months of trying to verify I got a good deal.

cbeck44

That's why these forums are a great big virtual self-help therapy group

KEY08

Oh yeah, I'm right in there with you all! I'm almost tempted to buy that Carmax car just so I can keep doing this over and over. It's the car Groundhog Day...

thefisch

Carmax seems to employ a cost plus approach when setting their sales prices. The sales manager at my local store told me they set a desired markup on top of their cost to acquire and condition the car. That's why some of their cars seem overpriced while a few may be a deal. This is the lowest price 2010 E550 they have nationwide and it has more features than all the other ones with comparable mileage. Doesn't make sense to me since it should be selling for more than the ones they are asking $33-34k. P2, pano, parktronic, distronic, 60/40 rear seats - just add night vision and you have the 2010 E550 unicorn.

MBNUT1

You do realize that the first thing that you are supposed to do after you purchase your car is begin the hunt for the next one.

MBNUT1

Months? Rank amateur

rrayll

I can't speak to an E550, but I recently purchased a CPO 2011 E350 with P2 and Driver's Assist package and absolutely love both. Both P2 and the Driver's Assist package are well worth shopping for. At least with the E350, that combination is quite rare, but not sure with an E550 since it's a more deluxe and expensive car. But if you are not in a rush to buy your new car, try finding a car with both.
Speaking to NTG 4.0 vs. NTG 4.5, it is my understanding that the later builds of 2011 cars (after July 2011, I think) have 4.5. If you are really lucky, you will find P2 and Driver's Assist in a late 2011 build (and in the colors you want with low mileage) at a reasonable price.
Good luck with your hunt.

z06michael

I am one of the lucky ones,I work at a Lexus dealer and we took in a 11 E550 on trade,40k miles,P2 and sport package,put it on front line for 37,000,no takers,know one liked the color,Designo Mauritius Blue/beige-black interior,I watched it as I do the used car recon and knew the car was perfect and it's service history,when it was about to be wholesaled I jumped and got the car for 29,000,I also contacted old owner and got him to transfer cpo to me,very lucky

Munich77

You are lucky indeed - i would love to see the pictures of that color combination. I am a sucker for blues.

thefisch

I wish I had an inside angle at a dealer or auction house. That way you can buy at such a good price and then sell later for little or no loss. Then it would be fun to try out different cars for a year or less without taking a hit.

A little of topic - I talked to a guy once who claimed that in the lost coast of northern California/southern Oregon there were no car dealers for miles and miles. So he would visit family in Sacramento a couple of times a year. He would fly down and then buy a car there and drive it back. He claimed he could always sell the car for more than he paid, covering the cost of his visit and pocketing some cash.