Hello everyone,

I'm getting very serious about purchasing a 2011 E550 with roughly 47k miles. They're currently asking $33,000 but they have already told me I could probably get it for $31,500 or $32,000 if I buy the extra 2 years CPO, which I would be buying either way.

http://www.mercedespalmbeach.com/cer...040cf5515b.htm

That being said, what does everyone think about the price? I only started looking at Mercedes about two weeks ago so I have a limited about of "market exploration" time. From a few searches both in my area (FL) and nationwide, it seems to be a very good price.

What does everyone think? Carmax apparently shows no accidents as well as regular maintenance.

Lastly, I plan to keep this car for 2-4 years and add about 30,000 miles per year... so realistically it's going to be 100k+ pretty quick. They are almost entirely highway miles so I would think I can get at least 150k out of the car if not more? I've never owned a MB before so I don't know what's possible.

 

Very difficult to tell from that listing what the options are. I see it has Keyless Go and the Pano roof along with Parktronic. What other options does it have? I did not run the VIN.
Without knowing all of the options it should still be below $30K. Maybe $26-$30K.
edit: I see it has distronic, lane keeping assist and some other goodies. It is a well equipped car, so closer to $30K.

 

if you like the car, offer 30,500 and the extended warranty, which you do want, and see what they say......it is hard to tell the options......is it a P2?

 

Car looks like it also has P2 lighting, distronic, active driver's seat. $30k sounds about right.

 

Looks like a p2 with distronic...saw some scratches under front bumper, I'd have a better look under there to see if anything is cracked. I also see curb rash on 2 of the wheels that are shown....Any other flaws? For reference I got a CPO 2010 550 4 matic p2 distronic in Jan for $29k with similar miles. Perfect condition, new oem wheels, tires, brakes and rotors, not a scratch. Good luck, and agree 30k with CPO sounds right. 550's are rare in this area, and of course I needed 4matic up here...

 

price seems good to me. remember to get them to put you down for wood replacement also.

More importantly, are they going to honor the CPO sales event deal for the 2 month payment credit, 1% financing up to 3 years, and first two services included? It is no longer listed on mbusa.com so it may have expired.

 

I asked about that promo before it expired and they told me it was only 2012 or 2013 (I can't remember which) and newer.

They are replacing the wood for me this week just in case I do buy it.

 

sorry, I must have not been paying attention to the model years in the promotion That would have made this sweeter for sure given the 60k service is coming up.

If you decide to pass on this, just keep in mind it will be a while before you find another one with these options in the color you want.

 

I know that's my whole problem... I hate acting/buying on impulse and that's exactly what this feels like to me, but I don't want to risk not being able to find one.

Just to be safe i'm calling every MB dealer in FL to see if anyone else has any E class with distronic. My first choice is an E350 anyways but can't seem to find any.

Miami seems to think they're taking in an E350 with distronic tomorrow on a trade and they're going to call me.

 

All the CPO listings are on mbusa.com. You can sort by distance and then start clicking through. Distronic is an easy to spot feature since it adds a plastic shield to the pre-facelift grill. Just look at the photo of the front of the car. If mbusa.com doesn't have exact photo of the car for sale, then google the car dealer and they will have it. That's how I found the car you were looking at.

I live in FL also and have continued to look at CPO inventory at my local dealers even after I made my purchase. It may be a while before you find another one locally based on what I have seen. As was stated in your other thread about distronic, it is rare on an E550 and even more rare on a E350. Also, the E550 came standard with the leather seating and ventilated seats if that is another important feature for you. Forget about trying to find the ventilated seats on the E350 - that was a special order with leather and is very rare. I have only seen it twice (once for sale and once on here) and those did not have distronic.

You have to discern the difference between impulse and opportunity. When you have a specific list of wants that are not standard and are particular about getting everything on your list, you have to act quickly when you find it in the used market. These are not Honda Accords where you just have to wait for an EXL package to come in your favorite color.

If it has the features you want and the price is fair, then jump on it. I am sure by now you have searched the internet for similarly optioned cars and found they are all higher in price locally. So if you fear is that you are overpaying, you better give yourself months to find the same car for less and be willing to search nationwide rather than at a local dealer where you could start building a relationship.

I just don't see the impulse other than the urgency to act. If you don't need a car right now or the options/color are not important to you, then I can see the impulse. If you are alright with getting a different color or sacrificing a feature or two, then by all means wait until you need to buy the car and shop price first.

 

The thing is... I technically don't need a car right now. I'm driving my VW it's just getting tiring driving that car 1000+mi a week. As far as options/color is concerned this car is absolutely perfect. I wouldn't buy anything other than white/black with white being my first choice, and I won't buy a MB without distronic.

This decision is becoming tougher by the comment, lol!

 

I am always so jealous the prices in USA is so much cheaper. For a CPO 2011 E550 they go for between $40-50k in Canada. For us that is an insane price you got there.

 

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I didn't have to replace my 8 year old car either when I got this one. However, once I started driving newer cars it was hard to go back to the old one - everything started to bug me more. My goal to get the most in a used luxury car for $32k as that was my target price for a new car like an accord. Must haves were BT audio (which I rarely use now), vented/cooled seats (must have in FL IMO), rear AC vents for kids (FL again), memory seats (it has to be just right) and all the other features I got used to on my old car (smart key, rear view camera, etc.). I could not say no to the E550 when I met it.