MBNUT1

Looking at a pristine black on tan 2010 E350 4matic Luxury 93K highway miles fully serviced including getting the new wood and second transmission and 4 matic service. P1 package. Firm at 18K Should I be scared to buy this car?

homeofstone

Does the new transmission come with warranty?

beejAMG

got to clear it mate. does it have a new tranny fitted or just had it serviced for the 2nd time?

MBNUT1

Sorry guys for the lack of clarity. Original transmission. 2 services. Drives like new

KEY08

New tranny, what? seems way high to me with those miles and no options.

thefisch

I am not a good at pricing, but you asked if you should be scared - is that because of the mileage at 93k? It seems all services are kept up with. Not sure who the seller is and what is their rep. you said it is pristine and that is hard with the lighter interiors like the tan so it appears it was well cared for. How is carfax report? You should get a independent mechanic review/pre-purchase inspection either at an indy or dealer regardless.

On price, it seems you should get a bargain when miles are high. Most stay away as cars approach that magical 100k mark. That could be to your benefit.

MBNUT1

Seller is a well to do private original owner. He claims no accidents. Didn't strike as the type who would need to lie about that. He is selling the car because he recently retired and is moving into the city of Chicago.

So far he said he is firm on his price. I need to get a car soon. So i need to pass or buy. KBB Trade-in is 16400 for the car. Will talk to the dealer tomorrow about a PPI

thefisch

Don't rely on any claims. Check the carfax. Check the service records at MB dealer. Private seller should arrange for you to get PPI done. Just becuase fluids were changed on time doesn't mean that everything is alright.

At a private seller should be willing to go lower on price if you can wait it out. He should be motivated as he is moving and wants to get this done. Use that to your advantage. Yes, you need a car but perhaps he needs to sell more than you need to buy. Tell him you have a tight budget, etc.

MBNUT1

Ok he had all of the records that I reviewed in person today including $2000 for brakes and tires 10K miles ago at the dealer.

I do agree that I need to have it looked at. Like you say it may be maintained per the book but there maybe something like control arm bushings or something leaking right around the corner.

I will contact the dealer tomorrow.

pamiboy

There is nothing like "need to buy a car soon". You should rent a car until you are able to find your car and wait it out on this one. He needs to sell this car soon, so the onus is on him.
Remember it is a buyer's market. There is no shortage of E class cars. I won't pay anything more than KBB value.

MBNUT1

I appreciate the council on not getting into a rush. You are right I could rent a car for a month and still be ahead of the game if I needed to. What KBB value? Private party sale is 18100 trade-in is 16400

cetialpha5

Just punch it into nadaguide.com. $18k is an average dealer price. I would expect it to be a little cheaper from an individual without a warranty.

Personally I would hold out for one with P2, but those are hard to find on an E350. Sounds like your basic E350, they're easy to find especially in black. P1 is a pretty standard package, it's basically a base model with no options unless you forgot to mention parktronic, keyless go, power trunk closer, folding rear seats, driver assistance package, pano sunroof, real leather instead of MBtex, bixenons etc.

kash2014

my black interior on my 2010 is flawless,

I wouldn't buy a 7 year old beige interior, but that is just me.

MBNUT1

Thanks for the input guys. One of the things I was looking for is at 100k watch out for this and that but it seems that the early W212's are pretty reliable which is something I am hoping is true. I work with a guy who has a 2011 and it has been very reliable

MBNUT1

This is accurate. The owner thought it had fold down rear seats until we tried to fold them down.

cetialpha5

Yeah, post the VIN or use this decoder to find out exactly what options it has:

http://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Mercedes-Benz

The folding rear seats has the two handles in the trunk.

Also this site has a list of options that the car came with.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/merce...cations/#42166

And for the record, my beige nappa leather is still fine after 8 years, but it's real leather, not MBTex although some say MBTex can last longer than real leather.

Basically it's not a rare car, very common color and very common options with a very common price. No real reason to jump on it. I'd use cargurus.com, autotrader, cars.com and run it through the vin checker to find one with some decent options. I like using cargurus because it tells you how long the car has been listed and the price drops. If it's only been on for a few days, it's probably still on the lot, if it's been on for a few months, it's typically some kind of scam where they say the car was just sold but we've got other cars on the lot you may be interested in.

MBNUT1

Thanks for taking the time to post. I also like car gurus. Probably got turned on to it by you, if you have mentioned it in the past.

He called me to let me know somebody else was going to look at it. I told to let me know if he doesn't get his price. It's in exceptional condition and excellent service history and I really don't need any other options. For me these cars are all about the drive. I wouldn't be surprised if it sells.

I will likely be buying an econobox in the mean time for commuter duties and take another bite at this apple later. If thats how it plays out I would tend to go for one with more efficient engine.

cetialpha5

Well if you go up 2 years, the 2012 has the direct injection 302hp engine and the 2010 only has the standard 268hp engine.

thefisch

Only reason he is calling you is to try and motivate you. Sounds old school. Just tell him good luck with sale. Best thing for you is this other person passes and then he is back to trying to sell it and running short on time.

Dealers take an unemotional approach to pricing. They typically drop as time passes and don't take low offers as they know another buyer will come along. With private sellers, selling is a pain in the butt. It takes time and energy to meet with prospective buyers, field questions, test drives, etc. They start to question the value of their time spent on selling and lose patience. Most people get impatient and end up selling to carmax or trading in. In his case, some places won't buy a 6 year old car with almost 100k miles. He is near that tipping point.

So if you think you know trade in value, add the value of the tax savings he would lose from not trading in and offer near or slightly above that. This guy will probably counter but stick close to you offer.

MBNUT1

Perfect advise. I did just what you said in terms of good luck with the sale and he has come back saying he can be a little flexable. Thinking about offering trade-in as you suggest.

thefisch

He will probably counter one of two ways - (1) meet you halfway so if you go $16.4k and he is at 18k he will come back with about $17.2k. Considering the tax savings on trading in (assuming he can get a $16.4k trade in offer) he may not take much lower or else it's better for him to trade in. Or (2) he counters by coming off $100 since he is trying to get you to come up trying to show he is not interested. This is just another game. Again hold your ground and know the price you're willing to pay or walk away.

By the way, this should all be contingent based on satisfactory mechanic review, carfax, etc.

And when you calculated trade in at $16.4k did you select fair condition. I know most select a higher level of condition but I've read that fair condition trade in value (the lowest) is what most dealers offer since they may just auction the car. They don't seem to pay up for better condition cars anymore in my experience.

MBNUT1

Thanks again. I gave the car credit for excellent. Don't think the tax saving on tradein is a factor as he is trying to downsize his number of vehicles to move into the city of Chicago.

cetialpha5

From what people have posted, if you look at nadaguide, the dealers typically offer just rough trade in value. He is between clean and retail which is what most dealers charge. Or rather most dealers that charge retail or higher are usually those bad credit places. I got mine from a dealer paying between clean trade in and retail. When I see good private party prices, they're usually just asking average trade in. You should ask him if he got an offer from a dealer.

MBNUT1

Offered 16.5 and requested PPI (implied in my nickel). He accepted both. Will also get Carfax done.

Thanks guys...

Hope the car gives me good service...

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...29509371&Log=0

KEY08

This guy has gotten his money's worth out of this car. He needs to let it go. Selling private party is a real pain. Give him one shot at an offer. I can't believe you can't locate something closer to you than Chicago.
EDIT- Nevermind....
Nicely done