I've aware of the "no disclosure" loop holes surrounding some used cars coming in Quebec (i.e.: auction, frankencars, title washing, rollbacks, etc.).

However, I'm looking at a car (2009 Mercedes G55 - 40k miles - ~$65-70k) that started out in New York for 1 year, traveled to Quebec 1 year, then down to Miami Beach Florida where it sat (?) at a Mercedes dealership for a few years (racking up miles???) before making its way back to New York. See details below.

The details looks alright on paper. But when I saw the vehicle in person, everything looked overly worn in for a 40k mile car: the vents were cracked, some paneling was chipped, back seats looked worn in, headlight was chipped, and I spotted some overspray drips on the hood. I felt the wear and tear was way above average for a 40k mile car, however, the Mercedes dealership was very willing to repair and replace the worn and broken items.

The current dealer, a Mercedes dealership, took in this car as a trade. It is not CPO'd due to its age.

Is anyone else able to make some sense out of the details below? Any suspicions regarding the trip up to Quebec (i.e.: rollbacks)? Why would a Mercedes Miami Beach dealership rack up 8000 miles (i.e.: loaner?)

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Carfax and AutoCheck report no accidents. A very clean report...

2/2009 - NH - New Hampshire DMV - Title & Renewal - 25 mi
2/2010 - QC - Quebec DMV - Renewal - 8,077 mi
11/2010 - QC - Quebec DMV - Renewal - 12,049 mi
1/2011 - FL - Mercedes (Miami Beach) - Title & Renewal - 12,053 mi
1/2012 - FL - Mercedes (Miami Beach) - Renewal - 14,974 mi
1/2013 - FL - Mercedes (Miami Beach) - Renewal - 16,641 mi
1/2014 - FL - Mercedes (Miami Beach) - Renewal - 17,472 mi
2/2015 - FL - Mercedes (Miami Beach) - Renewal - 20,105 mi
8/2015 - NY - Mercedes (NY 1) - Title & Renewal - 22,554 mi
3/2016 - NY - Mercedes (NY 2) - Title & Renewal - 29,521 mi
8/2016 - NY - Mercedes (NY 2) - Currently for sale - 38,056,521 mi

 

I don't see anything out of the ordinary In the CARFAX however your description scares me. Just find a nicer one?

 

I've been chasing a G55 (2009, 2010, 2011) for a few months now (North East region). Most of the others I've checked in-person have had excessive mileage, were in poor condition (rust, torn leather), or felt shady (seller).

This particular G55 I've found is for sale at a reputable Mercedes dealership. While not a CPO, I imagine they wouldn't risk taking in a lousy condition vehicle from their client.

Also, as I mentioned, the dealership was willing to replace all the worn and broken items with genuine parts as part of the deal (vents, cup holders, new headlight assembly, windshield blades, etc.)

My major concern is for the brief trip to Quebec. I can't help but wonder if the original driver was in an accident and title washed the vehicle in Canada. Is that even possible in such a short period of time? Maybe the Canadian client genuinely wanted a G55 imported in?

I also can't understand how the interior could have been so worn in for such a low mileage vehicle. Do dealerships generally put in 8000 miles while their cars "sit" on their lot?

If anyone else has a similar experience, please let me know your thoughts!

 

A few things here would steer me away. If it's been sitting on a lot for a year or owned by a dealer for a year, I would mentally be questioning the integrity of the dealer and their QC. How many people sat in the car or noticed a worn interior/all the other issues you mentioned and they didn't bother to fix it? Just sounds odd. Also these are generally either super low mileage and super clean or just abused and rough. Not much in between which is partially why I went new. It was hard enough to find the exact color I wanted let alone a perfect car.

The Canada thing wouldn't bother me personally. I live in Florida and there are plenty of people down here that have more than one home. Who knows why it went to Canada but I feel like title washing doesn't go on nearly as much and in the end it's either a good car or it isn't. They can tell that by a good inspection.

The wear bits and neglect would steer me away personally I don't care if they fixed it. Bottom line it wasn't taken care of, i personally also wouldn't buy a used car unless it was some old collectible or it was CPOed by Mercedes. Too much risk and too much cash to put out there with really no guarantee. That's my opinion and I hope it helps!

 

Hi Fella's, the trip north of the border could have been as simple as the result of where our two dollars were at. At one point 5-6 years ago, the Canadian dollar was very strong against the US dollar and there was a frenzy of people heading south to purchase vehicles. Add to that, the weak US economy at the time, there were some insane deals to be had. A friend of mine who has a dealership was buying some great cars during that time. I'm not saying this holds true for this particular vehicle, but it could very well be.

 

Good call you know what this is dead on. I bet that is the reason

 

Great insight! I did some more investigating and also ran a CarProof.com VIN check (canada service). The report came back clean and in support with your assessment. I believe the 1st owner came down to NH to pickup this vehicle brand new in the US for the better price - the timing seems to prove the point as well.

That eases my mind about any potential title washing. The 1st owner had the vehicle for only 1 year (1 winter) before it was sold and then put on a trailer (~0 miles) down to Mercedes Miami Beach.

Now, I have to decide if I can live with a potential loaner/dealer car. I believe that would explain the wear & tear in the back seat for a ~40k mile car. On the bright side, the CarFax shows that the Miami Mercedes dealership ran maintenance every single year very consistently for 5 years. And the car would have already been broken-in properly with its 1st owner (~8000 miles), which eases my mind about clients potentially hammering the car while on loan... Also the spare tire cover was dinged... but I wasn't compelled to make a deal out of it...

The current Mercedes dealership is now willing to replace the damaged/peeling/cracked vents (bizarre condition) and install some additional replacement parts.

Based on this info, does anyone else see a good value in this vehicle for $67-69k? I honestly don't mind the worn in leather too much. My major concern is for a healthy engine and car, a mechanic will determine this for sure, but what is your gut feeling?

My plan is to hold onto a G55 and drive it death as my daily and adventure/roadtrip car

Edit - I've attached some dealer photos of the interior below:

 

Looks good. If you are comfortable with it go for it. I know finding these used is not easy so if it's the right color, right miles and you are comfortable with the seller, sounds like you are good to go. I'm not familiar with used pricing but I am sure you have done your homework on that.