PeteyV

I found a 2014 ML63 that I am very interested in out of state. It has the performance package, designo interior, and pano roof which is what I want. The mileage is at about 36,000 and I was able to get the price down to $43K.

Going by the KBB the range is between $34-$40k but I know because of the pandemic the used car prices have increased about 10% which is what this is reflecting right now.

Thoughts? Inputs?

chassis

@PeteyV Private party or dealer? If dealer, the price seems in the range based on low number of listings on cargurus. If private party and if you are a good negotiator, there may be some more negotiating room.

How is the cosmetic condition? Oil leaks or seepage? Full service history? How are the brakes and tires? Use all of this as negotiating points.

PeteyV

It's a dealership, just not a Benz dealer. Cosmetically, I don't see any major issues with it. I did notice that there was a scratch through the build date sticker (the one on the inside of the door frame), but thats not too big of a deal to me. Service history looks good, it was receiving all of its maintenance on schedule and at MB dealerships. Brakes and Tires, oil leaks, etc - I don't have too much information on from what I can see, but I would get a professional PPI done on this car first but the dealership wants a big deposit down (but it is refundable). The dealer says the car is "SO CLEAN" and the person traded it in for a Bentley apparently.

I am not too worried about owning an AMG out of warranty because I have a trusted MB mechanic that I go too, but I would be lying if it was not a thought. Called around a few dealerships to ask about extended warranties, but no response or call back from any of the MB dealers as of yet. Any input on overall reliability of the W166 chassis? I have to say I was looking at W212 and W222, but I feel like the W166 will be more family friendly for cargo space and multi-use. Plus the wifey wouldn't mind driving it after she gets sick of her car.

chassis

@PeteyV The W166 is one of the most reliable MB chassis in recent years. It is the longest running of the current, or most recently replaced, platforms. Body, steel spring suspension, steering and non-AMG brakes are all good. AMG brakes are powerful and usually need frequent replacing. Air suspension needs maintenance and the air bags (struts) usually need replacing before 100k miles - lots written about this. Cooling systems can have minor leaks on hoses and connections, and cracked plastic radiator mounts. COMAND is robust, if not elegant. I like the harman kardan audio system, I don't read many complaints about it in the W166. There are not many reports about the Bang and Olufsen audio system. HVAC is generally good. Interior systems are generally good - seats, windows, lights. Axles and transfer case are good. What can be a wildcard is the transmission. The 9G and 7G seem generally good, but conductor plate replacement and balky/bumpy shifts are not uncommon. Engines are shared across several platforms, and each engine has peculiarities. The M276 V6 seems the most reliable. The OM642 is the least reliable. The gasoline V8s are somewhere in between.

Overall the W166 seems more reliable than average for Mercedes, reading across platforms sections on this site. Mercedes reliability as you are probably familiar with, is below average.

PeteyV

Thanks for the detailed response! I'll have to weigh out some of my options. The car enthusiast in me wants to buy it, but the investor in me wants to hold off and use the funds in stocks because my current work situation being fully remote and barely needing to put miles on any of my cars at the moment.

Decisions! Decisions!

I did end up asking the dealer if they can get closer to 40K, but they showed me the NADA and said they are already under. The NADA did have the bang and olofsen system in there (which the car doesn't have) but they stayed with their original offer. I'll leave it in their court and if they decide to call me back for $40K I'll likely do it.

PeteyV

It looks like I am leaning towards the purchase as I have started the buying process. Pretty excited actually. I’ll be happy to potentially have a year round car with the power and not have to worry *too* much about clearance issues in the snowy weather up here.

Currently, I am trying to get more maintenance history based on the VIN. The carfax looks great and the vehicle received the recommended maintenance schedule but I’d like to try and get an MB dealer to print out a history based on the VIN. Issue is all the dealers in my area won’t do that unless I am the owner. 🤨

BlownV8

$40K is high for a 2014 even with low mileage. $34k is closer to realistic. Lots of ML 63's sitting for a long time since there is a big difference between asking and selling prices right now. I passed on a low mileage loaded 2015 at $40k. I'm guessing this one is at the Toyota dealership. It's been there for many months if it is the one. From memory, it didn't have massaging seats which was a deal killer for me.

What would the insurance company give you if it is totaled? Don't pay more than that amount or have extra insurance to cover the difference. Had one that was less than a day old get totaled and had I not carried an extra rider on my policy I would have been majorly underwater for an accident that wasn't my fault.

diamondblak05

With the pandemic, $43K for a low-mileage 2014 ML63 with limited options is on the high end. With just the options you listed, I'd be more comfortable with a price range of $35-38K. What other options does it have? Besides what you stated, other notable options include:

-night vision
-distronic/driving assist
-tri-zone hvac/rear seat heating
-rear sunshade
-soft close doors
-bang & olufsen sound system
-running boards
-massaging seats
-split screens

These options will drive up the value of the vehicle by several thousands. Good luck with the purchase. Be sure to do a PPI and if anything is found, use that to re-negotiate the price or have dealer fix it first before signing anything.

PeteyV

It has all of these options besides bang and olufsen, night vision, and rear entertainment. The negotiated price before I go down there to take a look at it was $43K, but once I see it with my own eyes I can assess and do some more negotiating. Not considering today's PPI that is scheduled.

One factor I am also considering is the low mileage (36K) but it has a great service history. it received all service required based on years and not just mileage, i.e. 1 year or 10,000 mile service, 2 year or 20,000 mile service, up to 6 year or 60,000 mile service.

I was originally trying to get down to the KBB value, which you stated, but the dealership is going by NADA and they are under Nada by 1K right now. If it doesn't feel right I am ready to walk away.

PeteyV

This one is not at a Toyota dealership. I have looked at a few MY14-MY15 ML63 . All priced in the low 40s. I was able to get one down to 35K but after going in to take a look at it, it was pretty beat up, lacked service history, lacked options, and was a Canadian vehicle. This particular ML63 I have started the process for was listed at $46K and then was able to talk them down to 43 before I came in. I am suspecting I can get another 2K taken off once I take a look at it. I would be happy paying 41K as even 43K is a fair deal in my opinion based at what I have looked at.

I will be carrying gap insurance in the event of a loss to cover me in the event of an accident. Also my insurance for this car would be around $60 a month which is amazing. Currently my Hellcat is at $240 a month - and I have an absolutely clean record. Michigan car insurance

PeteyV

Thanks for all the replies guys. I’ll consider everything you’re saying about the price before I sign off on anything!

BlownV8

Please send a link to the one that was not as expected. It may save others who are looking to buy.

PeteyV

https://www.twinsautosalesmi.com/det...class/56658456

it wasn’t terrible, just had more blemishes than I would be okay with.

PeteyV

So, looking through some of my pre purchase documents I noticed the dealer added a “battery fee” of $1.50. Not a big deal cost wise but then I wondered what that was. Looks to be the fee for a battery replacement on the vehicle at the dealer. Okay I get a new battery, that’s good, right? The thing is this car has had 3 new batteries based on the carfax now. 1 with the first owner, 1 with the next owner, and now 1 at the dealer. Yes it’s 6 years old but it only has 36K miles. I have a 16 year old Benz in the garage with 140K miles and it’s only needed 1 new battery and it was because my mechanic recommended it.

I am thinking there must be some kind of parasitic drain going on here. I’ll have to ask more questions tomorrow morning to see exactly what’s going on.

diamondblak05

It could be just that the car sat too long without a battery tender and totally drained the battery, resulting in a dead battery that can't be charged. Double check if it was the main battery or aux battery that was replaced.

PeteyV

I will have to do that today. If I can't get a straight answer from the salesman I will just have to walk away. I would imagine they know the truth especially since this car was bought from their dealer January 2020 then traded back in November 2020 with only 1500 miles added on the odometer. It is a 2 owner vehicle, first owner had it for 5 years as a corporate car and the other owner bought it from this dealer and then traded it back in.

PeteyV

Spoke to the salesman to get me some more additional info. Vehicle actually did not have a battery replaced - it is a miscellaneous charge that is put on used vehicles in Florida. So basically car has had its battery change 2 times, once in 2015 and another time in 2020.

ML also has the updated timing chain and the pre-purchase inspection came back looking good. No huge issues besides typical wear and tear (stone chips) from a 6 year old car. A market price analysis was also included and it is priced higher than my selling price comparing vehicles in the market now.

I am flying down Friday to take a look at it, but still hesitant.

diamondblak05

Battery was probably changed in 2020 for good measures but 1 year after it left the lot? That's strange. Regardless, you flying down to look at it will really determine if it's the right one. I bought mine sight unseen from the west coast. Go figure...

PeteyV

You, my friend, have courage! Wife really like this car too, so that makes it a bit of a biased purchase but with monthly payment and insurance this would be less than her 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee - hopefully she doesn’t want to steal this one from me.

diamondblak05

Everyone around my little circle, including wife, called me crazy to buy something this expensive sight unseen. Had a few issues afterwards but were all fixed under the b2b warranty. I probably won't do it again unless it's a camry or accord. Good luck with yours. I'm sure it'll be worth the flight ticket.

BlownV8

Yes, that was the one. Just remember the T and was thinking Toyota. It's been there for over a year with a price that is too high without the right options. For that price and no warranty, I'm expecting B&O with massaging seats and it has neither.

PeteyV

He told me lowest he'll go is 37K. I offered him 30. I wouldn't doubt the owners use that as a "fun" car sometimes because there were dunkin donuts bags in the door and the smell was terrible.

BlownV8

Your offer was not unrealistic by the way. If it had massaging seats, I would have given them $32k. Without them, just not interested. The AMG seats are not the most comfortable for long trips so the massaging feature is, to me, a necessity. The vehicle depreciates every month so they will just end up keeping as a a shop car unless they lower to around $32 to $33k and be willing to accept a $30k offer.

Honestly, the ML & GLE63's have a huge problem. They are asking way too much and the vehicles are sitting for long periods. The only ones I've seen sell are the ones way below KBB. Just too far apart from asking to sale price. I'm in the market so I've been checking almost daily for over a year.

PeteyV

Exactly, that’s how it is in the states. SUV’s and Pick up trucks are going for a lot more than some people think they are worth.

However, I see the dealer’s point as well - especially if they’re not strapped for cash and can hold on to the cars until they make a bit off of them. When you’re a buyer, you undervalue everything to try and get the best deal. When you’re the seller, you overvalue everything to try and get the best deal. I am sure many people; even on this forum, think that the vehicle they are selling is the best kept and best example of the vehicle. I know if I had an ML63 that was in good condition with clean title, I would laugh if someone offered me 30K.

BlownV8

I see the dealers point but the problem is they are not selling and the vehicles are sitting for a long time. Case in point, the one the OP mentioned has been sitting since August 2019 with little fluctuation in price. The sellers are in a losing battle to depreciation and are becoming underwater with their vehicles. Most people are not driving as much as they once were so they are holding onto their vehicles longer. It hurts new car sales and is causing a shortage in the used car market but not many seem to be buying the higher end Merc's unless the deals are extremely good.