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Unfortunately, you will not find any perfectly running W221 with 80k miles for $15k. Those are closer to $20k. The later model W220 S500's are more in that price range. But none of that changes the fact that the project doesn't make any sense. Even with a fully repaired car, the branded title gives it a minimum 40% hit to value compared to a comparable car that is not branded. So even if the car is repaired to a high standard, the after repaired value wouldn't be any more than $12k.
You must have not read my repeated posts of how I am not planning to sell this vehicle until its terminate depreciation. So what does having a salvaged title matter in this case?
It's crazy that were talking about a car bought at a scrap yard for $12,000 and nobody knows if it runs yet. I think it probably runs. The engines are reasonably bulletproof. But every other system is a crapshoot and there are a lot of systems.
So far your luck has held. The body damage, while more extensive than you expected (and less than I expected) is manageable but will likely still add 50% to the original purchase price if repaired correctly.
If the car fires up without throwing a bunch of codes your luck will have continued to hold. Still this was a bad, impulsive idea regardless of how it works out. It may turn out to be a bad idea with a decent outcome but it was still a bad idea. The risk vs reward ratio is terrible.
I can't speak for Dave, but we're not rooting for you to fail. It's more like you're a teenage daughter who came home pregnant. Since the baby is coming either way, we're just trying to make the most of it. But we really wish you'd never gotten knocked up in the first place.
I expect you will soon begin posting threads on here so about how this and that began breaking because you took a loan on a poser S550 for 15k with 150k miles on it.
Good luck Chief.
You can get a good running s550 for 15k guys with 100 to 130k on it and a well cared sclass with even 150k car would be much better then one with 77k miles thats wrecked with salvage title coz it would have most of the issues people encounter by then and probably fixed.
Your car is nothing rare a black on black u can find those anywhere during my search i came across a 07 s550 4matic with no issues for 13k cash i passed coz it was black with tan interior and no options like yours.
Btw all my cars are paid off i hate paying interest and dealer fees and you always get a better deal buying privately and cash, but i understand not everyone can do that.
I can't speak for Dave, but we're not rooting for you to fail. It's more like you're a teenage daughter who came home pregnant. Since the baby is coming either way, we're just trying to make the most of it. But we really wish you'd never gotten knocked up in the first place.
It's crazy that were talking about a car bought at a scrap yard for $12,000 and nobody knows if it runs yet. I think it probably runs. The engines are reasonably bulletproof. But every other system is a crapshoot and there are a lot of systems.
So far your luck has held. The body damage, while more extensive than you expected (and less than I expected) is manageable but will likely still add 50% to the original purchase price if repaired correctly.
If the car fires up without throwing a bunch of codes your luck will have continued to hold. Still this was a bad, impulsive idea regardless of how it works out. It may turn out to be a bad idea with a decent outcome but it was still a bad idea. The risk vs reward ratio is terrible.
I can't speak for Dave, but we're not rooting for you to fail. It's more like you're a teenage daughter who came home pregnant. Since the baby is coming either way, we're just trying to make the most of it. But we really wish you'd never gotten knocked up in the first place.
The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. So far my luck holds.
The baby is on its way, so no point is beating a dead horse. Just stay positive and hope its healthy. Unless your wishes are a premature birth...
Last edited by mercedesbenzs55; 03-10-2016 at 06:36 PM.
You can get a good running s550 for 15k guys with 100 to 130k on it and a well cared sclass with even 150k car would be much better then one with 77k miles thats wrecked with salvage title coz it would have most of the issues people encounter by then and probably fixed.
Your car is nothing rare a black on black u can find those anywhere during my search i came across a 07 s550 4matic with no issues for 13k cash i passed coz it was black with tan interior and no options like yours.
Btw all my cars are paid off i hate paying interest and dealer fees and you always get a better deal buying privately and cash, but i understand not everyone can do that.
I guess by risk v reward I mean the risk is great, but the reward...a 2008 high mileage S Class probably wasn't worth that big a gamble.
Like if you found a 1969 Mustang in a barn and paid $12k thinking it might just need cleaning up to be worth $60,000 at Jackson Barrett, that would be high risk high reward.
This is more like you paid top dollar for a mail order bride who, on her best day, is maybe a 6. But what the heck. Ya flew her over here and signed her visa papers. May as well just start boning her and hope it works out.
So even if it costs me $1600 to get the comrades to do the bodywork, I'm still at $15000.
This leaves me with a clean, presentable car at 77k for 15k. Cash.
Dave, Explain what I asked you 2 posts ago. How will this end up costing 50-100k to make it look presentable? Your extreme, exaggerated comments are on par with my extreme "expectations" of repair. But mine were made for humor. Yours are made to stab.
First of all, your estimate to be all in and have a properly repaired car for $15k is not reasonable and just won't happen, even with Vlad's Auto Body and Repair Shop doing the work.
Second, where or when did I ever say that it would cost you $50-100k to make your car presentable?
And where have I exaggerated about anything in this thread? If anybody has exaggerated, it has been you, with your grossly low estimated repair costs, and claiming a keen attention to detail while saying that you will be banging panels straight with a rubber mallet. Like I've said many times already, I want to see you succeed in turning your wreck into a decent looking car that was repaired to a high standard to be expected of an S-class, and something you can transport your family around in with safety in mind. But your expectations and costs for achieving that goal is far from realistic.
I guess by risk v reward I mean the risk is great, but the reward...a 2008 high mileage S Class probably wasn't worth that big a gamble.
Like if you found a 1969 Mustang in a barn and paid $12k thinking it might just need cleaning up to be worth $60,000 at Jackson Barrett, that would be high risk high reward.
This is more like you paid top dollar for a mail order bride who, on her best day, is maybe a 6. But what the heck. Ya flew her over here and signed her visa papers. May as well just start boning her and hope it works out.
How much did you pay for your top dollar bride? Without the warranty.
You married a 6 at best, and now want to get rid of her(or is it the other way around). Maybe quitting your day job(Insurance claims) wasn't the best idea.
You seem to only provide a bit of mixed positivity when someone breaks your arm about your negativity.
First of all, your estimate to be all in and have a properly repaired car for $15k is not reasonable and just won't happen, even with Vlad's Auto Body and Repair Shop doing the work.
Second, where or when did I ever say that it would cost you $50-100k to make your car presentable?
And where have I exaggerated about anything in this thread? If anybody has exaggerated, it has been you, with your grossly low estimated repair costs, and claiming a keen attention to detail while saying that you will be banging panels straight with a rubber mallet. Like I've said many times already, I want to see you succeed in turning your wreck into a decent looking car that was repaired to a high standard to be expected of an S-class, and something you can transport your family around in with safety in mind. But your expectations and costs for achieving that goal is far from realistic.
What makes you so sure that it wont? Or is this again your wishful thinking?
While I agree that there is definitely a lot to be learned here for everybody who has ever considered such an endeavor, I think it will you who will learn that your expectations will eventually get you in over your head (you said you have a very limited budget to work with), especially when you find out your budget will likely be 5-10 times higher or more, just to get the car presentable....which doesn't even address the potential problems with the rest of the car and the forthcoming high repair and maintenance costs.
10k x 5 = 50k
10k x 10 = 100k See how I did that?
Last edited by mercedesbenzs55; 03-10-2016 at 06:58 PM.
How much did you pay for your top dollar bride? Without the warranty.
You married a 6 at best, and now want to get rid of her(or is it the other way around). Maybe quitting your day job(Insurance claims) wasn't the best idea.
You seem to only provide a bit of mixed positivity when someone breaks your arm about your negativity.
If you want nothing but positivity join a therapy group. This is a car forum. I'm telling you the risk you took for the car you're likely to end up with was high. It's a plain jane base black on black pre facelift S550. Mercedes made a gabillion of them. Most didn't get a ton of options. When I was looking, maybe one out of ten 07-09 had the active multicontour massage seats. I think it was only in a P2 or maybe a P3 package. The 2010 got what used to be a P2 or P3 package in the P1. It killed resale on the lower optioned 07-09s.
I think for what you'll end up spending you could have gotten a nicer example that had never been wrecked. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a base pre facelift high mileage S in black, just that there are so many of those out there that the prices are low and the selection is large.
Now if you found a wrecked S63 or S600 or even an AMG P3 S550 for $12k or even $15k that needed another $8k or $10k to bring it back, then we'd be having a much different conversation. I'm not kidding. A wrecked S63 from a salvage standpoint isn't worth much more than a wrecked S550.
I just wish you had run the idea by the forum before you settled on a car. Now we're trying to help you make the most of it.
Maybe you should have just waited and not told anyone about what you did until after all the work was completed on the car. I would have been like...hey check this out...From this to this!
If you want nothing but positivity join a therapy group. This is a car forum. I'm telling you the risk you took for the car you're likely to end up with was high. It's a plain jane base black on black pre facelift S550. Mercedes made a gabillion of them. Most didn't get a ton of options. When I was looking, maybe one out of ten 07-09 had the active multicontour massage seats. I think it was only in a P2 or maybe a P3 package. The 2010 got what used to be a P2 or P3 package in the P1. It killed resale on the lower optioned 07-09s.
I think for what you'll end up spending you could have gotten a nicer example that had never been wrecked. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a base pre facelift high mileage S in black, just that there are so many of those out there that the prices are low and the selection is large.
Now if you found a wrecked S63 or S600 or even an AMG P3 S550 for $12k or even $15k that needed another $8k or $10k to bring it back, then we'd be having a much different conversation. I'm not kidding. A wrecked S63 from a salvage standpoint isn't worth much more than a wrecked S550.
I just wish you had run the idea by the forum before you settled on a car. Now we're trying to help you make the most of it.
Wrong Mike,
If I found a wrecked S63 or S600 it would cost me your inflated repair cost estimate.
From a wrecked standpoint an S550 is somewhat the cost of an S63, but the repairs are not. You should know this being an expert in your field.
Last edited by mercedesbenzs55; 03-10-2016 at 07:38 PM.
why would a s63 or s600 cost any more to fix than a S550? a used AMG rear bumper is around the same price as a regular S550 rear bumper. Used AMG mufflers can be found cheap too, if necessary. S600 wouldn't have anything different on the rear end compared to an S550, other than mufflers (like the s63, if they were damaged)
why would an s63 or s600 cost any more to fix than an S550? a used AMG rear bumper is around the same price as a regular S550 rear bumper. Used AMG mufflers can be found cheap too, if necessary. S600 wouldn't have anything different on the rear end compared to an S550.
Where did he say that it would cost more to repair those cars with the same damage? I believe his point was that he could have purchased a much higher end wrecked S-class for the same money that he spend on a base S550.
why would a s63 or s600 cost any more to fix than a S550? a used AMG rear bumper is around the same price as a regular S550 rear bumper. Used AMG mufflers can be found cheap too, if necessary. S600 wouldn't have anything different on the rear end compared to an S550, other than mufflers (like the s63, if they were damaged)
Because if the currently unforeseen circumstances do show up, then its going to cost more.
Maybe you should have just waited and not told anyone about what you did until after all the work was completed on the car. I would have been like...hey check this out...From this to this!
No he thought he got a deal of his lifetime coz u dont find a s550 for 12k or 13k ... but u do and can find 1 for 15k with a lil bit of effort a base balck on black all day you can find them. And that lil bit of effort is way less then what he has to go through with this car and it will never be the same , there was a reason this car was totalled if it was so easy previous owner would've bought the car back from insurance for lil or nothing after it was totaled.
This thread is just amusing like most people said OP is just having fun too as he knows he cant undo whats done, however instead of putting 10k in this junk he can sell this for 2k or even 3k loss and spend 5k more to get a clean title never been in any Accident s550
Maybe you should have just waited and not told anyone about what you did until after all the work was completed on the car. I would have been like...hey check this out...From this to this!
If I found a wreck S63 or S600 it would cost me your inflated repair costs.
From a wrecked standpoint an S550 is somewhat the cost of an S63, but the repairs are not. You should know this being an expert in your field.
It's all exactly the same sheetmetal. S63, S65, S550, S400, S600, S350, and your damage is all sheetmetal and a bumper. I'm just saying that in Europe they use cars like yours for taxi cabs. But if that to you represents the most desirable 221 I'm not saying you're wrong, just a question of personal preference and taste. Why are you suddenly so offended?
Like with my chick analogy... Everything's relative. One man's 6 is another man's 10. Neither guy is wrong. Although the guy with the actual 10 obviously has the hotter wife from a purely objective standpoint.
Where did he say that it would cost more to repair those cars with the same damage? I believe his point was that he could have purchased a much higher end wrecked S-class for the same money that he spend on a base S550.
Originally Posted by mercedesbenzs55
Wrong Mike,
If I found a wrecked S63 or S600 it would cost me your inflated repair cost estimate.
From a wrecked standpoint an S550 is somewhat the cost of an S63, but the repairs are not. You should know this being an expert in your field.
I'm referring to the fact that Mike said he could have bought a wrecked S63 or S600 for the same money. If, both the S550 he currently has and the hypothetical s63 or s600 had the same damage, I'm saying that the repair costs would not be much different.
03-28-2016, 07:21 PM
Just stay positive and hope its healthy. Unless your wishes are a premature birth...
