S-Class (W221) 2007-2013: S 320 CDI, S 350, S 450, S 500, S 550, S 420 CDI, S 600

best time to sell S550

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Old 12-10-2017, 11:15 AM
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best time to sell S550

Hi folks, I have a 2012 S550 4matic with 50K miles on it. Want to upgrade to a newer version and contemplating when the best time is to sell mine. My thinking is that a 2015 will drop substantially in price in another month when they are technically another year older. I have the extended MB warranty on my current car until Dec of 2018 or another 24K miles. Is it better to sell mine with months of warranty left or wait until it expires in a year and sell mine out of warranty when the newer models have aged even more. Ideally I want to find a 2-3 year old S550 that I can extend the MB warranty on as that has worked out great on my current car because of the depreciation and cost of ownership. My gut tells me that I will get more for mine with some warranty on it but not sure it offsets the savings on waiting. I will probably not trade it in because I plan to fly east to get my next one as they are obscenely priced in the PNW.
Old 12-10-2017, 06:44 PM
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s550 Diamond white amg pano
well my friend I just went through the same thing on my w221 that had another 3 mos of warty remaining, If its factory extended warty you can cash the remaining out, mine came to almost 500 for only 3 mos of coverage. The prices will def drop I just paid over 60k for a cpo 15 but it was the car i wanted in the colors etc. I would up trading mine in and cashing out the warty. This is the worst time of year to sell a car and the best time to buy. 1 list your car right away on cars etc... then vigourously start looking! I was tracking 1 particular car since aug from my dealer but the nmbrs never wrked out in fact they are still asking almost 65k for it and its a 14. I had one very good offer on my sale the 2nd day i listed it but hadent found anything yet. I wound up trading the car, dont forget w the tax savings on a close to 30k car is another 2500 plus your warty cash out.. For me when all was said and done i got close to what the car was wrth and i drove it into the dealer swapped my plates and drove home. . . . . . Ps dont forget to take your spare and jack as the w222 doesnt have one!! ( another 300 savings! lol). Dont forget in another year yes the 222 will be cheaper sbut your car will be that much older and also worth less. I start getting worried when i see w221's in the 10-12k range. The demographic buying changes drastically as the car ages.
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Old 12-10-2017, 10:02 PM
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The right time to sell anything is when you realize you don’t want it. While this might lend to some corrections (ie a Porsche might have to wait until spring) an all wheel drive s- class is good to go at any time. Your car is worth 28 tradein, 30 wholesale, 32 street. Good luck
Old 12-11-2017, 03:08 PM
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what have you been looking at?
Old 12-11-2017, 04:00 PM
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2015 S550 4Matic with Sport package. they want 65-70K for a nice one with under 30K miles in Seattle, I can have the same car from the midwest or east coast for 10K less. Worth the transport fee for me.
Old 12-11-2017, 04:07 PM
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I dont think you'll get one for 10 off 65k, maybe able to get closer to 60 but I dont think youll get a cpo one for under 60. only thing if you buy outa state is the trade is hard to do... def get a buyout quote on the warty its about 500 per 1/4... so if you have a year left your close to 2kplus your tax savings... may not even be wrth dealing w bs to sell the car privately. That said i always try and usually succeed. My benz was the 1st car i ever traded in, ive never had a hard time selling my cars. If youd like to pm me I can share nmbrs that I was getting.
Old 12-11-2017, 04:20 PM
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Autotrader has several at around 55K before you beat em up a bit on the price. Problem is they are in Florida or Midwest. I though the warranty only paid out if you did not use it. I have about $1500 in claims on my policy I paid $3400 for. Not convinced the extended warranties are needed on these cars.
Old 12-11-2017, 07:34 PM
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2015 S550
Originally Posted by superpop
Autotrader has several at around 55K before you beat em up a bit on the price. Problem is they are in Florida or Midwest. I though the warranty only paid out if you did not use it. I have about $1500 in claims on my policy I paid $3400 for. Not convinced the extended warranties are needed on these cars.
It's worth it to get a FL car and pay the shipping if you can get it with the options you want at a price significantly cheaper than what you'd pay in your area. FL cars have likely never been exposed to salt like the Midwest cars likely have. Shipping is likely around $8-900. If the car comes with enough warranty coverage to cover you for the time you'd own it, then great. But you don't want to own that car without coverage. If you're not adding Benz CPO added coverage, you'd save a bunch of money by purchasing the additional coverage while the mileage is still low....as warranty prices can rise pretty dramatically as the mileage goes up.

I purchased my car with just 24k miles 3 years ago. I've put on 25k miles in 3 years and my warranty has already paid out over $16k. And that number is about to go up as my car is back at the dealer with a leak and possible ABC issue. BTW, I paid $3300 for that warranty and still have 4 years of coverage left.

IIRC, you're entitled to a prorated refund of the CPO based on time left, even if your policy has paid out claims.
Old 12-11-2017, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by superpop
2015 S550 4Matic with Sport package. they want 65-70K for a nice one with under 30K miles in Seattle, I can have the same car from the midwest or east coast for 10K less. Worth the transport fee for me.

those wholesae for 52k roughly. You should be able to pick one for about a few grand more. Look for a private seller and offer 52. He/she has been jilted most likely by the dealer offering him 48 or so it will be a fair deal.

Last edited by alx; 12-11-2017 at 10:30 PM.
Old 12-11-2017, 10:32 PM
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Originally Posted by superpop
2015 S550 4Matic with Sport package. they want 65-70K for a nice one with under 30K miles in Seattle, I can have the same car from the midwest or east coast for 10K less. Worth the transport fee for me.

those wholesae for 52k roughly. You should be able to pick one for about a few grand more. Or look for a private seller. He has been most likely already lowballed by dealer (48-49k) and is ready to deal for 52k- a fair deal for both parties. Buy aftermarket warranty with the left overs if you wish so.
Old 12-11-2017, 10:36 PM
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Does the new year have a big effect on the value? I would assume so.
Old 12-11-2017, 10:47 PM
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Originally Posted by superpop
Does the new year have a big effect on the value? I would assume so.
not really. The price goes down every month and the significant drops are when first registered, at expiration of factory warranty and for some reason around 80k miles/ 5 years


Last edited by alx; 12-11-2017 at 10:53 PM.
Old 12-12-2017, 08:23 AM
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my warty paid out a few times too, def paid for itself when the 2 rear airshocks went out. It is pro rated. My experience is that the cpo cars are the ones to get. Its just a matter of finding the car you want and what the dealer paid if they are willing to deal. If the cars been sitting a while most likely they paid to much and they wont budge. Check the fresh inventory. I have been looking for about a year on and off so i know whats realistic and not, mid 50's is not realistic if you want a low mileage white on black amg car thats mint...your paying over 60k. I was watching one at auction that mmr was 55 and the car went to 62 at auction. Dont forget that 30k mile car as a non cpo car prb needs the bumpers touched up,new brakes and new tires. That said i know of a 14 being sold by owmer that looks pretty amazing. Ill pm you the details.

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