I checked online and only registered dealers can access their site.

Paul

 

yes, i knew that. to dealers and others who have their login info.

 

it is manheim with region set to national...
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this ought to get your attention..
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these are transactions...

03/15/06 W PALM Factory $114,500 8,423 Avg BRI SIL 12G A Yes
02/02/06 RIVRSIDE Lease $123,500 8,758 Avg BRI SIL 12G A Yes
02/02/06 RIVRSIDE Factory $123,500 6,669 Avg BRI SIL 12G A Yes
01/12/06 MANHEIM Lease $124,750 9,047 Avg ALB WHT 12G A Yes
12/08/05 RIVRSIDE Factory $125,000 7,985 Avg AEG BLU 12G A Yes
09/15/05 RIVRSIDE Factory $137,500 875 Avg PEWTER 12G A Yes
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somebody is making some money..

 

please interpret the data, especially "12G A YES."
thanks,
david

 

engine

trans

in sample?

 

i was offered a black 06 for $145k with 2k miles, prices are definitely coming down making used sl 65's real bargains.

 

Does factory mean those are factory "buy back" cars?

 

was that offer private party or dealer?

 

dealer, pm if you want i will get the number

 

David, did you get the car yet?

 

nope, not yet.

a little game-playing from the dealership has begun to **** me off in the royal sense. seems a mystery buyer has popped up again, and is offering more than i.

last week, the same guy was quoted the same 140k i'd been. he delayed for personal reasons; i provided a fully refundable 5k deposit. in return, i was granted right to first refusal and a SOLD sign was supposed to have been placed on the car.

i received an EM today stating that the car was mine. but by late afternoon, i'd received that apologetic call about the guy "surfacing again."

meanwhile, i'd arranged with flight school for a plane and instructor to fly from here to the philly area this sunday or next. (there's one particular plane i requested; they're supposed to let me know which sunday it will be available.) regardless of which sunday, i'm now on the line for the plane and instructor, and the unladened return flight.

so, i asked the dealer if they had in-house counsel. until recently, yes; now, no. they wanted to know why i was asking. i told them that, to start with, they could pay for all the travel i'd have to cancel last minute. and the rest, well, i'll leave that to the imagination for the momoent. but, either i'll take it or refuse it. they won't take it away from me at this point...not without paying a penalty. i believe this is really simple contract law.

the GF and her dad are suddenly suggesting i get a bentley gt. they think the SL65 depreciates so quickly because the SL body's ubiquitous, not because there's a small market for a car that price point. i'm unable to refute that explanation. the bentley depreciates little. likewise ferraris. there are certainly exceptions, such as the maseratis, which are rare and relatively expensive. i think they simply have poor reputations. when people see the bentley body, they immediately become interested.

i'd prefer the SL, if only because MB dealers aren't few and far between. one gets both coupe and convertible in one car. there are plenty of goodies in it. and it's super looking.

can you imagine, decision was made, car was selected, deposit was set, and a closing date was imminent. now, it's renegotiation and reconsideration. what a bunch of crap.

 

any chance you have auction numbers for the bentley gt?

 

David, personally, the bentley is one dimensional compared to the SL65 and in chicago the seems to be more GT's on the road than 65's. .. used 65's are easy to locate and i would expand your search.. for example: luxury motors in chicago has two, $145K with 9000 miles and $140K and 5000 miles.. i know a guy over there if you are interested..
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put 157 0ver 2631 and 149 over 5261
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Auction Averages
For Week Ending Apr 08
Above Average Below Feb 2006 Oct 2005 Apr 2005
Sale Price $157,086 $149,150 $141,214 $149,104 $153,050 $159,349
Mileage 2,631 5,261 7,892 5,418 2,582 643
Total Sold All 8 6 5 2


Average Auction Mileage
Prices are based on more transactions than shown under 'Transactions', above.
Apr 13 - Apr 20 2006
Above Average Below May 2006 Apr 2007
Auction $154,000 $149,000 $143,000 $148,000 $142,000
Est. Retail $167,000 $161,000 $155,000 $160,000 $154,000


Copyright © 1996-2004 Manheim Auctions
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TRANSACTIONS

04/12/06 FAAO Regular $147,500 8,248 Avg White 12G A Yes
04/06/06 MANHEIM Regular $153,500 993 Avg BLACK 12G Yes
04/06/06 MANHEIM Regular $144,700 7,837 Avg SILVER 12G A Yes
03/23/06 AMERICAN Lease $150,000 4,760 Avg BLACK 12G A Yes
03/23/06 MANHEIM Regular $148,500 4,477 Avg SILVER 12G A Yes
03/23/06 MANHEIM Regular $144,000 6,864 Avg LT.BLUE 12G A Yes
03/15/06 W PALM Regular $146,000 7,048 Avg GREEN 12G A Yes
03/14/06 W PALM Regular $159,000 1,861 Above SILVER 12G O Yes .
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the dealers are still going to try and make as much profit on the used cars as possible..
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sorry, the $145K car has 5K miles and the $140K car has 9K miles ...
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www.luxury motors.com

 

I don't understand, either you have a deposit down and a contract or your don't. How can they get out of that? I would think they wouldn't give you an open ended time though. Maybe a week to get to them to check it out and take it or not. I see your point but you need to see theirs as well. Say you tie it up for weeks and then say you don't want it. As far as the Bentley goes, don't kid yourself, they drop plenty.My dealer runs all his trade ins by me and cars that sold new for 185-190 are getting 140 on trade. I have a convert continental coming in and although I am sure it will be nice I am getting second thoughts about it since the 65 is so much better than I thought it would be. The Bentley isn't even coming with a hardtop convert. I would say if the depreciation thing is such a big issue get a 600 or a 55 for 100k and don't look back. Both of them are as fast as the Bentley.

 

jeff,
i accurately recounted the facts and circumstances of the matter. perhaps they realized their predicament because the call i received this morning informed me that the car is definitely mine to refuse.
regarding term of the right, it was left unstated. i believe that should mean that a reasonable time would constitute the limit.
what is reasonable? that's for others to decide. but i agree it shouldn't be construed as months.
i hadn't realized the GTs were depreciating so much. in S FL, i believe 2004s are around 140-150. mulliners i think are more.
about depreciation itself, i just try to mitigate costs of such dalliances. i don't know anyone personally who doesn't do that.
david

 

I get where you are you are coming from. I guess I am a bit jaded because now depreciation is just a part of life to me and it did really bother me in the past. Honestly though, I think you found a special car and although it will still go down in value, I would think it will provide one hell of a ride and hold up better than a normal 65. If you don't care about the covert. top, the Bentley is a nice choice as well but I would say both will drop at close to the same rate used.

 

hey jeff,
i just got the flight date confirmed, so it's probably a good bet that i'll have the car shortly. of course, i haven't yet seen it up close, and it could be a monet -- marred by flaws too small to see in full-view pictures.
if i don't take the car, then i'll get to fly back down because the plane will stay up there overnight.
it'll work out well either way.
david

 

Good luck, I hope its a good one!

 

Don't know how that can be, as all cars under 6000 pounds, regardless of price, get only a $2960 depreciation deduction (sec 179 deduction) during the first year if used 100% for business purposes... doesn't matter if its a Avalon or a 200k benz... it goes up to around 3k the 2nd year, 2k the 3rd, then $1775 each year as long as you keep using it. So, that can't be the motivation. I think its just a toy thing...

No, I'm not a CPA... I just did my taxes and was entering info for 2 new cars... an E320 CDI and an E55... and the depreciation is the aforementioned for both cars... and as I learned, all others.

But hey, I did find out something really interesting: Interest on an RV is deductible MORTGAGE interest, since it qualifies as a house (toilet, kitchen, bed are the requirements for the IRS).



Loren

 

You've got to be able to *****, eat, and sleep in it.

 

so, here are the numbers:

12 additional months = $3000 + tax
24 additional months = $3575 + tax
36 additional months = $4880 + tax

in-service date was may 2005.
odometer has about 5,250 miles.

the car is supposed to be starmarked presently.

please claraify: does starmark ADD one year to the factory warranty and extend it to 100k miles?

someone on the board was kind enough to advise me in the past that MB extended warranties were negotiable. is that true?

 

Yes, when I bought mine a few months back I was offered the extra year for 1500.00 and didn't take it because I never keep a car that long but now looking back I probably should have. It is negotiable.

 

jeff,
do you know whether it must be purchased at the same time the car is purchased, and whether it must be purchased from the selling dealer?
i'm uncertain how nice they're going to be after i began to involve two attys yesterday. i called off the dogs when the dealer clearly stated the understanding remained in force. they might not wish to reduce the warranty price.
david

 

I was told it could be bought at any time but the longer you wait the higher the price and it can be bought at any dealer.