I have posted a 02 E55 for sale in the classifieds. It generated a lot of initial interest, but no offers. I have a posted asking price of $46,000 which is below NADA ($48,700) for a very low mileage (approx. 14,800) and very gently driven car. Is the market that tight? Or have values for this car fallen off so badly? I had been looking at an 01 SL600 that an acquaintance has for sale. In 01 it cost $132,000. He is trying to sell it now for $50,000 and will trade it in on Monday if he doesn't have a buyer by then. What ever happened to these things holding value (other than the obvious newer versions now or soon to be available). They are still great cars.

 

The thing is that all those Nada, KBB, even Edmunds are very very overpriced.
I don't know why people are using them and letting themselves to be screwed by those publications. (Seller Oh Look KBB is 50k and I'm selling for 45!, Buyer yeah good deal, here is your money!! And the car's real price is more like 38k-40k).
Edmunds Trade in - is the more or less realistic price estimate.
Usually I only sell my cars (I sell couple a year) If I put lower then Edmunds trade in price in the ad.
So assuming you have Navi - your car's price is around 41k.
If not, 39k. If you get 40-42 for it, that's good. If you get more, go to Vegas, cos it's your lucky day!

I just got 02 E55 with Navi, 59k miles for round 25-26 grand with taxes e.t.c.

Your friend situation is completely regular, nothing new. Car looses about 30% of its "new price" in first year alone. Any car. (Except for may be Ferrari e.t.c.).
And no offense, I think it is stupid, buying a brand new car, unless you have really huge amounts of money on your hands.
I always buy 3 year old cars, they are best value, and if you buy smart, you can drive it for one year, and sell it for the same money you bought it for.

Also cars like AMG E55, or SL Benz are hard to sell used. And you have to consider that too.

And that "value holding" thing, is a myth created by banks and other financial institutions.
All cars are loosing value pretty much the same in percentage.
(I'm talking regular cars). I'm sure it differs from car to car, but not too much.

Anyway, good luck with your car man, hope you get good price for it.

 

I am on the opposide of this equation (possibly looking to purchase 01 E55), and I totally agree. Here in ATL 02s with those kind of miles are being listed for around 43K, so they will likely sell around 40k, if that.
I've been scouting around for a while, and it seems that the cost premium you pay new for an E55 over a 430 sport all but disappears in the used car market. I have no idea why this is so -- to me the E55 is so much more, but it appears to be the case.
NY Times did a piece on this general issue of high end car price plummets a while back, and their theory was it starts with the new car market being so soft in this area. Their point was that a lot of buyers in this market were actually stepping down in class (S class to E, E to C, for example), and this was making the higher end models a tough sell at anywhere near MSRP (I've seen S55's brand new sold at absurd discounts at my local dealer).
This change in the new car market has a trickle down effect in the used car market, year by year.
Just one theory. Good luck selling your car. Sounds like a well cared for car -- sorry I'm looking for a little more of a "used" vehicle in a different price range. I'd sure like a car I knew was well cared for.

 

The thing is that when car like E55, SL55, S55 e.t.c. is new - then, people who buy them (not lease) are usually very well to do people. Rich people.
They don't care.
When guys like me and you buy them after 3-4 years.
We not poor, but we simply cannot afford spent say NADA's 48k for the car.
So real buyer is willing to spend 35k, but no one will sell for 35, so they (buyer seller) meet halfway at 39k. That's in my opinion how real price is set.

Dealerships can sell them for more money, simply becasue they can provide you with financing. And for some people this is important enough to pay over.

And E55 is still about 10k more then 430.
It sure is not 20-25k when new, but they are more expensive.
I wanted to buy 430 sport - but then I decided to shop around the auctions and me a legend, a rare car.
This however is only important for us Car Guys.
Take for example my wife - for her there is no differnce between
E 220 Diesel and E55 AMG. If she drives it, she will probably notice that E55 is quicker, but she don't care. And she will never justify 50% price diffrence between these cars. So won't a lot of people. Majority. That's what makes our cars a tough to sell.
That's why I bought one a little damaged, I'll fix it, drive it, and sell it for the same money in about a year. Cos I'm not very rich guy, and I only buy cars for cash. And for me it's just stupid buying a car for average price and then loose 10 grand within a year. And if you do financing, boy are you getting screwed.

R liebo - if you interested, I have 02 E55, with Comand.
Gray color 59k miles. It's been in a minor accident, looks like it spun somewhere, and got all scratched up pretty bad.
But the price is good, so let me know, may be we will reach a deal.

 

Performance cars with big engines are harder to sell in the used market. People buying used are looking for bargains and cars that get better gas mileage. There are very few buyers in the market for used E55's. Overall MBUSA had a difficult time selling only 500 W210 E55's per year in the new market and since most people don't know what an E55 is there is less market and much less demand. It is also more difficult to sell an E430 over the E320. Also, since everyone has access to KBB, Edmunds and NADA they are maily purchase close to the trade-in value. Used car buyers know that a private seller does not want to trade or sell their car to a dealer because the trade-in values are so very very low so a price near trade-in is more attractive to buyers. Good Luck!

 

Ahhh.... for once I thought you got a freakin' good deal (or it meant that I could only sell my '01 E55 for $20K? )....

IMO, people who look for a specialized car (i.e. AMG, M, Z06, etc.), they are likely to be fanatics.... as a result, they rarely buy abused cars or cars w/ prior accidents. Now, no wonder you got it for $25K.....

I also almost bought a used '02 M5 couple months ago (after my 540i got totaled)..... the avg. price was around $45K-$50K depending mileage.... found one for only $35K.... I got crazy.... I thought I found a freakin' good deal.... but when I saw the car in person.... man, the owner didn't take care of the car at all.... dings every where.... bumpers have parking scratches every where.... inside is dirty.... yet, neither did I find any signs of prior accidents nor did the seller claim so. The engine was also quite good.... not as good as other M5s I tried but it was still acceptable.

But you know.... even though I'm not super rich either.... I'd still rather buying a pristine used car for 10 grand more than a car w/ fugly condition. Not only will it hurt my eyes , I will for sure get hammered when I try to sell my car - as no one wants it.

For OP.... Assuming it's fully loaded, I think you should be able to get around $40K.... couple '02 E55 w/ 40K-60K miles in my area are being privately sold around $35K.

A local dealer gave me an offer for $30K a month ago ('01.. no nav... 65K... but in pristine condition).... thought it would be less but it seems the dealer had a potential buyer already who was willing to pay more than $30K.

 

I am defiantely not rich because I work for "Uncle Sam" I try to offer what I think is a fair price for a car. I try my best to avoid Stealerships Very helpful information, and thanx

 

I have posted a 02 E55 for sale in the classifieds. It generated a lot of initial interest, but no offers. I have a posted asking price of $46,000 which is below NADA ($48,700) for a very low mileage (approx. 14,800) and very gently driven car. Is the market that tight? Or have values for this car fallen off so badly? I had been looking at an 01 SL600 that an acquaintance has for sale. In 01 it cost $132,000. He is trying to sell it now for $50,000 and will trade it in on Monday if he doesn't have a buyer by then. What ever happened to these things holding value (other than the obvious newer versions now or soon to be available). They are still great cars.

..........You are not going to be able to sell 00 to 02 E55 for over $35K in this market. I just got one with Comand and two tone leather with 63K miles for $26K. Granted your car has far fewer miles, but at close to $50K? You can get an 03 with the V8K in the low $60K range. Buying a luxury car brand new is like buying a present for the car's second owner.

Ted

 

Car I got looks pretty good mechanically.
Looks like it wasn’t abused at all. Apart from accident damage there is no dings, no dents, no Cola spills. No garbage in the car. Interior is clean and nice. Engine is nice and strong, tranny is smooth.
Even Rims are not scratched.

So I bought it. And 25 including, shipping, taxes, fees and fixing it - is a good deal, no matter what.

And HEY! I will drive around in E 55!!
And when I will be putting my foot down, I won’t care if it’s been painted or not ;-)

I have friends who restored Ferraris - Savings are around 25-50k from car to car. You just have to know what you doing. And you can always get your money back. While if you buy one from dealership or private owner you will loose money everyday. And for some of us this is important too.

So basically I will have E55 for free. For one year. It's that easy.

And more about buying a pristine car.
I'm in the car business as a hobby. And I get a lot friends who ask for help when buying a car.
You can not even imagine how hard you have to look to find nice car.

Example: Friend was buying an Audi not so long ago.
He was looking all over the state to find nice car.
For one month. He test drove about 50-60 cars. ONLY ONE was nice, no accidents car! Only one. He bought it.
Others ranged from Rollovers, to hail damaged, to frame damaged, e.t.c.
Not to mention murdered engines and leaky turbos.

And almost all of them were from reputable Audi dealerships throuhout the state.

It is very easy to make car look pristine, while it's not.
I know a lot of people who having a lot of trouble buying nice cars.

You have to be very careful.

 

Well, fortunately for me, my car is everything I described in the ad. It is totally unabused (basically a garage queen). It is loaded with everything except ventilated seats. Everything works without a hitch and it looks and runs like it's brand new. As long as that is the case, I don't mind just keeping it. As far as values go, I turned down an offer from my dealer for $40,000 a couple of months or so ago. I got a great car that is a thrill just to own. Maybe I'll just leave it at that. By the way, I agree with the thoughts about buying used . I bought this one used (still under warranty through 09/07). And I bought my 97 E420 used. Neither car has disappointed. I just hate to see the cut rate pricing going on today.

 

so you can all say it together, loudly, so MBNA will hear...
Too D___M many cars in the marketplace!
Thanks Daimler Chrysler!

 

For reference, I researched the 210 E55 market fairly extensively the last few months before buying one almost a month ago. 00-01 cars were in the mid 20's to low 30's range for cars with 55K+. 02 cars were significantly higher than that at both auction, private and third party. Finally bought a late inserviced 02 w. 17K for 40K which given the 10-15 cars I looked at over a 3 month period was a good deal for a low mileage no story car with warranty through 07.

Matt

 

When buying a 210 series E55 the price paid is not as important as the vehicles history and condition. Trying to buy one at the lowest price is not the best way to buy one of these cars, instead pay a bit more and you will usually get a rig in superb condition.
Ask for a printout from the VIN at a MB dealer to see what was done under warranty, talk with the previous owner to help you get a feel, and for my money I think an aftermarket warranty is worth the piece of mind if the rig you buy is out of factory warranty. Trying to buy one of these cars as an investment is a poor business decision, buy one for what they are; a superb luxo hot rod. Remember somebody at some point paid 75 g's so paying 30-32 for an 00 with 50k that checks out is a great value. Its all about value not cost.