What Should I Expect To Pay For a Certified 04 E55?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
xx
What Should I Expect To Pay For a Certified 04 E55?
I'm in the market for a certified 2004 E55. I'm trading my FX45 in with its $3,000-$5,000 in negative equity (I get a $2,000 sales tax break trading it in so I'm skipping the private party sale process). I'm looking at 2004 model E55s with 10-15K in miles, navigation and 6 CD changer. Other pluses are the keyless go (and the premium headlights if not standard). I've had one dealer come at me with $81,000 out the door, trade factored in, taxes, tag, etc. Should I expect to do much better than that?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,619
Likes: 53
From: Georgia
E 63S Wagon Renntech, E55 Renntech, SL65, SL 55 030, ML, bunch of old ones--they come, they go...
Wow...
I don't know what the sales tax is in your area, but unless it's 8% or more, that sounds like a ton to me. I've been watching them at the dealer auctions in the last couple months, and they are definetly getting softer. (But that's good news for you, as you watch the prices fall). I would think that car wholesale on a good day would be approx -67.5 -69, plus fees, and the cost of getting it home etc. The Starmark process should be a little over a grand in the shop. While I don't expect someone to make $500 on you for a $70k investment, I don't think it's necssary for them to make $5k on you either. Be patent, keep looking. AMG cars are quite soft right now and there are going to be even more good buys out there once the E60 M5 hits the ground (which is still a ways out). I may be missing something in your numbers regarding the trade in. Hope this helps.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,764
Likes: 3
From: El Paso, TX
'03 G500, '13 G63, '17 GLS63,
With your negative equity, that sounds about right from a dealer. Why is a certified car so important? My advice is find a highline auto dealer that doesn't carry Mercedes-Benz, get a pre-purchase inspection and pay for the extended warranty later on. There are better deals out there if you buy from someone other than a M-B dealer.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
xx
Thanks for the feedback. Are non MBUSA extended warranties worth anything? The MB dealers always kiss your *** and fix their warranty issues no questions asked. I'd rather wrap that certfication / warranty cost into the low rate loan upon purchase also. There is a dealer done here in FL that seems to have the best pricing. Asking prices on certified 04s from mid $60's to mid $70's depending on options. After I throw in my negative, equity, taxes and tag transfer I'm up towards $81,500 on a heavily optioned car. Working the numbers backwards from the final quote, you can see that they're not coming off of their asking prices much (if at all). I want to get it all done for around $75,000 but I can't seem to get the movement from the dealers right now.
Last edited by Accomplice8; Jun 17, 2005 at 06:29 PM.
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 588
Likes: 0
From: Gwinnett County, GA
2005 E55 AMG
Originally Posted by Accomplice8
Thanks for the feedback. Are non MBUSA extended warranties worth anything? The MB dealers always kiss your *** and fix their warranty issues no questions asked. I'd rather wrap that certfication / warranty cost into the low rate loan upon purchase also. There is a dealer done here in FL that seems to have the best pricing. Asking prices on certified 04s from mid $60's to mid $70's depending on options. After I throw in my negative, equity, taxes and tag transfer I'm up towards $81,500 on a heavily optioned car.
What's ironic is the car had a mishap while at the dealer for the 1K service - (https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/83785-upset-you-could-say-so.html) and while I now drive the replacement car in the sig, another forum member purchased my former '05 from - you guessed it: selectluxury.com. Unfortunately, he didn't contact me before the purchase (my contact info was in the owners manual & he's local), or have the car professionally inspected. Be careful.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,764
Likes: 3
From: El Paso, TX
'03 G500, '13 G63, '17 GLS63,
Originally Posted by Accomplice8
Thanks for the feedback. Are non MBUSA extended warranties worth anything? The MB dealers always kiss your *** and fix their warranty issues no questions asked. I'd rather wrap that certfication / warranty cost into the low rate loan upon purchase also. There is a dealer done here in FL that seems to have the best pricing. Asking prices on certified 04s from mid $60's to mid $70's depending on options. After I throw in my negative, equity, taxes and tag transfer I'm up towards $81,500 on a heavily optioned car. Working the numbers backwards from the final quote, you can see that they're not coming off of their asking prices much (if at all). I want to get it all done for around $75,000 but I can't seem to get the movement from the dealers right now.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
xx
Is it just me or does everybody pretty much assume that you can negotiate $5,000(+) off the top of any dealer's asking price on a used E55 in the current market?
The math I envision when I see the $75,000 asking price is...
$70,000 sales price
+$3,000 for my negative equity
+$2,000 tax on amount over trade value and tag transfer
__________
$75,000 Out the door price
Also, should I wait the 3, 6 or however many months for the M5 to get to dealers before buying a used E55? No doubt a few E55s will be coming to market in trade on that model. I'm a little concerned that the sudden bump in supply would really put me way more upside down in a E55.
The math I envision when I see the $75,000 asking price is...
$70,000 sales price
+$3,000 for my negative equity
+$2,000 tax on amount over trade value and tag transfer
__________
$75,000 Out the door price
Also, should I wait the 3, 6 or however many months for the M5 to get to dealers before buying a used E55? No doubt a few E55s will be coming to market in trade on that model. I'm a little concerned that the sudden bump in supply would really put me way more upside down in a E55.
Last edited by Accomplice8; Jun 17, 2005 at 09:33 PM.
Trending Topics
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
E55
Originally Posted by Accomplice8
Is it just me or does everybody pretty much assume that you can negotiate $5,000(+) off the top of any dealer's asking price on a used E55 in the current market?
The math I envision when I see the $75,000 asking price is...
$70,000 sales price
+$3,000 for my negative equity
+$2,000 tax on amount over trade value and tag transfer
__________
$75,000 Out the door price
Also, should I wait the 3, 6 or however many months for the M5 to get to dealers before buying a used E55? No doubt a few E55s will be coming to market in trade on that model. I'm a little concerned that the sudden bump in supply would really put me way more upside down in a E55.
The math I envision when I see the $75,000 asking price is...
$70,000 sales price
+$3,000 for my negative equity
+$2,000 tax on amount over trade value and tag transfer
__________
$75,000 Out the door price
Also, should I wait the 3, 6 or however many months for the M5 to get to dealers before buying a used E55? No doubt a few E55s will be coming to market in trade on that model. I'm a little concerned that the sudden bump in supply would really put me way more upside down in a E55.
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
xx
There seems to be a lot of used, certified 2004 E55s on the market and yet few dealers seem to be moving much on the pricing. I've found a certified, silver 2003 with under 20,000 miles that I can pick up for $65,900 (or less). But what I really want is a black 2004 with navigation but I can't seem to get anybody to go under $76,000 on those. The figure that I'd expect to get to on those is around $70-$72K. Thoughts?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,764
Likes: 3
From: El Paso, TX
'03 G500, '13 G63, '17 GLS63,
Originally Posted by Accomplice8
There seems to be a lot of used, certified 2004 E55s on the market and yet few dealers seem to be moving much on the pricing. I've found a certified, silver 2003 with under 20,000 miles that I can pick up for $65,900 (or less). But what I really want is a black 2004 with navigation but I can't seem to get anybody to go under $76,000 on those. The figure that I'd expect to get to on those is around $70-$72K. Thoughts?
If you want, you can still upgrade your electronics later on. I had Steve (MBenzNL) upgrade my 2004 non-NAV car to NAV for a reasonable price. Personally, I find the OEM Nav to be useless (inferior unit compared to other carmakers'), but I didn't know any better and had it installed anyway. The crappy thing about the 2003 is if it doesnt have NAV, it won't have the COMAND unit and that unit is a bit pricier from MBenzNL, though his prices are much, much cheaper than a dealers. I think $70-72k on a 2004 with your negative equity is wishful thinking. Good luck, though!!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
xx
Originally Posted by medici78
If that $65900 includes your negative equity and everything checks out fine, that's a STEAL!
I think $70-72k on a 2004 with your negative equity is wishful thinking. Good luck, though!!
I think $70-72k on a 2004 with your negative equity is wishful thinking. Good luck, though!!
