medici78

I came across a new untitled 2005 E55 wagon with the options I want at a dealer nearby. However, I noticed that the wagons are not hot sellers. The sticker is $91k and they said they could come down to $87k. Just wondering what you folks think would be a fair price?

CynCarvin32

Wagons are dead in the water. Mark up is 7%. Hold back is 2-3% And then there is still 1-1.5k in other money in the car so I would offer them 10% off on that car. Its very very old. Also make sure the car has not been "punched" meaning make sure it has not been reported to MB as sold because if that is the case the warranty has been started from that date and not the date you take it home. This is normal practice on a car that old because the sold car means they get new allocations for vehicles etc.

I would not be to quick to pay very much for that car. Its been around since 2005 for a reason.

Dont get me wrong because if I were in the market for an E55 again I would take a wagon in a heart beat for a fast wagon is the most fun you can have. A 600 hp wagon would be just to much fun.

Good luck

blazinginder

That is WAY too much for an 05 E55 let alone a wagon...05s were going for around 15k discount when the 06 models came out. Now that the 07's are coming out I'd settle for nothing less than a 15-20k discount on the car (70-75k)

abalto

I paid $62,500 for a new '05 E55 a few months ago, and the wagons are dead wood compared to the sedans, so I would offer no more than $60k. Make your offer and watch it sit.

Also beware, if the car has been punched, make them give you a CPO MB Warranty. When you buy a punched car, the factory warranty WILL NOT transfer to the person you sell it to, and they will not tell you this. (As far as NB is concerned you are the second owner) This greatly affects the value down the road, you selling it without a warranty. I had my dealer sell me a 7yr-100k MB warranty to cover future owners for $3370.00, because my car was punched. I got the warranty because I am going to keep my car for 6-10 years.

Makes no difference the marquee, Kia or Rolls Royce...Car Dealers are snakes, watch yourself.

medici78

$60K is over $30k off MSRP!! I doubt anybody would go for that.

Vic55

For all intensive purposes the wag is a 2 year old model- The minimum would be 20% depreciation and thats being generous. I am in the lending business for cars and if I was considering a loan I would do some heavy adjusting to determine loan to value just as you should in making an offer.

I could not find any wagon's on the auction site because they are limited but here are some recent 05 E55 sales numbers.

06/07/06 W PALM Regular $64,200 8,307 Avg ALB WHT 8G A Yes
05/31/06 RIVRSIDE Regular $63,500 20,317 Avg SILVER 8G A Yes
05/18/06 NEVADA Factory $75,000 3,722 Above PLA BLU 8G O Yes
05/18/06 NEVADA Factory $70,000 4,351 Avg GRAN GRY 8G A Yes
05/16/06 NEVADA Regular $53,500 44,464 Below 8G A No
05/09/06 FAAO Regular $60,500 16,388 Below BLACK 8G A Yes

silversurfer

if you're interested, I'm selling my K2 equipped E55T. Just a friendly FYI

abalto

Well, they took $62,500 for my e55 and that was 3 months ago. There is about $18k in trunk money and mark ups, so you do the math. $87k is a complete insult. Offer them $60k and settlement tomorrow. They are dying with the car. Their only other choice is to take it to auction and net high $50s after fees, their time, transportation, etc.

Don't kid yourself...offer them $60k. At least start there. If you absolutely have to have it, you would be a fool to pay over $65k...period. Talk directly to the GM or new car salesmanager. Avoid any salesperson. There main goal is to extract money from you.

medici78

What's "trunk money"?

abalto

It is dealer cash from Mercedes for selling a left over unit.

Don't take this the wrong way, because I do not mean this in a negative tone, but I would recommend that you educate yourself on the market and what you can really buy one of these for before you go in and start making offers. This "education" could save you thousands and even possibly TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars. PM me if you need help.

Jrocket

Do you really think a dealer is going to let a car that has a 91K sticker go for 60-65k?

abalto

Sticker on mine was $86k and I got it for $62,500.00. You can believe me or just pay what they want!

Jrocket

Not saying I dont believe you,but I havent seen any deals like that out here on the west coast.Nice job on the deal.

medici78

I still find it hard to believe myself anywhere in the US East Coast, West Coast or any other part of the country.

regor60

You're never going to "see" these deals "offered"

OTOH, regardless, every dealer will calculate what he can extract from the likely customer behind you and won't sell to you for a price less than he thinks he can get from that customer, so you have to get very lucky or very informed

jangy

I don't know of any '05 leftovers in California, so that is why we don't get those deals. Also, once a car starts to sit a bit, it really takes a dump as the residuals drop. If this dealer has really had the car for 2 years, they have basically paid it off by now. Any cash in would be a profit!!
I don't think you'll get it for $60, but I would start there. It all depends on who can go longer before blinking.
Lastly, check to see how many miles are on it. I have seen wagons sit on the west coast, so I believe that it may have sat 2 years. But, you wanna be sure to know that it is a demo or other just in case.

abalto

Yes, these kinds of deals are not going to "offered" by the dealer to anyone! You will have to go in and play poker with them, big time. It is truly a situation where the first person who speaks or blinks loses. You have to have an iron stomach and be ready to just walk out. Show NO emotional attachment to the car at all. I walked in and chatted about my E55 while my C43 was getting some warranty work. I told the salesman I had 6 cars and I did not need to buy the E55. I told him only if it was a deal that I could not walk away from, would I buy it. Plus, I was a cash buyer, and told him that if we did make a deal it would be a matter of me writing a check. Once we did the deal, I returned and did just that.

If you have a good poker face and know how to negotiate and play their game, you can come out ahead. Of course, it involves timing with the dealer and what they want to do and a great deal of skill, and some luck! If the stars are aligned and you play the game correctly, you can score. They had my car right on the showroom floor. They wanted to sell the car.

My car was at a Baltimore area dealer, where the market is pretty hot. You have to remember on punched or left over cars...

• Once the dealer punches the car, they cannot list it in their new car inventory. They have reported it SOLD to MB! You most likely will not find it on their web site or in an inventory list.
• The dealer cannot advertise AMG cars discounted due to MB marketing rules and guidelines. Sort of like Rolex watches. You will never see licensed dealer running ads for discounts. You have to go in and make a deal behind closed doors. Discounting cheapens the brand.
• Use the fact that it has been punched as a negotiation tool. Tell them the factory warranty is NOT transferrable beyond you, and let them know that decreases the value greatly. Tell them you want them to sell you a CPO warranty with the car at their cost. They can and will do that. A 7 yr/100k warranty is $3370 (cost).

Tell them the car is going on 2 years old and offer $60k. Tell them the prices are dropping greatly. These wagons will be in the $40k's in 2-3 years. Watch and see.

Rock

Abalto, can I just pay you $2,000.00 to get me my next car?

abalto

I will be happy to help anyone here in the AMG brotherhood.

Of course, time limited. I do not have unlimited time to help chase and work deals. The hardest part is finding a left over car. Then, you have to handle the negotiations correctly from the start.

Jrocket

True,nowhere are you going to walk in and see unbelievable deals "offered".I think it comes down to the dealers need to move the car.No dealer is going to let a car go for under what they want just because the buyer can negotiate well.Every car has a number they must get out of it at the time of the sell.Some cars sit for quite some time until the money has got to a point to where they can let it go and still make a profit.I dont think a dealer will ever lose money on any car sold.They have profit in it somewhere.

When those wagons start popping up at outrageous low numbers,I'll buy one of those as well.

abalto

Not ever single car is a money maker for a dealer. Most are, but a few are not. My deal was one that was not for them. They will try to get the most out of it, but it becomes a ticking time bomb after a certain period of time. After a while, they will just cut their losses and let it roll. Remember, the '07's are starting to roll in and here they have an '05 sitting there. Believe me, they want the thing to disappear.

Just keep an open mind, don't get emotional about the car and wear your poker face.

medici78

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm going to shoot an offer and see what happens. The bad part in my situation, the deal would involve me trading my E55 in, which seems to complicate things. They are offering me a fair trade-in, but we all know how dealers play with the numbers. Unfortunately, my situation (read: wife) won't allow me to have two E55's, regardless of difference in bodystyle.

abalto

What is the trade amount they were offering for your e55?

And, what is the price of the wagon?

I bet they did offer you a strong trade for your e55, especially if you were paying $87k for the wagon. At that price, they could have offered you $70k for your car as a trade and still been making money.

Regardless of what they offer you for a trade, always negotiate your car purchase and trade totally seperate of one another. 99% of the time, you are always better off selling your old car privately. I would never trade a car in. They usually pay $80% or less of what it is really worth.