I am reaching for all you seasoned W211 fanatics and members for honest opinions :
How much of a Gamble is this :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-...ht_2505wt_1167

- YEs Mileage is attractive
- Work documenting the repair which was all done by MB or authorized MB people , I am no expert in these kind of titles , but according to the owner , full documentation of all work had to be submitted for a new title to be issued
- No structural damage to the car , front bumper , radiator, HE , headlights were replaced ...owner decided to replace with E63 look all OEM

- Biggest issue is that I really dont think I can get an extended warranty at least not one that MB would honor .

Your opinions , and advise are all appreciated. Cheers

 

resale would be terrible if your ever looking to sell it. Keep that in mind

 

I figured as much ... I can live with no selling it at all .. its the not being able to buy an extended warranty that bothers me , never bought much less thought of a salvaged title before

 

I cant see them EVER getting a clean title on that thing, if it was ez others would do it also. If I'm thinking right that cars been for sale for awhile now.

Salvage cars usually sell for about 1/2 of a comparable car with a clean tile, anything much more than that and someone is over paying. Sellers always think they are worth a lot more but its just not the case, especially in today's market when there are great deals to be had on clean cars.
.

 

Well I am not sure if a salvage title can ever be clean .. and what it states is that it is in fact a salvaged title .

 

Couple of questions......

it states that the vehicle is Salvaged title...as it had a MINOR front hit?
Insurance companies only total a vehicle once the estimated damage is 30 To 40 percent of value...IF it had only a MINOR front hit the insurance company would have repaired the vehicle.....I would recommend a High Line body shop to reinspect the car to have a look at the frame rails.....

He said it's a full E63 front conversion...But did not update the headlights?

And last MOST ALL INSURANCE companies will NOT reinsure a salvage or branded title vehicle for Full Coverage..Liability only once it has been declared a total loss....They only want to write off the vehicle once....And CLEANING a salvage or branded title back to a clear title won't happen!

as stated above the value is 50% of book value on salvaged or branded title vehicles

lots to consider before I would pull the trigger on that W211

 

Mark I am so happy you chimed in , hope all is well with you . Copied below are some questions and answers about the car that are related to the subject . I am really no expert , but now that I read on I see that the seller says " REBUILT title , I am not sure what is the difference between salvage and rebuilt .. I am assume that one can not register a car at least in FL before complying with certain requirements.

Q: First of all, let me explain that my last two cars have been AMGs (2006 E55, 2008 S63). Please explain which structural/suspension/engine parts were replaced during the repairs (eg. suspension, struts, wheels, engine and cooling/radiator, etc). Can I see some pictures of the damage before the repairs. I don't care which body panels were damaged I just want to gauge how hard the impact was. Were the repairs performed by a Mercedes Benz dealer? If not who performed the repairs? Are there any noticeable effect to steering or ride at high speed (eg. are there any unusual vibrations at all)? Is the title a salvage title now? Aug-23-11
A: The only parts which were replaced that were structural were the horizontal aluminum front bumper support (the piece directly behind the plastic bumper cover). The crush tubes, radiator support etc were all untouched and are original. The lower low temp radiator (for intercooler) was replaced because of a crack in the plastic inlet tube. Also, the a/c condensor in front of the radiator was replaced b/c it broke loose on impact. The hood and passenger fender were replaced because while they suffered VERY mild damage, they are aluminum and not able to be repaired. ALL parts are Mercedes OEM and the work was performed at both Mercedes Benz and their recommended body shop - since Mercedes doesn't do body work. The repairs are top notch and all work was done in completely disassembled state. There were no short cuts used and NO taping of any panels, accessories etc for the paint work. It is immaculate.
Q: Question- is there gonna be any problem registering the car in new York since it has salvage title?? Aug-23-11
A: There will be no problem. The car has a good clean free Florida rebuilt title - transferable to any state.
Q: Does keyless go include remote engine start? Aug-18-11
A: Keyless go means that you can open the doors, trunk etc as well as start the vehicle without removing the key from your pocket. The car cannot be started from outside the vehicle with the remote - that is only on GM vehicles. Hope this helps.
Q: Hello , I hope you dont mind me asking , do you have anything documenting the condition of the car after the accident , confirming that no frame damage was incurred and what work was done exactly to repair the damage ? The car looks very nice but that information is crucial for me . Thank you , Max Aug-12-11
A: Hello Max, yes I have ALL of the repair receipts as well as all of the original estimates and pre-repair pictures. The car is amazing and definitely a rare find.

 

Hi Max

Since it had damage to the front of the vehicle ...Bumper,reinforcement,hood,fender did the Air Bags Deploy?

I do not know the DMV rules here in Florida since I have not been here long enough to see if the rules are different but in California,Nevada,Oregon one cannot clean a salvage or branded title ....As he STATES a REBULIT title in Florida ....It will Stay a rebuilt title ......


I Would rather buy a E55 from a High Line auction here in Florida for less as the market is flooded with lease returns from MBCC

He states aluminum hood and fender? Mercedes does not do body work?only replace panels? What about minor repairs ?Even Mercedes uses filler at the VPC on damaged cars. In transit....again prevs pics please
I would second quess that statement

 

You can absolutely insure a salvage/rebuilt title car for full coverage. I know 2 people that see these types of cars and always get full coverage. This car has a ton of nice upgrades for that price. If he has good documentation, I wouldn't be too worried. It looks like a real nice clean car. If you can get him down a little, its a pretty good deal. Not sure on warranty, but I would assume you still could. If not, pocket the 4k you spend on a warranty and save it. I have had several 55s, most w/o warranty and have never had a major expense. The problem with forums are, all the complaints are here and most beat on their cars so its an inaccurate pool of problems. To sell a salvage car, they had to get it inspected and a new title issued, so all you have to do is transfer it to NY and your good just like UFC you bought a regular car.

 

Auction is flooded with lease returns.......really........seriously. Get a clue before you spout BS, there has not been a decent lease return E55 in over a year at Manheim.

 

Heres the latest sales. 6 in in 2 months and only 1 was a lease. 5 were dealer crap cars. Hardly FLOODED.

09/15/11PALease$24,00076,522AvgBLACK8GAYes10/06/11TAMPARegular$27,20055,989AvgGRAY8GAYes10/13/11TAMPARegular$27,00049,990AvgSILVER8GAYes10/13/11PARegular$27,90039,107AvgSILVER8GAYes10/19/11SF BAYRegular$26,90067,220AvgBLU/GREY8GAYes10/19/11PALM BCHRegular$22,00073,210BelowBLACK8GAYes

 

Check with your insurance company if they provide comprehensive collision coverage on salvage title cars.

 

Never buy a salvage title. If I find the most perfect car and it has that....it is a deal breaker.

 

wow that looks good,

 

I'll admit the car does look clean. But with a salvage title it is not worth that price. Good luck.

Aaron

 

You maybe able to find a few E55s at that price with clean titles. They will have more miles on them, but some maybe well-maintained miles. This would eliminate most of the risk you may get with this car. Also, sometimes when a car is repaired in shops (or any place other than factory), things don't go back to the way they were.... they'll be rattling and other sounds here and there, etc...

 

The car was wrecked twice according to the Autocheck report? Run from this car!

 

I totally agree ...if the car didnt look as good as it does wit what looks like a well done facelift I wouldnt have given it a second look ...

- MB Dealers at least here in south Fl in fact rarely do have body shops , they do farm it out to only select shops they work with ,so the fact that a FL MB dealer wouldnt do the work themselves very well could be true.
- I havent yet seen the documentation of all pictures before/after and paperwork .. owner says he has them all
- I am trying to get the VMI for the car from MB at least to show maintenance before the accident but thats not going to be easy .
- That car is to my knowledge a Unibody , so if it was anything more than the bumper / hood I wouldnt think of it .

The ONLY reason I am intrigued by it , is that if I buy an W211 E55 ( which I personally prefer over the E63 W211 ) is knowing that I will want to do to it what he has done exactly , and I am afraid that my wife will kill me if I even think of starting a new project of that nature , after watching me work endlessly on my W210 E55!! LOL , as much as I love doing so I just dont have the time anymore

 

You are absolutely right , I missed that part in the records... but how would a car with a salvaged title , issued to
an insurance co be registered to be driven to get into another accident ??? that might just put an end to this then

 

 

At least its premium fuel and not the economy crap

 

bad idea on this one bro, I bought my 05 less than a year ago for almost the same price, and it only had 30,xxx miles. Its a base model E55, but I dont need things like pano, park or distronic, and MB Nav sucks anyway, so I made out pretty freakin well I think. shop around and I guarantee you will find what you need at a fair price.

 

Thats why I posted my thread ... obviously in my excitement I overlooked few things ! ...who would entice buyers with a full tank of gas !!

Thanks to all of you

 

My deal was I had to buy the car and have it driving for 1/2 the price of a clean title car. I would drive it for about 10,000 miles or so and sell it. for what I had into it or more. I would then have another car lined up waiting to be driven. I looked at it as having nice expensive cars for free.
My e63 was bought from all the $ from those salvage cars.

I LOVE SALVAGE..... I am looking for a 911 Turbo ....YEP SALVAGE...

If you like that car and going to keep it stock or mod a bit buy it... they are solid cars...

 

Im not a huge salvage car guy, but I have seen some members cars here on the board, I would rather have a salvage car with low miles then some car that has beed beaten and abused at a track.