AM I asking to much?
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Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 115
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From: OH
E55 AMG
AM I asking to much?
Have my 03 E55 with 80k miles listed for 16,500.00. And haven't received to much interest except for people offering 12k or wanting to trade older camaros or 90's turbo Japanese cars.
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Joined: Jan 2014
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
It's the first model year and it's coming up on the magic "100K" miles. From experience with mine, I would say yours is coming up on $5k to $6K worth of parts replacement in the next 20,000 miles (about the mileage an average owner would drive it in a year). That's not counting labor, diagnostic system, or the Mercedes-specific tools required to work on the car (assuming the buyer is an enthusiast and willing to perform all work him/herself).
Personally, without looking at your car, I would say $12K is bottom and $14K is top that I would be willing to offer. $16.5K? Nope. Not when I paid $18K for a car with fewer miles and was two model years newer than yours and that was 3 years ago.
Hold out if you want but you should peruse the used-car seller and car auction business sites. There are a crap-ton of used cars and off-lease cars (coming off lease) this summer. There is a huge backlog of unsold cars on dealer's lots. The amount of delinquent loans on cars (new and used) is at a record high and expected to increase. Personally, I've put cash away for another car later this year in anticipation of a serious price fall.
No one can force me to buy a car. I have to want to buy it. And I learned years ago to listen to my wallet and not my heart. Look how many recent sub-forum members have come on-board in the last year and they post about literally thousands of dollars in maintenance that had to be performed. Unless you want to continue to pay the maintenance costs (and I'm going to want to see the records if interested in buying your car), drop the price and sell the car to someone willing to deal with the maintenance required to own an E55.
Best of luck to you and I hope your car finds a good home.
Personally, without looking at your car, I would say $12K is bottom and $14K is top that I would be willing to offer. $16.5K? Nope. Not when I paid $18K for a car with fewer miles and was two model years newer than yours and that was 3 years ago.
Hold out if you want but you should peruse the used-car seller and car auction business sites. There are a crap-ton of used cars and off-lease cars (coming off lease) this summer. There is a huge backlog of unsold cars on dealer's lots. The amount of delinquent loans on cars (new and used) is at a record high and expected to increase. Personally, I've put cash away for another car later this year in anticipation of a serious price fall.
No one can force me to buy a car. I have to want to buy it. And I learned years ago to listen to my wallet and not my heart. Look how many recent sub-forum members have come on-board in the last year and they post about literally thousands of dollars in maintenance that had to be performed. Unless you want to continue to pay the maintenance costs (and I'm going to want to see the records if interested in buying your car), drop the price and sell the car to someone willing to deal with the maintenance required to own an E55.
Best of luck to you and I hope your car finds a good home.
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Joined: Aug 2011
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From: New Zealand
Cars are only worth what someone is willing to pay. Higher price means waiting a lot longer. Very few people will pay much more for a better kept car. I know your frustration having sold my last AMG recently.
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Joined: May 2003
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really depends on the options, the condition of the car and what you've done maintenance wise. To be honest, I bought my '04 last thanksgiving with 79k for $14k. Has every option except histrionic and pano. I've already had to do the sbc, motor/transmission mounts, idler pulleys/belts, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, and fuel tank.
Last edited by knvs; Jul 5, 2017 at 08:03 AM.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,120
Likes: 80
From: Tampa Bay, FL
05 E55, 98 CLK320
It's the first model year and it's coming up on the magic "100K" miles. From experience with mine, I would say yours is coming up on $5k to $6K worth of parts replacement in the next 20,000 miles (about the mileage an average owner would drive it in a year). That's not counting labor, diagnostic system, or the Mercedes-specific tools required to work on the car (assuming the buyer is an enthusiast and willing to perform all work him/herself).
Personally, without looking at your car, I would say $12K is bottom and $14K is top that I would be willing to offer. $16.5K? Nope. Not when I paid $18K for a car with fewer miles and was two model years newer than yours and that was 3 years ago.
Hold out if you want but you should peruse the used-car seller and car auction business sites. There are a crap-ton of used cars and off-lease cars (coming off lease) this summer. There is a huge backlog of unsold cars on dealer's lots. The amount of delinquent loans on cars (new and used) is at a record high and expected to increase. Personally, I've put cash away for another car later this year in anticipation of a serious price fall.
No one can force me to buy a car. I have to want to buy it. And I learned years ago to listen to my wallet and not my heart. Look how many recent sub-forum members have come on-board in the last year and they post about literally thousands of dollars in maintenance that had to be performed. Unless you want to continue to pay the maintenance costs (and I'm going to want to see the records if interested in buying your car), drop the price and sell the car to someone willing to deal with the maintenance required to own an E55.
Best of luck to you and I hope your car finds a good home.
Personally, without looking at your car, I would say $12K is bottom and $14K is top that I would be willing to offer. $16.5K? Nope. Not when I paid $18K for a car with fewer miles and was two model years newer than yours and that was 3 years ago.
Hold out if you want but you should peruse the used-car seller and car auction business sites. There are a crap-ton of used cars and off-lease cars (coming off lease) this summer. There is a huge backlog of unsold cars on dealer's lots. The amount of delinquent loans on cars (new and used) is at a record high and expected to increase. Personally, I've put cash away for another car later this year in anticipation of a serious price fall.
No one can force me to buy a car. I have to want to buy it. And I learned years ago to listen to my wallet and not my heart. Look how many recent sub-forum members have come on-board in the last year and they post about literally thousands of dollars in maintenance that had to be performed. Unless you want to continue to pay the maintenance costs (and I'm going to want to see the records if interested in buying your car), drop the price and sell the car to someone willing to deal with the maintenance required to own an E55.
Best of luck to you and I hope your car finds a good home.
Anybody who has any experience with AMG will know that an extra $3-4k at purchase can easily save you 5-7k in the next 12-18 months of ownership.
$15k is a reasonable price to settle for, for your car, OP. Because that mileage is rare, and if your car is kept well I don't see a reason you should charge less. Dealers will ask for about that much and you still have to pay all their stupid fees on top. If someone knows what they're looking for it's a good deal.
After buying my E55 from shady dealers who got it an an auction I'm never again gambling on AMG. Pay the money, get the car from a middle aged forum member who cares about their belongings- and call it a day.
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
If you have to ask, it's too much. Nadaguide says retail is 14.5k. Private party you hardly ever get retail. There's a lot more range between rough and clean trade in, 7.5-11k. Lots of people try to price it like the dealer, but while dealers have a bad rep in general, some private party can be even worse. At least the dealers are regulated by the state and some are required to give you a warranty even if it's only 30 days which you won't get from a private party sale. For private party sale, I always paid closer to rough trade in than retail. Even paid closer to clean trade in than retail at a dealer.
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 99
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From: VA
NA
I'm on the opposite side of the equation as a prospective W211 E55 buyer, and it's been a pretty frustrating experience, to be honest. All I've been seeing are E55's that fall into one of two categories:
1. Cheaper cars, or even cars that are priced in line with NADA, that have no real maintenance records, have been in serious accidents, have well over 100k miles, have been driven and modded by someone in their early 20s who probably beat the hell out of it, and/or have various dash lights on or other things broken
2. Exceptionally well taken care of E55's with stacks of maintenance from Day 1 to current that the owner is trying to get $3k-$5K (or more) above the highest NADA forecasts
It definitely seems like a seller's market right now if you're patient, but that's probably only to a point. The popularity of this car over the last couple of years probably is thanks in large part to all the articles and Youtube vids touting how much of a screaming deal it is (that's how I found out about it). $14k for a well-maintained sub-100k mile example is definitely an amazing deal, but once that number starts getting into the high teens or even 20's, the interest from folks like me drops exponentially. At the same time, I can't blame owners from trying to get what they can. Like I said, seller's market on these cars right now.
1. Cheaper cars, or even cars that are priced in line with NADA, that have no real maintenance records, have been in serious accidents, have well over 100k miles, have been driven and modded by someone in their early 20s who probably beat the hell out of it, and/or have various dash lights on or other things broken
2. Exceptionally well taken care of E55's with stacks of maintenance from Day 1 to current that the owner is trying to get $3k-$5K (or more) above the highest NADA forecasts
It definitely seems like a seller's market right now if you're patient, but that's probably only to a point. The popularity of this car over the last couple of years probably is thanks in large part to all the articles and Youtube vids touting how much of a screaming deal it is (that's how I found out about it). $14k for a well-maintained sub-100k mile example is definitely an amazing deal, but once that number starts getting into the high teens or even 20's, the interest from folks like me drops exponentially. At the same time, I can't blame owners from trying to get what they can. Like I said, seller's market on these cars right now.
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 99
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From: VA
NA
Although I definitely get what you're saying, paying several thousand above market value is obviously no guarantee that you're going to get a trouble-free car, even in the short term. And that's where I'm having trouble resolving some of these prices I'm seeing. Just my perspective.
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Joined: Apr 2017
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From: Tampa Bay, FL
05 E55, 98 CLK320
You're not asking too much, unless you're in a hurry the right person will come along.
These cars are hard to find in good shape as I'm finding out with mine. I would have rather paid $20k for a perfect one than $14.5k for mine.
These cars are hard to find in good shape as I'm finding out with mine. I would have rather paid $20k for a perfect one than $14.5k for mine.
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Joined: Feb 2014
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Cars depreciate every day. These threads are filled with people who think something is well priced but then it never ends up selling. It's the market that speaks. If no one is calling, then that means it's overpriced. If you get a few inquires but no one closes the deal, means you're close but just a little too high. There are many cars that are rare, but that doesn't make it valuable.
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Worldwide
2007 Mercedes E63 AMG
i feel you're asking a bit much...now if you had a wagon...different story.
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Joined: Jan 2016
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2004 E55
My cousin hunted for a month, I reviewed countless carfaxes and records.
He picked up a Capri Blue 2003 w/80K miles for $13,9xx it had been dealer maintained since new up until current mileage inclusive of tires. Near flawless car with a great service history and huge punch list of items. The only thing it has not had done yet is the fuel tank recall (filters/pumps were done as maintenance).
I even felt that price was a tad high, but we both knew he was paying for the verified maintenance history. His purchase took place over the weekend after July 4th.
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 878
Likes: 638
poop
THese are not "qucik sale" cars. these are purely made up numbers, Out of 350m americans, maybe 100m are looking to buy a car, 50% of those are buying purpose only cars, (toyotas, mini vans, trucks, 10% are looking for specialty cars and out of those maybe .001 are looking for a near 2 decade old e55.
Just wait for the right buy to come around.
As a comp, I bought mine 04 a year ago for 15k, 59k miles, excellent condition
Just wait for the right buy to come around.
As a comp, I bought mine 04 a year ago for 15k, 59k miles, excellent condition
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Joined: Feb 2014
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
I don't think there was a fuel tank recall, it was just an extended warranty not an actual recall so it only applies if you smell gas inside the car.
As for the prices, a simple lookup on Nadaguide.com yields a max of about 14.5k and that's retail. Private party never seems to sell for retail because the dealers usually offer at least a 30 day warranty and do minor fixes to the car. People are posting that they paid less for newer cars or ones with lower mileage or ones from dealers. The answer seems obvious but lots of people ask for advice and never take it. The longer you wait, the more it depreciates.
As for the prices, a simple lookup on Nadaguide.com yields a max of about 14.5k and that's retail. Private party never seems to sell for retail because the dealers usually offer at least a 30 day warranty and do minor fixes to the car. People are posting that they paid less for newer cars or ones with lower mileage or ones from dealers. The answer seems obvious but lots of people ask for advice and never take it. The longer you wait, the more it depreciates.
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Worldwide
2007 Mercedes E63 AMG
way to crush his dreams brooooo
