230CE 1990 38k 1 owner how much to pay?

[AndrewP]

I'm thinking of buying a 1990 230CE that has covered just 38000 miles, same owner from new, full M-B service history and no accidents.
It's navy blue, beige leather interior, and no rust, I know this is a rare find but have no idea of its value and neither has the owner who has "mentioned" £7000. (he now has no room to keep it)
Any ideas of what I should pay.......is £7K a steal??

Any advice gladly received, thanks. Andrew

 

[television]

It sounds £4.5k to expensive to me, hardly any 1990 second hand car is worth that much.

Malcolm

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

It is a rare find, but 7K does sound a bit expensive. It sounds immaculate and if so, and your wanting to keep the car for a long period, it should be good for another 100K+ miles.

A well used example of that age would struggle to make 1.5K so your estmate of whats its worth should be based on the premium your prepared to pay above that figure. I would imagine 3.5 - 4K would be a good starting point with the possibility of having to pay up to 5K to secure.

It all depends on how much you want the car. One thing we all know, the 124 series are excellent cars with bullet proof mechanicals. The 2.3 engine shouldn't be too expensive to run re petrol and consumables

Certainly a future classic.

 

[Bolide]

230ce

I'm thinking of buying a 1990 230CE that has covered just 38000 miles, same owner from new, full M-B service history and no accidents.
It's navy blue, beige leather interior, and no rust, I know this is a rare find but have no idea of its value and neither has the owner who has "mentioned" £7000. (he now has no room to keep it)
Any ideas of what I should pay.......is £7K a steal??

The car is rare with that mileage but £7k isn't a steal. If the owner doesn't know what it's worth but mentions £7k it suggests to me you may have a hard time negotiating a price that's agreeable to both parties

Do you want a 230CE? Or has the rarity & low mileage seduced you? It may have low mileage & full history but that would suggest it's been serviced 4 times - in 16 years! Not what I would be looking for in a collectors car

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Blobcat]

38K over 15 yrs = 2.5K per year. How often was this car serviced, with so few miles lots could be wrong with this car from lack of use.
Excert from Honest John's website "The public values ultra-low-mileage cars very highly. Someone even paid £74,642, including commission and VAT, for a 650-mile 1975 Jaguar E-Type at a BCA Classic Car sale in February. But to me ultra-low-mileage means problems, such as dodgy oil seals and gaskets, sticking brakes and hidden corrosion inside the engine"

 

[Silver Arrow]

Posted this previously:-

15-02-2006, 10:34 PM
Silver Arrow
Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 120



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Just looked in the March Classic & Sportscar, p63 There is a 300CE '92 J with 52K miles for £12,995.

 

[jberks]

People will ask mad prices if they regard their car as a classic, but its only worth what people will pay. Low mileage means that its never done any mileage warmed up or properly lubricated. You could find the engine actually has 70k worth of wear. Pipes still dry, crack and leak, wiring insulation still dries out and shorts, seals still dry out and leak and bushes still give up, so it may still cost a few quid to put it right, despite it 'looking' great.
No sign of rust doesn't mean that there isn't any. Anything corrodes, no matter how well looked after. I'd be expecting a concourse show winner for that kind of money and is that what you want, or just a good 230CE.
The alternative is to buy one for £1500 and spend the difference minting it. At least you end up with a known quantity that way.