CL500 - worth the risk?

[James Gareth]

Have you bought it yet

No. I'm not buying it till it's got a health check from Alex.

 

[James Gareth]

....finds the heater fan is a £2k fix (10 hours labour at £150 per hr plus some parts)....

Since writing my original post I have discovered that you very much do NOT have to remove half the dash to replace the fan. All the mechanics I've spoken to say its a very short job - max hour and half though I'm thinking much less if you know what you're doing. Somebody here talked about doing it yourself - which i would consider as it doesn't sound very difficult.

So given that 'some parts' is actually 'the fan' - which seems to be anything from £60 to £300 depending on where you get it from.... I don't think there's much risk that this issue would cost me £2000.

 

[MBDevotee]

Sure. And if I spend my whole life asking what-if and thinking worst case scenario I will never go outside the front door!

Ok, crack on then! I just don’t see the sense in buying a faulty car that’s nearly twice the price it’s worth - would you buy a Rolex and when the bloke tells you it doesn’t work and they are usually £1000 but this one is £1800 you go - ooooh goody, Just what I want!?

No-one is saying don’t buy one - (well some are) I am just saying don’t buy THAT one, or if you do make sure the seller fixes all the problems and reduces the price by a lot, or take it as it is, but don’t pay more than £4-5,000 for it. If you pay £7500 for a car you know is faulty that is worth no more than £6000 in perfect working order you are daft.

Still, one born every minute they say!

 

[James Gareth]

Ok, crack on then! I just don’t see the sense in buying a faulty car that’s nearly twice the price it’s worth - would you buy a Rolex and when the bloke tells you it doesn’t work and they are usually £1000 but this one is £1800 you go - ooooh goody, Just what I want!?

No-one is saying don’t buy one - (well some are) I am just saying don’t buy THAT one, or if you do make sure the seller fixes all the problems and reduces the price by a lot, or take it as it is, but don’t pay more than £4-5,000 for it. If you pay £7500 for a car you know is faulty that is worth no more than £6000 in perfect working order you are daft.

Still, one born every minute they say!

Hello? Anybody there? I think I've said three times now I am getting Alex to check it out before buying it. Did you see that part? Yes? No? Anybody there?

And - this is YOUR OPINION that it's only worth £6000. You have not listened to other people and myself saying that what a car is worth is down to who is buying it. There is no 'objective' value of a car. You seem to have avoided letting that sink in with your insistence that you know objectively what it's worth.

So - come on - listen huh?

 

[James Gareth]

...mine is listed in the adverts... not ever listed it elsewhere as not in a hurry to let it go

There are adverts here? I've looked and can't see where they would be. Could you tell me how to find them? Thanks.

.

 

[ajlsl600]

Hello? Anybody there? I think I've said three times now I am getting Alex to check it out before buying it. Did you see that part? Yes? No? Anybody there?

And - this is YOUR OPINION that it's only worth £6000. You have not listened to other people and myself saying that what a car is worth is down to who is buying it. There is no 'objective' value of a car. You seem to have avoided letting that sink in with your insistence that you know objectively what it's worth.

So - come on - listen huh?

Its worth what the owner can get for it.
However it would seem to be unwise to pay more than,say an average over ten examples unless there is something exceptional about it ?
At the end tis up to you.
I always try to buy such that I have a fighting chance of moving it on ,if need be, without getting bent over.

 

[V6Matty]

There are adverts here? I've looked and can't see where they would be. Could you tell me how to find them? Thanks.

.

In the for sale section, I’ve linked the advert for ease https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/cl500-w215-2001.184016/

 

[MBDevotee]

I saw that about Alex yes - very wise, what wasn’t clear before was that you were going to get all the faults fixed before you bought it.

Not an opinion as to what a car is worth, there are enough valuation tools online to get a reasonable guide - I am on furlough at the moment so can’t access CAP as it’s at work - but if I pop in in the next couple of days I will have a look for you, but many dealers now value based on Autotraders valuation tool anyhow as Autotrader dominates the sales market.

Most main dealers will advertise a car at somewhere around 99-104% of Autotraders “Market Value” depending on how rare / unusual / nice it is and so on so no, it’s “Market value” isn’t an opinion it’s quite easy to find out.

Harder to find out is what someone will pay of course, and it’s true that it’s worth what someone will pay for it - but if 99.99999% of people who are in the market for and able to buy it would pay £5000 - £6000 and there is only one person prepared to pay £7500 for it then it’s worth £6k “in the market” and worth £7500 to that one person - make of that what you will, but you don’t really want to pay £1500 (I actually think it’s more than that) over the odds because if you do need to move it on relatively quickly then you are going to take a relatively big hit.

V6Matty’s car is probably very nice as he’s been a member here for years and I suspect that you could talk to the Indy as well - I don’t know him, but that car looks a way better buy to me (and yes, I know it’s older, higher miles etc - but it’s still a good car at a sensible price)

 

[MBDevotee]

And I agree the mileage is very low, and if you see that as a good thing, great pay a bit more for it - but there are good examples of that model for £3-4000 so even with low miles it’s not worth nearly £8000 (in my opinion). And it’s not just me - others are also saying don’t pay over the odds.

However you are only listening to those saying “yeh great go for it” - so you must do what you think is right. I re-read your posts and yes you’ve said that Alex will check it over, but I also read it that you are then going to buy it, at £7500 if he gives it the green light even with the known faults....

My point is, I wouldn’t pay way over the odds for a car with faults, because if the dealer hasn’t fixed the obvious faults, then there will be others he hasn’t fixed too, maybe some Alex won’t be able to see on first inspection..... a good dealer, charging way over the odds, should fix all faults that are known - and if as you say it’s a quick job, why hasn’t he done it?

At work we put the car through the workshop and then the service manager will road test a car before it goes on sale. Yes we don’t sell cars that old but the point is our cars hopefully have no faults at all when they hit the forecourt - and if they are charging way over the odds, theirs shouldn’t either.....

You came asking for advice, and many have given it - but as someone who values cars for a living and who’s trade profit line last YEAR on 743 cars was running at a £223 surplus, that means (on average) I got the values wrong by less than £1 per car, I think I have an idea on how to value a car!

 

[MBDevotee]

Another nice one?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes...-/164658258880?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

 

[Flyinspanner]

Chalcedonay Blue, Pale Grey interior, Sunroof, new MOT, 19” alloys, and available for sale.
(I passed my final exam today - so time to move on and be a sparky)

 

[MBDevotee]

Lovely car Flyinspanner.

Have you had any ABC issues with it....?

I think our OP wants something very specific though....

 

[Flyinspanner]

It’s had an pulsation damper, ABC flush & refill. Once had a valve block weep, turned out to be loosened Union.

- and I thought OP was looking for a 215 with 19” and a pale grey interior ..... well cared for. I think I’ve maybe underpriced it, and people think it will be rough!

 

[MBDevotee]

No, he’s looking for a 55000 miler, with very specific wheels ( we showed him others with 19” wheels but he didn’t want them) and certain colour grey leather....

I’m being cheeky of course, he wants something specific and happy to pay way over the odds for it - however it’s concerning the seller hasn’t fixed some simple known faults but is charging about £2k over the odds for it even with the faults!

I think yours would be a way better buy - are there any current known faults at all?

 

[MBDevotee]

It’s not underpriced at all, you just need a better advert.

 

[MBDevotee]

This has just been listed.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES...-/203252746278?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

Not perfect, a few marks, and looks like some trim needs doing, however sensible miles, right colour combo (looks great in black) and nice wheels etc (can’t believe they are 17’s tho - look larger)

That looks a decent car at a decent price too.

 

[Flyinspanner]

The Black one, They are 19” wheels if you zoom in on the tyre photos.

 

[MBDevotee]

Yeh I thought that, but he lists them. as 17's

Black one does look good, sometimes I'd rather see an "honest" car, most of the problems with that are just trim bits which you should be able to get off eBay.

However be interesting to know if its had any suspension work done.

 

[John Laidlaw]

It’s had an pulsation damper, ABC flush & refill. Once had a valve block weep, turned out to be loosened Union.

- and I thought OP was looking for a 215 with 19” and a pale grey interior ..... well cared for. I think I’ve maybe underpriced it, and people think it will be rough!

Those are the best looking wheels ever IMO , lovely car that

 

[MBDevotee]

And - this is YOUR OPINION that it's only worth £6000. You have not listened to other people and myself saying that what a car is worth is down to who is buying it. There is no 'objective' value of a car. You seem to have avoided letting that sink in with your insistence that you know objectively what it's worth.

So - come on - listen huh?

This may help you - as I said, worth £6k retail. I added in ALL the extras listed, and you cannot allow for faults in CAP - So you actually need to drop the price to allow for that.

You will see my "guess" was accurate pretty much spot on.

£5995 is the price for that car + a cheeky £500 maybe as it is rare with those miles (although the valuation is AT those miles).

Bear in mind too that top retail assumes FMBSH, and new MOT with no advisories and no marks, dents scratches etc.

Hope its useful.

Will attach in a mo