Mercedes 300se

[Flatty]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of selling my 1991 300se which is sub 100k miles, bronze with black mbtex and in really good condition both body and engine having been restored at length by Steve in the Wirral.
Trouble is, the prices on these cars varies wildly, and I genuinely have no idea what a fair asking price is.
Would anyone have any idea?
I know I'll get nowhere near recouping my outlay, but I have two classic Mercs and two motorbikes, and I can't keep up with all the services and MOTs so one of each has to go (my other Merc is a 1994 500sl which on balance I'll probably keep as it has only got 34k on it.

 

[MBDevotee]

Don’t even know where to start!

I assume you have trawled through autotrader, eBay and classic car sites?

It’s a difficult one - how many are up for sale at the moment?

 

[Flatty]

Don’t even know where to start!

I assume you have trawled through autotrader, eBay and classic car sites?

It’s a difficult one - how many are up for sale at the moment?

I have, but they vary between 5k ish and 15k ish. I've never encountered anything quite like it to be honest. There seems to be no underlying consistent thread.

 

[Flatty]

Ps there aren't many up for sale.

 

[MBDevotee]

So lets say there are 5 up for sale near you - go and see them - see how they compare to the one you have.

If there are none out there local - look at the ads. If the 15k one is some kinda concourse special, and the 5k one is a shed, discount those two and take an average of the others for sale. Then HONESTLY rate yours compared to what you think the others are like, and pitch it.

So if yours is the nicest out there - it needs to be up near the top end or at the top end of the pricing. If yours is average price it just that.

But if there are only 3 for sale, pop yours where you think it should be "in the (admittedly small) market".

3 main things matter here....

1) What's the very very least you would let it go for - i.e. your "nah, bugger off mate" money?
2) What do you THINK it's worth - I.e. what would you like to get for it?
3) What's the figure you'd be over the moon to get for it, and would pop a champagne bottle if .you sold it for?



Then - just price it somewhere well above 2) and a bit below 3) giving you the opportunity to start dropping towards 2 if it hasn't sold - and maybe 1 if you have to....

 

[Flatty]

I'll try that. Tbh, I just want to ask a fair price and say no haggling. I'll probably just do that if I can come to any conclusion as to what is a fair price.

 

[MBDevotee]

No, don't say "no haggling" - it always makes me think the seller is rude and arrogant which it doesn't sound like you are!! Remember you weren't sure what it was worth yourself, so to make the "statement" that the price you selected is "right" and what someone else feels is "wrong" isn't a good move.

By all means hold moderately firm, and I just wouldn't entertain anyone who offers you £2000 less over the phone without even seeing the car - that's different, but I reckon you'd cut by 90% the number of phone calls if you put that.

Even someone who would offer £50 less just to feel they have had a "win" (believe me - thousands of them about) wouldn't call if it said "No haggling".

Add a tiny bit to the price to allow a small amount of "wiggle room" - most buying a car will expect a little wiggle.

 

[Flatty]

Thank you. I'll bear they in mind.
The mile clock broke a few months back, which I need to fix first. I was out in it with my mate today, said I was selling it, and he said "are you mad?"

 

[MBDevotee]

Well, just get a price where you feel happy to have sold not regretful

 

[JBell]

Well, just get a price where you feel happy to have sold not regretful

Yup and post some pics so we can all see it

 

[Flatty]

Ah, well here it is fwiw.

 

[peterws1957]

Ah, well here it is fwiw.

Fantastic looking car there. Might be worth joining the official MB club for £40 ish. They have officials for each model who should be able to give you a guide as to value. You could then advertise on their site and probably get more interest than general advertising. If it was me I wouldn't be just chucking a price out there and hoping for the best.

 

[Flatty]

Fantastic looking car there. Might be worth joining the official MB club for £40 ish. They have officials for each model who should be able to give you a guide as to value. You could then advertise on their site and probably get more interest than general advertising. If it was me I wouldn't be just chucking a price out there and hoping for the best.

I was a member for a while, until they started pushing pro brexit stuff even in the newsletter, which I objected to.

 

[peterws1957]

I was a member for a while, until they started pushing pro brexit stuff even in the newsletter, which I objected to.

Yep - occasionally a very strange place to be the MB official club, but some very knowledgeable members.

 

[Flatty]

It was an interesting forum. I may rejoin, but it vexed me no end.

 

[grayb]

I was a member for a while, until they started pushing pro brexit stuff even in the newsletter, which I objected to.

Good Lord!

 

[DSK]

Your car, sounds like it has EVERYTHING going for it by the bucket load except a V8 engine.

I like the fact the wheels look great, body work looks rust free which, these suffer from, the panel gaps all look good and especially around the bumpers where a few seemed to get a knocked. The chrome looks great as do the clarity of the lights and its these details that start to add up. The colour may not be everyone's first choice but, its a period colour. The whole thing looks consistently healthy all round. With the low mileage, I'd put it up for about £8/9K and expect offers around £6-7K. I have a gut feeling you will have a lot of car traders trying to get it off you at a low price but, as with such cars, you will need to be patient for the right collector/enthusiast to pop along.

I wish all used cars were presented like this.