What to do ... sell? repair then sell?

[Tontastic]

I've a 1999 W210 E300TD Elegance Estate. Its got 217,000 miles on the clock and going strong. I do however want to change it, as I fancy an ML. So the questions is, how to get it sold.

I was fortunate to have the offside wing replaced under warranty along with the tailgate this year for rust, but they wouldn't touch the right hand side due to previous work being done (unknown to me). I don't want to sell it with the rust on the right hand side as it is, so i've been quoted about 500 (repair wing) to 700 (replace wing) for cash including treating some very minor spots of rust top and bottom of door etc. I've only had a couple of quotes, so any advice on decent but inexpensive body shops in the Glasgow area would be appreciated if that seems expensive to you.

The question is though, how much is the car worth, and is it worth putting the extra money in to put right the rust? Would anyone want a car with that high a mileage?

Work wise i have replaced the differential and the fuel pump this year as well, so a wise buyer would i hope think that they are getting a lot of car for not much money. What are folk's experiences of ebay versus autotrader vs whatever?

 

[television]

I would not do the rust work, as you have done so much mechanical on the car, I do not think it will alter the price that much, someone may buy it and not be that bothered about it

Try it in either Exchange and Mart, Ebay,or Top marques

 

[Legoman]

i wouldnt get the work done for that price as you wouldnt make it back on selling it , but if you could find a scrap yard one with matching colour panel (depends on your colour of car) it might be worth it , i would buy any colour one and spray it myself but it depends on how confident you doing this and if its a hard colour to match ofc.

ive sold cars on ebay , it can be a good place to sell as long as you set the reserve price at minimum you want , also steer clear of buyers without ratings or good ratings , i stipulate that in the auction itself.
autotrader is ok as well. just remember to place in auction at ebay that you have car listed else where and reserve the right to remove if you list on both.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

300E TD estates are like hen's teeth. You hardly ever see them for sale, they're great cars with superb engines so I don't think you'll have any problems selling her even with that mileage. Just remember that these engines if looked after will go for double your current mileage. The gearbox probably won't last that long but to be honest a new gearbox isn't that expensive IMO, certainly not for the lifetime of the car if looked after.

If the rust isn't too bad I'd leave it for the next owner to sort out. If the rust at the top of the door is in the usual place underneath the rubber seal, you can fix that yourself. I did. Its not pretty but you can't see it unless you peel that seal back, and at least the rust won't be coming back soon. Also, if your headlamps are cloudy you can fix that here: http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=25781 trust me it makes a big difference to the look of the car to have nice clear headlamps.

I'd give it a minor service, change the oil, change the ATF if not done recently, flush the brake fluid, change the coolant - usual stuff. Have it running nice and quiet for any buyers on a test drive. Consider having the aircon recharged if its a bit sloth-like. Lovely fresh cool car on a hot day is always nice.

My experience of autotrader isn't good, you get more canvassers than buyers. Complete waste of time. Try the Pistonheads classifieds, its free and you can have nice big pictures, and as long a description as you like.

 

[Tontastic]

Three strikes for not doing the rust ... i like the idea of not spending the cash! Had a quick look on ebay there and could only see a petrol one a year older with half the mileage at £3.3K (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mercedes-Benz...oryZ9855QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Yikes, is that all they are worth! I know the diesel if a bit more expensive and mine still has a full service history, and it has the 7 seats. Autotrader is throwing some up down south for between £4k and £6.5k depending on mileage.

Perhaps i will give gumtree a go ... out with the camera this weekend ...

 

[television]

The diesels are worth a lot more than the petrol a couple of £K more