My local MB main dealer has had a 54 reg September 2004 C220 cdi saloon Elegance Auto in the showroom for at least three weeks marked at £11995 ( £13995 crossed out ) . Popped in to get more spec , and it had done 27 k miles from new, is in deep blue metallic with plastic looking leather interior .
It looks very clean all over , comes with a 12 month warantee
I suggested £10 k to the salesman, no PX / Finance , and although he scoffed initially, he didn't dismiss it out of hand. We'd agreed I'll email my quote and he'll ' have a word ' .
I know about the new model before anyone pipps up... my question is - at £10 k will it be too much still in this climate for a 4 year old car ?
They are not smart at that dealership , cars shift slowly , when you text their mobile info line with a specific inquiry and follow the web link that appears , you just get binary codes . They have £90k 08 plate CL 500 coupes getting wet in the yard and the aforementioned £12k C series takes pride of place in a corner of the showroom..
plenty of suits milling around..
Edited by Pugugly on 10/08/2008 at 20:33
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too much ? - only you can answer that and it depends on a number of factors, the biggest one being how long you intend to keep it. Its worth 10k of anybody's money. I would if I liked Mercs, I don;t so I wouldn't - if you know what I mean !
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Is it the facelift version - they were facelifted mid 04 but I guess it's possible this could be an old one that was kicking around?
Obvious visual difference is clear headlights and front fogs, but underneath there where a lot of changes to the suspension and steering. However some cars have an annoying tendancy to drift left (but it can be worse than that, the car seems to apply more and more lock as it rolls left) try and test drive on motorway or at least a dual carriageway and make sure the car feels "planted" - it seems to very difficult to fix this issue if the car suffers from it. If the tyres have a few miles on them then look for excessive wear on the NSF outer edge.
I've had a similar model since it was 6mths old and (touch wood) I've been very happy with it.
Do you know a trusted local MB specialist for servicing? Main dealer servicing on these cars can mount up, although many offer hefty discounts as the cars get to 3-4 years old.
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good point, the headlamps are definitely clear. Will take for a good test drive prior to paying up, plus what I always do which is sticking it on a ramp.
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Way way overpriced in this economic climate.£9k max.
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It's always difficult to know what a good deal is, but by way of comparison, if you look back at the auction report from 1st Aug, the following sale is noted:
Mercedes C220CDI A/G auto, 2005/55, 85k miles, £8,100s
(Avantgarde and Elegance models cost the same new).
Assuming the car in the OP is the facelift version, and bearing in mind it's a year older but with significantly lower mileage (and despite what "experts" say, mileage has a huge influence on private buyer's thinking) and that the car is being sold retail through an MB dealer vs an auction and will come with a years MB warranty, then £10K seems in the right ball park.
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I would query why someone paid the premium for it 4 years ago and only racked up 27,000 miles in it.
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Because they can!
Let's say it the car belonging to an MDs wife. She wants a nice small executive car for going shopping, has to be a known 'brand' with bits of kit on it. Husband knows that petrol is expensive and diesels are now good to drive and more economical, so she says ' I'll have a C-Class' and he says 'fine darling - but you're having the diesel'.
Everyone is happy.
I happen to live very much within that sector of society although fortunately with a wife not quite so 'posh', so buying our A-class was a matter of meeting requirements of price, interior space and external length, as it was about brand image. However, I am aware of a couple with two children who both are employees with no compnay car priviledges, They both drive BMW's new ones at that, paid out of taxed income and do only about 6,000 mile each year! Crazy, but they can afford to do it, so they do.
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Because they can! Let's say it the car belonging to an MDs wife.
If it's been used by an MD's wife as a shopping car then the sides will be full of dings and the alloys will be horribly kerbed.
I do wonder why people buy diesels for lowish mileage, but my 54 plce C270CDi has only done 36K miles. In my case I opted out of a company car but then my job changed so I now "work" from home - I was doing 1600/mth just commuting before. I only use the Merc for the odd long trip - for local use I take one of our superminis.
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have got the printed spec, and it's an Avantgarde , and it is ' facelifted ' ( can these be called Plastic models then ? )
the auction price is a good guide , and it's a huge difference in mileage , anyway , despite the plate being 6 months older .
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Espada wrote: 'Because they can.'
I've known several wealthy people who are very good at accumulating/keeping money who buy super expensive cars on a whim.
Look at Sir Alan Sugar, the poorest financial decision he makes all year must be buying that Rolls-Royce.
Another interesting point is people in this position are less inclined to take a test drive than someone buying, say, a supermini.
I think that's one reason why us ordinary mortals can find the prestige dealers a bit odd - they are serving wealthy individuals whose car buying requirements are different.
In my short car selling career, the most expensive vehicle I sold was bought quickly, without a test drive.
Customer seemed more concerned it would be delivered on time and at the right place, stuff like that.
The car came back a few months later and was changed for something else - more of the customer's money down the drain.
'It was alright,' I was told. 'But my wife never did get used to the colour.'
Why do rich people do things like that?
As Espada said: Because they can.
Edited by ifithelps on 11/08/2008 at 16:11
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On the Autotrader site they have the Parkers price guide thing, and the Glass's one that you have to pay to use.
You can search round on Autotrader and see what other C-Class you can get for the same price by using the price and mileage options when you search.
Yesterday a Volvo 850R Estate (new engine etc. fitted during current owners tenure) went on eBay for £3K. The vendor had listed it on pistonheads at £2450.
A few months ago a relative bought a 3.0 Quattro A4, despite me telling them to check the road tax issue (£400 next year) for north of £10K. One owner, approved used franchise 2 years worth of mileage. It's what they wanted and set their heart on.
If they'd waited until now, they could have got a Passat PD130 4 Motion and Passat W8 for what they paid for that Audi.
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have got the printed spec and it's an Avantgarde
If it's got the Sport pack - many have, with lowered suspension and 17" wheels - take it on your favourite bumpy road and make sure you can live with ride! Clearing speed humps can be a problem too.
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