Buying a used Mercedes?

Parent Cafe
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<p>There is someone in our neighborhood selling a 2001 Mercedes E430 for around $11,000. </p>

<p>How would you guys feel getting this car for a 21 year old grad student to drive across the country from NY to SoCal?</p>

<p>There’s no doubt about the pure quality of this vehicle. It is a lot of ‘car’ for 11k. V8, 250+ horsepower, premium leather, incredible aesthetics all-around. Now I know about Mercedes’ and their long term reliability issues due to their very high cost of repairs and maintenance. However - what has really struck me about this particular vehicle is that it has only logged 34,000 miles! That’s like only 2 to 3 years worth of driving; and therefore I think this could be a potentially really sweet buy.</p>

<p>Penny for your thoughts?</p>

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<p>34K for 11K? I’d say, if this person is so special as to deserve this wonderful gift, then so be it! However, be cautious. Do every possible inspection before forking over the moolah. You know the say, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”</p>

<p>I’m not sure how much a “steal” that really is (it’s certainly not a rip), but never take any chances. (:</p>

<p>Seems like an awesome gift and an awesome thing to do.</p>

<p>By the way, I think I do about 50 to 60K miles in a year. Yeah, that makes me feel a little paranoid if around 34K is 2 to 3 years for you, LOL.</p>

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<p>There’s no way I’d buy a car for myself or anyone I cared about without running it through a mechanic’s check. This runs about $80 in my area (find a recommended mechanic at cars. com). There may be some sinister reasons for the great price. Leather interior is not going to be so fine if the ball joints are shot or the engine is a mess. </p>

<p>What is the grad student’s income? Can the student afford insurance and some of those spendy repairs? What is the gas mileage on this vehicle? Does the owner have the repair/maintenance records? WHY does this vehicle have such low miles? (are you sure, sure, sure that the odometer wasn’t turned back? Do you know the seller?).</p>

<p>Getting the green light from the mechanic is pivotal. I’d also run a carfax (which is supposed to tell you if there has ever been insurance paid on this VIN number for problems such as being in a wreck or being flooded – it will also tell you the odometer readings from when it was sold). </p>

<p>A few years ago we were car hunting for our student. I found what I thought was a “Deal” and took it in to our mechanic. He didn’t like the car. He said “I don’t have proof, but I think this engine has been wet. I’m just not liking this vehicle.” Wow, was that $70 bucks well spent. A few days later we learned from the newspaper that some used car dealers had bought up cars flooded in hurricane Katrina. The insurance co. had deemed the cars “junk” – but a few days of steam cleaning and a truck ride to a far destination (we are in the NW) and, voila, great “deals” that would cause their new owners all sorts of misery. </p>

<p>Take your eyes off the leather seats and get thee to a mechanic. Then you’ll know for sure how sweet this deal is!</p>

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<p>Sometimes foreign car’s maintenance can be expensive. If the neighborhood seller is a friend, you might just ask to see maintenance records to see how expensive it is–or just ask flat out.</p>

<p>We drive a Volvo and I think that part of the reason they last so long is that the Volvo maintenance systematically replaces every part whether it needs it or not.</p>

<p>You probably have already checked the on-line services like Edmunds to see the retail and wholesale values. It sounds good.</p>

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<p>Thanks guys for your opinions - I agree with both of you. The 34k miles for 11k does seem too good to be true off the bat. However - I’m ran the specs through Kelley Blue Book and the asking amount is actually still right in line with the recommended KBB suggestions. It seems that the age of the vehicle is a way bigger factor in sticker price depreciation than avg. mileage per year.</p>

<p>i.e. - the resale value of a 2001 e430 will only have nominal fluctuations whether its mileage is at 10,000 or 50,000 or 100,000. Therefore, this car is actually not really much of a “steal” in its selling price. It’s more of a steal because of its low mileage. (assuming of course that there were no fraudulent odometer tinkerings)</p>

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<p>if this car’s miles and service record check out with the local mercedes service dept near you - GO FOR IT. If you don’t want it, I do!!
…long time mercedes lover</p>

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<p>I would not do it… Mercedes can cost more to fix than any other car I can think of, so even “little things” become big things… For 2K more buy a new corolla and don’t spend a cent on repairs for 7 or 8 years.</p>

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<p>“For 2K more buy a new corolla”
and worry if you can stop your car?? I don’t think so…</p>

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<p>I agree with the CarFax & mechanic check, especially if you’re not best buds with the seller of this car (even if you are). You need to be SURE it hasn’t been underwater or in a major wreck. Look over ALL the maintenance records.</p>

<p>We recently bought a 2006 Volvo that had ony 9000 miles on it for $13,500. The seller was a long-time co-worker of H’s & they gave us ALL the maintenance records (W drove it to & from work, which was just a few miles/way, M-F). Everything checked out & the car has been great, but it IS a Volvo and it DOES cost more to maintain than our 2000 Toyota van. Volvos & Mercedes & BMWs we’ve been involved with are MUCH costlier to maintain than the American & Toyotas we’ve had in our lives. Yes, the American car has had the most maintenance, but you can get it serviced nearly anywhere at fairly reasonable rates. Similar experience with the Toyota. </p>

<p>In HI, with the European imported cars, there are far fewer dealers who work on those cars and they charge a LOT more. Parts are pricier, sometimes insurance is also pricier, and hourly rates of those specialized mechanics are higher. They often have to replace the entire whatever rather than just a piece, just because that’s how that maker requires things to be done.</p>

<p>Bottom line, go into this with your eyes open, with a good idea of the costs your grad student will likely face, the complete history of the car, a good idea of the expected insurance rates & upcoming servicing. If your grad student (or you) have the wherewithall to pay for all of this, it can be a good car, but know what you’re getting.</p>

<p>Case in point, a family I know recently donated one of their old Mercedes, which they had NOT been maintaining. It had very low mileage because it was primarily driven by the mom short distances. Every time some servicing should have been done on the car, they’d put it off or decide against it because it was “hardly driven.” I think the only things they did regularly was annual safety check (required by state law). The vehicle looked gorgous, but there were tons of little (& likely several BIG) things that should be attended to that they never bothered with because they chose not to bother with it. A good mechanic could probably have come up with a long punchlist of all the things that could/should be considered by any new owner, as well as cost estimates for each. This should definitely be factored into the price of the vehicle (as it always should when you buy any used vehicle).</p>

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<p>If the car checks out with your mechanic, I would definitely go for it.</p>

<p>I don’t remember what year Mercedes stopped being all made in Germany and became part of Chrysler, but I think they are reliable. I doubt I put 10,000 miles on my car now, but when I lived in CA, I think I put 25,000 miles on car for a year. I also use a local mechanic, so expenses for Volvo or Honda are similar.</p>

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<p>GM and the US press did drill it into our brains, didn’t they?</p>

<p>OP - what is the reason the car has so few miles on the odometer? I’d investigate that first. We have a 10 yr old Toyota truck with - you guessed it! - 34K miles on the odometer. This is our vehicle for our weekend trips to HD and gravel yards. One would be insane to commute in a truck that gets 15 mpg. However, we take it for regular maintenance, change oil in it every 6 months (which sometimes is less than 500 miles on the odometer), and take it out for a spin regularly. Has the car you are looking at been maintained on a regular schedule? I’d investigate that really carefully. If the owner changed oil in it only once a year and it sat for months in the garage, I’d be looking at something else.</p>

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<p>An axiom of German cars in particular: “The most expensive car I ever owned was a cheap Mercedes (substitute any German car brand).”</p>

<p>Affordability is just one part of the car buying equation. Can you afford to maintain the vehicle properly? Over at the NPR Car Talk forum, questions are asked daily from owners of every type of car who balk at routine maintenance. “My muffler has a hole in it. Do I really need to fix it? Money is tight.” “Can you live with carbon monoxide poisoning?” “Do I really have to replace my timing belt? It’s expensive and money is tight.” “If it breaks or slips, the car will stop dead in the road and, if the car has an interference motor, the engine will grenade itself and will require a complete rebuild.”</p>

<p>Now let’s look at a 10 year old E class Mercedes 430 with 34,000 miles on the clock. On average, the car was driven 3,400 miles a year or 283.33 miles a month or 70.83 miles per week or 10.11 miles per day. Is this a third or fourth car in the household? Was the car parked for long periods of time between uses? Ask the owner why the car was driven so little. Ask for the maintenance records. Routine maintenance is defined by mileage or by time. Because the mileage is so low, things like oil changes and tune-ups are defined by months in service. Hopefully, the owner should be able to show at least 10 oil changes.</p>

<p>I’m guessing that the belts and hoses are all original to the car. They should all be replaced. The battery may also be original. A 10 year old battery and a cross country trip is a bad trip. Check the condition of the tires. See how much tread depth remains if the tires are original. With 34,000 miles, the original tires should show the tread worn down by at least half (around 5/32” or a little more). Driving cross country on 10 year old tires at 70 miles per hour is not a good idea.</p>

<p>Mercedes require premium gas. If you can’t afford premium gas, don’t buy a car that requires it. Remember, just because the “price is right”, doesn’t mean you can really afford it.</p>

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<p>Me, I’d buy the car, drive it across the country, and sell it when I got there. It’s a great price. BUT… if it’s a neighbor who’s going to expect to check on it, don’t do that.</p>

<p>However, we’ve had a Mercedes… they are expensive to repair or even do routine maintenance on. Really expensive.</p>

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<p>I agree with others take it to a mechanic and check it out. We had a 2000 Vette that we sold in 08 with only 23K miles. We sold it because we realized it was collecting dust in the garage. The car was in tip top shape, but at a certain point you ask yourselves why do we own this thing if we never drive it.</p>

<p>My sister just sold her 2006 Cadillac Escalade with 3500 miles. She is a stay at home Mom and her big jaunts were running to the grocery store or to the school. If the family went out they took her husbands company car. </p>

<p>Not everyone drives a lot, so don’t be suspicious about the low mileage. I do agree that it is important to have it checked out because maybe they felt that they drove it so rarely that they never took it in for a tune up…doubtful since most new cars now have the automatic check engine light for maintenance that can only be turned off when it is taken to the mechanic. Additionally, ask for them to show their maintenance records if you want to RISK it without a mechanic. I have kept every tune up and oil change record in the glove compartment for all of my cars.</p>

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<p>I was looking at a Mint Condition E320 with 28,000 miles on it. Is this a good thing?</p>

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<p>In 2004 I bought a used 1999 Mercedes with 34,000 miles on it, for $17,500. Mercedes are terrific cars and if taken care of, should be able to go to 200,000 or 250,000 miles. OP, this is definitely a good deal.</p>

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<p>Check with your insurance if the car in question is considered a “performance car” because of the horses.
If so, your age, combined with the performance engine and driving it in Socal may cause the insurance rate to bump up.</p>

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<p>May I buy it if you don’t?</p>

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<p>Agree with CarFax, mechanic check, and making sure the kid can afford the insurance. </p>

<p>Has it been garaged? </p>

<p>The poster who said that age is a prime factor in depreciation is absolutely correct. Low mileage, old cars are often “underpriced” in terms of what you can get - five to ten grand for a car that will run another eight to ten years and another hundred thousand or two hundred thousand miles. I “overpaid” for my Volvo by about a thousand, but as I point out to people, I got a car that originally cost forty grand, is a special edition, will run at least (fingers crossed) for another hundred thousand miles, has no rust, and I don’t have a car payment.</p>

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<p>There’s no way anyone here can say whether it’s worth the price or not. Unless you’re very familiar with auto mechanics, you should have it inspected by a mechanic with experience with Mercedes vehicles. You need a mechanic who’ll be open and honest with you about it. The mechanic can, in addition to the mechanicals, check for things like major accident damage to it, flood damage, etc. This will cost you some money but it’ll be nothing compared to the first cost you’ll have in repairing whatever goes wrong first. Carfax is a tool that can be used but if something doesn’t show up on it, it doesn’t mean that something didn’t happen to the car - it just means it didn’t show up on the Carfax.</p>

<p>Definitely ask why the miles are so low. That’s not always a good thing. For example, if the car sat for 5 or 10 years with no one driving it then there’ll be lubrication problems for the engine, transmission, rear end, and all other lubricated parts. There could be hose dry rot issues, rusty brake rotors, etc. However, maybe the miles are low because it was only driven a low number of miles each week yet was driven consistently.</p>

<p>A Mercedes will be expensive to repair so keep that in mind.</p>

<p>In addition, insurance might be pretty expensive since it tends to correspond with the cost of repairing the vehicle. You s/b able to ask your insurance company what the cost to insure it will be before you buy it. If you don’t currently have an insurance company if you don’t have a car, contact one or two of the major companies and ask what the insurance would be on this car versus another couple of possible cars you might be willing to consider - something like a Toyota, Hyundai, Ford, etc.</p>

<p>Consider the fuel mileage as well if that’s a factor for you.</p>

<p>It’s true that the Mercedes may be good to 200K miles and above with occasional maintenance/repairs but so is my 1998 Dodge and almost any other modern vehicle. </p>

<p>I think you should force yourself to consider some other vehicles as well and then compare the attributes of a handful of them to see if this Mercedes still seems like the best solution for you at this point in time in your life. If it is, and you’ve had it mechanically checked out, and you think you can afford the full cost (purchase, maintenance, insurance, etc.), then go for it.</p>