The ideal used car is a one-owner, dealer maintained car being sold by a little old lady that has wisely decided that she's too damn old to drive anymore, or one that's being sold for her at an estate sale after her passing.

I bought my Mercedes from an eBay auction. The pictures were stunning (for low quality pictures), the car was represented as being pristine, with few flaws. I emailed the seller with several pointed questions, he responded quickly with very encouraging answers. It was a second owner car being sold in very good condition. I checked the Blue Book and NADA values, and bid accordingly. I paid a fair market price for my car, and the former owner even DELIVERED it to my door!

All That having been said, there is no substitute for the wisdom of having BOTH a CarFax report, AND a pre-sale inspection done.

I found that his representation of the car's cosmetics were not what I would have expected them to be based upon his description. Don't get me wrong, it's really a lovely car!

When I had the car checked by a local ( very anal) independent garage, I got a report back that detailed repairs they felt the car needed that totaled 1&1/2 times what I paid for the car!

Thanks to MercedesShop, this forum, and my mechanical expertise, I should be able to get the things done that this car needs at a fraction of what Herr Schphinctermacher's garage wanted to charge me.

I wouldn't say that I am totally dissatisfied, but I am also not sure that I would buy another car from an eBay auction ever again without having a local garage in the area where the car is located check out the car for me in advance...

Maybe if Benzmac were here in California?

[Edited by longston on 01-30-2001 at 01:20 AM]

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Scott Longston
Northern California Wine Country...
"Turbos whistle, grapes wine..."