I keep a Kelly Blue Book at my desk for just such an ocassion. I would say that price is a little more than what a dealer would offer for trade in. So that might be where they came up with the price. It falls between the "trade-in fair" and "trade-in good", 8475, 9700 respectively (slip control or sport package add a little more if it has either of those. Kelly considers that mileage above "acceptable" but their definition of acceptable is based on customer surveys and has nothing to do with "average miles per year". My 98 C230 I just got was priced the same way. It was 7800, 8925 in the book and I paid 8500. I am now approaching 750 in parts added in 2 months and I don't see the end in sight yet.

I know what you mean about those sellers with a strange idea of immaculate. I drove 50 miles to see a car a guy swore was great, clean etc after I emphasized that I only wanted a car in excellent condition and did not want to drive all that way if the car was not really excellent. I got there and had to ask if the drivers side of the car was painted with Weather Beater or Dutch Boy. He told me I could sit in the car, but I knew I would have to burn my clothes if I did, it was so pitted out. I had to assume he was blind, although he was walking around and not bumping into anything.

You really should look closely at the car before you buy it.

Mike.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra