Hey guys have a problem I have a friend "John" and he has a 1983 240D with 223,000 miles on it with no working AC and a few rust spots on it but the paint looks good and such and no service history other than the salesmens promise that it had bee taken care of at their dealership. He bought this car a few years ago against my advice for a lot of money 7K or so if I am remembering correctly. Now "John" wants to sell if for 6K ish......my question is how do I tactfully bring it up that his car isn't worth anywhere near that much without hurting his feelings?

Perhaps you could search around this forum for some comments on the value of models similar to his, find some eBay or Craigs listings and forward them anonymously. A 240D (stick or auto?) with that many miles, rust of any kind, and no records is unlikely to sell for more than a thousand or two. If it sells at all.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

You could wait a few days until several of us respond. Then print them out deleting your own response.

Or, do a search on 240D value and see what comes up.
Throw in a printout of a Kelly bluebook based on the mileage and location(ZIP) of the car.

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Selling used Mercedes parts on Ebay...always changing...
cdplayer51 take a look!
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He'll learn really fast when he doesn't get any nibbles. Show him craigslist ad's in the area and completed listings on e-bay.

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RT


1984 300D---Sold
1995 E420 - 106K - Brilliant Silver Metallic/Orion Gray --- Sold
1984 300SD - 151K Manganese Brown Metallic/Mostly Black --- Sold
1982 240D - 79K - Manila Beige/Palomino---Sold

Unfortunately, there is no possibility of doing that. Anything you say can and will be used against you.

There is no purpose to attempt this discussion. The marketplace will educate this man.

'Job' is more appropriate than 'John' in this case. Sorta like telling a friend that the girl he likes wears comfortable shoes and doesn't shave her legs, isn't it? I ripped the bandaid off quick, and I think the poor guy was crushed. Refer him to auto pricing guides and craigslist for market value setting his price.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

You could buy the car from him for $6k. Problem solved!

Upon reflection Brian is more than likely right. I think I will just send him to ebay or such.......I just hate for him to find out the really hard way. Thanks for the repsonses guys!

In this situation, the "hard way" is not all that bad. After a month or two, he'll lower the price. There is no harm other than the passage of time.

He may never lower the price to the point where it will sell...........the embarrassment might be too heavy for him to bear. This is his right and you'd be ill-advised to intervene.

If 'John' didn't educate himself before he bought it, it's unlikely education is going to have much effect now. I know of RV's which have been for sale for many years while the owner claims he is asking a market price. Perhaps he will find another uneducated person to buy it.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

This approach normally works with houses. If you wait long enough, the market finally reaches the asking price.

It doesn't do all that well with most vehicles...............

Doesn't work with houses anymore either.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

PERFECECT CONIDITION RUNS ON VEGETABLE OILE 50MPG 7 SECOND 0-60 DONT BURN NO OIL START FINE IN WINTER ASKING $6000 OBO

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

If that 240 will do 0-60 in 7 seconds, I'll buy it myself for $6,000.

Let it sit on the market not selling for a while before you say anything. After a while, especially if he brings it up, mention that he might be asking too much and direct him to craigslist for research.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.