Looking at an interesting W123 tomorrow, '85 280ce 5 speed - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

TylerH860 · #16 11-07-2009, 11:24 AM

Well guys, I'm not even going to bother to take a look at this one. I called the middle-man again this morning, and mentioned that based on some of the research I've done on the car, and the fact that he has not had a single offer in 4 months of listing shows that the price is not realistic. I didn't want to waste my time and unless the seller is open to offers I shouldn't even look.

His response was not surprising. He told me he talked to the seller yesterday in anticipation of my visit, seeing how much he'll budge now, and it was unchanged. He quoted him saying something like "I know what the car is worth."

I'm in no hurry. Chances are it will sit all winter.

Fulcrum525 · #17 11-07-2009, 12:10 PM

It was the same story with the 280GE that I looked at during the summer. Some people just will not change their asking price no matter the situation (In my case the damn car wasn't even working right and he still wouldn't budge

)

280GE....what should I expect?

fruitcakesa · #18 11-07-2009, 12:37 PM

I have seen a 123 and an SL in a used car lot off the interstate for the past few months and curiosity finally drew me in.
It was an 83 280CE and a 560 SL coupe. No prices listed and since I was only looking for diesels I just left without inquiring.
Auto trans in the 123 and from what I could see it was pretty clean and rust free for a NE vehicle.

Brandon_SLC · #19 11-08-2009, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerH860

"I know what the car is worth."

I'm in no hurry. Chances are it will sit all winter.

The longer the car sits outside in the UV rays and weather, the less it will be worth.

I agree that the price may be reasonable, but when you live out in the boonies its harder to sell a nice car than it would be near a big city. I used to have the same problem when I lived in Redmond. Even though it's only 20 miles from Seattle, few people would drive that far to look at my cars. Most of my cars sold to people who drove by my house and saw it, or took my number off my window sign.

I wish I did know more about how that car looked up close. It sounds like one I might enjoy.

Right now I'm looking for an excellent late 126 gasser for my mom. Her neighbors across the street just bought a new Cadillac DTS and that's got her wanting "a big cushy car that's easy to get in and out of". IMO her RX330 fits that description, and the AWD is very handy in Utah, which is why she bought it. I want her to keep her RX so she doesn't take a big hit on depreciation and maintains AWD. But since she loved her 126s I think a nice, fully depreciated example would be just what she's looking for. The problem is, the weaker my Father and Grandfather get, the harder it is for her to get them in and out of her RX. She picked up my dad from the hospital last week, and she almost broke killed herself and my dad trying to get him up into the passenger seat.

So keep your eyes peeled, please? I can find 275 nice Town cars for $9K or less, but she hates the way they look. But they have Lexus like reliability, so they're priced cheap for such a huge comfy car. I want it to be cheap enough that she can pay cash and keep the RX.

Sorry, didn't intend to hijack

When it gets late I ramble. Must be my age

pawoSD · #20 11-08-2009, 01:55 AM

I just had the same thing happen with some local guy that has a 1985 300D that looks just like o'l turbo. It is a very nicely maintained car, but has a bit of rust (a little on one fender, that is all).....206k on it....BUT he wants 3k and no less. I told him that is way high for the average 300D and he would not budge...I'd have taken it if he'd knocked 1k off. Oh well.

I just don't get what it is with these ultra-greedy people wanting to swindle someone with their car.....

fruitcakesa · #21 11-08-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I just had the same thing happen with some local guy that has a 1985 300D that looks just like o'l turbo. It is a very nicely maintained car, but has a bit of rust (a little on one fender, that is all).....206k on it....BUT he wants 3k and no less. I told him that is way high for the average 300D and he would not budge...I'd have taken it if he'd knocked 1k off. Oh well.

I just don't get what it is with these ultra-greedy people wanting to swindle someone with their car.....

Maybe they think since it's a Benz it must be valuable

#22 11-08-2009, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I just had the same thing happen with some local guy that has a 1985 300D that looks just like o'l turbo. It is a very nicely maintained car, but has a bit of rust (a little on one fender, that is all).....206k on it....BUT he wants 3k and no less. I told him that is way high for the average 300D and he would not budge...I'd have taken it if he'd knocked 1k off. Oh well.

I just don't get what it is with these ultra-greedy people wanting to swindle someone with their car.....

How can a "very nicely maintained car" have a "bit of rust"?

Without the rust it could be worth $5K (in average condition, based on mileage), with rust it's a parts car.

pawoSD · #23 11-08-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

How can a "very nicely maintained car" have a "bit of rust"?

Without the rust it could be worth $5K (in average condition, based on mileage), with rust it's a parts car.

Then almost all of our cars would be parts cars!

Anyways....he said the rust is fairly minor, and had a $750 quote to get it all repaired by a local body shop.

Maybe I will give him another call in a couple months and ask how the sale is coming, and make an offer of 2k.

WhoWhat · #24 11-08-2009, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

Then almost all of our cars would be parts cas!

Boom.

#25 11-08-2009, 09:24 AM

Honestly, I would go shopping for a southern car.

Jeremy5848 · #26 11-08-2009, 01:08 PM

I am having similar difficulties selling my 1985 300D-T (W123, OM617). The problem seems to be that few people are interested in a car that has been brought to the good condition this one is in -- they want to buy a so-so cheapie car and leave it that way or buy it as a project and fix it up themselves.

In the meantime, I am replacing the dash with an uncracked one and have lowered the price to $6000. See this thread for details.

Jeremy

pawoSD · #27 11-08-2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

Honestly, I would go shopping for a southern car.

Easier said than done....can't look at it before buying, and its about 1000+ miles each way for a person in MI.....that is a lot of time/fuel $$.

WhoWhat · #28 11-08-2009, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

Easier said than done....can't look at it before buying, and its about 1000+ miles each way for a person in MI.....that is a lot of time/fuel $$.

I'm working with this exact scenario right now - buying a w124 for my dad. I'd like to go and get a southern car, but I'll need some preliminary help from my forum friends (hint, hint) with pre-purchase examination.

JimmyL · #29 11-08-2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy5848

In the meantime, I am replacing the dash with an uncracked one and have lowered the price to $6000. See this thread for details.

Jeremy

If "selling" the car is the question, "lowering" the price TO $6000 ain't the answer. Doesn't matter if it's worth it, there just aren't folks who will "pay" that right now.......

Just hang on and maybe prices will come back. In the meantime, buy some more while prices are down!!

pawoSD · #30 11-08-2009, 03:10 PM

Every now and then its possible to find a decent car up here...."minor rust" can be fixed pretty easily. My sister's new 190e had a bit of rust underneath, but we fixed it all in barely 1 days work. We bought the car only 3 miles from home.

My W124 300E was a Nevada car for 95% of its life....it has 0 rust at all.....and I found it 10 miles away.

You just have to search for a long time to find one that's southern or without rust, but they do come along.

In my opinion a little bit of rust is fine as long as the car is mechanically sound and the price is right, especially for a daily driver. If it was rust free I would not want to even dare put it in the snow.