What is my 1995 W124 E300d with 46k miles worth? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

arcticathlon · #1 06-06-2013, 02:47 AM

I have a Texas White 1995 Mercedes E300D special Edition which I am thinking about selling. I need help with the price evaluation, as I am not just going to follow the KBB book value on this car. Help me out.

Here is some info and pictures of my car.

E300D Photos by arcticathlon | Photobucket

I love my car, and it will be hard to part with it, but for the right price anything is for sale. The reason I am considering selling it is because I need to pay off some debt (doing the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey) and paranoid that someone will hit me in the car. The drivers here in Houston are crazy, and being a defensive driver only saves me from hitting someone. It does not prevent me from getting hit, which has happened to my first diesel benz, and my wife's SUV (both totalled). If i do get in an accident with my E300d, then the insurance company will screw me over and just throw me $5k or something and total it. They will look at the "book" value and say it is an old car and never consider why it is special. This is what i fear and why i almost hate driving the car, it is so nice, but too good of a car to get smashed up by morons. I would rather have a crappy beater that i could care less if someone door dings it up, or go the route of older W123's again.

-1995 W124 E300d White
-46,000 miles
-Khumo KH21 80,000 mile tires with only 6,000 miles on them
-As mint as you can get a car of this age. This car looks in better shape than most current cars on the road.
-Always garaged
-Recent Full Detail (Wash, Clay bar, two stage compounding, glaze, polish, 2 layers of acrylic seal, then waxed)
-Recently replaced all Injector Pump rubber gaskets (viton)
-Everything works except the temperature sensor in the front license plate. i mean everything else, most people just say this in the ads, but it is true for me.
-Added Ipod connection to stock radio (looks soooo much better than a crappy Super Flashy new stereo receiver)
-Added a Auto dimming Rear View mirror with Compass, and Homelink (3 garage door opener buttons)
-Added Huper Optik DREI Ceramic Window Tint ($600) Ferrari of window tints, compares to nothing.
-I managed to find the front driveshaft of a manual 300 series benz. This is what is needed to convert the automatic to a manual 5-speed. I also have a 1986 190e parts car with a 5-speed in it that will give me all the parts to do a drop in replacement trans swap. This driveshaft is super rare here in the US. I found it in Germany.
-Considering that you can not find another car in this shape, this age, this mileage. This is one of the rare Mercedes cars that actually requires NO work, when you buy it. Usually 99% of older Mercedes cars need $2000+ dollars to be invested in it, right after purchase, just to fix up little things or deferred maintenance. This car falls into the 1%.

the story of the car is as follows.

A San Antonio's Surgeon's wife drove this car ONLY on Fridays to meet her husband for lunch at the downtown medical district. This was one of HER three cars, and it was donated to the local television station by the doctor. The local television station then went to sell it (so they can cash out their donation) and that is where i bought it.

Skid Row Joe · #2 06-06-2013, 03:30 AM

Were I in-the-market for a car like this, $5K would be the top-end of what I would pay. To me, it wouldn't matter all that much whether the car had 46K, or 146K miles on it for my transportation needs - given the reliability of this car, miles don't really matter all that much. A similar 1995 E300D with 186K miles sold in Dallas two weeks ago with an asking price of $3,500.00. It was an actual one-owner with a free, clean Carfax included in it's Craigslist ad. These cars are nearly 20 years old, and to me, a 20 year old non-collector's car better have something going for it in a big way to give any more than ($5K) for it. Unfortunately, MB diesels aren't collectors items for the mostpart.

At $5K, with a reasonable amount of time spent forensically verifying it's background, (Carfax), records, and a complete PPI/VMI including road test, I'd feel good about the car going forward - if it all checked out.

I have to wonder why you're selling a car like this in the first place? Depending on your transportation needs/requirements, driving a beater that won't get you to work dependably, isn't much to rely on in the real world of making a living. -Hence the puzzlement in selling an old but low-miled MB diesel?

psaboic · #3 06-06-2013, 09:25 AM

Agreed..... 5K is about tops unless you find someone who just "Has to have it"

Jeremy5848 · #4 06-06-2013, 10:06 AM

My '95 E300 is also Texas white with gray MB-Tex and came from San Antonio where it was serviced at Benson Motors. It looks just like yours. I paid $4700 15 months ago at 190000 miles. The car needed almost nothing yet I've almost doubled my purchase price replacing various bits that are gradually wearing out after 18 years, in my ambition to gradually renew everything in the car. For example, the original shocks seemed to be just fine but the improvement was noticeable when I replaced them (over $500 just for four Bilsteins). Many parts age gracefully and you don't even realize that they need replacement -- they're not actually "broken" so you tend to ignore them.

The low miles unfortunately doesn't mean much except perhaps to the wear on the transmission. One has to wonder if the doctor's wife had the car serviced regularly, since it sat so much, or just ignored it. What do you have in the way of service records from the original owners? The car is now 18 years old and many rubber parts will need replacement regardless of miles. What about the wiring harness with its "biodegradable" insulation? Engine mounts? Rear suspension links with their rubber bushings? All of the plastic bits in the fuel lines and the crazy quilt of crankcase ventilation hoses?

A professional appraisal and a complete set of service records will go a long way towards convincing an insurance appraiser that your car is worth saving, should it be damaged in a collision. For example, our '96 E300 (same engine but 210 model) was hit by a deer. The initial reaction for a (then a 15-yo car with 275000 miles) was "total it." I pulled my book of service records and met with the insurance adjuster. He agreed that the car should be saved and State Farm subsequently paid almost $8000 to put the front of the car back together. So it can be done if you're prepared.

It's unfortunate for sellers that nice cars like ours retain so little of their value but the fact is that they are "special" only to those few of us who have and love them. To most folks, a "special" 124 would be an E500 / AMG / convertible type of car. As a '95, our cars have all of the upgrades made during the life of the 124 model yet are not as complex as later models. I think you should keep the car and enjoy it.

Jeremy

jcyuhn · #5 06-06-2013, 10:37 AM

If you look on autotrader, there are bunch listed with 150K-250K miles for $6K-$7k. Of course, that doesn't mean they are actually selling. Based on the previous poster and the one Tom just bought on the forum, I don't think the typical cars bring that kind of money.

I'm gonna guess $9K for your car, but be prepared for it to take several months to sell at that price. Like the previous posters I think that is a lot of money for a car with 19 year old rubber bits, but happily for you the majority of buyers likely don't think that way. The challenge is you need to find someone who has $10K cash but wants a 20 year old car. That is a small market indeed.

sixto · #6 06-06-2013, 10:37 AM

My guess is if you put it on eBay with a $5000 reserve it'll ride to about $8000 hopefully from a legitimate bidder. I don't see it breaking $10,000 without options like leather upholstery, heated seats, traction control, etc. White over gray is a common color combination and at least based on what I hear and read not a particularly sought combination... though it's my first choice. C'mon, Special Edition = headlight wipers? MB could have done better.

There's a forum member whose name and handle escape me at the moment - TylerH860 - who deals in pedeatrian cars with distinction, and I dont mean that disparagingly. You must have seen his detail listings on eBay. Get his help wringing the most from the sale.

Sixto
87 300D

sixto · #7 06-06-2013, 10:44 AM

The problem with Carfax is in a non-inspection state like Texas is there won't be any mileage events besides the transfer to you. How long have you owned it?

What do you have in the way of service records?

Sixto
87 300D

suginami · #8 06-06-2013, 11:47 AM

My only issue is that you are calling it a Special Edition model, and it's not, although it doesn't affect the value.

Special editions didn't come in white, you don't have the special edition wheels, and you don't have the burl walnut wood.

The Special Edition models were introduced around April of 1995, so not all 1995 W124 models were Special Editions. The Special Edition package included special metallic paint, special 6 hole alloy wheels, integrated analog cell phone, trunk mounted six-disk CD player, high performance 10 speaker sound system, drivers seat memory, electrically adjustable steering column (no tilt), stainless steel door sills and burl walnut interior trim. On the E320 and E300 diesel the extra cost was $1,295 for the options that were worth about $4,300. The E420 package cost only $495 since it already had burl walnut trim, driver seat memory and the high performance 10 speaker sound system. Paint colors available were Moonstone Grey, Azure Blue, Sapphire Black (exclusive to the Special Edition) and a new color called Brilliant Emerald Green.

The official Mercedes Benz of North America position was that the release of the 1995 E Class Special Edition was to celebrate the 10th year of production of the W124 series. I think it was more likely that back in 1995, Mercedes had a tough time moving the W124 E Class since the new W210 E Class was going to be released in the 1996 model year.

jcyuhn · #9 06-06-2013, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixto

The problem with Carfax is in a non-inspection state like Texas is there won't be any mileage events besides the transfer to you. How long have you owned it?

What do you have in the way of service records?

Sixto
87 300D

Texas has required an annual inspection for a very long time. For diesel cars like this it is a quick safety inspection. Gasoline cars in the larger urban areas get an IM240 type of emissions test as well.

TheDon · #10 06-06-2013, 11:59 AM

polish it up and sell it for 20k like Mercedes Motoring would..

other wise I'd give you around $5k for it but shipping is the deal breaker for me

shertex · #11 06-06-2013, 12:54 PM

I think it ought to command closer to 10k than 5k due to the low miles.

arcticathlon · #12 06-06-2013, 12:58 PM

thanks for all the reply so far. I realize that this is an almost 20 year old car that is is great shape, but i was expecting the drive train to be worth close to $5k for someone that wants a reliable drop in engine and trans. Never mind that the rest of the car is not a rust bucket.

Quote:

I have to wonder why you're selling a car like this in the first place? Depending on your transportation needs/requirements, driving a beater that won't get you to work dependably, isn't much to rely on in the real world of making a living. -Hence the puzzlement in selling an old but low-miled MB diesel?

I drive the car 10 miles to work and 10 miles back. When i finally found this car, i was hoping that it would be my last car for the next 20 years. I have had several W123 cars and the good one that was a keeper was totaled. I wanted a car that was low mileage, that has not been abused or had major deferred maintenance on it (huge initial major money pit) so that i can keep up with all the repairs. I just wanted one that was almost new, so i could keep it almost new and enjoy it that way.
The reason that i am selling it because is because of money reasons. Not because this car is draining me, but because it is more important to become debt free than have a nice car (student loans). I would kick myself in the balls, if i were telling myself this 4 years ago when i bought this. This was going to be my last Benz and my daughter was going to learn how to drive in this. It is hard to explain my rational, and some might think i am crazy but if any of you have heard of Dave Ramsey and his teachings on money related stuff, then you would understand. I am changing my mindset with cars that they are only good for transportation, and until i am fully debt free (including my mortgage) I will just drive i beater to work. Basically i am giving up this car in its prime, so someone else can continue the dream that i had for the car. Once i am fully debt free i will be able to afford many cars that i would only be dreaming off now.

I realize that many on this forum drive these cars because they are cheap transportation, and are not willing to spend an arm and a leg for a better version of this car. I also know (i guess hope) that there are people like me that would jump on getting an unmolested practically new W124.

thank you suginami for clarifying that i do not have a special edition. The car did come with the analog phone and the wipers, and that is as far as i thought it went. I will be sure to correct that.

I have service records for the things that i have replaced, but not much from the lady before. She did not let it sit at all, since she drove it weekly, and she did take to the dealer for service. The maintenance log is populated with all the times she took it to the dealer until 30k miles. That is when i bought it.

I realize that i can not just expect to get $20k for the car, but book value on kbb alone is currently $7500. I guess I am looking for that rare person that wants to spend $10k+ for an older car.

Quote:

There's a forum member whose name and handle escape me at the moment - TylerH860 - who deals in pedeatrian cars with distinction, and I don't mean that disparagingly. You must have seen his detail listings on eBay. Get his help wringing the most from the sale.

I know TylerH860 and met him at one of the Texas Mercedes meets we had. I have read many of his posts and also know about how he moves cars.

shertex · #13 06-06-2013, 01:01 PM

If I really wanted that particular car and were in search of a daily driver I would spend 10k or close to it for one like yours.

cooljjay · #14 06-06-2013, 03:03 PM

But it in eBay with a 5000$ opening bid and let it fly....you can also post it on bringatrailer.com they are big fans of low mile cars and there are a lot of people who search it regularly. You can also go to the dealer and get a print out of the service that was done to the car by the previous owner. I had three pages of rough repairs that the previous owner got from the dealer.

jcyuhn · #15 06-06-2013, 03:38 PM

I think you are making a good choice wrt finances and encourage you to stay the course. I suspect you are thinking hard about the price point at which it makes sense to sell the 124. Although you are willing to drive a beater, it does need to be reliable and (I presume) air conditioned. Used car prices are crazy these days. A quick gander shows $4K will get you a 2004 Honda Civic with 150K miles on it. If the 124 sells for $10K, is it worth it to step down to the older Honda to generate $6K in capital? It's a decision for you to make, but frankly driving a 20 year old car doesn't strike me as excessively lavish. Best of luck wherever it takes you.