1999 E 300 Turbo Diesel/ 54k miles/ Silver Paint with Ash Leather - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Falsapartenza85 · #1 12-15-2007, 02:02 PM

Hey Guys!

I know someone looking to sell thier 1999 E300 Turbo Diesel. It is a 1 Owner Car with 54,000 miles on it. PRISTINE PRISTINE PRISTINE! Below is a VMI, Window Sticker Info, and VIN#. Message me for additional info. Vehicle is located on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The person is looking for $25,000 or best offer...

-Mike

VIN# WDBJF25H7XA747692
ENGINE# 60696212043147
Transmission# 722.6-0801090379
Production Date: 08/13/1998

VMI Info:
VEHICLE PDI CREDITED June 14th, 2000/ 1 mile /03-Warr
Front Seat Switch, Adjustment January 9, 2002/ 26,026 miles/03-Warr
Battery Electrical Fault January 9, 2002/ 26,026 miles/03-Warr
Glow/ Spark Plug Burnt August 29th, 2007/04-Parts Warr

Skid Row Joe · #2 12-15-2007, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falsapartenza85

I know someone looking to sell thier 1999 E300 Turbo Diesel. Car with 54,000 miles on it. The person is looking for $25,000

or best offer...

Tell him he'll likely be "looking for that $25,000.00" a LONG, LONG, LONG time. --Good luck in finding it!

Falsapartenza85 · #3 12-15-2007, 02:42 PM

BELIEVE ME! I said the SAME thing!!!! Oh well, make an offer, maybe he will wake up- I just was offering to help.... No worries guys! What do you guys think it's probably worth????

I say $17,0000-$18,000????

brucem105 · #4 12-15-2007, 09:16 PM

When someone starts with a figure like that, I lose all interest in even making an offer. Life is too short to explain reality to someone that's unrealistic.

Bruce

nhdoc · #5 12-16-2007, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falsapartenza85

BELIEVE ME! I said the SAME thing!!!! Oh well, make an offer, maybe he will wake up- I just was offering to help.... No worries guys! What do you guys think it's probably worth????

I say $17,0000-$18,000????

Yeah, I'd say that is a realistic range if it is in good shape with low miles. The thing is people don't really pay a huge premium for low miles on these because they know the engine and drivetrain are pretty reliable. It's all of the other stuff that breaks. Sometimes a low miles car can be even more trouble than one which has been driven regularly so that will tend to make some people wary. If it were mine I'd probably ask $19,995 and see what kind of interest there was...at $25K you might not even get anyone to look.

92300SE · #6 12-16-2007, 09:12 AM

I had a 58k miles 99E300 diesel(certified miles,was not exempt),1 owner,bought it 2 years ago from the MB dealer for 17k+tax,it lasted 1 month,burned 1 quart of oil in the first 500 miles,had 3 out of 6 cyl with low to no compression,turbo full of oil,and it looked like new(burgundy/palomino)...traded back in at another MB dealer after I glued the oil cap with gorilla glue...so,miles means nothing,you can have a beautiful unit with 250k for 10000$ or a junker with 60k...for 20000$,one thing I learned with MB cars made starting mid 90's is that its pure luck,like with a Dodge product,some run,some dont,some rust within the warranty,some dont...so,find the cheepest and best running one around,and take care of it.

nhdoc · #7 12-16-2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92300SE

I had a 58k miles 99E300 diesel(certified miles,was not exempt),1 owner,bought it 2 years ago from the MB dealer for 17k+tax,it lasted 1 month,burned 1 quart of oil in the first 500 miles,had 3 out of 6 cyl with low to no compression,turbo full of oil,and it looked like new(burgundy/palomino)...traded back in at another MB dealer after I glued the oil cap with gorilla glue...so,miles means nothing,you can have a beautiful unit with 250k for 10000$ or a junker with 60k...for 20000$,one thing I learned with MB cars made starting mid 90's is that its pure luck,like with a Dodge product,some run,some dont,some rust within the warranty,some dont...so,find the cheepest and best running one around,and take care of it.

So, how could the engine be in such bad shape and you didn't notice it when you test-drove it? I'd think any OM606 running on 3 cylinders would give ample warning of trouble. It must have been driven the entire 58K miles on the original fill of oil to have been in that kind of shape. Mine is about to turn 160,000 miles and uses maybe a quart now between 10K changes but it runs "like new", really!

Plus, I'd think you would have had a pretty strong argument to return it to the M-B dealer for a refund or new engine. Regardless of what they say, no dealer can sell a car "as-is" because in almost all states there is an implied warranty when buying from a dealer which they cannot simply tell you they disclaim. It is called "warranty of merchantability and fitness for intended use" in legal jargon. In many states it is illegal for a dealer to sell a car and say it is "as-is"...of course that does not stop them because 99% of the buyers are ignorant of the laws which protect them. It is the difference between buying from a dealer, who is in the business of selling cars than from buying one from an individual, in which case "as-is" actually means "as-is".

I had an interesting experience in this when I sued a curbstoner once and proved he was a de-facto dealer because in his state if he sold or offered to sell more than 5 cars a year he was a dealer in the eyes of the law. After I showed a dozen ebay listings within a three month timeframe the judge agreed he was a dealer, not a private seller so he had to honor the same warranty of merchantability that dealers did and take the car back. He took it back, by order of the court, and refunded my money 100%.

FYI - Generally the most pro-consumer states have the strongest laws to protect car buyers...buy from a NJ dealer and you are almost always covered by a 30 day warranty, unless the car is of very low vaoue, is really old or has over 100K miles on it.

brucem105 · #8 12-16-2007, 12:01 PM

You glued the oil cap on and traded it in so some other poor soul could get stuck with it?? Let's hope the dealer that took it in trade fixed it! Yowza.

Bruce

Skid Row Joe · #9 12-16-2007, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhdoc

So, how could the engine be in such bad shape and you didn't notice it when you test-drove it? I'd think any OM606 running on 3 cylinders would give ample warning of trouble. It must have been driven the entire 58K miles on the original fill of oil to have been in that kind of shape. Mine is about to turn 160,000 miles and uses maybe a quart now between 10K changes but it runs "like new", really!

Plus, I'd think you would have had a pretty strong argument to return it to the M-B dealer for a refund or new engine. Regardless of what they say, no dealer can sell a car "as-is" because in almost all states there is an implied warranty when buying from a dealer which they cannot simply tell you they disclaim. It is called "warranty of merchantability and fitness for intended use" in legal jargon. In many states it is illegal for a dealer to sell a car and say it is "as-is"...of course that does not stop them because 99% of the buyers are ignorant of the laws which protect them. It is the difference between buying from a dealer, who is in the business of selling cars than from buying one from an individual, in which case "as-is" actually means "as-is".

I had an interesting experience in this when I sued a curbstoner once and proved he was a de-facto dealer because in his state if he sold or offered to sell more than 5 cars a year he was a dealer in the eyes of the law. After I showed a dozen ebay listings within a three month timeframe the judge agreed he was a dealer, not a private seller so he had to honor the same warranty of merchantability that dealers did and take the car back. He took it back, by order of the court, and refunded my money 100%.

FYI - Generally the most pro-consumer states have the strongest laws to protect car buyers...buy from a NJ dealer and you are almost always covered by a 30 day warranty, unless the car is of very low vaoue, is really old or has over 100K miles on it.

Must have never had an oil and oil filter change.

The turbo intercooler filling-up with motor oil and ruining the turbo happened to my '99 E300TD too. It was under warranty when it blew, so I do not know the out-of-pocket it would have cost me. But I can tell you this, it would have been in the $2,000 - $3,000 dollar range to fix.

Maybe this guy, like me, got hung with a lemon. I don't know, but it sounds like it to me.

Although my E300TD has also been plagued with non-repairable fuel line leaks, it runs like new.

nhdoc · #10 12-16-2007, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

The turbo intercooler filling-up with motor oil and ruining the turbo happened to my '99 E300TD too. It was under warranty when it blew, so I do not know the out-of-pocket it would have cost me. But I can tell you this, it would have been in the $2,000 - $3,000 dollar range to fix.

The intercooler is an air to air heat exchanger. If it had oil in it that had to come from the turbo itself, not the other way around. Most likely an oil seal on the turbo failed and allowed oil to pass to the turbo inlet and that could destroy the turbo and leak to the intercooler that way but I think there're no way for the intercooler to "fill with oil" unless it came from the turbo itself.

92300SE · #11 12-16-2007, 01:08 PM

Car was "as is",internet special,at the time,it was to old to be certified and seem like a good deal,it was in July and even with low compression and honey or rear end grease they dumped in the engine to sell it ,ran OK,no cold start when its 90F outside.Days later it started to show low oil on the display and spray oil thru the tail pipe!,so,I took it to another MB dealer,where the highly trained used car manager took it to lunch while I was working a deal on a used Land Cruiser and came back telling me its a great car...never heard from them anymore.I am sure in the fall/spring or winter they had to fix it,however in july weather helped them sell it.I brought it to a independent,before trading, and the guy tought the turbo was bad,he could not belive the engine was bad...however,finally measured the compression and it was low on half of the cylinders.Car had been maintained and oil changed every 6 months(not scheduled),by the original owner,with notes in the maintenance book,so,you never know,I never tought about a engine issue,so,have not checked it properly before purchase,I am confident it was not a new owner in the picture before they fixed the motor,dealer put it out for sale 3 months later after I traded it...so,they most likely installed a new block and turbo,catalytic converter and so on.

Skid Row Joe · #12 12-16-2007, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92300SE

Car was "as is",internet special,at the time,it was to old to be certified and seem like a good deal,it was in July and even with low compression and honey or rear end grease they dumped in the engine to sell it ,ran OK,no cold start when its 90F outside.Days later it started to show low oil on the display and spray oil thru the tail pipe!,so,I took it to another MB dealer,where the highly trained used car manager took it to lunch while I was working a deal on a used Land Cruiser and came back telling me its a great car...never heard from them anymore.I am sure in the fall/spring or winter they had to fix it,however in july weather helped them sell it.I brought it to a independent,before trading, and the guy tought the turbo was bad,he could not belive the engine was bad...however,finally measured the compression and it was low on half of the cylinders.Car had been maintained and oil changed every 6 months(not scheduled),by the original owner,with notes in the maintenance book,so,you never know,I never tought about a engine issue,so,have not checked it properly before purchase,I am confident it was not a new owner in the picture before they fixed the motor,dealer put it out for sale 3 months later after I traded it...so,they most likely installed a new block and turbo,catalytic converter and so on.

I hope you didn't lose too much money on it.

Good luck since getting rid of it.

Hatterasguy · #13 12-17-2007, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falsapartenza85

BELIEVE ME! I said the SAME thing!!!! Oh well, make an offer, maybe he will wake up- I just was offering to help.... No worries guys! What do you guys think it's probably worth????

I say $17,0000-$18,000????

That sounds about right. You can get CDI's in the low to mid 30's now, so NFW someone is going to pay pretty close to that for a car that is not only 5-6 years older, but a much older design.

Tell them if it was gas they would be lucky to get $15k for it. If they bought it new they paid about the same as an E320, enjoyed lower fuel costs, and are now selling it for more.

Falsapartenza85 · #14 12-17-2007, 11:34 PM

Well guys, she sold for $23,000! Thanks for everyone's insight and all the private messages i received! The car is in a new owners hands and on its way to Florida!!!!

In the end, a car is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.....

Hatterasguy · #15 12-18-2007, 12:29 AM

Wow!