People overpricing junk MBs.
 

What is with this? They think because it's a benz its worth a ton of money. I went to go look at a NA 97 E300 around the corner from me that was F/S. The headlights were so fogged you could barely see any of the lights. The low beams were not visible whatsoever. I expected the bits of rust I found, nothing serious.

The guy has part of the valance on the rear bumper cut because of some $hitty aftermarket garbage muffler. It drove real nice but didn't clean it all besides a 5 dollar drive thru car wash and had bad ball joints, a window that you had to shove back into the track halfway up.

He wanted $4900 for that jalopy. It was a great car for under 2 grand but thought he had some piece of gold sitting in his yard. I told him if he drops the price to 2 grand i would think about it. :rolleyes:

Indeed, two grand is right about what that car is worth. I sold a real nice zero rust zero leaks runs and rides great '97 E300 for $2600 earlier this year. I had even just replaced all six glow plugs, and put new viton o-rings on all the fuel lines. At $4900, that car will be perpetually "for sale".

Have you seen the prices for interior junk on Ebay. They are crazy. One guy wanted 195 bucks for a DS footrest for a w126. I bought one for $4.68 at the junkyard.

If you don't like the price of something don't buy it.

Like this, I’m sure it’s nice but $10,500 is a lot of money for a 240d or am I wrong?

If its to send a kid thru college kind of money I always laugh and move on ,most likley its a kid that is in college and trying to sell the family hand me down vehicle to have a killer spring break.

The 240D is the bottom of tbe pole diesel. Never would pay more than $1500.

Torsionbar, I wished I would have seen that car I would have most likely bought it instead of having all these w124s. The w210 diesels are just about the best money can buy. Modern enough without all the electronic nightmares and ABC issues with w211s. Plus, the last Brunco Sacco design.

I've just been through several rounds of this...

I looked at an alleged low-mileage 350SDL which was pristine in the high-res CraigsList photos. Asking price was $6300. Based on the photos I decided I needed to see this one up close. Made plans to meet the guy one night after dinner. Even got a sitter so the wife could go. Guy pulls up in a car that looks "fair" at best (by Hagerty's standards). Paint is fading. Interior is grungy, but intact. Trunk is chock full o dirt. Talked with the guy for a bit and found out he uses it to haul stuff around on his farm. Turns out the photos posted were taken 5 or 6 years earlier right after he bought the car. He was rock solid at $6300 and repeatedly told me that the engine in that car was the most bullet-proof motor Mercedes ever produced... Oh, and the odometer had stopped working, but he didn't know when.

I was born at night, but not last night.

Then there was the low-ish mileage '87 300SDL white with a pristine red interior. Drove 3 hours to see that one. The car was fit mechanically speaking. It was a repaint, though. The paint job was nice but the guy who taped it off clearly graduated from the Earl Scheib Automotive Paint School of the Arts. There was more overspray than you'd get at a beauty salon that specializes in beehive hairdo's. AND there was rust on the front fender, rear fender and under all but one of the doors. Rear window sill had some rust bubbles... potential disaster there, right? And water in the trunk. Asking price was $8300. He was firm at $6500 (Hagerty's "good" condition price). Did I mention I discovered that the ac control surround was attached at the bottom with 2 drywall screws?

Tons of CraigsList ads are out there where the interior had so much junk/trash in it you can't tell what's going on. Whatever happened to detailing a car out, taking some sexy photos and using those to really SELL the car?!

Sorry... that was more of a rant than I meant it to be.

X2. It takes 2 to tango. They can price anything they want. It is their prerogative. OTOH, you only need one dumb a$$ to come along to tango. Get over it.

The brother in law has an approach to deal with these situations. It seems to work for him more than not.

He does not seem to care what is asked for the vehicle. After examining it he tells them it is only worth so much. That is what he is willing to pay for it.

Seems to settle down these guys with pie in the sky ideals often enough. Of course he does not always prevail but more often than just using a counter offer.

The only problem i have is the misrepresentation. I saw a nearly pristine 70 something 220d a few years ago on eBay. Looked immaculate inside and out, alleged only a few minor rust bubbles. I drove 2 hours with cash in hand to find some pos rusted to hell mercedes sitting in a field with tall grass around it. Turns out the pictures were 5 years old. Rust was so bad grass was growing through a big rust hole in the fender. It did not start or run. What a waste of time.

Everyone should do their own due diligence first, either call or check recent pictures. It happens with all kind of transactions, not necessarily with MBZ. You were more than happy with the price as you were 'with cash in hand'. You were attracted by the low price, I presume. If it is too good to be true then it probably is. I don't think there is any mis-representation, it is your preconception. Buyer needs to beware of too low AND too high a price.

I hear you guys on don't buy it if you don't like the price. I expected the car to be a lot better than it was, and considering I was told it was "mint", I was pretty annoyed. He called me today and told me he would do 3k and I told him call me tomorrow at 2k.

I spoke with him over the phone and found it on offer up.

Ha, and here I am thinking about buying a w124 as my next project! I really really want to take a w124, swap in a 606.962 and a 603 mechanical pump, and then give it the full monty dieselpumpuk / dieselmeken treatment, with 450 hp as the target. :D

Planning to move next year to a larger home with big garage where I'd have room for such projects. I'm just hoping I'll be able to find a really nice clean w124 e300.

A few things,

There is a car in the classifieds right now that has doctored pics to the point the real color does not show up. The only reason to doctor pics is to make it look better than it is. While this car might be really good, doctored pics make it suspect.

As for overpricing, if cars are advertised overpriced, others look at the "market" and price theirs accordingly. The problem is they may never come to a realistic value or the car will sit, seller forget about the realistic offer they got then sell it for scrap getting half of what someone offered. See below how a overvalued market can be generated by a few outrageously high priced ads.

I'd be asking sellers the very specific question. " If I walk up to the car right now and turn the key, will it run and drive without any assistance?"

" Billy Beer really came to the forefront as a collectible in the early 1980s when a man took out ads in a Chicago newspaper offering unopened Billy Beer six-packs for sale. The price: $1,000. ( $ 2,800 today ) The fast-buck entrepreneur then ran additional ads, offering his six-packs for the "bargain rate" of only $200. ( $ 560 today ) That apparently opened the floodgates, as offers for Billy Beer saturated newspapers and collectible publications, with everyone and their brother hell-bent on cashing in on their Billy Beer cans at some outrageous price. "