I am about to do what I said I would not do. Sell my baby? -- The car shrink needs Carshrink Advice

[thecarshrink]

I bought my 500E amazing 87K mile no stories no paint work always LA based car from essentially the first owner.

Sam who I bought the car from, is childhood friends with the original owner. Sam is business partners with a very dear friend/client of mine and we all hang out and go on drives together.

I bought the car last summer and got to work making the car as perfect as I could. Installing new self leveling suspension fresh shocks, new tires, full service, Alcantara headliner, detailing +++++ I really do not want to sell but priorities are shifting, IE needing to pay for a house etc.

The car is so straight and clean that everywhere I go people notice it, especially car enthusiasts. My MB mechanic at Star Motors here in LA keep saying "don't sell it, it's just too nice to sell.

The car has been accepted by BAT but man this one is hard to let go. I was planning on keeping this one forever but as we know "the best way to mess up a plan is to make one"

Your thoughts and advice are welcome.

 

[Ntrepid]

If you're going to let it go, you should put on some staggered 18" Monoblocks as that resonates well with the BaT community.


Robert

 

[The Emperor]

I bought my 500E {snip} from essentially the first owner.

No, you didn't. You are the THIRD owner, clearly.

It's a very nice car, but with statements like that, you are clearly summoning the Dark Side of the Force. Call a spade a spade.

And do not make this claim on BaT in your write-up. You will be severely force-choked by the BaT E500E peanut-gallery.

 

[AMG5PT4]

A house is more important than a car, even a 500E. Your wife/partner/significant other would admire your decision. I just sold a 560SEC on BaT - was a car that needed to be sold, so there was no drama for me. My wait time from submitting my application to when it went live was about 5 weeks. So, you have time to back out before you pay the $99 fee and approve the listing write-up.

I am sure you have studied the many .036's that have sold on BaT over the past year and have a good idea of what the car should sell for. It would be interesting to compare your honest pre-listing price with what it finally sells for. My SEC was worth over $20k (my Reserve, which I dropped near the end), but it sold for $18.5k. The bidder pool is wide-ranging on BaT, so that was the market.

Words of advice - be forthcoming with the maintenance and deferred maintenance that are common items with these cars - harnesses, EHA wiring, cam timing items, etc... Dealers get a pass on these items because they never work on the cars they sell, other than a dry ice blast...., but owners are peppered with such questions. Point out all flaws in the paint/interior up front. Post lots of good pics that are shot properly that show off the car's paint and interior. Detail the heck out of it. Go over all interior surfaces with a swiffer or something that removes all dust. Good cameras show dust all too well. A fresh set of mats really helps sell a car (I assume your car has black interior from the pics). Submit a cold start video, a walk-around video and maybe a drivng video. I passed on the driving video - SEC's are boring, quiet cars on the road. Run a CarFax report and submit it to BaT. A typed listing of all maintenance on the car (by you and the prior owners) is also good to show, unless there are glaring holes in the maintenance history.

As a Seller, the most irritating thing about listing a car on BaT are the inane questions from Posters who never bid or plan to bid on a car - keyboard warriors who can brag "Yeah, I asked a couple questions about a Ferrari on BaT". You can click on a User's screen name and see their Comments, Bidding and Sales history. Be very available to emailed questions from potential bidders. My car sold to a young guy in LA who pinged me 3 hours before the auction ended and we talked on the phone about my car for a solid 30 minutes just before the auction ended. Our phone conversation convinced him to keep bidding and win the car.

Other than the $99 fee, there is no cost to Sellers. Buyer pays a 5% fee and is responsible for shipping costs.

 

[Jlaa]

A house is more important than a car, even a 500E.

I agree. The greatest luxury one can have is freedom from worry. Money (and by extension, housing) is one of the biggest sources of worry in most people's lives. If you can sort out your housing before indulging in hobbies (like cars), that will be good for your head in the long run. Even better if you can defer indulging in expensive hobbies until you've finished paying off the loan for a house (which is hard, I know.)

Stress is a killer. Don't keep cars if they contribute to stress.

 

[sheward]

Words from the wise! None of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Get your living arrangements in order. Experience "freedom from worry"

Then, REALLY enjoy your hobbies. That's a beautiful 036.

drew

 

[JAB12]

My $0.02: Get your priorities straight, no shame on that. Happy Wife = Happy Life. I would post the VIN and offer the car in here first with all available good, bad and indifferent notes and punch list, point out flaws etc. Items needing attention, deferred maintenance etc. A lot of members in here just look at posts and don't actually post anything and there may be a silent interested party ready to buy within them. Your car looks very nice. As per post #2 the mono blocks are a must for listing on BAT and a second layer of skin for dealing with the peanut gallery in there. You may want to hire @gsxr to harness the wolves in there. Good luck! I'm sure you will make the right decision.

 

[thecarshrink]

No, you didn't. You are the THIRD owner, clearly.

It's a very nice car, but with statements like that, you are clearly summoning the Dark Side of the Force. Call a spade a spade.

And do not make this claim on BaT in your write-up. You will be severely force-choked by the BaT E500E peanut-gallery.

Thanks for the advice, I am the third owner I bought it from the second owner who is his best friend.
Of course it would be not be put that way, We would state it as how the Carfax shows it. Point I was making is it is a very well known car to me and my friends this story is for discussion here on the forum

I have a lot of Experience buying and selling with Bring a trailer Major Auctioms etc, but this time I’m selling my personal car. That’s what this discussion is really what this is about. The personal anguish of parting with something you really like.

 

[thecarshrink]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I have other collector cars and truth be told I do not need to sell, but I am just prioritizing. Yes 35-45K give or take more $ in the bank won't hurt but selling a very known car is sometimes hard to replicate. How many times can you find a car that belonged to a close friend for its whole life? I have done all the deferred maintenance and I am finally getting to enjoy the car a little

It is really fun to have this convo about my car and not a clients car. I am very decisive with my clients cars. I guess a Genie can only grant wishes to others!

This is really just a fun convo. I have sold some stuff on BAT and it is a great forum and yes they love mono blocks, I just prefer the stock wheels. Stand by for more updates and info on the car.

Thanks guys

 

[Jlaa]

To be frank, I think using this thread as a way to drum up interest in selling your car before actually listing a price probably works well if the car is really really special, like a 6.0 liter car or a super rare color or a super low mile car.

For cars with moderate mileage, a common color, lack of NLA goodies like ECE headlights, and unknown (at least to this board here) service history, I think employing a thread to drum up interest prior to a market listing might be less successful.

That said, if you can keep the car AND buy a house in the LA area (20pc down on a 750K house is 150K —- much more than the 25K the car might net you ....or more!) then you are living large my friend!

 

[maw1124]

^^^Only this... but nice car.

maw

 

[skikrazey]

Keep the .036 and sell a different car.

 

[thecarshrink]

To be frank, I think using this thread as a way to drum up interest in selling your car before actually listing a price probably works well if the car is really really special, like a 6.0 liter car or a super rare color or a super low mile car.

For cars with moderate mileage, a common color, lack of NLA goodies like ECE headlights, and unknown (at least to this board here) service history, I think employing a thread to drum up interest prior to a market listing might be less successful.

That said, if you can keep the car AND buy a house in the LA area (20pc down on a 750K house is 150K —- much more than the 25K the car might net you ....or more!) then you are living large my friend!

Not really trying to drum up business here . I decided to have some fun on the forum but regardless I wish a house in LA was 750K. So you are right whatever the number it will not be a huge amount towards the down. I do think the car will bring more than 25k. Certainly at that price I'll keep it.

This was more an experiment to see if people on the forum really care about known ownership history cars like I do. Maybe I am being to sentimental about direct knowledge of the full ownership history.

I deal in the very very high end of the market of collector cars and maybe I am putting to much thought into it. I can keep the car or sell it. I do have other more special cars but I do like how this one looks next to the other ones.

Maybe I was being to dramatic when I started this thread, there certainly is more import and pressing things to discuss.

I'm good now. I know how many spaces and I can be a big boy now.

All the best to all of you and thanks for your input.

 

[xfadmin]

The content for this thread does not qualify it as a true "OWNER" thread.

Therefore, it has been moved to "Off-Topic Discussions."

Furthermore, we do not delete threads or posts on this forum, unless such thread/post is in blatant violation of our rules — i.e. offensive, unlawful, spam, or otherwise derogatory.

As a refresher, forum guidelines are posted here, and attached below.

Thank you,
500Eboard Management

 

[JC220]

IStress is a killer. Don't keep cars if they contribute to stress.

Can Bat take 11x cars at once?

 

[gerryvz]

I have to be honest, this thread seems a bit ridiculous. And yes, there's no question that it is an unofficial "feeler" to gin up interest in the potential sale of a car that the OP:

1) is squishy / fudging a bit about "essentially" being the second owner
2) has owned for what, a year? (short honeymoon)
3) says he needs to sell, and then really DOESN'T need to sell because he has a huge collection
4) is a dealer and seller of cars
5) quickly deleted the post, this after editing some unflattering details out of his original post

I'm going to go out on a limb here. How is a thread like this "having fun on the forum?" I mean, look at the thread. There's little to no actual information about the car other than a couple of sentences, a few photos (not substantive of the interior, engine compartment, or underneath the car), and not providing any details of records ... not even providing the car's VIN !!

To answer the question about whether we care about known ownership of cars?

Well, that depends. Some people care about a known ownership. Some people care about a celebrity ownership. Some people care about buying low odometers. Some people care about maintenance records and mechanical condition. Some people care only about the wheels on the car. Some people care about the car's external cosmetics. Some people care about the car's interior and exterior colors. Some people care whether it is a pre- or post-facelift model.

So, it's difficult to say what all the people on this forum care about, because each person is different.

If you don't NEED to sell, as you say, then why (as with your original post) say that your "priorities are shifting...buying a new house...." etc., yet even if your 500E sold for $50 or $60K (as opposed to some of the higher-end cars that your posts imply that you own), would not materially contribute much to a down payment on a $750K or $1M+ house in LA (assuming you're scraping together a 20% down payment, which is going to be $150-200+K at a minimum)?

My take is that you are of the typical dealer ilk that we see on this forum -- you have had the car for merely a year, spent lots of money making it look pretty, to prepare it for a flip-sale. The folks here are REAL enthusiasts and REAL knowledgeable about these cars ... it's not the typical buyer you see coming into Ferrari of Beverly Hills.

I am 100% sure it's a nice car. Not putting the car down at all. All we ask is that you be honest in stating your intentions and what/why you are posting. Fudges like "essentially" the second owner don't go over well here, and trust me, you will be crucified on BaT with these kinds of squishy dealer-type statements designed to "pump up" a car in the eyes of buyers.

We'd ALL **LOVE** to see and hear more details about the car, what you've done to it, the story behind it (the previous owners, etc.). All of that stuff, is 100% perfect fodder for an OWNER thread on this forum. Look at other folks' OWNER threads, and the stuff they've posted. Many post their history with the car. Others post on an ongoing basis what they do to the car to maintain it.

 

[Bogeyman]

This reminds me of those commenters on BAT that have to name drop about their car.
"Oh, I'd bid on this but I'd have to sell my Enzo to make room."

 

[maw1124]

Provenance is provenance... we're all familiar with it... we're all over it... like you said, keep the car or sell it... mine is the ONLY 500E to run the One Lap of America race (consult Google)... so what, if it's time to sell it, it's time to sell...

GLWS... hopefully you keep it and we can have some REAL fun on the forum.

maw

 

[gerryvz]

Crickets from @thecarshrink .... I guess he is joining our SoCal buddy @wyzer in crickets-land.

 

[dionphaneuf]

FWIW.....I bought my 500E on a bit of a lark. Always been a classic Mercedes guy, always wanted one but never really seriously dug into it, and some late night Craigslist swaps with a friend got me more interested in a nice example with a cool story, so eventually I pulled the trigger and haven't looked back. Losing my other car to an accident made this my only vehicle and it's really grown on me since then. I might sell it if the price was right and I had something else available, or I really needed the money, but I'm leaning towards not doing it. Did MB make a better car in the 90s? Since? Maybe the R129, but the 140 is too ponderous, and each of the successors of the classic Sacco era 201/124/126 is probably overall a worse car. The new S class just came out and I don't really care. My friend who is a broker and owned more cars than I'll ever dreamed of speaks very highly of his, and has mentioned that every former E500E owner wants their car back.

 

[gsxr]

Did MB make a better car in the 90s? Since? Maybe the R129, but the 140 is too ponderous, and each of the successors of the classic Sacco era 201/124/126 is probably overall a worse car.

Depends what you are looking for. Ultimate big, comfy cruiser... 140. Roadster, 129 (with M119 or M120). Midsize supersedan, 500E.

The later stuff (210, 203/208, 220, 230) are all the beginning of the "disposable" MB, and the end of the million-mile Mercedes.

My friend who is a broker and owned more cars than I'll ever dreamed of speaks very highly of his, and has mentioned that every former E500E owner wants their car back.

That says it all. Anyone who doesn't want their E500E back either didn't have one that was running properly (which is a good possibility), or it was not suited to their needs for size/power/whatever.

 

[JAB12]

Crickets from @thecarshrink .... I guess he is joining our SoCal buddy @wyzer in crickets-land.

Guess some other posts were deleted in this thread. Did the car sell or no?

 

[gerryvz]

No, no other posts were deleted. Actually, many of the posts (and the thread itself) were restored AFTER being deleted.

We have a policy of generally not deleting posts on this forum, unless they break forum rules. It's very very rare that this happens.

 

[maw1124]

Yeah, a “former 500E owner” doesn’t seem like something you want to be... I’ve met several, all of whom want their car back... well, maybe the guy who sold me mine, but I don’t think he wants any car ever again (former collector, race car driver and racing team owner for decades)... I think he’s just over cars...

On the replacement side, I’d take a late W220 AMG 55, an R230 AMG 63, an E550 4Matic or a CLS550 4Matic, an SLS AMG, any Black Series AMG, a W222 AMG 65... but I’m nowhere as nostalgic as some others here... I certainly don’t consider any of those cars “disposable”... you just have to stay at the top of the MB Pyramid where this one was born... sure some of those are $200k+ cars, but so was this one in early 90’s cash.

People have biases... what I’ve noticed is that chat room guys are nostalgic toward the period of the cars they own — there’s some confirmation bias there... people who work on them from all years are generally biased toward newer stuff — it doesn’t break as much so it seems more reliable... I’m biased toward the high end — it’s the high end for a reason... and on and on... these are great, but the new ones certainly aren’t trash.

maw

 

[dionphaneuf]

I found that the interiors and panel gaps of every Benz from the mid 90s to the mid 00s just don’t do it for me. The r215 is a great looking car imo, but its interior is just too plasticky and cheap to me, same w the w220. Things started to get a bit better after the w211, and I love the c217 (also, rip s class door coupes....sigh). I love the r230 too. I wouldnt say these cars are trash, they just don’t ‘do it’ for me on the same level or in the same way as the older cars.

 

[maw1124]

Plenty of support for those views around here... my general view is stay toward the "drivers" models (read "AMG") at the top end of the spectrum (like this one was), and one doesn't notice much difference... at least I don't. But my bias is I've lived with both a W220 S55 and this car for the better part of a decade... and for all the press about one being better built than the other, I just don't see it, feel it, hear it, "get it" the way all the write-ups predict. Shrugs shoulders...

To your point, though, the best interior options came on 600/65 model cars through those years, which cars had pushed the performance limitations past reliability in my view (twin turbo V12 anyone?), so no one knows, e.g., that they came with leather dashboards and door cards, alcantara headliners and such -- that is, almost all the interior plastic that people cry about was replaced with leather, unlike ANY W124. Rear heated and cooled reclining seats... again unheard of in a W124.

maw