Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply:
Bob asks: For the last 2 years I have owned a 2015 M-B E350. It was my parents’ vehicle (my dad passed 2 years ago). It is our 3rd vehicle, my Sunday driver. My wife has retired this year, so cash flow is much tighter and it looks like it is time to sell it. It is in excellent condition, only has 32,000 miles on it. My question is this – in this day and age what is the best way to sell it? We have never really had to sell our cars, generally passing them on to our kids.
My answer: Well, to begin with, you have an extremely low-miles Benz on your hands, which makes it much more valuable than a typical 11-year-old example (which would probably/typically have at least 135,000 miles on the clock by now. Your car’s low mileage and likely excellent overall condition (I base this on the assumption that it has probably been very gently used and garage-kept and regularly serviced) makes it something of a unicorn in the used car market. Its value is highly individual; general pricing guides such as Kelley Blue Book and NADA are good guides for gauging average retail prices. Your Benz could easily be worth 50 or even 75 percent percent more, since it is for all practical purposes a three-year-old eleven-year-old car. It is perhaps worth even more since it is free of many of the “features” that have made current new cars less than appealing.
Have you considered offering it to local MB dealers? They may make you a very good offer since having a pristine E350 on the lot is likely very appealing to them because the car would likely sell very quickly – and for top dollar. This way also eliminates having to deal with any potential sketchy or even dangerous random strangers. This latter is a real concern (sadly) these days. If you do decide to try to sell the car yourself, I’d advise only agreeing to meet potential buyers in a safe public place. I would recommend not allowing them to test drive the vehicle alone for all the obvious reasons. I would further advise payment in full before any paperwork is signed and that the transaction be done at your bank. Also that you clearly state in writing – on a bill of sale – that the car is sold “as is,” to protect yourself against any after-sale claims that the car developed a problem that was not disclosed prior to sale.
You might also get a quote from Carvana or CarMax. It can’t hurt – and it’s safe.
As far as other options to sell it yourself, I’d begin by letting friends and co-workers know about the car; you might find someone close to you who is interested. After that, I’d place an ad on Facebook marketplace and Craigs (locally) and follow the precautions mentioned above.
Finally, you might want to reconsider selling this car. It’s a gem and they’re not going to build them like this ever again. It probably has at least 150,000 miles of reliable life left in it.
Hope this helps!
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