Struggling to sell?

[Sargeant Orange]

Had our SLK on autotrader for about 4 weeks now with only a single call about it. The chap was very interested but changed his mind on what colour he was after before coming to view it.

I'm a little surprised as when I was on the look out for one 3 years ago I couldn't find a decent one for ages & when this one came up there was a queue out the door to test drive it.

My guess is the 280 model is seen as a bit "inbetween"? Those wanting an SLK of this vintage with power go for the 350 or AMG, those wanting one for the wife go for the 1.8?

I guess alongside this, the fact you can get in a new SLC now for under £300 pm is having an effect.

I'm not a million miles off what WBAC have upped their offer to but loath to have to go and deal with their knockdowns if I can help it.



ETA

Sorry not allowed.

Edited by Big Al. on Friday 10th June 15:13

[sim16v]

I think it is just the market in general.

I've had my old E46 328i up for sale for over 6 weeks, and in my opinion, it's one of the cheapest for spec and condition out there.

Due to a total lack of response i'm actually thinking of selling my new 330Ci!

[adsvx220]

I had the same problem whilst selling my SLK 55. No calls for 4 or 5 week dropped the price and still nothing. sold to a trader in the £500 less than I was asking.

[ZX10R NIN]

It's the market in general but it'll take longer than you think around 6-8 weeks.

[SwissJonese]

Amazingly my C350 Estate sold in 2 days and I had several very interested callers after (slightly annoyingly I paid for 6 weeks Ad on AutoTrader). I managed to get 2K more than WBAC's web offer and over 3K more than trade in. It was a fully loaded car and there hadn't been another similar for sale for the last 4 months so that might have helped.

Best of luck with the sale.

[Sargeant Orange]

Cheers guys.

The only option that wasn't ticked on it was the HK stereo so I guess I expected some more interest.

Will wait it out, but patience isn't my strong point

[DuraAce]

EBay, 99p start and let the market dictate it's worth. It'll sell!

[teabelly]

There are 20 for sale on autotrader at the moment. Price, mileage, owners? All have a bearing. High owner high mileage cars aren't wanted.

Also if it sneaks into the £500 tax bracket as some do it won't sell easily either.

Private sales are off putting to a lot of people as dealers will take debit cards and test drives don't involve organising your own insurance.

[MattyB_]

I struggled with selling my SLK55 as well only a month or so ago. It did sell in the end, but for alot less than I'd hoped. I had a few emails and calls, but none serious - luckily the only person who did view ended up buying.

I think the problem with pricey Mercedes is that people want the security of a dealer, either for finance, or some comeback if it goes wrong - it seems to be an shifting trend amongst 'non-enthusiasts' when I speak to people at work, they just see cars as white goods and want zero hassle; nearly everyone buys from dealers or leases, purely for the convenience and safety net. Maybe that's due to the fact that cars are becoming more and more expensive to run...

[SwissJonese]

When I put my C350 for sale last year I didn't have a single call in 6 weeks. This year I went to down on it, fixed any little issues (scratches, dents), had it professional valeted inside and out, fresh MOT and took time to do really good photos.

[PenelopaPitstop]

adsvx220 said:

I had the same problem whilst selling my SLK 55. No calls for 4 or 5 week dropped the price and still nothing. sold to a trader in the £500 less than I was asking.

I'm looking for SLK55 from 14/2014 onwards. I check Autotrader a few times a day and there's nothing new coming below £40K and rarely from private sellers. So if anyone wants to get rid of their SLK55 from 14 plate onwards and not be ripped off by trade-in price, please let me know.

From September, I will be switching my search for 64 plate onwards, I want at least a year warranty to make sure I can fix any issues before it expires.

So far only one person contacted me after I advertised on MBClub forum but resign from selling after getting settlement quote from MBFS. I guess it was much higher than trade-in or private sale price.

[Sargeant Orange]

Just to bring this one to a close...

Had a total of 2 calls over the 6 weeks it was advertised. The second call, a guy from Scotland, travelled down for 7 hours to have it in the end - a Mercedes enthusiast so pleased it went to someone who will appreciate it!

As ever it went for slightly less than I thought it would, but in the words of PH I guess it went for what buyers thought it was worth!

Cheers for the advice guys