'89 E230 Merc, 150k miles, no NCT -- value?

dahamsta

Title should say it all, Parkers wants £2.99 to value it so anyone got a rough estimate for me? Owner says it had a new engine at 100k, for 150k total. I'm inclined to tell him to take the NCT if he wants the sale, that's a logical thing to do, right?

adam

mike65

Dont buy unless its got the NCT, its only a small part of the picture but at least you know it'll start go and stop!

As for valuation well some ppl have delusions about the worth of thier merc - for that model I'd be talking no more than 2000 dispite its lowish milage (which is actaully a worry I'd expect a motorway muncher to have at least 200,000 on it by now!). And thats assuming its got good spec and history.

http://www.buyandsell.ie/scripts/lootsite.dll?MfcISAPICommand=Search&FirstClass=1000000&LastClass=9269999&query=mercedes++230&Location=0-15&Option=0&Action=Search&dbVersion=0

Oh yes if the car only has 150,000 under its wheels how come it needed a new engine...they last forever.

Mike.

dahamsta

Originally posted by mike65
Dont buy unless its got the NCT, its only a small part of the picture but at least you know it'll start go and stop!

That's what I thought. I was looking at a Scorpio as well but yerman (it was a dealer) wanted me to buy it "as seen". As my mechanic said, if the catalytic is gone in it you're screwed. Looks like I won't be getting my throbbing purple monster...

http://www.buyandsell.ie/scripts/lootsite.dll?MfcISAPICommand=Search&FirstClass=1000000&LastClass=9269999&query=mercedes++230&Location=0-15&Option=0&Action=Search&dbVersion=0

Heh, you nearly had it. This is the fella...

http://www.buyandsell.ie/scripts/lootsite.dll?MfcISAPICommand=Search&FirstClass=1000000&LastClass=9269999&query=mercedes+e230+manual&Location=0-15&Option=0&dbVersion=0

Oh yes if the car only has 150,000 under its wheels how come it needed a new engine...they last forever.

Yeah, I'll be asking him about that. And he said the interior was "lemon", which I have to confess is scaring the pants off me! I'm guessing the search will continue, but sure I might as well go and have a look anyway.

Thanks Mike,
adam

mike65

Lemon! Are you sure he did'ny say A lemon!

You seem to be bouncing from pillar to post with your car Adam. I'd really start to focus in a model and look hard.
If you want to do a bit of research into a Merc E 230
go here -

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/index.php3

and post a query about the models pros and cons flag it as a W124 series model, these guys know everything!

Mike.

dahamsta

Originally posted by mike65
Lemon! Are you sure he did'ny say A lemon!

Heh, that didn't occur to me until I went googling for "lemon interior" images and quite a few "a lemon" results turned up. But no, he said the interior was lemon, which sounds horrendous. As it happens I couldn't find yermans gaff, but I would have had to haggle with him about the NCT anyway so I'm not all that bothered. Mercs don't get me horny anyway.

You seem to be bouncing from pillar to post with your car Adam. I'd really start to focus in a model and look hard.

I actually did start out looking for something specific - a 5 series BMW - but most of 'em are up in Dublin and obviously I can't just pop up to check them out; and even if I could I'm not mechanically-minded enough to check them out. (Oddly, I know the difference between a turbocharger and a supercharger and can explain it to /anyone/, but I wouldn't know one end of one from the other on an actual car!)

Being in Cork doesn't help much either, since most people aren't bothered enough about selling to bring the car to my mechanic, and my mechanic isn't keen to leave his lovely cave. So now I'm going in the opposite direction, I'm going to post a Want ad here listing what I'm looking for and I'll pay a finders fee for whoever tracks a car down for me. Let's see if the word of mouth marketing I'm always recommending to my customers really works.

I'd really like to sort this out next week though. I'm toddling around in the mothers Yaris at the moment, and after the previous lovely black-on-black Colt it's just plain embarassing driving around in a stock eurobox.

adam

mike65

Are you willing to travel up to Croom?

I mention this cos I've spotted a rather nice looking BMW 320i for sale. 1990 black with alloys and a subtle boot lip. Looks the biz. They're not luxury but even in the quick test drive I had in a 320 last year it was v nice! 6 cylinder growl is heard to beat.


Mike.

dahamsta

Thanks, but I've never been a fan of the 3 series Mike. Not mad about BMW's in general tbh, I've just always had a thing for the E34.

See what I mean? I'm a fussy fecker.

adam

Seth Brundle

As an owner of an '89 E30 320i I agree with Mike. They are a great car, throwing out 129bhp standard.
The song from the engine is lovely.
A 325i would provide 172bhp and possiby similar or even lower fuel consumption but higher insurance & tax.
If you do go for an E30 get a service history or at least all receipts and make sure the timing belt was done every ~50k.
I also know a chap selling an immacualte E30 M3 if you are interested.

dahamsta

No offense intended to either of you, but the E30 is in fact my least favourite BMW, which is a nice way of saying that I absolutely detest them. Don't even like the M3's, but it wouldn't matter anyway because insurance on it would probably leave me with about €500 to spend on the car.

I think it's because back when E30's were relatively new (he said carefully), most of the people I saw driving them were twats, the equivalent of the modern-day, eurobox-driving, baseball-hat-wearing embarassments-to-humanity; or worse, yuppies.

adam

mike65

Originally posted by dahamsta
I think it's because back when E30's were relatively new (he said carefully), most of the people I saw driving them were twats, the equivalent of the modern-day, eurobox-driving, baseball-hat-wearing embarassments-to-humanity; or worse, yuppies.

adam

Y'know thats true - I used to think exactly the same...DIE Yuppie Scum etc, we'll shut up about beemers from now on!

Mike.

dahamsta

Heh, kbannon's probably shouting "SELL BMW, SELL SELL SELL" into his "mobile" phone as we speak.

adam

Seth Brundle

funnily enough, Im about to sell my E30!!!