Looking For Certified Pre-Owned? Check Us Out!!

[mbwestminster]

Hello Everybody, The pre-owned market really seems to be on a rise over the past few months with the way the economy has been, so I wanted anybody that's in the market for a CPO Mercedes Benz take a look at our website. It's one of the most successful websites in the country for a few very good reasons: -Price -Ease of purchase through very thorough and descriptive ads. -Aggressive transportation costs -Overall buying experience with an overall CSI of 98.9% Here is a link to our pre-owned website. http://www.mbwestminster.com/used-in...ventoryListing Every Mercedes Benz on our site 2003 or newer includes the 1yr/100k MB CPO extended warranty. If anybody has any questions, please feel free to pm me or email me in my signature

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[jobsori]

are the prices posted the "rock bottom" line or do we have to haggle on?

Also...You guys CPO cars that have been in an accident? I thought they can't be CPO if they've had major body work done?

[mbwestminster]

If a vehicle has been involved in a fender bender of some sort, MB will CPO Certify the vehicle. If there is major damage, such as frame damage, etc, they will not

[DucatiNut]

This is the second time in little over a week that the original poster has been asked a direct question about prices and has refused to answer..... has probably forgotten the manners they were taught when young.... and has been indoctrinated into the car salesmans mindset of trying to manipulate and control the entire sales process even at arms length on a forum such as this. A polite reply would have been more trust generating. Unfortunately many people gloss over or miss these things entirely.
I have never been able to understand why car salesmen think that the way they conduct business is the best way. I am sure many of us have our own businesses and endeavor to treat our customers fairly. I guess greed is the primary motivating factor. Its a shame ..... and they wonder why they are viewed with such disdain..

[hdtv22]

Originally Posted by DucatiNut

This is the second time in little over a week that the original poster has been asked a direct question about prices and has refused to answer..... has probably forgotten the manners they were taught when young.... and has been indoctrinated into the car salesmans mindset of trying to manipulate and control the entire sales process even at arms length on a forum such as this. A polite reply would have been more trust generating. Unfortunately many people gloss over or miss these things entirely.
I have never been able to understand why car salesmen think that the way they conduct business is the best way. I am sure many of us have our own businesses and endeavor to treat our customers fairly. I guess greed is the primary motivating factor. Its a shame ..... and they wonder why they are viewed with such disdain..

I agree with you, they should be up front in what you are getting and what you are paying for it

I wish dealers would just get up and say hey I bought this car at Manheim like they all do, I refurb'd it and CPOed it for $1500, and then your paying around $3K for the profit I make and another $10K for the fact that I'm a dealer

An average CLS55 from last year Feb went for $45K in Average Condition with 28K miles -- Considering prices have plummeted, I don't understand why the car is listed as a special internet sale at $47,900, listed under the "Pre-Owned Specials" section -- Ah how happy it would be if dealers just said I bought this car for $38K its a tough economy ill refurb it for you which will cost me $2K then I need around a $3K profit so I will sell it at $43K here's where I got it from and what I did to it

[InTheBenz0]

Originally Posted by hdtv22

I agree with you, they should be up front in what you are getting and what you are paying for it

I wish dealers would just get up and say hey I bought this car at Manheim like they all do, I refurb'd it and CPOed it for $1500, and then your paying around $3K for the profit I make and another $10K for the fact that I'm a dealer

An average CLS55 from last year Feb went for $45K in Average Condition with 28K miles -- Considering prices have plummeted, I don't understand why the car is listed as a special internet sale at $47,900, listed under the "Pre-Owned Specials" section -- Ah how happy it would be if dealers just said I bought this car for $38K its a tough economy ill refurb it for you which will cost me $2K then I need around a $3K profit so I will sell it at $43K here's where I got it from and what I did to it

When you find a place like that let me know. I will buy all my cars from them.

[DucatiNut]

Yes the average car dealer is just that... average.... they have not yet elevated their thinking to the point where they realize that honesty can and does lead to a better business model in the long run. If a dealer did what hdtv22 said then just imagine how many people would buy from them....hey just the business from this forum alone would probably make for their best sales months ever....
It is a shame they are taught to sell they way the do and it is a shame none of them are proactive and forward thinking enough to try a different way... this "head in the sand" approach to business is one of the many reasons why countries like China and Japan are sticking it to U.S. manufacturing.

[Wish4_e55Wagon]

The typical american consumer is not that well educated. The negotiation typically starts from the MSRP and down from there. Throw in a trade and the need for financing and it goes down hill. Might as well go to COSTCO and get the 'at invoice' or '$500 over invoice' pricing (new car). If the dealer is hungry they may just say OK, if you buy before the end of the week, I can get you $500 below invoice or at invoice. Makes the process much easier when you know what you are doing. I've never bought a New car - always 2 - 3 yrs old.

Note to MBWestminster - find me a Silver '06 E55 Wagon CPO with less than 25K for $35K including tax and licensing and you have a sale. Must have Distronic, Power Rear Liftgate and Third Row rear facing seat.

[loubapache]

I have personally observed the transmormation of one of the largest used luxury car dealers (in several states and advertise in airline magnies). In the early 90's, it was quite small and had a small lot in the west Chicago surbburbs. I bught my first MB from him when he and his partner were the only people working there as sales people. He was very honest and did what the previous poster said. This is how much I got this car for and you can have it for this much so I make 2 grand. He had an indie shop close by ( a couple blocks) and I drove the car there to be put on a lifter so I can check the underside. I found the brake pads were thin and told him that. He called the indie guy over (with pads in hand) and the guy changed all brake pads.

I bought two other cars from him afterwards but he was growing like crazy. He bought out the business next to his lot and enlarged his original used lot. Then he opend many other dealerships in IL and NV.

Now it is just like any other dealerships and I have not bought or visited his dealers for more than 8 years. His asking prices, however, are still lower than most new or used car dealers, though. The experience is just very different from the earlier days.

[loubapache]

Wish4_e55Wagon:

I am also looking for a silver wagon but I prefer smaller engines. A MB dealer (74 miles away) has a 2005 E500 with 28k miles (CPO) and is asking for $29k but it is blue in color.

There is a 2005 E320 silver wagon in the Chicago area but the Carfax is very confusing (missing the first two years of service). The car was sold in 2004 (I pulled the databasd so I know the delivery date) but Carfax started in 2006 with 10 miles. Somethig is very strange. Otherwise it has 20k miles and asking price is $23k.

[C2 Turbo]

Originally Posted by Wish4_e55Wagon

Note to MBWestminster - find me a Silver '06 E55 Wagon CPO with less than 25K for $35K including tax and licensing and you have a sale. Must have Distronic, Power Rear Liftgate and Third Row rear facing seat.

You forgot about the car insurance...

[jobsori]

Originally Posted by hdtv22

I don't understand why the car is listed as a special internet sale at $47,900, listed under the "Pre-Owned Specials" section

It's more ridiculous that the CLS55 they have listed as CPO has an ACCIDENT reported via Carfax.

Dunno why these Used Car Salesman try to pull their usual stunts @ a forum that's full we well-educated buyers....

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by loubapache

Now it is just like any other dealerships and I have not bought or visited his dealers for more than 8 years. His asking prices, however, are still lower than most new or used car dealers, though. The experience is just very different from the earlier days.

Luxury Motors by chance?

[loubapache]

Originally Posted by Fraser

Luxury Motors by chance?

Yes.

[ScottCLS55]

you cant buy a cls55 for 38k with 28k miles. Even today. That car with good color will still bring $42 in the auction.

So say $42k + sale fee which is $600-700 on that price + tires $1000 + anything that is wrong to CPO car+ cpo Meredes warranty $1400

47900 is not a bad starting price.

Here are Manheim #'s to prove my point...
12/10/08 SEATTLE Lease $41,250 21,561 Avg BAR RED 8G A Yes
01/07/09 ATLANTA Lease $40,750 21,570 Avg BLACK 8G A Yes
12/11/08 NEVADA Lease $43,500 21,924 Above IRI SIL 8G A Yes
12/17/08 W PALM Lease $43,000 23,502 Above OBS BLK 8G A Yes
12/30/08 FAAO Lease $40,200 25,115 Avg ALB WHT 8G A Yes
12/18/08 RIVRSIDE Lease $42,500 27,889 Above BLACK 8G A Yes
12/11/08 MANHEIM Lease $38,750 31,675 Avg ALB WHT 8G A Ye

[ScottCLS55]

Originally Posted by Wish4_e55Wagon

The typical american consumer is not that well educated. The negotiation typically starts from the MSRP and down from there. Throw in a trade and the need for financing and it goes down hill. Might as well go to COSTCO and get the 'at invoice' or '$500 over invoice' pricing (new car). If the dealer is hungry they may just say OK, if you buy before the end of the week, I can get you $500 below invoice or at invoice. Makes the process much easier when you know what you are doing. I've never bought a New car - always 2 - 3 yrs old.

Note to MBWestminster - find me a Silver '06 E55 Wagon CPO with less than 25K for $35K including tax and licensing and you have a sale. Must have Distronic, Power Rear Liftgate and Third Row rear facing seat.

I guess you would since they go through the auction for more than that and they are not cpo'd and do not include tax...

again Manheim direct numbers.
2/23/08 FAAO Lease $33,800 27,228 Avg GREY 8G A Yes
12/11/08 MANHEIM Lease $36,750 30,794 Above FLT GRY 8G A Yes
12/09/08 FAAO Regular $36,000 30,817 Above WHITE 8G A Yes
12/11/08 NEVADA Lease $32,750 31,462 Avg PEWTR 8G

Instead of dealing with you and all of your requests and your sales tax that you want him to pay, why wouldn't any person that is in business to make money send that same car to the auction instead of selling it to you.

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by loubapache

Yes.

There was one car I saw on their site and it was priced 25-30% below KBB value. I was fairly interested and emailed to ask why and they said they just like to stay competitive! Not interested enough to purchase a Carfax on it to found out how though!

[loubapache]

Originally Posted by Fraser

There was one car I saw on their site and it was priced 25-30% below KBB value. I was fairly interested and emailed to ask why and they said they just like to stay competitive! Not interested enough to purchase a Carfax on it to found out how though!

They do have one of the lowest asking prices and I have been watching them for over 13 years.

Gerenally, their cars are slightly below the dleaer CPO cars. They buy at auction, (used to) do minimal service. I think all they did to the cars I bought from them was washing them.

The last time I visited them was in 2001 and they wanted to steal my trade. I ended up buying a car (MB) from the Porsche dealer across the street and they gave me twice as much on my trade.

[thepinoc]

have you guys noticed mbwestminster hasnt responded ever since he answered a direct question with a skewed answer? :]

This is why i rarely respect car salespeople.

[C2 Turbo]

Originally Posted by thepinoc

have you guys noticed mbwestminster hasnt responded ever since he answered a direct question with a skewed answer? :]

This is why i rarely respect car salespeople.

I really don't see any issue with the mbwestminister's post...CPO doesn't mean the car has not had any fender bender...infact under the certification process the dealership usually recondits the car to where it is presentable and doesn't have much visible flaws..
Say you own a jewelry store and a guy comes in and offers you the whole sale price on a 1 carat diamond ring that you have for sale..Would you sell him at a whole sale price ?
Same reaon....a dealership has to make a profit too...If you think there prices are high then go out to an auction yourself and purchase a car there rather then low balling other people..Yes you pay a bit more but then buying at a reputable dealership does have it's benefits too....

[Wish4_e55Wagon]

Originally Posted by ScottCLS55

I guess you would since they go through the auction for more than that and they are not cpo'd and do not include tax...

again Manheim direct numbers.
2/23/08 FAAO Lease $33,800 27,228 Avg GREY 8G A Yes
12/11/08 MANHEIM Lease $36,750 30,794 Above FLT GRY 8G A Yes
12/09/08 FAAO Regular $36,000 30,817 Above WHITE 8G A Yes
12/11/08 NEVADA Lease $32,750 31,462 Avg PEWTR 8G

Instead of dealing with you and all of your requests and your sales tax that you want him to pay, why wouldn't any person that is in business to make money send that same car to the auction instead of selling it to you.

He doesn't have to find the deal now. More price drops to come. Plus I'm looking for a wagon and they can go either way.

[ScottCLS55]

Originally Posted by Wish4_e55Wagon

He doesn't have to find the deal now. More price drops to come. Plus I'm looking for a wagon and they can go either way.

So you think hes gonna remember you in 3-6 months when the price gets that low and get on here to post to you so you can flake out like 99.9 percent of internet forum posters wanting to buy a car.

Btw, how long have you been searchin for an E55 Wagon Wish4_e55Wagon? You made your username in Jan 08 are you ever gonna buy??

[mbwestminster]

Well hello people,

Sorry that I have not responded to this post in almost 4 days. I've been a very busy man, but that's no excuse. Let me start off by saying "excuse me" to the critics that want to attack this post and blab about auction prices and vagueness on my behalf. There is always room to move on the asking price of a vehicle. If you have to ask the question, you usually aren't ready to buy a car. We have been rated practically the most aggressive dealership in the US and our pre-owned pricing shows it. Almost all of our cars are priced below KBB value. I dont' really like using KBB value, but since a lot of people insist on using it to "inflate" their trade values, I might as well use it to inflate my selling "value" We "rarely" buys cars at Manheim, rarely. We have a large owner base for trade-ins, a great alt-trans department that turns over late model MB's with very low mileage to CPO and we access MBF for lease returns that they sell.

I see that there are SOOO many MB certified salespeople on here that really know the in's and out's of the business. In case a few of you fell short, I will pick you up a little bit.

In order for a MB to be CPO Certifiable, it really does go though a 156 point inspection. If you think it's not stringent, you're wrong. Example; lets say it's the year 2003 and I take in a 2000 E320 on trade that I want to certify. You know how the screens were a dot matrix? Well, if one of the dots is out, it needs to be replaced ($1200-$1500) or it will not get the CPO Cert. There is a cost to certify. Tires, brakes, engine, trannsmission, A service, B service, everything is checked top to botton. What does need to get replaced, is replaced. On every car we sell, we keep every ticket of service. So, if you had an interest in a car, you could call me right now and I could tell you what had been done to the car and what the cost of servicing was. So, you really have to ad in the cost of:

-CPO Certification.
-CPO Warranty.
-Detail and Cleaning. (yes it does cost money, people get paid to do this, it's not a write off)
-ANY Servicing a vehicle needs.
-Advertising Costs.

Feel more than free to go to the auction and buy a car that may be, at best, just a tad bit less than mine. Or, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say maybe you find one that's a few grand less. You are buying a car that is not CPO Certifiable, has not been though a shop for a full inspection, may need (will need) tires, brakes, pads, servicing, etc. Don't forget about shipping. If the auction is where you suffice a "good" deal, do not buy a car from me. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but this is a business and I think we conduct it pretty well here at MB of Westminster. There is a reason why we sell 80+ pre-owned cars a month alone to clients all over the United States; it's not because we're all good looking.


I would have figured that giving "FREE" carfax's on every car we advertise would be a better piece of mind. Not only does it save you $30 dollars, but you can see owner history. I would also figure even greater piece of mind would be the fact that we aren't hiding any accident history on ANY cars we advertise and sell. You CAN CPO a vehicle that has been in a fender bender. There are guidelines from MB for this. Obviously frame damage to a vehicle with disqualify it from CPO, but you don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure that out. Even MORE piece of mind is the 60 picture spread we have on every vehicle, not to mention the fact that we actually take over 120 pictures in case somebody wants to see a particular angle of a car. It continues with original window stickers, full option listing top to bottom, and of course, PRICING.

I'm sorry if a lot of you out there have had bad experiences with dealers in the past of present. But please, don't come on here and make this an open flame session for your own pleasure. It's a waste of time and it really makes this forum that much more unpleasing. Really do your research before making statements like some that were posted. There's a good why reason I have clients in NJ and NY that buy new and CPO MB from me. They trust me, I sell them good product, and I SAVE THEM MONEY. Imagine that, 1800 miles away.

I want to say thanks to ScottCLS55, C2TURBO and loubapache for making credible and meaningfull comments. Again, if I can assist anybody in any way, please feel more than free to contact me. But please...DO NOT shop me over auction prices. That is not how you conclude a "good deal"

[mbwestminster]

Oh, and for Wish4_e55Wagon....COME ON....you're not even in 05 money on what you're looking for. Let's get realistic and put something together if you do want to purchase a car. You are not being realistic AT ALL...sorry....

[Wish4_e55Wagon]

OK, I might of overshot on my previous post, but isn't that what Dealership normally do on the other side

Realistic pricing on 05 wagons the past 6 mos are $37.5K - $45K of course depending on the class of dealership. Problem is, there aren't that many. $35K is my offer for 05 Wagon. Which is doable, not including tax and licensing.