Copart- Tired- Fecta (not tri-fecta) S- class Merc

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GON

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I have posted a few threads on Copart. Overall I think 99.5% of the vehicles on auction are not a match for a consumer to purchase. If the vehicle has value the pros are in on it, and consumers often get wrapped up in the bidding process and overbid, and then find out that winning bid has little to do with what one will actually be paying to Copart BEFORE taxes, tag, and title.

My process with Copart is to only purchase S-class Mercedes and Pontiacs with 3.8L engines. That is it. In know both vehicles pretty well and, even if I make a mistake, I can still get out of the mistake financially by using the parts on the mistake vehicle.

My first Mercedes was a S-class purchased from a dealer (not a Copart- just a regular retail used car purchase), shiniest Mercedes you ever saw. It cost me a pretty penny to get everything right, the dealer knew exactly where to put lipstick on the pig. Sometime Copart buys are good as they were maintained, but just had a near catastrophic event. I find my Copart purchases are often in better mechnical shape than used cars bought from dealers.

The silver S430 in the pic is my daily driver. I have driven it for almost three years. Only issue I ever had was my fault, serpentine belt broke while driving, it was on my to do list but I put it off. Over than than, about 35k of trouble free miles. I lend the car to my friends to take on long trips. Nice to have a S-class with no payments, no need for collision insurance, etc. Two of the three were flood vehicles, one was a garage fire. I never recommend a flood vehicle under any circumstance, on these two I knew the limit of the flood and was able to make it a reliable purchase(s).

My total cost for the three in the picture, including parts, is well under 5K. It is a ton of work, and today I am spending the entire day working on them. It is a very enjoyable hobby for me. I know I could not make a living doing it though.

I am getting transferred to Salt Lake City this summer, and can't take all the cars with me (I have three other cars I will be taking in addition to the two S-classes) so I will sell the daily driver to one of my co-workers for what I paid for it- he is counting the days to I get transferred.


 
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Yah, I pretty much did the same with the 528e. I bought 4 of them back in 2000. 2 drivers and 2 parts cars. You have to like wrenching. Realize it is sweat equity and no way to earn a living.
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This is the closet pic I took. The white one is pictured hiding its ugly-ness, the other two are find just in need of a good wash... Right now I am replacing the airmatic valve on the black S500. The valve had some water get to it from the flood and it has a very slow leek at the rubber grommets.

 
Originally Posted By: GON
so I will sell the daily driver to one of my co-workers for what I paid for it- he is counting the days to I get transferred.


That's really nice of you!
 
GON I suspect we share an appreciation for 'making something out of nothing'. I'm the same way with motorcycles.

Nice MBs!
 
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I really like all the co part threads recently. Ever since that long one about how buying co part cars is a bad idea due to fees, it seems the co part junkies have been coming out of the wood work and posting threads about their purchases. I am sure a majority of members have peaked at their local auctions at some point. I like how this thread is about MBs but also mentions the GM 3.8 because this is BITOG.

Thanks for the pics, keep em comin co part dudes
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
Yah, I pretty much did the same with the 528e. I bought 4 of them back in 2000. 2 drivers and 2 parts cars. You have to like wrenching. Realize it is sweat equity and no way to earn a living.
grin2.gif



Thanks- it can be a lot of fun and rewarding when getting something broke running nice. Last night I was in physical ache- I suspect from being in my 50s and working outside on cars all day in 30-40 degree weather.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: GON
so I will sell the daily driver to one of my co-workers for what I paid for it- he is counting the days to I get transferred.


That's really nice of you!


Thanks- the car is not worth so much, have someone else enjoy it.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
GON I suspect we share an appreciation for 'making something out of nothing'. I'm the same way with motorcycles.

Nice MBs!


Thanks, we would likely make good neighbors!
 
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
I really like all the co part threads recently. Ever since that long one about how buying co part cars is a bad idea due to fees, it seems the co part junkies have been coming out of the wood work and posting threads about their purchases. I am sure a majority of members have peaked at their local auctions at some point. I like how this thread is about MBs but also mentions the GM 3.8 because this is BITOG.

Thanks for the pics, keep em comin co part dudes


Not sure the Copart fees are actually fees, although many list that as them. Fees are often negotiable, waiver-able, etc.

I compare the so called winning bid price on Copart as the base sticker price on a new car. Add the options, transportation charges, etc- and you get the actual sticker price, which is often substantially higher than the base sticker price. When buying a car, nobody cares about the base price. It is the sticker price that counts. But at a car dealer, you can negotiate off the sticker price if one selects to. One can't negotiate a thing at Copart. And there are fees that can and often do occur at Copart, daily storage fee after five days of $20 a day, broker fee, etc.

I don't want to discourage anyone from buying a Copart vehicle, just want to share my experiences, and sometime shock when I get the invoice from Copart which can often be 25-50 percent more than the base winning bid price. And that is all before fees...
 
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