A woman really wanted to drive a Mercedes-Benz, but got one with over 100,000 miles on it. When another car dealer assessed it, he concluded that she shouldn’t have bought it at all.
The video documenting the conversation came from creator Alexander Saliba (@alexanderjsaliba) with J & S AutoHaus Group in Ewing, N.J. The video, which has drawn more than 289,000 views as of Sunday, starts with an online caption detailing the situation. The customer he’s talking to bought a Mercedes that she couldn’t get the dealer to buy back.
Noting in the comments, “One of the reasons why people tell me I’m unfit for this business is because I always want to help people,” he tries to assess how much he could give her for the car she paid $10,000 for.
“This thing is rough,” he says. “If I could help you, I think it’d probably be around four grand for it.”
He then notices that it needs four new tires, leading him to say, “I can’t sell this car. If you want. I’ll take it to the auction. Whatever it does, I’ll take 5% of it, consignment.”
He then shows her around the lot for a possible car replacement, recommending several Acuras, which she’s not all that into.
“I just want to keep recommending Acuras,” he comments at one point. “And she doesn’t like Acuras.”
She is drawn to a Jeep that would cost $40,000, even though she was looking to buy a car for around $15,000.
As for the appeal of Mercedes, Saliba remarked, “That’s what society tells you to want.”
In his caption, he observed, “This is why you NEVER buy a cheap Mercedes.”
Should you really never buy a cheap Mercedes?
A Reddit post on the r/mercedes_benz subreddit inquiring about the best reasonably-priced used Mercedes to buy drew quite a few opinions. The person asking had a $10,000 budget, and though options tended toward older models, those weren’t necessarily bad options.
“You could find a 90s diesel or whatever for under 10k, but it’s a 30-year-old car. Which comes with 30-year-old problems,” one surmised. “Do you want a Mercedes because it’s ‘cool’ because you want to feel fancy and others to think you’re fancy or what? There’s a bunch of e350 wagons around me on Marketplace around there, but you’re buying the car toward the end of its term. If you’re looking for a project, by all means go ahead, but a reliable daily for 10k and Mercedes might be hard to find. Might get it lucky and get an old man Sunday driver on the cheap. But those aren’t a dime a dozen.”
Another offered, “I bought my 2010 E350 Sedan for $13500 Canadian (so about $10,000 USD) safetied and ready to go with new tires, water pump, brakes, basically no rust, and a strong engine. I had to do an alignment, and a system flush, an oil change, new wipers, and a system cleaner followed by a hard drive to blow it out which was all to be expected with a used car. I was in for about $600 after it was all said and done but it was worth every penny.”
Someone else recommended a 190D or a 300D from the ’80s. “There is a lot of junk out there but if you find a good one you are set,” that person said. “And you should be able to get one for considerably less than $10,000. So you will have some money for repairs as needed.”
“These engines are bulletproof and the bodies are solid,” that person added. “An older Benz is a completely different thing than a newer one. They were the most durable cars being built. A few years ago I visited Morocco. Most of the taxis were 80s era M-Bs with diesel engines.”
Commenters have their say
Some commenters had thoughts about buying a used Mercedes-Benz.
“That Mercedes is ‘Knock Knock Knocking on heaven’s door,’” one quipped.
Another said, “Every used MB buyer learns the hard way.”
A few thought that the Acura advice was good.
“She wants an ‘image’ car not a reliable and affordable one,” someone assessed. “Acura is a great option.”
“Acura RDX is a great car,” another said.
But not everyone was sold.
“A great car at being boring,” someone joked.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via online contact form and TikTok direct message and to Mercedes-Benz via email.
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