I admittedly 1/2 a$$ watch these videos so I might be wrong but if I understand it right he sometimes buys a car at one auction and then tries to sell the same car down the street a few days later at another auction. Can’t wrap my head around that logic.
I think he figures since he gets some of these cars so 'cheap' like the mercedes he got from a dealership I believe and it was worth like 15 but he got it for 10 but then he ruined the paint with the duct tape they used to cover the convertible top and then of course the top didn't work when the dealer said it did, so no one is going to pay top dollar aka 15k when the car looks uncared for and the top doesn't work. So yea, he tries to do a quick flip and it hardly ever works lol. The only time he sells cars for a profit is when he buys them cheap and then fixes them on his dime and HIS labor that he doesn't factor into the price.
He sells a course, telling us how to do it. Then does everything wrong for the sake of entertainment. He really should be teaching us how NOT to do it. That is his expertise.
It doesn't make sense to you because you don't know that not all auctions are the same. Some are dealer-only auctions and others are open to.the public.
why would he buy a car that clearly needs a lot of detail work and try and sell it before doing the work? in a different state? and them mnake a 1/2 ass video about some wanna be detailer doing the job he should have done in florida before shipping it all over the place.
There's no such thing as a cheap used Mercedes, even the S class. There's a reason they're at a third to half of their original MSRP at Manheim Auctions with low mileage. Today's MBs will last you nowhere near as long as MBs from the 70s.
Yea there is, huge aftermarket for parts and if one can work on their own cars. It’s not bad at all. I prefer early 90’s and late 80’s but have a 2004 e500 wagon that does just fine. I’ve had as much bad luck out of a Lexus than a Mercedes. Depend on how well they are taken care of.
I love your channel but I think you are micro managing your detail dude. I've noticed this in other videos too. Do you have trust issues? No disrespect, just an observation
He def does. Also, I really think it’s because he will believe in his mind should a mistake be made (in other words his explicit directions not followed exactly) he will be guilt free to slam the person, both humiliated on yt and possibly either fired or a forced quit.
I genuinely can’t believe he’s able to run a business lmao I’m not even trying to be nasty to him but without the video revenue would he still be open? He’s got so many things that sit on a lot for months or even years that don’t have much margin for profit and then buys them again. Dudes gonna take like a 15k loss on that jeep which is probably 3-5 profitable sales worth etc.
That Merc looks ruff for 39k miles. Hard to believe on such a high quality car. Dont know how the mileage got finnagled but it just gives that impression.
Had a 2003 just like yours. Bought it for $26k in 2013. It was perfect in every way. Had just 25,000 miles on it. I thought I would keep it forever. Started hearing stories about how the air suspension system would suddenly fail one day and cost $4000.00 to repair. $1000 per shock absorber. One day while opening the top plastic pieces broke off and flew in several directions. The top still worked but the plastic trim replacement parts would have cost me over a $1000 for a 10 year old car. Didn’t know what might happen next. That’s when I made the decision to sell it. Sold it to an older dude who came out with his wife just as you suggested might happen. Got $16,000 on my original investment. Cost me $1000 a year in terms of ownership. Loved the car. Only put a 1000 miles on it in 6 years of ownership. A quality Low mileage vehicle that sold new for close to 100,000k should never fail and require expensive replacement parts from just sitting by itself inside your garage!
Since Craig wants to be a youtuber instead of a used car salesman, he needs to sell or close the dealership in NH. Be like other youtubers and get a shop in Florida. Continue making videos losing money buying cars at one auction then selling at another auction. He clearly doesn't care about running a used car lot anymore.
Craig this is Richard Main Street Autos in Florida. Why are you not repainting the clear coat that peeled…that cold night back in January? No woman going to buy that car and she can’t show it off till she sends it to the body shop. I believe this is why you haven’t sold the car in past 7 months. Just a car guy opinion
Exactly! The it would low miles, nice paint and $10,000 in deferred maintenance.....two out of three is good enough to drop kick it the heck away at auction
I had an SL55 and they are great cars BUT the ABC suspension and vario roof can be problematic which can essentially make these cars worthless as a simple repair can cost in excess of $10k.
I was the guy in Florida that called you regarding buying an SL500 at Mecum. THANKS for telling me to run from these MB SL 500’s, I owe you and I’ll let you know when I’m selling my 23 Z06 next year when my 25 ZR1 gets delivered. Welcome back to The Sunshine State.
My stepmother had a 2003...drove it once, looks great, drove better. My dad ( who had zero complaints about the car ) said they once went into the dealer for a oil change, had the MB dealer hand him a suggested service estimate for over $ 9,000. My dad said to the dealer, you know I drove it here today, without anything other the an oil change needed....They got out of it before anything major was needed.
They most likely just gave him suggestions on things that were worn out like control arm bushings, etc that you see when you lift the car. Just because it drives doesn’t mean it doesn’t need work….
@@richardmorris6365 my 1986 rx7 5 speed only needed a fuel pump, battery, tires and brakes in 12 years and 20k miles.. still smells like Mazda at 65k miles. Same with my e38 BMW. Only needed tires, oil changes and a battery in 4 year but that car only has 17k miles.
Owned a 2004 SL500 bought in 08 and then a 2009 SL550 in 2013. Bought each for 52K when 4 years old less than 12k miles and both had extended warranties from MB that's only transferable in private party sale. Had the usual issues, pump for top, strut, suspension issue. Loved both. '09 same color red as yours.
I'm assuming you bought both for content, but really you seem to buy from auction without checking the cars out much. I know it's limited at the sale, but my family spent 40 years working Manheim, etc. It's harder now for sure since everyone is reliant on CR reports and simulcast, but it's still doable. To quote my father, you better have "eyes out your asshole" at the sale. If these are really just RU-vid content plays, then by all means go nuts!! Hell, I love the channel!!
@@michaelfarmer4932 only now older German cars are very hot and selling well if they are well maintained examples. E36 and e46 bmw's have gone up crazy in value with the right options. Same with early 2000's Mercedes.
I bought an 08 SL55 AMG back in 2018 and it was the biggest nightmare. From oil leaks that were "fixed' multiple times, to suspension issues. I ended up trading it for a Granturismo convertible. Fingers crossed I don't have any issues with the Maserati LOL! XD
I have 2-sl 500s...problem w/ tops is the degradation of the particular Polyethylene seals used coupled w/ over German engineering as the 6-hydraulic cylinders are a nightmare' to access..you can only manually close roof if you release pressure valve on hydraulic pump. All the PE seals will disintegrate after 15 years. I did repair my tops however will not do it ever again. STILL A NICE CAR...OPEN PRESSURE VALVE TO CLOSE ROOF!!
I'm not a fan of the armour all shine look on the plastic. I like if it brings the black look back not grey but the greasy Shiney isn't my choice. But he'd making that car look much better. At least that big footprint came off the floor mat. It's turning out nice. I'm not finished watching the video but I have a feeling it's gonna sell in New Hampshire. Maybe this summer.
I’ve had a few of these come through my shop with an inop top that leaks. Every time in my experience, it’s been the hydraulic rollbar cylinders that leak. If you pull off the interior panel where the rear window regulators are, you can see the cylinders and the fluid will just be pissing out when you operate the switch. You can also feel the rear floorboard and see if it’s oily from the fluid leaking out. That’s a dead giveaway also. Figured that might help
That flap in the trunk that the detailer puzzled over is needed for the roof foldup. Needs to be pulled down to ensure the folding roof works. If not down roof is inoperative, a safety feature I think. Also another safety feature which caught me out is that if you move the car forward at all during foldup it automatically stops folding, quite scary if you don't understand why it happens.
Love your videos Craig but if you constantly have to remind your staff over and over how to do their job then you got the wrong people. Either that or they are going to quit from your micro managing. You’re still talking to your retailer like it’s his first detail. Just my thoughts.
These cars (R230) are actually very good. The engine (M130) and the transmission are actually reliable. The achilles heal on these is the ABC hydraulic suspension. It can be converted to a traditional conventional coil setup. Some folks even remove all the hydraulic suspension components such as the pumps, lines, accumulators, etc, and saving 200 lbs. Its not a simple car to own, but if you do some of the work yourself, its a joy to drive. It still turns heads
Every one of these needs to have every hydraulic actuator replaced. It is why they sell so cheap, nobody wants to spend $9k fixing the hydraulic actuators only to have them fail again and again. BTW, there are manual releases which allows you to put it up and down with much less effort. The car wizard did an entire video showing how to manually release the top to easily manipulate them for service. He also showed where every cylinder is.
As a car dealer he should have memorized the models of vehicles and years that have common failures and problems. I’m not even a big car guy but I know certain years and models of manufactures to avoid, usually the major drop in price displays it for example his Mercedes or Maseratis
@@jcritter9295 I’m not even trying to put him down but I genuinely don’t get how he has the business still unless he makes a lot off RU-vid and his paid for sponsorships because used cars on his caliber are only bringing in a couple grand profit and then he has to pay for his employees & lot rent then also reinvest back into buying more, so when he takes 30k losses on an audi, 15k on a military hummer, about to lose his ass on the Tesla truck because he doesn’t keep up with the production numbers affecting the market, and then has Mercedes, Kias, whatever else sitting around on the lot rotting away (he showed like literally 20 cars not long ago that he had forgotten about even bothering to sell) so unless he’s somehow selling 20+ cars a month he’s not filming nothing adds up
@@PlutoTheGod like I said, his dad and granddad are successful. RU-vid helps as well. That’s just my opinion and I’m not trying to be mean but that’s just what I see. I don’t think highly of him. Ever since that time he sold a car out from under someone and claimed ignorance. I’ve been pretty much done with him. Suprise suprise, he’s a car dealer but not all are bad but he doesn’t help.
The old 80's diesel Mercedes are still cool and they run without bankrupting you. All the newer stuff is junk, only a fool buys that stuff out of warranty. You bring those things to the dealer and don't be at all surprised when they tell you with a straight face that it's 35 grand to fix it. I'd be scared shitless to drive one.
You do not have to put the key in the ignition on a "keyless go" car with the button on top of the shifter. All that is required is the key fob be present put your foot on the brake and then press the button on top of the shifter.
A lot of people on the comments agree you don't seem to know what you're doing. You're going to bash Mercedes-Benz and then go out and buy piece of crap Audis? You lost almost 50k on your Audi EV and you're crying because you're having a hard time with this Mercedes? I can't wait to see how much you're going to lose on your EV Hummer 😆😆😆😆😆
To put the top up and down manually you have to open the little knob or unscrew it on the side of the pump to release the pressure and you can open it or close it smoothly manually
I had the identical car only in silver and that top is a absolute nightmare. The Mercedes dealership wouldnt even touch it, they gave me a name of an independent that was actually to fix it $6k later and who knows for how long. I immediately sold it. Just made me cringe watching them push and pull that top. I cant imagine what type of damage they were doing. They are extremely temperamental and it if isnt exactly lined up correctly, it wont work and im pretty sure pushing on it doesnt help with that...
Craig someday you will STOP buying cars you want. You are a kind of GQ type of guy but your lot is more of a Boe Duke type of area. I dont know if you can go back to your roots when you started your lot. You get to the auction especially in Florida and these people are playing you. They make you think your the most awesome dealer ever and they play you. They dont care about you, they can buy and sell you before lunch and go on to someone else by afternoon. You really need to slow down and decide if you are a car dealer or a actor. I dont mean to upset you and i will drop your channel if you want.
This was a cool channel when I first started watching. Like you actually knew what you were doing. You have gone a totally different direction and you buy trash that is a loss after loss. EV's, old cars, meacum and barret cars. All in all, seems like huge losses across the board with all these stupid free money purchases. It's a circus top to bottom.
I had a low milage 2003 SL500. Key Go on that only requires the key to be in the cabin. They also originally came with a thick credit card shaped fob. Did I miss where service B was done to the car or did you just reset it to get rid of the light? The top hydraulics are a pain, but once sorted, usually work well. Hated seeing you try to force it all into place. You might have done more damage than good. Be glad that you don't have air strut failure on those cars. It's really expensive to replace the struts, even refurbished. Also be glad that you don't have any electrical issues. The control modules are pretty expensive and that's typically the failure point.
Here is the list of the worst German cars, new and/or used. 1. Audi, 2.Volkswagen (same as Audi), 3. Mercedes (all models), 4. BMW! Take this information from somebody who knows, all new none used.
@@vg4472😅 he needs to change his oil filter housing gasket. Its location is on the top of the engine or its the oil pan gasket. If you don't take the time know the car, you're not going to be able to fix.
six months later mph5896 hates himself after spending another 6 large on it, finally gets fed up and sells it for the best offer of $2575 and breathes a sigh of relief as the check clears and it drives away..........the next owner spends another $6000 on it in the first month, it then sits on his driveway, sagging, unstarting and the top doesn't close...then he sells it 6 months later for whatever he can get for it.....and this car, who's name is Christine the second by the way, pisses hydraulic fluid faster than a München beer festival drinker, inwardly smiles sadistically as the next buyer takes it for a test drive.........Christine, you swine bitch!
03 was one of the worst years for the SL500, the Chrysler days. When I first researched those, I found out about the ABC module/suspension and noped right away from them. My LS460 shouldn't cost as much to maintain and repair.
Bro as soon as the top didn't go down the night you bought that POS, I would have went right back in to the dealer and said, give me my money back. That was such a bad sign of things to come.
You can’t do that at an auction everything is sold as is, they can tell you oh the engine is perfect and if it wasn’t a green light sale your assed out
I love watching your channel but you need a true "car guy" life coach, buddy, ear to run ideas by. At least someone who has their finger on the pulse about what is popular, what is "now", and what has hype along with just a second opinion about some of these sight unseen/chance cars. I've been watching since before $400 started and have called profit or loss on almost every car correctly. You call yourself a 90's and oddball car guy but unfortunately your taste doesn't seem to be the majorities taste or you have just enough information about a model to be dangerous but not enough to find a diamond in the rough. I would love to have a phone call with you every so often just to go over cars and what's hot, questions about trim and differences and what's big on youtube currently. Aka- I watch wayyyy too much youtube but do learn alot and watch prices diligently.
I love watching your channel and I have learned a lot from you... Just be carefull you don't over pay for your vehicles and then Over Value them because You paid so much... !!!!❤
The messed up paint and failing top are definitely a no-sale. You see that horrible paint job alot more than the antenna! On the older SLs there were manual latches that you could use to operate the top of the hydraulics failed.
Have you ever been to New Hampshire ? Besides high property tax that’s offset by no sales tax what’s so liberal about it ? There’s a gun store on every main highway there’s 100 trump signs in every window of every house and business hell the state doesn’t even require you to wear a seatbelt or have auto insurance if anything it’s even more free in NH then it is Florida also it sounds like dude left NH because of the weather I didn’t know the weather is political now too
@@derrickwillie4449 bush won it in 2000 actually but that’s besides the point I’m not talking about red or blue state I’m talking about the actual politics if you actually go to NH and see how it operates and the people from there you’ll see what I’m trying to say it’s really not all that “liberal” it’s actually surprisingly not liberal for being smack dab in the middle of possibly the most liberal region in America
Most of the rest of world with a functioning economy has low cost or free medical and education, safe streets and little to no homelessness...while America politics is 100% paid for and controlled by corporations and billionaires but 50% of voters who believe the mottos and are influenced enough to vote for the side that helps billionaires lol....by your definition, every country in the world is run by "liberals". Do you realize that every US politician gets free medical and pensions for life...that's kinda commie isn't it? lol Wake up man, you and your ilk are being conned by the wealthy.
Seems like they are money pits .. I had a 1985 500SEC that was awesome as long as you can keep up the repairs .. After the engine timing chain and plastic timing chain guides broke I sold it .. but I did get a good return on it .. Loved the car
...that was paintful to watch, love MY09 but that vehicle is not for everyone for sure. Most scary was seeing you guys butcher the roof and flaps manually, brute force works but why if there is a right way to do it? Yes the roof can be opened and closed manually without any hydraulic assist, no motors of course, just cylinders and a hydraulic power unit that can be unloaded for manual movement, one allen key is all that is needed and 2 people for the synchronised motion... I get it , with RU-vid and the clicks, but still really scary to watch... and only imagine buying such a vehicle... Yeah, the 38k is hardly believable and what a bad condition overall, I can see it sell for parts maybe.
Is this the roof won't fold down completely, wrong tape, rip off the paint fiasco car?...then why the heck aren't they painting that screw up? They're worried about doing a detail and the antenna but not the paint damage ????..no wonder it didn't sell 3 times. It's a 35K miler, so at least make it look good! Send it to a painter and do the roof, trunk and bumpers..
Man they were nice when they're new. I have an 04. I go back and forth between getting a Mercedes guy to give me a solid estimate to fix 1) the top. 2) the ABC and 3) the tilt steering. One minute I want to sell it the next I recognize how fun it "could be" - and I'm a damn dealer. Frustrating....
Craig the 03-06 was the worst years esp w abc the best is 07 & up I’ve never had any problem w them but I’ve had those problems years that you have an experienced exact same problem you’re having
