G-wagen.co.uk
The ad for the black G on ebay has left me wondering... I've noticed a lot of sellers quoting prices asked by g-wagen.co.uk as some justification for their own asking price. I would ask if anybody on this forum has visited the premises of g-wagen.co.uk and confirm the stocks levels (typically more than a dozen Gs on hand at any time according to their site). Given that many Gs spend months unsold on autotrader.co.uk, it's a mystery how g-wagen.co.uk sell anything, esp at their inflated prices.
If the seller of the black 300GES on ebay thinks his G is worth £14k, then why doesn't he advertise it for £14k? The reality is that it's worth probably only half this amount, and from memory bidding for this G stopped at £8k last time around. Now, how can g-wagen.co.uk think they can sell the same model for £14k ??
Secondly, their ad in the Merc owners club gazette says that they are clearingall pre-1991 models from their stock at discounted prices, however, i can see no evidence of by visiting the website.
The ad for the black G on ebay has left me wondering... I've noticed a lot of sellers quoting prices asked by g-wagen.co.uk as some justification for their own asking price. I would ask if anybody on this forum has visited the premises of g-wagen.co.uk and confirm the stocks levels (typically more than a dozen Gs on hand at any time according to their site). Given that many Gs spend months unsold on autotrader.co.uk, it's a mystery how g-wagen.co.uk sell anything, esp at their inflated prices.
If the seller of the black 300GES on ebay thinks his G is worth £14k, then why doesn't he advertise it for £14k? The reality is that it's worth probably only half this amount, and from memory bidding for this G stopped at £8k last time around. Now, how can g-wagen.co.uk think they can sell the same model for £14k ??
Secondly, their ad in the Merc owners club gazette says that they are clearingall pre-1991 models from their stock at discounted prices, however, i can see no evidence of by visiting the website.
G-wagen.co.uk could in the past control the prices because they are basically a monopoly operating in a very thin market. Obviously they do not like this forum, because we have been improving information in this very thin market and monopolies do not tend to like that.
Also they are able to buy most of the good G-Wagens that come up in the market because they are the "GWagen people" as far as MBUK is concerned. Everytime an uninformed gentleman owning a G-Wagen wants to buy a newer Mercedes, the dealer refuses to trade the GWagen in and automatically points to G-wagen.co.uk as the only place to dispose of the car honourably. G-wagen.co.uk can then buy the car cheaply and put in in the market for twice as much as the price paid.
Problem is that with the popularity of the internet, people are increasingly getting to know places such as this and learning about the actual value of their cars in the market.
Don't get me wrong... G-wagen.co.uk is not a charity and is not in the market for reasons other than to maximize its profits.
Regarding your last comment, the problem is that their website is only updated every now and then.
Cheers,
its worth what people are prepaired to pay, there are still bargins out there and if you want it bad enough you will either wait or pay through the nose. E bay is a classic example. Pay 9.99 for a toy in the shops and sell it on ebay for 25 quid, madness some would say. Unfortunatley the glass's guide can't really give you a firm price for secondhand gs so Gwagen.co.uk make it for them. And if he sells a g for what we think is over the top its the buyers problem not the garage. As long as these people realistically pay over the odds its them who are setting the presidence and not the garage.
However a good example is becoming a rare thing.
Unfortunatley the glass's guide can't really give you a firm price for secondhand gs so Gwagen.co.uk make it for them.
I can confidently assure you that Glass's don't use the prices on G-Wagen.co.uk as any kind of reference!
The market for rare items like the G-Wagen or any under-represented 'modern classic' could, on the one hand, be said to be independent, as many believe the market will pay what it feels is merited. However, all values are relative, everything has to correlate to something else.
The first question for buyers is always going to be; how much more than a Range Rover/Shogun/Cayenne (or whatever yardstick/s you choose to use) is a G Wagen worth. The second question that some people go on to ask (and a good salesman will reinforce) is 'how much more than the yardstick is it worth to you.
For some people, money is not an issue, or not as big an issue as fashion or the drive for retail therapy! If a buyer decides to believe the hype and visit a 'specialist' (whatever they are selling), and go in there cold with no research then they are at the mercy of the sales pitch. If they then decide to buy 'blind' & pay silly prices, then that's their look out, but one or two deals at a stratospheric level does not make a market.
Fred, i gues from your handle that you own a 500 SEC?
I also have one, what great cars they are :lol: :wink:
I have visited the G-wagen place that you mention & was getting quite interested in the Yellow one that i see he has advertised on the web site until he told me the price, i nearly fell over. :shock:
It's supply and demand!
hi steve, i met you at ace cafe mboc event some time back... you dark blue 500sec, me honda 125 motorcycle (now CB500!). yes, i have the 500SEC and always looking for a g-wagen. we must have similar tastes. fred.
Arr, Frederick, yes of course i have met you. You have been very quiet on the MBOC forum lately.
Hope we can meet up again, this time with a G-wagen perhaps :lol:
dil, yes it is supply & demand, that is why it is still for sale maybe :?:
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Your comment about monopolies is apt. A thin market is ripe for manipulation, and any uninformed buyers will therefore pay more than would otherwise be appropriate. This bugs me because the market becomes distorted, and buyers/sellers stop transacting because no-one knows what a fair value is.
I recently made enquiries about a 300GES/L and the prospective seller recently quoted g-wagen's prices (roll the eyes) to justify his own high asking price... As expected, his G didn't sell and was removed from the market for a short period. His asking price has now fallen by £1,700 and still in search of a buyer.