How do you price/buy a used car?

[newb001]

Hi all. I'm considering purchasing a used car for the 1st time in my life and have a few questions. I've purchased new cars several times and have found it incredibly easy to compare apples to apples. I can go online, configure exactly what I want, and then email that list to a dealer (or bring it with me) to get their price for the exact car/options I'm looking for.

But with a used car, particularly one that I'm not that familiar with and has a lot of options packages, how does one go about comparing apples to apples, or even simply confirming that the particular car in question is priced 'appropriately'?

Just as an example, I found a CPO 2008 Mercedes C300 for what seems like a good price. However, the online listing doesn't show the particular packages, just a long list of the features. How on earth am I supposed to know if this particular vehicle (with the given features) is worth the price, particularly compared to a similar vehicle with it's own long list of features? Down below I pasted the current set of options on a new C300. You can see that there are dozens of options/configurations. If I were buying a new one I could go through, pick what I want, and start getting quotes. But with a used one, and just a long list of features on a website, I feel lost...

I currently own an Audi Q5 and it's very simple: Premium, Premium Plus or Prestige; Nav or no Nav, 18" or 19" wheels. That's basically it, there are no other options (well, now there is 2.0 vs. 3.2, or S-line...). So if someone were looking at a used Q5 from 2010, it would be super easy to compare prices on the exact same equipped car. But with other manufacturers that have several (if not dozens) of different configurations, how do you know where to price it?

Maybe I just need to get more familiar with the particular used cars I'm looking at and I'll get used to the different options (and know which are standard on all vehicles and which are the added features).

Are any of the used car websites better than others at pointing out the differences in features on one used car vs. another?

Thanks and sorry for the long-winded post...




current C300 options:

Sport Sedan Package N/C
iPod/MP3 Media Interface Package $288
Multimedia Package Variable
Lane Tracking Package $791
COMAND Single Disc Package $865
Lighting Package $1,200
COMAND 6-Disc Package $1,237
Full Leather Seating Package $1,628
Premium 1 Package Variable
Wheels and Tiresbtn
Tires: 225/45R17 Fr & 245/40R17 Rr All-Season
Low Profile tires with 225mm width, 17" rims
STD
Tires: 225/40R18 Fr & 255/35R18 Rr
Low Profile tires with 18" rims
N/C
Wheels: 17" Twin 5-Spoke Design STD
Wheel Locks $130
Wheels: 18" AMG 7-Spoke Alloy $967
Wheels: 18" AMG Twin 5-Spoke Alloy $967
Seats and Seat Trimbtn
Front Bucket Seats STD
MB-Tex Upholstery STD
Leather Upholstery N/C
Heated Front Seats $698
Audiobtn
Radio: HD AM/FM Single Disc CD/MP3 STD
Radio: In-Dash 6-Disc DVD/CD Changer N/C
Radio: COMAND System w/Hard Drive Nav (80GB) N/C
SiriusXM Satellite Radio $428
Other Optionsbtn
Monotone Paint Application STD
Accessory Rear Seat Entertainment System $1,776
Nav + 4 - Universal Media Interface $1,200
Power Tilt/Sliding Panorama Sunroof $1,014
Illuminated Door Sills (Set of 2) $651
KEYLESS GO $605
Rear Side Airbags $391
Burl Walnut Wood Trim $302
Rear Spoiler $279
Roof Spoiler $279
Chrome Door Handle Inserts (Set of 4) $84


and here's the used C300 listing:

Remote power door locks Power windows Cruise control 4-wheel ABS Brakes Front Ventilated disc brakes 1st and 2nd row curtain head airbags Passenger Airbag Side airbag Express open/close glass sunroof Bluetooth wireless phone connectivity Audio system security Digital Audio Input In-Dash single CD player MP3 player AM/FM/Satellite-capable Radio Radio Data System Speed Sensitive Audio Volume Control Total Number of Speakers: 8 Braking Assist ABS and Driveline Traction Control Stability control Privacy glass: Light Silver aluminum rims Wheel Diameter: 17 Front fog/driving lights Rear fog lights Leather steering wheel trim Beverage cooler in glovebox Video Monitor Location: Front Trip computer External temperature display Tachometer Manufacturer''s 0-60mph acceleration time (seconds): 7.3 s Power remote driver mirror adjustment Heated driver mirror Heated passenger mirror Power remote w/tilt down passenger mirror adjustment Passenger reverse tilt mirror Turn signal in mirrors Dual illuminated vanity mirrors Daytime running lights Heated windshield washer jets and reservoir Remote window operation Audio controls on steering wheel Power remote trunk release Front and rear reading lights Anti-theft alarm system Leatherette seat upholstery Rear bench Rear seats center armrest Tilt and telescopic steering wheel Speed-proportional power steering Driver adjustable suspension ride control Interior air filtration Automatic front air conditioning Dual front air conditioning zones Tire Pressure Monitoring System Remote activated exterior entry lights Cargo area light Max cargo capacity: 12 cu.ft. Vehicle Emissions: LEV II Fuel Type: Flexible Fuel Capacity: 17.4 gal. Instrumentation: Low fuel level Clock: In-dash Headlights off auto delay Driver Seat Head Restraint Whiplash Protection Head Restraint Whiplash Protection with Passenger Seat Coil front spring Regular front stabilizer bar Independent front suspension classification Strut front suspension Four-wheel Independent Suspension Coil rear spring Rear Stabilizer Bar: Regular Independent rear suspension Multi-link rear suspension Front and rear suspension stabilizer bars Intermittent front wipers Steel spare wheel rim Spare Tire Mount Location: Inside under cargo Chrome grille Center Console: Full with covered storage Overhead console: Mini Permanent locking hubs Overall Length: 182.3' Overall Width: 69.7' Wheelbase: 108.7' Front Head Room: 37.1' Rear Head Room: 36.9' Front Leg Room: 41.7' Rear Leg Room: 33.4' Front Shoulder Room: 54.7' Rear Shoulder Room: 55.1' Front Hip Room: 52.3' Rear Hip Room: 54.9' Three 12V DC power outlets Transmission hill holder Seatbelt pretensioners: Front and rear Rear center seatbelt: 3-point belt Door reinforcement: Side-impact door beam Engine immobilizer First aid kit Cargo tie downs Floor mats: Carpet front and rear Cupholders: Front and rear Door pockets: Driver, passenger and rear Seatback storage: 2 Tires: Speed Rating: H Diameter of tires: 17.0' Type of tires: Performance AS Tires: Prefix: P Left rear passenger door type: Conventional Rear door type: Trunk Right rear passenger door type: Conventional Body-colored bumpers Window grid antenna 4 Door PREMIUM 1 PKG IPOD INTEGRATION KIT SPORT PKG

I do actually see (after I scrolled down all the way, that it does mention a couple different packages). Still though, having a hard time comparing it to similar C300s on different websites...

[sshinn1]

If you have the VIN of the car your looking at, call a local dealer and talk to the parts dept. they can very quickly tell you what packages the car came with. They may even fax you a build sheet, I've had that done many times.

[Chase.Barnett]

Check NADA used car pricing. You'll see the trade values and retail value. Normally a dealer will hold money on trade, believe me when I say that it's not uncommon. The dealers I used to work at did it all the time.

If a car has an average trade value of 16,000 then it is safe to say they did everything in their power to get it for 14k-15k and will try to get retail.

Unfortunately with pre-owned, it's always a game. But try and be above the trade value. Keep in mind also that dealers will normally repair broken parts or replace tires that are getting low on tread. Depending on what is done to a car after it is brought in on trade, they can put 250 or upwards to 1000 or more in parts in labor.

Just take your boxing gloves with you and prepare for a fun day.

[dougaross]

If you have the VIN of the car your looking at, call a local dealer and talk to the parts dept. they can very quickly tell you what packages the car came with. They may even fax you a build sheet, I've had that done many times.

Try this VIN Decoder It may provide some useful info

[mswerb]

I have always used cars.com

[Flash Gordon]

Your not going to find any dealers that list every option a car has. One reason is they don't know what came factory and what didn't.

Get yourself familar with the model car you're looking for, then take your time untill you find the one you want.

Smart move buying a 'slightly' used car. You'll save thousands of dollars!

[Meticulous-Detail]

I have always used cars.com

+ 1

[HotRodJoe]

For price reality check, I use kbb.com trade in value and add $1k. That's about what dealers try to make on used cars although asking price may be $3k-$4k more than trade. But then you know how much room you have to bargain with.

[jbone]

This is my experience, I'm not blowing smoke here.
Every few years I catch up on auto info for most manufacturers. Like learning to detail there is a lot of info that simply can't be assimilated the first time. Keep researching, you'll have it down in no time.
If it's a C class you want take your time there are lots, and the research will go quickly.

[newb001]

Thanks everybody. I will continue to research the car and try and get a better handle on what's standard vs. options, etc...

I did look at the VIN site mentioned above (VIN Number WDDGF8BB5AR099928) and it says the car was only $31,248/$33,600 new. The dealer listing (Pre-owned 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class C300) has it for $30,900 so, hopefully, there are a lot of nice options. Otherwise they are charging the 2010 'new' price for a 3-year-old used car with 27k miles...

If it has the PREMIUM 1 package that is worth $2,300 new, so that, combined with maybe coming down a few thousand in price could make it a reasonable deal.

Am just starting my research but slowly getting a hang of it...

Thanks again.