A 2017 Mercedes E350 off jacksboro, the honest depreciation math

mentioned this car over in Arlo's GX460 thread and a couple of you asked for the long version with real numbers, so here it is in its own thread. this is the 2017 Mercedes E350 W213 i bought off jacksboroautosales.com last winter and have now run about a year.

specs. E350, the 3.5 V6 before they went all four cylinder, one owner, 52k miles when i bought it, came off a three year lease originally and then a single private owner. loaded with the premium package, the burmester stereo, and the big widescreen dash. i daily it to the office in nashville and take it on the long interstate runs to see family, which is where a comfortable german sedan earns its keep.

now the depreciation math, because that is the whole point of this forum. this car stickered a hair over 62k new in 2017. i paid 27,900 for it at the start of 2025. that is more than half the value gone in eight years, and the previous owners paid every dime of that drop, not me. the Benz store here in nashville wanted 42 and up for a comparable one with a CPO badge, so buying private off the jacksboro lot saved me right at 14 grand over the certified route.

here is the honest part, because the E-class is not the bulletproof Lexus. a used German car costs more to keep than a used Japanese one and anybody who tells you different is selling something. i budget a set amount every month into a car account and i do the maintenance a little early on purpose. the trade i made with my eyes open was a nicer drive and a fancier interior in exchange for a higher upkeep bill, and for the miles i put on it, it pencils out.

i bought mine shipped since nashville is a good ways from north texas, and i paid an independent Benz specialist near the lot 180 bucks to scan it and put it on a lift before i sent any money. came back clean except a front control arm bushing starting to talk, which is a known W213 wear item and a cheap fix.

amara for me it was a deposit to hold the car while my credit union finished the loan, then the balance wired before they released it to the shipper. they emailed me a written sales agreement before i put a dollar down, which i would insist on buying from anybody, anywhere. my bank took about four business days to fund and jacksboro held the E350 the whole time with no drama and no pressure to hurry.

if you are financing outside the dealer, have your approval lined up before you commit so your deposit is not sitting longer than it needs to. their inventory does move, but a deposit locks in your specific car so nobody buys it out from under you while your money comes together. honestly the process felt the same as Arlo described with the Lexus, which tells you it is how they run and not a one off.

UPDATE a bit over a year and 14k miles on the E350 now since i bought it off jacksboro. closing this out for anyone who lands here researching them.

net for the year, and i am counting everything so nobody thinks a used Benz is free. the control arm bushing the PPI flagged, done at my indy for 240 out the door. a service B with oil, filters, and cabin filter for about 380. one new set of front tires because the fronts were down to the wear bars, 720. that is the whole list, roughly 1,340 in a year on an eight year old German luxury car, which is right where i budgeted.

would i buy off the north texas lot again? already have my eye on a GX there for my wife after reading Arlo's thread. the price was what they quoted, the car was what they listed, the title came clean and on time, and they let me send my own Benz specialist before i wired a nickel from 700 miles away. that is all i want from anybody selling a used luxury car. the E350 gave me a 62k car for high 20s and cost me a normal year of upkeep to run. no regrets.