There is a bouyant market out their for car salvage as a whole, but when it comes to costs against a working model Mercedes probably has the least differernce within. IN fact here have been many times where you would question why anyone would pay the amount they have for a Mercedes salvage project when they could buy a fully working car for not much less. The answer lies within the parts that make up the car. Yes there is a huge demand for genuine Mercedes parts, so breaker yards up and down the country want any salvage Merecedes they can get their hands on, especially newer models because they can ask premium prices for most of the parts.
Most salvage is sold though official auctions up an down the UK, often on the instructions of insurance houses wanting to get some return from their insurance payouts. There are many who research every single salvage option from Cat c’s to unclassifieds in the hope that these auction will deliver a car cheaper than buying one from the usual places. In reality though, the demand out strips supply, pushing up prices. For many the only way to restore these back to new within a resonable budget is to have the tools and access to the right parts, right from the start, those working in private garages trying their luck to get Mercedes parts at a cheaper price are probably going to pay more than they thought/
If there is a make of car that breakers struggle to obtain it is Mercedes, where obtaining a Mercedes scrap car or even a vehicle as a salvage project it very hard or expensive. If course this does not surprise you, vehicles that are make with this quality are clearly going to last a long time and even when they are a t a certain age have a lot of value. If there is a downfall, it is many older Mercedes are heavy on the fuel consumption, something which is more important than in previous years with the price of petrol.
Breakers find that in order to get the right Mercedes part they have to buy salvage cars form insurance companies or auction houses. Theses are rarely cheap and in some cases because the sum of the parts on the vehicle is worth more than the actual cars, these Mercedes salvage cars can go for similar amounts than a car that is in perfect working order.
Working on these cars is becoming more difficult especially where on the specific Mercedes equipment can be used, say for dealing with airbags or engine management. There are the usual stuff you should when working on any car, like intrinsically safe equipment, so that no fire are started when working near fuel.
What is certain, is that salvage projects are not always cost effective and that their are few Mercedes scrap cars available, great news if you own one, as depreciation will be low.