socalmerc

So recently i stumbled upon what i think is a rare opportunity. I found a 2008 e550 sport with 36,000 miles for 20k (warranty available). Currently i own a well cared for w210 e55 AMG with 122k. The w210 is usually my daily driver, and its super fun to drive. It runs great and i take great care of it. But i do that with all my cars. Also, my wife wont let me keep the AMG and get the new MB... that's not something I'm going to solve on this forum.. lol..

SO, #1, i really really want a 2010 e63, but i'm not ready with my kids and such, someday I will be able to not worry about the 3k brake job, until then, i need a daily driver.

So, if I was to purchase this 2008, I'm thinking I'd have a daily driver for many years.. and when ready, I could get my e63, maybe even keep the 2008 as my Daily Driver at that point.. but that's in 3-5 years..

My concerns are mostly reliability and longevity. I feel like the AMG has a good 30-50k of miles left before major repairs are due (engine / tranny / cats, etc...) (knock on wood).. but if I can get double that off of a 2008 without major repairs.. maybe that'd be a good purchase ??

anyhow, i'm just trying to get some feedback.. see what your guys' thoughts are on the matter.

Thanks!

S70Houston

For me personally, it is always about the money and how much I like the car I am currently driving.

As I do not know your income/budget, I can only give you my thoughts. Assuming you had the W210 for a while, you state it is well cared for and super fun to drive. What else is there? Why spend the money on a newer model if what you have is well cared for and still fun to drive?

I do not like car payments and as well ALWAYS take care of my cars. Yes, I as well would like an E55 or at least an E500. I will however keep my E320, it is paid for, well cared for and also for me still fun to drive, so no reason to get rid of it.

With that said, I would keep what I have and enjoy the car, which will most likely be cheaper then what the newer car will be and I instead would save some money in order to be able to buy the E63 when the time comes.

You wanted thoughts and feedback, those were mine.

Good luck with your decision.

Bahnstormer

I can offer the point of view of someone who just came from owning a W210 - a 2002 E320, and am now driving a W211 - a 2003 E500.

Also test drove and made an offer on a 2002 E55 that was in really good shape - would have been a blast to own I'm sure, and it felt like a Beast.

Now that I'm in the E500 though, I've got to say that I'm so glad the seller didn't accept my offer on that E55.

The E500 drives nicer, is almost as quick, has better amenities, updated interior and exterior styling, and just feels like a much "newer" car.

Actually got a great deal on it and paid less than I would have for the E55.

Just my two cents.

jimbo1763

These are depreciating assets, and at the end of the day the question becomes, what gives me the best bang for my buck? It is so hard to drain the emotion out of the decision.

The E550 sounds great, of course. How well has it been maintained, and what should you realistically expect to spend on repairs over the next XX years? If you can box that risk with a warranty, all the better.

Sounds like you know your W210 well and like it.

These sorts of decisions are often more emotional than we would like to admit.

If you are satisfied that the 2008 has been well maintained and will last you a good while-far longer than the W210- then go for it.

If you are not so satisfied, you can do far worse than sticking with what you have and know.

socalmerc

Thank you guys for the quick feedback!!! I do love my w210... But I think it's the newer amenities which are kind of calling me.. and I'm glad to hear that it's not a "danger" model at least (assuming maintenance is up to par). should i be worried about a car that ONLY has 36k on it? It's a CA only car.. and the history shows it only going 10k miles as a corporate car from 2008 until 2012, at which point it changed owners and is now at 36k.. there's no records in CarFax other than emmissions.. but at 36k i think i'm looking at a B Service at least? and the warranty should cover the airmatic shocks (which might fail because of age??)

And it is definitely an emotional decision, and the warranty is also appealing which can at least make the next few years of ownership easier (at least piece of mind). I mean potentially i could have to endure major component failure on my e55

My financial situation is that I am okay with spending up to a couple thousand annually (hopefully it stops at some point!!??) but I love the driving experience of an MB. and I understand maintaining these cars..

I definitely appreciate the feedback and appreciate hearing about experience with the cars and such.

thanks again!

S70Houston

WELCOME! Let us know what decision you make.

However, ONLY emissions on the carfax seems a bit strange to me.

Good luck!

cetialpha5

Doesn't the head bolt problem exist on the E63 until 2011? I have both the W211 and the W212. I've had the W211 longer so there's a few things I like about it, but the W212 is starting to grow on me, has a bunch of newer features that weren't available on the W211 like the back up camera, dynamic seats, auto high beam, attention assist and parking assist which I've never used. I don't even have blind spot and lane recognition or distronic which is more likely in an AMG. I think if you can hold out, wait a few more years for a 2011 E63 AMG.

If you pick up a low miles car and add a lot of miles to it, it tends to drop the price like a rock.

socalmerc

Yes, I've read about the headbolt problem and would hope to find one loved by someone who had it corrected, or I'd be willing to take that preventative step when the time comes..

The w210 was purchased as kind of a workhorse, but it's costing me repairs here and there as to he expected.. my low entry price makes it not sting that bad, but it's still to be expected on a higher mileage car.. now I'm hoping a newer lower mileage car (this 2008 e550 specifically) will have less age related repairs and afford the upgraded styling and interior.

So Im still on the fence, I'm supposed to receive a call to schedule a test drive tomorrow do that should help sway me one way or the other.. are there any known issues with this model?

also, the carfax does show a couple oil changes, emission checks and lien updates.. and it's got the carfax guarantee whatever that's worth..

S70Houston

Sounds to me like you have pretty much already made up your mind.

homeofstone

AMG head bolt problem was only through early 2011 models. I have a 2011 AMG that was built after the problem. You can a car's check engine number against the production run engine numbers that may have the head bolt problem.

socalmerc

so i went and test drove the car.. and while it was a great driving experience it's handling performance was somewhat underwhelming compared to the w210 e55 i drove up in... the power was there, but it drove much more like a cruiser than i anticipated...

I have 1 day to figure it out... the pros are low mileage, great condition.. cons are I'm giving up a racecar for it..

i'll keep any updates posted.. sorry for brief typing, had wrist surgery friday morn.

John H

I went from an '01 E55 to an '07 E550.

The E55 was more fun to drive. Better brakes and better handling. More comfortable seats, too, as the air bladders make for a custom fit (I really miss the adj side bolsters).

The E550 is a more relaxing drive. I've lowered mine about an inch. The airmatic allows for some variance between comfort and sport. The seven speed gear box is silky smooth to the point that I can not feel most shifts. The electronics are also better with Bluetooth and an aux input (I use pandora/iPhone through a DAC and 30- band eq).

The E55 stood out and I often got complements. The E550 is quicker but I don't think most people can distinguish it from an E350.

Overall the E550 is a better daily driver (I put over 100k miles on both) and the E55 a better toy (no big revelation there).

Hope me this helps.

socalmerc

@JohnH, I agree 100%..

I decided to go with the 2008 e550.. I bought it with a 100k 5 year "bumper to bumper" warranty so i'm hoping i'm in the clear.. the miles were so low (34k) I really couldnt talk myself out of it.. i picked it up last night and drove it home and took it to work and back..

I have to say it's one classy ride.. Totally different experience from the AMG... it's definitely not as bad *** and raw the the w210 amg, but it's a very very very nice ride... There's no bluetooth but I'm going to look up the "DAC and 30- band eq" you mentioned, i pretty much need that feature... I didnt think it was a big deal until I had to listen to the radio on my ride to work!! anyhow, so far it seems to be an awesome ride.. Also, i'm getting it inspected tomorrow in the AM by my mechanic, i have 5 days to return it... it was "certified" so if he finds anything they'll be fixing it!!

now to find someone who will love my AMG!!!

Thanks for the replies and feedback.. it was very much appreciated.

Bahnstormer

Congrats on your new ride.
Everyday I appreciate the "newness" of my W211 over my old W210, and I think you will too.
Wish my 2003 E500 had your 382 HP - must be even more fun.
Enjoy.

John H

Congrats on the new ride. Except for regular maintenance the only repair has been a steering angle sensor ($160 and 45 minutes of my time).

The E550 really shines on the freeway for overtaking traffic, merging into traffic, and climbing hills. My only criticism are the seats which seem thinly padded and lack side bolsters.

FYI for sound I'm using an iPhone into an HST Streamer digital to analog converter (DAC) into an equalizer to the aux jack. I found this to be a big improvement from using the headphone jack on the iPhone straight into the aux port. Much better clarity, better sound adjustability, and a small boost in volume.

socalmerc

Thanks for the congrats :-), and i agree that the w211 is another great platform from MB.

So after putting ~1000 miles on the car (which includes a nice drive to LV with the wifey), I have to say the w211 e550 is really a great car. It's not quite "sit down and shut up" like the w210 e55, but the refinement and overall comfort combined with performance make it a great car. I'm very happy with it. I agree on the seat criticism as well. The seats are definitely stiff and the manual lumber control is a bit different than the 6 way air system in the e55. I would've liked something somewhere between those two options, lol.. the air cooled seats are pretty neat tho!!

I'm still struggling with the audio portion of the deal tho. I tried a bluetooth streamer which did not have much sound volume and the quality was pretty questionable as well.. so right now i'm using an old iphone C to stream pandora and have 2 adapters on the device for the newer phone connection.. it works but the battery doesnt last. As i type this i'm loading up all my music onto a "classic" ipod and until i figure out how to get the quality and volume i'm looking for I'm reverting back to 2008 technology!! Such a minor complaint tho.. the car is beautiful.

In fact it makes it a bit easier to let the w210 e55 go because there's really not a HUGE difference from a performance perspective. On the highway it gets up and goes and casual driving on the streets is where it shines.

the only things i miss are the exhaust growl and the front end is a bit "floaty" which i'm wondering if i lowered 1" would solve. But i'm not making any changes at this point. just looking for options.

Very happy overall..

The car is currently listed on Auto-Trader and i have someone coming to look at it on Monday. I have mixed feelings about it but I really dont see myself driving the e55 enough to justify keeping it.

cetialpha5

I use a 4th gen ipod touch and put spotify on it. I use it in off line mode and you can get an adapter that will charge the ipod or switch out the cable for a newer model. I just have to sync it at least once every 30 days otherwise it will stop working. Bluetooth still has issues even with the newer models so I prefer using the ipod cable.

socalmerc

I currently have installed the blue tooth interface and that works fine on my phone.. i think that plugging in some kind of music player is the only way to go, especially because i like the steering wheel controls. it's not THAT bad.. but i definitely overlooked that feature when purchasing an almost 10 year old car.. still.. NO REGRATS!!! ;-)

cetialpha5

Yeah, the steering wheel controls are the best. The only thing I don't like about bluetooth is that the connection might be flakey once in a while and you get a slight skip. Plus if your phone rings, it screws up the music and sometimes pauses it. No issue if you have an ipod touch. I use the touch because it's easy to sync up via wifi so I don't have to load any music on it.

socalmerc

I'm sure one of my kids has an old ipod touch laying around, If i can dig it up, i'll definitely give it a try.. thanks!

ps2cho

What I did was run an aux cord into the center console then purchased this Bluetooth module that is wireless and I only charge it maybe one a week...plugs right into a usb cigarette adapter and after a good drive it's charged again

Mpow Bluetooth Receiver, Streambot Hands-free Car Kits & Wireless Music Adapter for Stereo System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJMV0GU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VHz1ybNY6DQ5D

easy and one button turns it on - iPhone hooks up to it immediately once it's on

John H

Hey SoCalMerc,

Good to hear you still like the car after 1,000 miles (I had no doubt).

You can lower the car using adjustable links which fake the auto leveling. The fronts links can be installed/adjusted w/o taking the wheels off. The single link in the back is a bit trickier but about a 10 min job once you figure it out.

So far the HRT iStreamer and a Kicker 30 band EQ have been my sound choice. Definitely a cleaner sounding plus a bump in volume.

cetialpha5

I just leave the ipod touch in the glove box. Turn the car on and the last song starts playing. No need to charge it or plug anything in due to the voltage adapter I got. No bluetooth skips because it's plugged right in. Songs display on the dash and you can use the steering wheel buttons to go up or down your playlist. I sorta like it better than the W212.