V-AMG

Hey guys,

I currently have a fantastic condition 2005 E55 with 75k miles. Very well taken care of and stock. All maintenance is 100%. However, i have an itch to get into an M157 car, the 5.5TT is just soooo appealing.

What are your thoughts? I am debating between selling the E55 and picking up a 2012/2013 E63. It will be about $40K and i will have to make payments on it. I will also be looking into cooling mods and tuning so figure another $5,000.

On the other hand, if i keep the E55, i will finally mod it. Nothing crazy, but add a pulley and maybe headers. And tune it of course. I do have a PLM IC already.

Financially, how much value will I lose by modding my E55 and driving it for another year? Figure it will have 85,000 miles by next year. Will that offset how much the E63 will drop in value? Do i bite the bullet and get the TT E63 I want or is it smarter to wait? Im thinking that the E63 value came down as much as it will, so dont see major price drop happening next summer.

Thoughts?

I know I cant be the only one with this predicament...

PeterUbers

I would keep the 55 and mod it
It's paid for and why incur debt it's a great looking car and you have massive mod potential, your 55 is in a depreciation SWEET SPOT- ain't gunna drop that much

The 55tt will always be there in a few years when you're done with the e55; plus insurance is cheaper now on the e55, and the tt prices will keep coming down on the awd facelift models

The stock tt isn't That much faster/quicker than the e55

YellowJacket

I would only move up to get a 2014 model with the refreshed exterior, plus AWD.

PeterUbers

The 2016 has the best version of the mct... Reportedly the smoothest and least jerky

otakki

Did you have to replace the turbos on the E55?

It would be so nice to get any cars at that precise moment.

TonyC

can't get no kind of '16 for $40K though...

with so little budget, i'd stick with a cherry "working" e55 than upgrade...

Stereolab42

If the 2016 is supposed to be the LEAST jerky I can only imagine what previous years were like. Like many have said, the substandard transmission is the only major flaw on this car.

gaspam

to op, really depends on what you want... the M157 TT is going to feel faster with less investment in mods(tune only) .... for the e55 you are going to have to go big pulley, TB, LTH, better cooling to get close to same feeling,,, and even then you are going to heat soak way faster in the e55 so on multiple pulls its going to lose its initial punch.

in terms of interior, the e55 is starting to get dated but if you like it then its not a big deal

the front end of the e55 is really getting dated , but again its a personal preference (front end was thing i disliked most about my e55 in terms of looks)

as far as maintenance you can still pickup some 2012/2013's under factory warranty or CPO so no cost there to worry about for a little while... for e55 no such luck... have you replaced your airmatic shocks yet? if not, set aside $10K if you plan to take it to dealer and $2500 if you plan to do it yourself ( i did mine when they went out but it wasnt fun job)....

if i were you, i would sell the e55, put the ~17-20K you would get for it in your pocket, go finance the 40K e63 for around $600 per month and you already have ~ 32 months worth of future payments sitting in your savings account from the sale of your e55

efiftyfizzle

A lot of people compare the two cars just by speed, but let me just tell you that I also had an E55 and now 2014 E63S and the one thing that nobody talks about is how much better the steering/handling is. This car feels so light with the upgrades they've made in these areas. I also love the fact that you can just rip it at low speeds and it just goes (2014 model is AWD), while the lower gears were pretty useless in a modded E55. The newer E63 is much better in every way, not just acceleration and power.

Zod

true and on point, with just a tune say bye bye to a decently modded 55k as you are looking at a variance of 60+ whp.

Have never actually lined them up to test this bench race though X)

E55Dimon

How long have you owned your E55? I've had mine 7 years and it was just time to let go. Both amazing cars. The 63tt is much more refined, interior, handling, options etc. Different car.

AG6

I would get a newer one with warranty. Mine has everything I needed and won't be doing much modding. Maybe a different exhaust and exterior carbon pieces thats about it.

Celicasaur

A lot of the W212 crew rabbit on about getting a tune and hitting 11's like it's the only thing that matters in the world.

I find the chassis of the W212 AMG to be so much more drivable and nimble than the W211 AMG. Refinement, economy (lol yes economy) etc is just so much nicer. It is however let down by the kamikaze transmission unfortunately.

Exec. Hot Rod

I had the same questions recently. Exploring other options, my 04 e55 being paid for with 160k miles. Bought a c-6 corvette, then a new ss camaro and never drive them after about 30 days. My E55 just keeps going like a rolex. Drove a 212, a shelby ect and couldnt find the same fun factor and comfort of the 04.
I elected buying another 211 with lower miles and mod it. Tune, 77 pulley and KC so far and never happier. Still have the 04' and why not? These cars were limited production, a unique car never to return.
I suggest having some more fun with it. The mods you choose just like new wheels will make it new again and the 212 will still be there later and cheaper.
My .02 brother

CharlyE500

+1 I have my 06 E55 for 7 years and bought CLS55 2 years ago. I will never sell my E55 will keep it until fall off. I am happy for it's performance. Good luck !

speedpeddler

I went from an 06 E55 that I had for eight years to 14 E63S last year. The 63 is noticeably more refined with vastly improved handling and feels light in comparison. There were almost no electronic "assistance" in the 55 and personally I liked that better. Been driving the 63 for a year now and the "nanny" systems still drive me nuts.

Performance wise I think they're about the same with the edge going to the 63 with awd. The 55 was noticeably crisper with the throttle while the turbo lag is noticeable after coming from a supercharged car. Not objectionable but noticeable. Also, there is no comparison between 2wd and awd for performance. Hard to keep the tires hooked in an E55.

That said, if I could have purchased a brand new E55 I probably would have. But, my 63 is one amazing car and I'd recommend one highly over a ten year old E55. However, being an old muscle car gear head that I am, I just ordered a "17" C63S coupe with factory performance exhaust cut outs. Looking forward to going sideways again. Loudly.

V-AMG

E63S and C63S. Can you please hire me? I dont even care what the job entails. And then we can also talk cars allll day long. I have the muscle car bug too and in all homesty, im preferring the prefacelift E63 largely due to the RWD. I know you cant beat AWD performance, but then what driver skill is needed at that point besides financial support, lol. Not to mention, cant wiggle the tail off the line either every once in a while

faz492

I'd jump up to the m157 TT if i got the chance.

dllhg

I had a 2006 E55 with full bolts ons for a few years. Awesome car that handles great and has incredible TQ.

Just bought a 14 CLS63 AMG which I recently had tuned putting it in the 600-630 WHP and 700-750 WTQ range. The little lag you get one these cars isnt the turbos it is the throttle mapping and TQ management settings. Eventually a tune will cure that. Tune helps for sure though. Cars default to comfort mode and economy mode which stink and make car a lot less responsive. Luckily they give you a preset AMG button you can customize all those settings like a preset on radio. So you just get used to hitting that button every time you start the car.

The interior is light years beyond the E55 I had. No comparison at all. Seats are 10X better and more supportive. The technology is the same, on mine atleast. The power you can get with a tune only is earth shattering on these M157 motors. You can get a tune for $1500 range from some reputable tuners. You will also have a faster car than an E55 with LOTS more money and time put into it. Smog legal too. Want crazy power and you could do turbo upgrade. Want to demod it and all you do is change tune and possible downpipes. Heat soak doesnt seem to be very noticeable either. 7 speed auto is also a lot better than 5 speeds. Obviously it is out of your range but the 14 + with AWD are just silly how fast they are off the line. Being able to pin it at any speed and in turns is just beyond words.

I loved the E55 but I just didnt have any idea how much more refined these new cars are.