Josh Noh

Thanks in advance for your time..

1) 2011 vs 2012? Aside from DRLs and slight horsepower upgrade, any other major differences? It seems I can just slap on the straight across DRLs anyway for a couple of hundred bucks. There are ZERO 2012 E550 Coupes in Georgia. The closest one is in Ohio..would it be worth it to go through all the trouble of transporting or is a MUCH cheaper 2010/2011 a smarter buy?

2) Carmax vs. CPO? The dealer states that apparently Carmax does not inspect their MBs like an MB dealership would; claiming that Carmax only performs SAFETY checks but do not bother with the suspension, e.t.c. and therefore I would be hindering my own true "Mercedes Benz Experience".

3) I read somewhere on the forum that 2012 is "BiTurbo" and that it is a HUGE upgrade in comparison to the previous engine. Is "BiTurbo" standard on 2012 E550 coupes? Also, what is "BlueEfficiency" or "BlueTec"? The agent I spoke to on the phone didn't even know what it was. Does that mean it is diesel or just "more efficient"?.

In conclusion, my final question is: how much is a GOOD DEAL on a 2012 E550 Coupe with P2, appearance, lighting, etc. The one in Ohio has all of the aforementioned and is being listed at $52,000. Can I haggle to BELOW $50,000? Thanks again for your time.

P.S - I would definitely settle for an E350 coupe if the exhaust pipes weren't round...I think it makes the car look so much less sporty in comparison to the rectangular ones of an E550.

Dueclaws

There is a large difference in power between 2011 and 2012.
Go to the Mercedes site and review the new E550 coupe, much of the info you requested is there.

Pricing? I don't know.

Best of luck with your purchase.

ddeliber

the 2012 actually has a huge difference in overall power to 402 hp and 443 lb ft of torque at 1600 rpm vs something like 382 hp and 391 lbft @ 2800 rpm. And I have heard that those numbers are significantly under stated by MB. All of that low end torque will really get things going quickly. The Bi-turbo is standard. This is why the 2011s are SIGNIFICANTLY discounted.

Inspections mean very little for a car so new, the only difference is if the dealer is offering it as a CPO with the 5yr/100k mi warranty that can be extended to 7/135. If they aren't that is something you really want to ask about as I believe it is the only way to go on a car as expensive to fix as a Mercedes especially with the airmatic suspension. Buying experience means very very little at least to me.

Blue efficiency is just a badge saying it is more efficient, blue tech is a diesel that is not available on in a 550. Great gas mileage on the blue tech less power than an e350 gas and only avail in luxury (I belive) with the oval tail pipes.

BTW you can get e350s with the same looking trapezoidal tail pipes as the e550, they are the sport option and in fact they are more common than the luxury models with the oval tips.

Deal wise, you are probably not going to find many 2012 e550s on cars.com or cargurus.com. Most of them are at dealers and they often don't open their inventory up to external sites unless they have been on the lot for a while.

However there is one CPO e550 coupe in Savanah GA for $50,800 with like 12k miles. try this link:
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invento...sting=49105555

I'm no expert, but that one looks like a great deal considering that 2011s around here are going for about that.

ddeliber

You know what, you might want to hurry, I was a bit confused earlier, 2012 e350s are listing for around 49k (probably a bit high though). I only found 4 e550 coupes publicly listed in the whole country. 1 year old cars usually list for right around market value and this one is about $5k under that. It has P2, pano roof, lane-tracking pkg, and multi-contour seats (not listed in options but I saw it it in the pics) not to mention it is in GA. If you want a 2012 e550, you are not going to find one like this at a similar price for a while and this one probably won't last very long.

You might even want to print out the listing from their web page:
http://www.critz.mercedesdealer.com/...kj7db5cf150994

threeMBs

The "huge difference in overall power" is between 350 and 550 regardless of year.

Above is true only for sedans (in the US that is), but is false (again only in the US) for coupes (or cabs).

ddeliber

IMO for a 1 model yr difference in the same car, 50 lb ft of torque at 1200 lower rpm is huge, and I don't think I am alone here.

My bad with the sedan tips, forgot I was on the coupe forum.

Josh Noh

The car must be white; I neglected to include that information. To emphasize what I truly am looking to know, I do not care about torque or RPM. I don't know anything about those kinds of things. I always abide by the speed limit and don't plan on weaving through slower cars in traffic. What I do plan on however is keeping this car far past paying it off.

My question is "Is it worth it?". I can easily get a 2010 - 2011 for literally fifteen to twenty thousand dollars less than a 2012. Sure, the 2012 has the new engine, DLRs, etc. But is it worth 10-20 grand more? You might say that since I plan on keeping this car for a very long time, yes. You might say no, whether you plan on keeping it for a long time or not, it's not significant enough to pay that much more for; ESPECIALLY since they have a 2014 redesign coming soon. IN ADDITION to the fact that I do not care about speed or power; to me, it's still an E550 and that's plentiful. I guess what I'm expecting is for someone to just be like "no don't bother, just get a 2010 or 2011" or "you definitely want to lean toward a 2012, you'll regret it".

ddeliber

If the extra power doesn't interest you then the 2010-11 is your best bet. No doubt about it. The 2012 is the first model year with that engine and turbos don't last as long as a normally aspirated engine (generally speaking of course). Long term it is lower risk owning a 2011.

I'll also bet that you can get a new diffuser and rectangular/trapezoidal exhaust tips and have them put em on an e350. I know this can be done on a sedan. Plus there are tons more e350s to choose from.

Josh Noh

Ddeliber, how much do you think I can get that one in Savannah down to? I was SO against black cars but they're growing on me...I guess I can live with it since it's such a great deal. Think I can haggle down to...48? 47?

ddeliber

That entirely depends on the dealer. Some of them now days are focusing more on internet sales and as a result don't leave much room in their advertised prices. Just a guess here but I would say you are not going to get much if any at all on this one. In fact, I' wouldn't be surprised if they tell you that the listed price was a mistake and they'll even try to not honor it. This is why I suggested you print out the listing and bring it in with you. As I mentioned earlier, 2012s (most makes not just MB) are normally listing right around the market value and this one is starting $5k below. Plus there isn't much supply so I don't think that they will move much. Just take a look at the other Es that they have in stock. They are all priced at or even above market price (a 2011 with 33k mi for $43k, yea right).

IMO your best bet would be try focusing on something other than the price like extending the CPO warranty (the best warranty you can get because it is direct from MB). It will come with 5yr/100kmi and there are 2 extension options 6/120 and 7/135. The latter will cost about $2k (it lists for $2300). If that is something you are interested getting them to bundle that in will indirectly affect the price.

However, honestly, I don't think they'll do it, I'd be impressed if you can get it for $50k flat. I've looked at a lot of cars and Benz dealers don't dump cars for less than they can get at auction and this is getting close if it is not already there, why would they?

Good luck and let us know what you decide and what they tell you if you speak with them.

threeMBs

When was the last time you had a black car? IMHO, you will change your mind quickly as far as "living with it" - its almost impossible to keep clean or scratch free. IMO, stay with white or silver - both look stunning on E550 coupe, even if you'll have to pay a bit more. And unless you're planning to "tune" stock 2012s-on (why with so much power), 2010-11 E550s will do just as well (still a LOT more satisfying than E350s).

ngriff6825

I actually bought a new black 2012 E550 Coupe from Savannah GA about 6 months ago (I live in DC and flew down to get it and drove it back up). The Critz MB dealership there was very easy to work with and came down in price significantly. The car was fully loaded with a sticker of $70K and I got it for $61K = why I flew down to get it.

This is my second black car and to be honest, a clean, freshly waxed black car looks better than any other color could (clean is the operative word).

If you can afford a 2012, get it. I personally don't understand anyone who doesn't "care" about power in their cars as it is a key element of what makes a car fun to drive (but obviously not the only one). I feel like all MBs check the boxes of the other main decision factors - safety, reliability, looks, brand, etc. So I think the decision between '11 and '12 comes down to how much you want to pay for a vehicle and how much you value power.

P.S. another benefit of the '12 bi-turbo: with a cheap ECU tune (~$800) you get an additional 90 - 100HP and TRQ, making the car a ~500HP+ beast and AMG competitor. Not bad considering you can't even buy an AMG coupe and the AMG sedan is *cough* a sedan and is $30K more.

just my $.02

threeMBs

Well IMO E550 coupe (even 2010-11) needs LSD. If one "upgrades" a 2012-on engine to even more HP/TRQ then car (again IMO) will be almost undriveable without it.

ngriff6825

It's definitely driveable, the car handles really well but I agree a LSD (limited slip differential for the OP) would help with off-the-line traction when you want to stomp on it. There has been some movement on this forum to get Quaife to build one. New wheel / tire setups can also help to improve traction.

Still, I would prefer to deal with the problem of having too much power than the frustration of having too little.

It also helps that with the new ECU tune, gas mileage is improved up to 29MPG highway.

Josh Noh

Thank you all so much for your time and generosity in replying. I have officially decided that I will in fact be sticking to 2012. I have also decided that the car in fact will be white.

Would anyone have any advice buying a car out of state? How to negotiate e.t.c. There are two white ones both about 200-300 miles away from me. Unfortunately they are not diamond white (metallic) but I think I will still be happier than black.