4matic

I went back today, looked at the so called "E55"...it indeed was a fake....debadged and rebadged...no AMG signatures were located inside...so that was a give away but before i got into it today, i noticed on the front driver door and front passenger door, there was no lorinser symbol, which there should be, correct? All in all...the e430 is looking better and better every day and im going back to look at it on wednesday...and getting a much lower price, definitely....thanks so much for the help guys...Will

ohlord

about $10500
and inspect,inspect,inspect.
run the a/c diagnostics,take your 39buck obd2 scanner,make sure it all works.

eXpLiCitW210

Id go for the AMG . But like ohlord said, INSPECT! lol. Good luk on that man.

Air Marshall Eldritch

I think we are eventually agreeing, but in a round-about manner.

Like I said, given apples to apples, take the 55. But be careful. We are talking 100k+ miles cars.

Performance cars that were sold new as leases will be statisically beat on more than long term purchases. I think we can agree on this, yes?

I'm not making unfounded assumptions. I can cite you a few examples, one of the dealer salesguy who admits (stupidly) all his lease returns on the "badass" models are beat to hell, as well as the personal aquaintances who lease sports cars and happily admit to beating the tar out of them.

I'd want to see service history as a basic starting point, followed by my own mechanic's thrice-over, even for a 13k car, because that car can rack up 13k in additional repair in the quite the short order.

4matic

yeah, thanks ohlord...by the way...the owner of the e430 was some like 65yr. old guy who got a newer e350 and seemed to take care of the car extremely well...haha but yes, i shall inspect this e430 to death! im falling in love with it..haha

Yacht Master

Point taken, but that is a small percent of owners that race. The barrier to entry of the E55 puts them in to a different class, They are more likely to be a second or third car and not the daily driver, and cared for by a pro detailer and kept in a garage at home and work. Now an entry E320 may not have the pampered life that the E55 may have. And other things to consider the engine is better more durable, same for trans and diff. The brakes are much better, interior much nicer. Don't forget this is the top of the E class line and cost 30% more than a E 430 new.

CQHall

Dude, if the dealer is going to scam you on the "E55", why in h3ll would you trust them any further??? Take your money elsewhere!

CQHall

Also, you can't lower a 4Matic. So, if you have plans for sport suspension (lowering) and all that jazz, skip the 4Matics all together.

(someone correct me if I'm wrong)

4matic

for clarification...the 2 cars are from different locations

livetodrive

In 2001 the 4Matic was available for the E320 sedan, E320 wagon and E430 sedan, not the E55. Model years 2000 and 2002 were essentially the same, so I doubt there was a 4Matic option for those model years either for the E55.

If you get the 4Matic, you may want to have the dealer check it to verify it's working properly. Mine broke once. I only realized it was broken when the rear wheels spun on a patch of ice in my driveway.

Quadcammer

What if someone prefers burlwood and wants awd?

E55 loses out in that regard.

I for one, HATE the black maple

livetodrive

If the four-wheel drive is not necessary to you, the E55 sure sounds exciting. The 4Matic is very stable in winter driving conditions. The E55, is, well -a rear wheel drive car that can be made more stable with snow tires and extra weight in the trunk.

The E430 and E430 4Matics are no slouches, but you'd have to spend around $10k on a supercharger for the E430 to get the performance of the E55. Also, the E55 came with the sunroof, Xenons, rainsensor, rear window shade, multicontour (four way lumbar) seats, and 8-speaker Bose system standard. The 430 and E430 4Matic only came with the 8-speaker Bose system standard.

Gas consumptions (EPA/Highway), HP, torque, and 0 - 60 times:
E430: 18/24 mpg, 275 hp, 295 lb-ft., 6.2 sec
E430 4Matic 17/23 mpg, 275 hp, 295 lb-ft., 6.6 sec.
E55: 16/23 mpg, 349 hp, 391 lb-ft., 5.4 sec.

e320tony

yes, heard it works on a 430 but if you’re living in California, you could forget about it.

khomer2

necropost.