Hi Everybody,

I have been shopping for a new car for months. As part of my research, I have been reading posts on this forum, thank you all for those. The discussion convinced me I had found the car I was looking for… a new 2002 E55!

My E55 is “tectite” with a grey interior and the k2a package. This car overwhelmed my highest expectations. I was nervous about dropping that much cash on what the sane side of my brain argued was “basic transportation”. But after driving it for say, 2 minutes, I have no regrets. I never knew simply driving to work could be so enjoyable.

I have a few questions about my new dream machine:

1) Do you really trust that “flexible service sensor”? 10,000 miles to my first service? I might have trouble getting over the dogmatic every 3,000 mile oil change.

2) How long do these tires really last? They drive as though covered with “liquid nails”… they can’t last 12,000 miles, right? I have the Michelin Pilots.

3) Has anybody looked into “XM” radio? It seems pretty cool, but no car I would consider buying has it built in yet. Has anyone done a clean install of XM? More info on XM is at http://www.xmradio.com/. No, I don’t own stock or work there or anything.

 

Welcome! Hope you enjoy your new E55 AMG!
Did you order yours or did you luck out (like I did) and actually find one in stock? Here in Austin there was an almost 6-8 month waiting list. I lucked out one weekend when I drove my 1999 C43 to my dealer, just "to look around" and actually saw a Silver E55 on the showroom floor. It had been a special order, but the guy never showed up to buy it..so his loss..my gain!<G>
As to the oil sensor..jury's still out on that one I guess. We'll just have to trust MNBZ (its thier warranty)!
As to the Michelins, a lot depends of course on your driving style and other factors. I had Michelin Pilot Sports on my C43 AMG and they wore fairly quickly. The fact that we sometimes hit months of 100 degree + temps here may have something to do with it also. As the saying goes: "your mileage may vary!"<G>
Enjoy and Welcome! Otto

 

Thanks for the reply Otto, and thanks also for the crash safety test results and reviews. I don't care if you are preaching to the choir about how great the E55 is, preach away!

I had been reading about the E55 for at least a year, but wasn't really expecting to buy one. Then, I went to the local MB dealer here in Tucson, and they had a black E55 on the lot. The sales guy was really nice, and they let me drive it and all. They received it unexpectedly in a dealer trade for an S500.

As great as the car was, I was hesitiant to get black because Tucson is so darn dusty and hot, and I was nervous about the high cost of the car. So, I walked!

About 2 weeks later, I was suffering from remorse for not buying it when I had the chance, and went back to the dealer to see if it was still there. It was sold and gone, but in a million-to-one lucky break, they had a brand new Tectice E55 with the phone and CD changer, with only 7 miles, and no deposit.

I bought it immediately. I love the color... very dark but still metallic and not black, so it doesn't show streaks and dust so easily. Silver would have been my next preference, I traded in a silver car and always thought it looked sharp.

The dealer was very nice... I actually got them to knock $895 off the MSRP because I gently argued a car that expensive should have that as standard equipment, and they agreed! Can't say enough kind things about the dealer. Unlike BMW, the MB dealer treated me like a king from the moment I walked in.

I actually feel darn lucky to be driving this car! I absolutely love it!

The dealer told me there are only 3 in Tucson, one white (the first one I had seen, the guy works near me I think), the black one I didn't buy, and mine. The dealer told me there is an E320 floating around with E55 /AMG badging on it... but it's really an E320!! Can you believe it! How tacky! I'll show him my taillights if I see him.

 

I second Otto ... "Welcome to the Club" (and the Forum!). In order to be 'official' however, we must se at least one pic of your new Beast!

Most MB owners don't, and change their oil more frequently (I never heard of a car being damaged as a result of 'too frequent' oil changes!).

I've got 16K miles on my OEM Dulops ... and still going ... with no real indication that a new set is due anytime soon. I don't go '*****-out' everytime I hit the gas ... but then again, I'm told by almost everyone who rides with me (and some I pass on the road ... via hand signals ... LOL) that I'm definately NOT a slow driver. So go figure.

Welcome again Ken! (keep us up to date on your impressions of your Beast as time goes by ... ok?)

Regards,

 

First of all, congratulations on your new E55. I'm jealous.

I've done some shopping for XM radio as well and am strongly considering getting it. There are two options as I understand them. First, you can get your factory radio replaced with a unit that receives the XM signal. I don't like that option as I want to keep as much of my car's original equipment as possible. It is also more expensive at over $500.

The other option does not require replacing your factory radio. Let me see if I can adequately explain this. You would have three pieces of equipment installed. An XM tuner, an XM receiver, and an antenna. The tuner is a small version of your radio. I will have mine installed in the empty storage unit that is just below the radio and above the ash tray. It is small enough that the door that covers this space will not have to be removed. The tuner is very thin and is about 3/4 as wide as your radio. To use the tuner, you tune your radio to a specified station and receive the XM signal through that. It's close to CD quality, but not quite. But I'm sure it's good enough.

The receiver is a larger unit that will be installed either under one of the front seats, or in the trunk. And the antenna would go on your rear window, I suppose. I didn't see how large that piece is.

This second option runs about $250 plus labor. It is a Pioneer unit, I believe. Then you have to sign up for the service which is $9.95 per month.

All in all, it sounds like a great deal if you're in your car a lot and like music. I may have it installed this weekend and if I do I'll let you know how it works and can send you some pictures of the install.

 

Pls post some pics! :p

 

KenE55, congrats on your E55!

I must be the luckiest E55 owner in the world! I got $6k off MSRP! 960 miles to go before 1000 mile break-in.

 

Thanks mallard for the info on XM. So... do you have to drill holes in the trunk or roof to mount the XM attenna? That is what I expect, and my hesitation. I may go down to the local car audio place and see what's involved. Tucson radio sucks and so XM sees like a real alternative. If I learn any more I'll post.

E55 KEV, you really did get a deal getting that much off MSRP! Was it a demo model or did they have a dozen on the lot or are just a born negotiator? When I get ready to buy my next E55 with the blown V8, I'll give you a call!

I will post some pics. I need to go out and get one of those digital cameras I guess.. been meaning to do that anyway.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

 

KenE55, the car is new. Car had 23 miles on it when delivered and only 60 miles today. See here:

E55 KEV's 2002 SILVER E55


The dealership had none in stock - Salesman had to dealer trade a 4Matic E-Wagon to acquire E55 which was 4 hours away. Dealer was 2 hours from me and delivered the car to my home for free, overallowed for my trade and picked up my trade sight-unseen. I have already referred the salesman to a MBWorld member from Florida. I started out by emailing every dealer within a 4 hour drive.

I personally love the negotiation game when buying cars and I love saving money even more. I have more time than money and never let them know that I am anxious. I also walk out when deal is not meet and then call them back. I make the salesmen earn my business. My recommendation - locate small dealerships with little inventory. Those 2 factors equal hungry salesmen!

This new E55 was offered to me for $69,835 and is still available:

Silver
Charcoal
Comand
K2a - CD/Phone/Voice

I also know of a new E55 with Silver/Charcoal/Ventilated Seats which has been in stock since August. Probably can get it for close to invoice! None of these dealers know I already got one so my discount is ready to roll.

 

Since we're talking about it . . .

In December, when I decided it was time for an E55, I sent a fax to the 31 Mercedes dealerships in TX, OK, LA, and AR (after finding them on the MBNA site) explaining exactly what I wanted (Tectite/charcoal, AVS, COMAND) and asking for their bottom-line prices.

Twelve of them were willing to play ball. Of those 12:
Eight didn't have the car I wanted.
Five of the dealerships had the car for between $4000 and $4800 under MSRP.
Richard Thrush at Mercedes-Benz of Austin was competitive at $6500 under MSRP.
Kyle Gernentz at Mike Smith Autoplex in Beaumont had a silver car at $7300 under MSRP.

I bought from the lowest bidder for about $7700 under MSRP. Happily, it happened that the lowest bidder, Star Motorcars in Houston (call Richard Wahl), was also the dealership that I would have chosen, all else being equal. I'll take the car there for service, and when my wife is ready for a Benz I'll go to Star first. In the future, if Star's price is competitive, I'll buy there even if the price is not the best.

 

I don't know if holes have to be drilled or not. From what I understood, the antenna would be mounted to the rear glass. I wouldn't let them drill into my car either, at least not where it would be noticable. Perhaps they would have to drill to mount the receiver, but if they did it would be under the seat or in the trunk. Let me know if you find out more.

 

mbmb:

Way to go! You have to make the salesman 'earn' your business and shop around. I started out by emailing every dealer within a 4/5 hour drive.

Some guy, actually a salesman (MarcusBenz) on this board says I should have been loyal to one dealership and not purchased far away. YEAH RIGHT! Baloney! Loyalty to get ripped offed.

 

Well, you asked for it, you got it. Here is a shot of my new ride, no plates yet.

 

I've always said it: there's nothing more gorgeous than a tectite E55.

 

I just installed XM in my '01 e320. The (relatively attractive) control panel is mounted in the blank pocket under the radio and can be concealed by closing the door. The fm modulator (which actually transmits signal from the XM tuner, via fm radio signal, to the stock head unit) is mounted behind the head unit, out of view. The tuner is located in the battery compartment under the rear seat and the antenna is on the rear deck between the speakers. I would attach some pictures of all this, but it's raining here in Danbury, CT. The antenna required no drilling. There are a few different types of antennas (roof/trunk mount, or glass mount) and I had a hard time deciding which one was least obtrusive as they are all behemoth. The finished dash looks fine, but the sound quality has disappointed me. It sounds like highly compressed mp3 formatted music. My local digital home cable company offers 40 channels of digital audio, and that was the quality I expected. The XM just isn't even close. I think the majority of the problem is the nature of the product. XM does not try to deny that the audio is compressed. The remaining portion of the compromise from cd quality is that it is FM modulated, meaning that the cars tuner, and all the noise inherent, is involved in reproducing what is supposed to be perfectly clear audio. I am an audiophile, so I may be more critical than many, but I can tell you, as just 1 guy, that I wouldn't do it all over again.