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Hello,
I am currently looking to buy a 2000 E55. Personally its a body style that is timeless and wanted a new fun 20 mile round trip a day commute car. My concerns are it has over 220k miles on it but the owner (20 year MBZ master mechanic) has done some good work to it:
- all maintenance are done, B service, spark plugs, diff service, trans service, coolant service, p/s service, fuel injection service, air conditioning service and air filters.
- there are no leaks, resealed valve covers, replaced rear main seal, resealed oil cooler.
- vehicle is lowered 1.6 inch and all new shocks, new lower control arm bushings and alignment.
- new engine and transmission mounts
- new windshield installed w/ banner. All window just tinted 25 %.
- new headlight switch and installed new xenon headlight bulbs 6000k
- new main battery
- Original 18 inch Monoblocks all 4 new tires installed.
- new windshield cowls and wiper blade.
- vehicle needs a little interior work
He is the 3rd owner,vehicle has clean Vin # report and no accidents.
Is there any other questions I should ask or investigate? Is this a good buy? What is a good price to realistically pay for this car at his age? When looking at this car what other questions should I ask?
The body seems very clean and now clear coat peeling from the pictures. If I were to ask for a compression test, what is an acceptable range?
He is looking for $6000 but with the front seats and headliner needing to be re-done I would start my offer at $4600 and work my way up since I would replace the entire interior to remove the seat covers he has on the seats.
Take it to an indy shop (of your choice) and have pre-purchase inspection (PPI) done on the car. It usually costs about an hour labor and is well worth it if you're serious about that particular car.
It sounds like it's been taken care of, so I'd worry a bit less about the mileage. It should be able to do 300,000+ without any serious issues. The E55 is a pretty bullet proof car.
You didn't put your location, but rust can be a huge issue on the W210 cars. Luckily where I'm at in CA it's a non-issue. Might be the same where you are.
As for the price? I'd start around $4500 and see what you could get it for. It sounds like it's pretty well sorted. A lot of these cars are in pretty rough shape now due to being around 20 years old.
Here are some for sale in my area if you want to compare prices.
As a single data point for you, I spent approximately $740 on headliner, A/B/C pillars, and assorted interior plastic trim performing all labor to remove/install myself and deliver/pickup from upholstery shop.
As you describe it, I would be willing to pay $5500 to $6000 for it but as Strigoi suggested start lower in case he would be willing to sell it for less. W210 E55s are getting harder to find....
Compression values for several versions of the M113 attached. You'll have to look up the designator for the engine of the car in question but this will give you an idea.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
***NEED Purchasing Advice on E55 W210**
