Stevo

Hey guys,
Great website! I posted this at benzworld.com too. I took some pics of my 03 E class today. Thought i'd post them up. I've got staggerred(spell?) 19"AMG's w/ 275/30 rears and 245/35 fronts. I did the suspension about a year ago. I've had the car for almost three years. My lease is up in a few months and i'm pretty sure that i'm going for an 05 alpine white E46 //M3 next. Here's what i thought of the w211 experience.
Exterior:
Loved the exterior looks of the car
Very happy with the handling of the car after suspension mod was done. The car handled great. I'd love to see how the E55 handles, must be fun.
The 19"s never rubbed but I went through three sets of tires in 30k miles. Alignment done on a regular basis.
I'd get compliments on the car from all different types of people from kids driving ricers to old men in lincolns.

Loved the electronic braking..the car stops on dime..no complaints here.
The car ran fine, no mechanical problems at all.
The car had persistent electronic malfunctions though including lights, radio and windows...pain in the ***.

Interior:
loved the interior
loved the soft leather on the steering and shift knob.
Loved the dash display setup
Loved the "secret compartment" where the CD changer is suppossed to go.
Loved the mood lighting.

Hated the fact that certain '03 w211's had a constant "malfunction" read out on the dash display. Mbz said they had nothing to fix this, up until two years ago.
Hated the soft steering/mushy wheel
Hated the fact that i couldn't use my steering wheel to shuffle through my radio presets.
Hated the fact that after owning the car for one week my rear speakers were blown(don't know how, i rarely crank it up) and everytime i took it back mbz claimed to have fixed it but the problem still persists today.

That's it in a nutshell. The car was fun to own and drive and considering what sedans are available in the same price range(bmw 5er, audi a6) i'd probably get it again if having a sedan as oppossed to a coupe was a necessity

moa4r

nice review and nice looking car. did u have any problems after you lowered your car, and how did the ride change when you swapped out the springs?

you're going to lose that real nice, smooth/quiet ride when u get your m3 ;-)

Stevo

thanks for the compliment! as far as problems after lowering the car, absolutely none. The one issue i have is how fast i go through tires. From Pirelli PZ's to Dunlop SP's. At $250-$350 per tire it adds up. I got alignment on a regular basis but i drive the car pretty hard. Meaning if there's a turn to take i'll take it as fast as possible if i'm not putting other drivers in danger. So maybe that's the reason why i went through tires so often. As far as the ride changing, there's hardly any noticeable difference between stock and lowered in regards to the smooth/float feeling to the ride. The only change was a vast improvement in cornering and especially long turns such as the ones on freeway on ramps. I think the combination of the 19"s and the suspension makes a huge improvement on the stability and handling of the car. I'm sure the M3 doesn't feel as smooth but i can't wait to shift through all six gears in that thing. I love the E46 //M3 in alpine white...so i think i'm going to have to get it as oppossed to another mbz.

amg addict

Verrry sexy car!

Stricks

I got my Michelin Pilot Sports at Phillips in Mission Viejo (also got 18" AMG Type IV there also - chromed). Installed them the day after I got my car. Got a lifetime balance package and a lifetime alignment - after the free factory one was gone. Just replaced all four tires at 36k. I get my car aligned and balanced every 5k. The tire and wheel package (and the service at Phillips) is great! Since you live in the area, I thought I'd share the info. I've used Phillips and the alignment and balance package for the last 20 years. And I will only have Michelins on my cars.

lig

Very nice, Stevo. Tastefully done.

I would love to have an M3 (and if my job situation changes I'm going to pick up a Competition Edition in that Interlagos Blue)

Except for being a little too low - here are some nice shots of an Alpine white with some HREs.

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=279160

ATS

Wow that car is a good looking car.. Although as soon as I got to the interior it kinda' wrecks it for me. Oh well, still nice..

Brian_I.

I love those wheels on your car! Nice.

Stevo

thanks for the tire info Stricks!

lig...i've seen that M3 at E46 fanatics website...so ridiculously sick. I love the gold HRe's on alpine white...that car is the shiznit.

thanks for the compliment Samoan

AGPSuperstaR

Nice car!!! Btw, do you have airmatic? How low did the springs lower it since they are rated at 1.5, 1.3 drop? I'm planning on a set for my e320 non-airmatic soon and was wondering.... Thanks!