omasterq

in case you have not noticed, 2003 E55 AMG info is now available on mbusa site. not that i am in a market of getting one but i did a build anyway. the total came to $91,000 with change. a lot of money for a lot of car.

sf49ers79

Yea the msrp for that car is 76K and can you believe it... it's not even included xenon for that kind of price... its terrible overpricing!!!!! thats what i thought...

mbprince

Still being on the fence about either an '04 E500/sport or an E55, i have built both on the web site and the E500 comes close to 70k with the E55 at around 90k. Then, I have to factor in the fact that at times my wife will be driving this car with the kids in the back (she likes to go fast). I'm almost afraid, with the E55, of an impending onslaught of speeding tickets as she rockets around town!!! Common sense is pushing me towards the E500.
Comments anyone?

mbprince

oh, one more question/thought to ponder. Which car would hold more value (percentage wise) for sale or trade 3 to 4 years down the road?

Beltfed

The E500 does 0-60 in 5.8sec.....no slouch. The E55 is a hot car, if you can get the car for MSRP (in CA that may not be so easy) and cut down on some of the options. You can do better than $90k, I just built one and it came to $81k. Then maybe I would give it some thought.

Anyway, it depends on what your priorities are.......a fast Sporty luxury sedan or a fire breathing aggressive looking Sport luxury Sedan.

My opinion, I would probably go with the E500 Sport given the short info you supplied.

Resale value wise, the AMG cars don't hold their value as well as the 500 variants........for example, the current residuals on the Sclass are as follows (I believe for 36 months)- S500 is 54%, S55 AMG 50%, S600 45%.

mbprince

Beltfed - many thanks, that is valuable info and much food for thought.

rayscar

I would love to have the E55. However for an extra $20-$30K over the E500, I would go with the 500. It's a wonderful car, better than most on the road and think what other toys you can get with the money you save!

CRB

The general rule is the more expensive the car the faster the depreciation. Look at what a Lamborghini or Bentley is worth after a couple years.

Of course, the C-coupe is an exception: Cheap and fast depreciating.

Beltfed

Well that is true, because the more expensive the car is the more it can come down in value over time (obviously the exotic nature and small # of clientele of some makes has much to do with it as well).

Also, V12 equipped cars (whether its a BMW, Benz, or Ferrari) in general tend to depreciate quickly because of maintenance cost issues down the road.

sf49ers79

well i wonder how much is my car after 2 yrs? how much will it depreciate?

mbprince

taking in all the advice, the E500/sport does make more sense. and when discussing resale/residual values, I wonder how loading a car with 15k or more of options affects the value down the road. My guess is more of a loss (%) over time.

Blocktrader

mbprince, having owned an E500 and now owning an E55, I can tell you that the 55 feels like a different car. It has a more upmarket feel than the 500. Also, my wife says she thinks she's less likely to speed in this car because you are more aware of the power. In the old car you wouldn't notice how fast you were going. I am not sure how this will play out in reality though. See my post in E55 section for more comparisons.

mbprince

Blocktrader, I've read your posts in the E55 thread and now I'm right back on the fence.....going back and forth between lust and reason (want and need). I too am going to pay cash and appreciate your input. Thanks!

Beltfed

This I don't understand, the car has different seats......that's it. The headliner might be slightly different, but unless I'm missing something (I don't get it). I have been in CL500s/CL55, SL500/SL55, etc and they don't feel anymore expensive IMHO.

pogotango

well i just built mine and it came out to $85000, red exterrior with red interrior

pogotango

o but i didnt find the option for the nav

mbprince

pogotango,
you must, I'm sure, still be building on the mbusa website which still has only 2003 cars. And yes, there is as of yet no nav. If the end of ordering '03s is end of May, I wonder how soon the '04 ordering program will be on the web site. I am going by to visit my local dealer today and ask some questions re: '04s.

Blocktrader

I mean how it drives, not just how it looks when you are sitting in it. The shocks feel better matched to the springs. The steering feels a little better. The brakes are easier to modulate. The motor makes wonderful sounds without being at all intrusive. The list goes on. Also, the obvious increase in torque in light throttle situations helps with that feeling, kind of like the difference between the six and the eight. Overall the 55 just feels more solid and substantial. The leather also smells richer.

The lower ride height has the subtle effect of making the car look longer. I always thought my 500, if anything, looked a bit shorter than my W210 car (even though it was not). The new car looks longer than my 500 did. yo could lower a 500 and get the same effect though.

I honestly expected just a faster version of the 500 with more supportive seats, but this car does feel different when you drive it.

Pbglas

If we beleive the 7 speed announcement by MB, then the E will soon do 0-60 in 5.5 secs.

NavNut

Hey mbprince...

Buy yourself the E55, and buy the wife a Volvo... I just test drove an S80 T6 this afternoon... pretty nice... and it'll keep the kiddies safer than safe...

-NavNut

pogotango

an e55 is a must