E550 Rare - Why?
I've only seen one other E550 in my area, so I guess this must be true? There's about 5 E350's in my parking lot and I see a bunch of these around town. I also see a lot of S500's on the road.
So, what's up with the E550s? They didn't produce enough or didn't sell well, and why??
I would guess that most people who buy the E class are using it as a commuter car and the 550 has worse gas mileage.
For someone who may not be worried about the gas mileage, they probably just jump up to the CLS or S class.
That's really my only guess, all I know is I live in FL and see TONS of E350s and very very rarely do I see an E550.
Personally I think the styling on the E class is more aggressive than the CLS and S (just my opinion) and I would've bought a brand new E550 before going to a CLS or S.




I would guess that most people who buy the E class are using it as a commuter car and the 550 has worse gas mileage.
For someone who may not be worried about the gas mileage, they probably just jump up to the CLS or S class.
That's really my only guess, all I know is I live in FL and see TONS of E350s and very very rarely do I see an E550.
Personally I think the styling on the E class is more aggressive than the CLS and S (just my opinion) and I would've bought a brand new E550 before going to a CLS or S.
I also drive the good old 5.5 L E550 and do not see any E550 labeled cars around. And I love it!!!
Most of the buyers with the extra money usually buy the E63, or step up to a CLS550 or S550, so very few buyers want the E550.
From my perspective, I was looking for a non-AMG two door coupe. I test drove the E350, but it was not what I was looking for. The E550 met all my criteria for size, trunk space, good handling, good power and acceptable long-term maintenance reliability. I looked at the CLS550, but it was actually smaller inside and did not come in a two door.




I agree that with the price the E550 was in close competition with the CLS550 which is a very stylish car. I am glad I got my E550 when I did - the least year
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The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Now I'm starting to see those GLK's all over the place.
A new GLK350 has a starting price in the high 30's, so that does make sense. I'm not a fan of how it looks, but to some people owning a Mercedes is well..owning a Mercedes. And of course, to each his own.
There's a 2012, here in NY, with 28.6k miles on it, that's been for sale since mid May @ $39k. Last week the MB dealer dropped the price to $34.9k (non CPO).
http://www.silverstarny.com/used/201...hf9bb8ca598962
Last edited by starbrite; Jul 22, 2015 at 11:52 AM.
There's a 2012, here in NY, with 28.6k miles on it, that's been for sale since mid May @ $39k. Last week the MB dealer dropped the price to $34.9k (non CPO).
http://www.silverstarny.com/used/201...hf9bb8ca598962




Very happy with my 350 and it has more power than I need or want.




The rarity of the V8 E550 compared to the V6 E350 is not that different that what you see in other cars. Most Accords and Camrys are the I4, not the V6 upgrade. Most Audi A6 I see around here are the 2.0T and most BMW 5 series are the 528 and 535 from what I see. When I've asked sales reps, they typically say less than 10% get the upgrade. Most people want to save the $ at purchase and get the better mpg.
Two, the int and ext of the E550 are indistinguishable from the E350. The E350 buyers can get a car that looks like the E550 for less money. For buyers who want to stand out or have a different looking car than the base model can either opt for an AMG or CLS.
Three, the V6 in the E350 isn't exactly a dog. It's "more than enough" power for the vast majority of buyers (as evidenced by the sales splits).
Me? 1) Depreciation is my friend, as I bought used. 2) I like the anonymous sleeper or soccer mom styling. If there was an E550 wagon, I would have done that one! 3) I didn't cross-shop the E350 because the E550 existed. I'm a Merc owner today mainly because of the 4.7L TT coupled with awd. I'm of the opinion more power is always better.
Last edited by Johnny Rad; Jul 22, 2015 at 11:04 PM.
Between you and me, the LS460 isn't designed to play in the same performance space as either a E550 or CLS550 in terms of power, handling, road feel or even fuel economy. The LS460 is simply a nice, sedate car geared for a person who doesn't necessarily care about any of those things.


