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S55 is worth the extra $$. If you are used to the cost of ownership already especially a 2000 era S class the S55 will be a walk in the park.
Benzman should not have a worry about daily driving a S55 since you have owned 2 Land Rovers.... If you managed to keep them drivable you will have no issue with an S55 lol
I got one 2005 S55 last week and coming from west coast.
I had the same questions like you. But after good research, I pulled the trigger.
I have owned a 2005 S500 for 8 years.
Additional maintenance is supercharger and ABC system I think, which I can handle.
S55 is worth the extra $$. If you are used to the cost of ownership already especially a 2000 era S class the S55 will be a walk in the park.
Benzman should not have a worry about daily driving a S55 since you have owned 2 Land Rovers.... If you managed to keep them drivable you will have no issue with an S55 lol
My 03 was the blue one, over 12k in repairs and the check engine light was still on, causing me to buy a fake inspection sticker.
The 96, Spent most of its life on the back of a flat bed LOL. Repairs on that one where insane, but it had no problem passing inspection. (go figure)
I'm a bit more worried about an S55 in the snow, I did drive my M5 in the snow for a bit when my 3 series was wrecked. Good thing I only had to go to two places, 1 Lawyers office 2 the acupuncture place.
I am in the middle of doing my pre purchase research and have the same question but more in regards to performance and driving dynamics, if i go with the 500, would i miss / regret not getting the 55 amg?
My S55 finaaly delivered and drove yesterday. It is totally different drive feeling.
I have own s500 for last 10 years and very happy with new S55 purchase.
Thanks!
I was very lucky to purchase this one.
It is 2005 S55 AMG only has 30500 miles.
Very pristine condition, both interior & exteriors.
Soft closing was not working on front driver side. SO I replaced lockset today.
We drove a 2002 s500. We got it almost a year ago and were surprised at how much we loved the car. It was our first Mercedes. We've always bought Toyota and Lexus. My wife was driving with my son when a distracted lady ran a red light. It was totaled but the doctor said they were lucky to be in that car. We definitely want to get another one.
We're in central California. Sacramento and Los Angeles are both within 3 hour drives from us.
I have looked at close to 50 different cars now...S500, S55, and S600. We excluded the 430. One of the things both me and my wife liked is the power and acceleration when needed. We do drive it a lot though so the 600 scares us a bit. I can work on cars, but it's not my favorite thing to do.
I've narrowed it down to a handful of each..
2002 s55, 12 year, private party owner, Mercedes dealership maintained, 117,000 miles, massaging, heated and cooled seats, asking $6,000 and motivated to sell. Rear window won't always roll down. (Easy fix).Perfect interior. Older driven. No leaks. Suspension serviced a few years ago.
2006 s500, 103,000 miles, new Michelin tires, super clean, dealership. $7,995
2005 s500 107,000 miles. Private party, order driven, original owner. Well maintained. $7,000. No pictures yet.
Out 2 top picks are the
1. 2002 s55 AMG that was privately owned for $6,000.
2. 2006 S500 for $7,995 from the dealership that is super clean.
Unfortunately, they are in opposite directions.
We have cash but would prefer to put $2,000 down and finance the rest. We can pay cash for some of them.
The dealerships don't like to talk on the phone and only say that their car is perfect. I don't know much except what I see online.
Would my wife enjoy driving the s55 AMG as a daily driver after driving the a500? Or would she feel like she is driving a gas guzzling race car. She thinks I only care about the supercharger.(I do) but I mostly love the cooled seats.
Not sure your location, but I have a 2001 S500 located in Dallas for sale and it is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition. Below is the link to the details if you are interested.
We drove a 2002 s500. We got it almost a year ago and were surprised at how much we loved the car. It was our first Mercedes. We've always bought Toyota and Lexus. My wife was driving with my son when a distracted lady ran a red light. It was totaled but the doctor said they were lucky to be in that car. We definitely want to get another one.
We're in central California. Sacramento and Los Angeles are both within 3 hour drives from us.
I have looked at close to 50 different cars now...S500, S55, and S600. We excluded the 430. One of the things both me and my wife liked is the power and acceleration when needed. We do drive it a lot though so the 600 scares us a bit. I can work on cars, but it's not my favorite thing to do.
I've narrowed it down to a handful of each..
2002 s55, 12 year, private party owner, Mercedes dealership maintained, 117,000 miles, massaging, heated and cooled seats, asking $6,000 and motivated to sell. Rear window won't always roll down. (Easy fix).Perfect interior. Older driven. No leaks. Suspension serviced a few years ago.
2006 s500, 103,000 miles, new Michelin tires, super clean, dealership. $7,995
2005 s500 107,000 miles. Private party, order driven, original owner. Well maintained. $7,000. No pictures yet.
Out 2 top picks are the
1. 2002 s55 AMG that was privately owned for $6,000.
2. 2006 S500 for $7,995 from the dealership that is super clean.
Unfortunately, they are in opposite directions.
We have cash but would prefer to put $2,000 down and finance the rest. We can pay cash for some of them.
The dealerships don't like to talk on the phone and only say that their car is perfect. I don't know much except what I see online.
Would my wife enjoy driving the s55 AMG as a daily driver after driving the a500? Or would she feel like she is driving a gas guzzling race car. She thinks I only care about the supercharger.(I do) but I mostly love the cooled seats.
the 2002 s55 is NOT supercharged . It is only a larger 5.5 version of the s500 engine rated at 350hp. Supercharging started in 2003. Sane with the S600, the 2201-2002 models are NOT turbo charged . That also started in 2003.
there is absolutely no way to gauge which of these cars is a good one or a lemon based on the ads. Remember these cars are notorious for various electronic and suspension problems and only a thorough inspection by a mechanic can identify the good ones vs the bad ones
Thank you. Great information. I wonderd about the ones that obviousky had a supercharger, and some amg models that didn't.
I totally agree with having to see these in person. A 15 year old luxury sedan that has been garage kept, pampered, well maintained, and conservatively driven will be a different car than if the same luxury sedan was neglected and abused for any amount of time.
I'll look at as many as I need to to find the right one.
Not sure your location, but I have a 2001 S500 located in Dallas for sale and it is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition. Below is the link to the details if you are interested.
Thank you it's very nice but priced a little high for my location. Especially after I factor the plane ticket, the gas to get back, and the DMV fees to register it in California. Good luck to you edit*** just looked again. 64,000 on a garage kept AMG is spot on at that price. Looks awesome. I'm just a little too far away.
Last edited by brian ruff; 09-03-2018 at 09:37 PM.
Reason: Didn't see it was an AMG
01-27-2016, 06:40 PM
