TheDon

I've currently got a C55 and have been browsing / always wanted an S55. I went to look at a 2001 S55 Today, Titanite red, 30000 miles, £22,700, at a genuine Mercedes dealership (UK).

I couldn't test drive it because they had the center console off (Due to a lost key.....one apparently on order) so they could push it into storage but i managed to look round it still.,,,Very Nice Car !


Now because i couldn't test drive it, i didn't get to feel what the performance was like as one of the questions i asked about the vehicle was, what bhp does the engine produce. The salesman informed me it produced 500hp and that it was supercharged. Now because it wasn't driveable, the sales chap said he had a 2004 model s55 round the back and that i can take it for a burn down the road to get a comparison........

i took this thing out and i cant quite work it out. Ive read through a few WWW's and MB forums and it seems the 2001 S55 is only 350hp??...but some sites state that the engine has a blower taking it close to 500hp and that the 2003+ model s55's produce upto 500hp anyway?

Well if thats the case im gonna keep my C55 because the 2004 S55(Supposedly close to 500HP ??) didn't feel no where near like the c55's power ???? (Or is it just smooooother power ?) and if the 2001 model is only350hp.......it aint worth it for the extra weight....or is it.




my point being..

is the 2001 350 or 500 hp ??

Is the C55 Better or worse car than the S55 2001 (in your oppinion) ??

your thoughts please... I really like this car (S55 2001)

Kar don

Get what u like, the S-class will be more comfortable and nicer interior (depending on if it was well taken care of). Yes the 2003+ had 500hp and got the AMG interior package. The 2001 did not have the AMG interior.

TheDon

mmmmm....starting to sway against it.....



I like the S55 alot, but im downgrading but upgrading if you know what i mean....


i just cant decide !

TheDon

so the dealer mis-informs me when he tels me it's 500Hp



Mmmmmm.

whoover

I just traded in an '01 S55. My wife drives an '06 C55. The C55 is noticeably quicker, although the S-class experience is a different world entirely. The salesman in either uninformed (the engine is essentially the same as in the C55) or lying about the supercharger.

ProjectC55

The dealer is a misinformed FOOL! The S55 was N/A w 355hp from 2k1to late 2k2 I believe. From 2k3 to now the S55 is supercharged and has 493hp. Believe me there is a HUGE difference in the power between a 2k4 S55 and a newer C55. S55 is a mid to high 12 sec 1/4 mile car and will blow the doors off a C55.

Doctodd33

At least in the states, the 2001 s55 only had 350HP.

T

ProjectC55

All over the World the 2k1 S55 had 355hp!

Ted Baldwin

.......get neither. For about the same price, get a 2003 S600 with twin turbo V12 and 500HP.

Ted

TheDon

It seems from all your comments that the dealer salesman is a bit of a plum...
How can he state that its 500hp / got a blower when it clearly hasn't...its a bit misleading

one guy mentioned the fact that the 01 S55 doesn't have the AMG interior ??
What do you mean ?



I do like this car ...and it has a lot of extras with it, but i cant bring myself to sacrifice my 2004 C55 for a 2001 S55. my budget is tight at the moment due to new borns, hence the reason for the s55 being a 2001. It seems a reasonable price as it only has 30,000 on the clock.

Can u really get an 03 S600 V12 for around the same price....i'm in the UK and we get ripped off alot !


thanks for all your thoughts so far ev re1

TheDon

Sorry for rattling on guys just one more thing...


I've searched the net trying to find pics of the 01 S55...and ALL of them only show two single exhausts, where as the one i'm looking at has 2 double exhausts like the C55 but bigger. Is this because the RHD version is diffrent from all the others or do you think somebody's played with the spec ?

God it really is a beautiful Car !

Ted Baldwin

............forget this car. the 01 S55's are not sperchgarged and do not have 500HP. They have single exhausts and are slow as hell. You may still want the car, but don't spend your time trying to wish it was something else. If you are trading in your 04 C55 that goes for arround $40K, then that will be an even swap for an 03 S600.

Ted

Doctodd33

if u have newborns to worry about, the 5 year old out of warranty s55 is going to cost you alot to repair. The s600 is going to hurt for repairs also. Id keep the c55....especially until my finances were in order.

T

bzliteyear

hi guys,
who said the 03 S55 had updated AMG interior vs. 01, and what does that include?
also, tedbaldwin talked about 03 S600's for $40k...where?
the clean ones that i've seen w/ less than 50k miles are $55k+ on ebay, and our local dealers are asking $40k for clean 2001/2002's that are lower than 50k miles (that way i can still buy warranty from some co's - many will not even offer it for 12 cylinders).
pls advise. thx.
Patrick

Ted Baldwin

..............The best way to tell how much items are selling for on ebay is to check the completed auctions list. For 2003 S600, there are about 8 cars from $39K t0 $46K. No one bothered to bid on the ones above $50K. http://motors.search-completed.ebay....Z1QQsacatZ6001

Item number 120038863946 has 43,000 miles and has a buy it now price of $46K.

Ted

blazinginder

I've seen a clean 05 S600 with 40k miles go for $55k ...I would definately grab one over somthing new at that price

lauer87

The s55 will not blow the doors off a c55. At one time, we had an s55 (493hp) and my c55 at the same time. Raced a few times and from a dig the c55 wins, from a roll the s55 pulls alittle. Overall, the interior of the c55 is put together better and has a much better nav (cd vs dvd). The c55 will also handel much much better

TheDon

Thanks for all your advice on this. It looks like im not going to buy the S55 i've been raving on about. Maybee if the salesguy drops the price to £20,000 ill consider it but from all your comments i may be making a mistake.


Thanks

TheDon

S-Clusiv

Let me add that there is no downgrade at all when going from C - S.

lauer87

let me add that the c55 interior is built more robust, has better components, and a much better nav. The interior of the pre face lift s class is also going to show wear tear where as the c55's amg inteior will still look perfect b/c it is almost brand new. (keep in mind im talking about a 2001 s55 vs 2005 or 2006 c55, not the newer s55's with the supercharger, amg inteior, and new dvd based nav)

bzliteyear

hi guys,
there's lots of talk on the 01 S55 vs. an 03 S55 and the updated S55 AMG interior? do ppl have pix or can describe the difference?
thx.
Patrick

TheDon

I must say that when i got into the 2001 S55 i wasn't impressed. The interior didn't feel as Sturdy / as well built as my C55, it just didn't feel like it wrapped around me. BUT... saying that when i took the 04 S55 out for a spin, the second i got in it i felt at home again (just like being in the C55 but better).

The dealership still haven't got back to me as there waiting for the key (it's been nearly two weeks now). Think ill get my deposit back and wait a while for a 2003+ to come along.

I must admit, i have been looking at other makes of vehicle (Looking at a vauxhall Monero - Sorry for swearing) but after many hours of browsing, NOTHING comes close to the quality of a Mercedes Dont think ill ever buy another make of car again.

MANY MANY thanks for all of your thoughts on this little issue i have. I would have probably made a wrong decision if it wasn't for you Guys!


1 more thing. What are your thought on the S500 ?

I've seen a few 2003+ models of those ?

Teflon.