s65 (06) vs. s55 (05) - Thoughts from the Gallery?
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Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Winston-Salem NC/Scottsdale AZ
2006 S65, 2003 CL55
s65 (06) vs. s55 (05) - Thoughts from the Gallery?
Gang,
My E55 is coming off lease this month and I'm looking at a couple of options. One option is to pick up one of the many used 2006 S65 for low/mid 90K's.
Option two is to pick up a 2005 S55 for mid 60's and get it tuned by kleeman/Renntech/etc to bump it up to 600+ hp.
Any opinions? Going to keep this vehicle for 3 years, looking at signficant differences in insurance, maintance and repairs. How have the 2006 S65's been in terms of reliability and service?
My E55 is coming off lease this month and I'm looking at a couple of options. One option is to pick up one of the many used 2006 S65 for low/mid 90K's.
Option two is to pick up a 2005 S55 for mid 60's and get it tuned by kleeman/Renntech/etc to bump it up to 600+ hp.
Any opinions? Going to keep this vehicle for 3 years, looking at signficant differences in insurance, maintance and repairs. How have the 2006 S65's been in terms of reliability and service?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,277
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
There is nothing like the S65. Why have a 55 bumped up to 600 HP and worry about its transmission (which is not as hardened as the 65 tranny) and the rest of the power train when you can have the 600 HP stock and warranted, possibly cheaper? Of course you want a warranty, so look for a Starmarked car. The extra cost (plus the cost of the 2-year extension) is the cheapest insurance going. The interior and finish of the S65 is much nicer than the S55. Better leather (and more of it), nicer wood trim (and more of it), no plastic to be seen, four-zone climate control, power rear headrests -- up and down (it used to drive me nuts that I'd have to manually move them on my S55). A bunch of little things, like moving the front passenger seat up from the rear door control panel when you're carrying a big box, make the V-12 S-class addictive. And then there's 738 ft-lbs of torque. 
I've got 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine, but would still not advise considering an AMG without a warranty. My insurance seems to be the same no matter what car I have -- certainly there was no big difference between the S55 and S65. Service (just the A service so far) hasn't been much higher than the S55. I'm sure brakes will be, and the 60,000 mile service (when all 24 plugs are replaced) will probably be a killer for whoever owns the car then.
I've got 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine, but would still not advise considering an AMG without a warranty. My insurance seems to be the same no matter what car I have -- certainly there was no big difference between the S55 and S65. Service (just the A service so far) hasn't been much higher than the S55. I'm sure brakes will be, and the 60,000 mile service (when all 24 plugs are replaced) will probably be a killer for whoever owns the car then.
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Joined: Jul 2006
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From: OC, SoCal
08 S65, 06 M3 CS(stick), 02 BMW X5 4.6iS, 07 R1 Raven, 08 F-450 4x4, 08 CooperS JCW
There is nothing like the S65. Why have a 55 bumped up to 600 HP and worry about its transmission (which is not as hardened as the 65 tranny) and the rest of the power train when you can have the 600 HP stock and warranted, possibly cheaper? Of course you want a warranty, so look for a Starmarked car. The extra cost (plus the cost of the 2-year extension) is the cheapest insurance going. The interior and finish of the S65 is much nicer than the S55. Better leather (and more of it), nicer wood trim (and more of it), no plastic to be seen, four-zone climate control, power rear headrests -- up and down (it used to drive me nuts that I'd have to manually move them on my S55). A bunch of little things, like moving the front passenger seat up from the rear door control panel when you're carrying a big box, make the V-12 S-class addictive. And then there's 738 ft-lbs of torque.
I've got 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine, but would still not advise considering an AMG without a warranty. My insurance seems to be the same no matter what car I have -- certainly there was no big difference between the S55 and S65. Service (just the A service so far) hasn't been much higher than the S55. I'm sure brakes will be, and the 60,000 mile service (when all 24 plugs are replaced) will probably be a killer for whoever owns the car then.
I've got 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine, but would still not advise considering an AMG without a warranty. My insurance seems to be the same no matter what car I have -- certainly there was no big difference between the S55 and S65. Service (just the A service so far) hasn't been much higher than the S55. I'm sure brakes will be, and the 60,000 mile service (when all 24 plugs are replaced) will probably be a killer for whoever owns the car then.
Other S65 benefits are the huge composite brakes, LSD, those gorgeous smoked 19"s and the cache of having the top of the line.
Last edited by transferred; May 13, 2007 at 12:34 AM.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,681
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From: SF
07 E63 06 CLK55 Cab 03 P-car C4S
There is nothing like the S65. Why have a 55 bumped up to 600 HP and worry about its transmission (which is not as hardened as the 65 tranny) and the rest of the power train when you can have the 600 HP stock and warranted, possibly cheaper? Of course you want a warranty, so look for a Starmarked car. The extra cost (plus the cost of the 2-year extension) is the cheapest insurance going. The interior and finish of the S65 is much nicer than the S55. Better leather (and more of it), nicer wood trim (and more of it), no plastic to be seen, four-zone climate control, power rear headrests -- up and down (it used to drive me nuts that I'd have to manually move them on my S55). A bunch of little things, like moving the front passenger seat up from the rear door control panel when you're carrying a big box, make the V-12 S-class addictive. And then there's 738 ft-lbs of torque.
I've got 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine, but would still not advise considering an AMG without a warranty. My insurance seems to be the same no matter what car I have -- certainly there was no big difference between the S55 and S65. Service (just the A service so far) hasn't been much higher than the S55. I'm sure brakes will be, and the 60,000 mile service (when all 24 plugs are replaced) will probably be a killer for whoever owns the car then.
I've got 10,000 trouble-free miles on mine, but would still not advise considering an AMG without a warranty. My insurance seems to be the same no matter what car I have -- certainly there was no big difference between the S55 and S65. Service (just the A service so far) hasn't been much higher than the S55. I'm sure brakes will be, and the 60,000 mile service (when all 24 plugs are replaced) will probably be a killer for whoever owns the car then.
