Zachmac

90+ k miles on my 04 S55 without ever having had or heard of an electrical Gremlin. ABC yes but electrical? What are you talking about?

Kyivk

So i talked to a intendant Mercedes specific repair & service shop, OC Benz and he said that it really wasn't a car that was easy to maintain as all of you have said i just needed i bit more clarification on the ABC and its cost. So my main fall back car was a E55 and he said that that was a much more reasonable & sensible car & said it was very fun to drive.

So I thank you for all of you answers and help in making my decision. so ill be in the E55 forum...lol

Zax63

in reading through the posts, I certainly do not come to the conclusion that "all of us have said" it is an easy car to maintain. I think a bunch of us have said "it is a frickload of work to maintain." For an 18 year old, an E55 is a better choice. Actually, for an 18 year old, an E320 cdi is a better choice, as without racing school you will likely hurt yourself or worse yet others.

Kyivk

Yeah I would say for an 18 year old a C230 would be best but i don't fall in to the category of "normal" or "average" i am much more mature. but i wont be racing to USC way to much traffic, but any way I wanted an AMG.
As for what i said before that is true not every one said that it would be a harder car to maintain however it is a lot of patients (something i don't have) and a lot of money a bit more that I'm will put out for only repairs. If they were performance upgrades that different but its over all just a little to costly to me.

trag

Why not look into a cls55 ///amg? ?

trag

Or a clk 55 or 63..

rondocap

Well, with a budget of 18k, you really won't find a lower mileage example of S55's and E55's. (w211)

Sure, you may be able to sneak in a 2003 E55 or S55 with really high miles for 18k, but I am really certain that is not a good idea. It will be out of warranty, and you will start to incur costs of maintenance, since a lot of little things do go wrong with these cars, especially with higher miles if they've been neglected. Trust me, I have an S55 with 148k miles - so I know how it's like. I love the car, but it is not cheap to maintain and little things do often go wrong.

Now, here is a much smarter decision. You want an AMG, and have a budget of 18k. Sure, that can be done. You will have to get an older AMG, though. Here are some options, ALL of which you can find for under 18k with fairly good mileage and condition.

Maintenance for these will be better for the most part, except the S55 below which has ABC and may be a bit more since it's more complicated.

W220 S55 2001/2002: Not the supercharged one, but you'll more easily find these in the mid-teens. It's still fast, an AMG, and an S class. Plus you will be a bit under budget and be able to find a well-maintaned example.

W210 E55: Same engine as the above S55, but in a lighter car - still very quick. The S55 is nicer and more modern, but this E55 is lighter and can be most likely found cheaper.

CLK55: W208 Once again, same engine - but even lighter. 0-60 times of 4.9 seconds, it's a fast car and still looks good.

C32 AMG: The C55 is still more expensive for a good example, but the C32 can be found for this price. It's a fast car, and looks good.

Kyivk

I was told by my indie Benz service shop that i would have a hard time keeping the C-AMG on the road. as for the CLK as Motor trend said a few years ago its for ladies who lunch.
I was recommended both the 210 & 211,
as for the 01/02 S i wanted the modern interior (the seats and dash/center console). as for the the 211 I've seen a few all between 90-115k mi. I like the available mods and the more modern look of the the 211.
And i really kinda want that Supercharger

handfore

Thanks for the honest opinion, I won't be scratching my head for my 18 year old who is ready with a list of his own models.

Viet_Amg408

if you like it man, just buy it don't listen to people.

ayy you sure you 18... u look like 30's bro... lol..i add you on call of duty 2

brennanhill2003

I bought my W220 about 4 months ago, 87,000 miles 90 now. I was concerned with he same maintenance issues, and looked at alot of s 55s. If you can distinguish the difference between a hammered one, and one that has been taken care of, that need be all your concern. For example - Mercedes emblems in the windows, taillights. Be sure to run the abc swith multiple times, it should kompress up and down quickly, within a few seconds. Hammer it !!! Make sure the tranny doesn't slip, an whale on the breaks (17 in slotted 8 cylinder brAkes will stop FAST!!) you will be happy with your purchase. I promise!!!!! Food for thought, this is what I have done. I work 60 miles away from home, so I bought a beater to drive on freeway!! Run up the miles on that, then when I come home I enjoy my AMG around town. You do want to avoid winding out mileage on this car , it is an exotic and you will want to take care of it!!! If you find a good shop the maintenance isn't as bad as you think. I know with 90k on it a warranty will cost 3500 dollars for 24k miles. I didn't do it. Mind you, I beat the ****!!!!!! Out of my car it's hard not to when you have 500 horsepower to play with. Good luck, and hope to see you around the forum with your new ride.

SFBIGBODY415

Wow this is an old thread but I just wanted to say that i have a 2000 s430 that i bought with 119k. I got it from the original owner that took REALLY good care of the car. I'm talking not even a single scratch or ding anywhere. I had it for about six months and had no major issues just small wear and tare stuff. I got all the service records from the previous Owner and looks like the car had lots of its work done between 75-90k. I also have a buddy with a 01 cl500 with 68k and his car is in service alot. I seen from personal experience that if you buy cars like these its better to get over 100k or really low miles like under 60k. Also matters who the previous owners were and how it was taken care of.

Dkmafia

I would like to reiterate this and answer the OP's question... BUY THE CAR! Personally I do not like the Lexus, so it would be extremely hard for me to compare the two. But repairs on that Lexus are comparable to the S55 and you do not have an S55. <-- That alone would be my reasoning lol.

I just bought a high mileage S55 and had to spend a few dollar on maintenance. It was a lot, but when you are driving that machine to the shop it really seems worth it. When you are driving another car and thinking about buying the S55 is the only time it will seem like a lot.

When you factor your interest on the Lexus and all the padding in the payments you are really spending the money anyway. With a major repair on the S55, that car can get VERY close to a new car payment in yearly cost. But I like to support my local mechanic over the banks and insurance companies. So I am always buying older cars and just maintaining them.

GL

shype

Is A 2004 s-55 considered a exotic car???

Viet_Amg408

Anyone want to buy my 03 s55 fully serviced by mechanic owner ?

i have 140k on the clock...everything is excellent...except a small dent in the hood...easy bodyshop fix for couple hundred bucks

let me know.. looking for 16-17k.. reasonably market price !!!

i_am_amused

My exotic (:-)) 2004 S55 is also available, but with only 60,000 miles and 1year / 15k miles of transfersble Fidelity Platinum warranty. Just had $6,500 of covered repairs done including new ABC pump and Tele-Aid unit replacement (with a DIGITAL unit). it has been my daily driver for 3 years (45k miles). Wheels are 7 or 8 out of ten, body and interior 9, mechanicals 10.

Best offer over $20,000 gets it.

Did i mention the killer warranty? Don't drive AMG without one!!

Kyivk

My thoughts have not changed. I still want E55 or CLS55, I was driving a clients 12 CLS63 and It's quite a bit of fun, or my friends 12 E350 Turbo'ed...also quite a bit of fun....I want that fun stock....and then the other day BenzWorks hosted an open house and an E55 running like 600+ hp did one of the best burn outs id seen....
No another client of mine has a GS 430, and that thing is nice and has a sweet sound....but is still not what I'm looking for in a car....

SFBIGBODY415

I would buy one wigh 120k over one with like 80k for a much better deal


OTE=bamg;4045759]So if we had an opportunity to buy a high mileage S55 AMG or a much newer (possibly heavier optioned) S500 Designo what would you chose?[/QUOTE]

i_am_amused

Having just survived a gigantic repair bill at the 60k mark i would almost agree with this. The big stuff that will fail will certainly haved failed by 120k, or at least be obvious to an educated consumer. However, could they possibly be nearing a second failure?

I wouldn't buy one at 60k that didn't have a reliable warranty.

SFBIGBODY415

This is the sad fact. I have had many mbz's and BMW's and so have most of my friends. These cars are all have the same problems and usually around the same mileage. All major parts go out between 65-110k. I am saying this from personal experience. People that say i am crazy buying a German car with over 100k are basically crazy them selves. Ether buy one with low miles with warranty or buy one with 115k plus. I bought my s430 with 118k and put 20k within a year with no major problems (knock on wood).

mschaub

I bought an S55 in Sept 2011 with 28K miles on the clock. It now has 42K on it. I've owned many, many cars, this is my 3rd favorite all time and now I can't imagine driving something else. That said, previous owner had a full extended warranty and it paid over $8K to fits things (ball joints, motor/transmission mounts, new COMAND head unit, and troubleshooting a 900 milliamp parasitic drain----get the right battery even if you have to pay the $400 for it!). ABC is solid and the tech says it's the dryest one he's every seen even at 10 years old. First brake change comining up, which will be expensive. Mileage. Solid 15 in town and 21 on the interstate average. It's fun. No one can outrun me, and most can't at half throttle. Play with the handling til you get it like you want it. For me, 41psi front, 38psi rear and keep the ABC in sport mode. Believe it or not, turn in much better (at least with this set of tires) with higher pressure in the fronts.