r_liebo

Greetings from the C-Class board, all. I am currently driving an 04 C320 sport that I've grown tired of (not enough power, goes through tires like a sports car but doesn't handle like one, but mostly too many rattles and QT issues). Looking at upgrading to an 01 E55.
Pretty much a BMW guy until my C, so I am well aware of the tradeoff in driver involvement vs an e39 M5 (which to be honest are just too pricey in the resale market for me to consider at all and may be tough in ATL traffic anyway), but I did have a couple of questions from the experts here since there is a beautiful black E55 here in ATL just asking for me to buy it. I did a search and see a lot of folks here have experience with both brands, and I have 3 big areas of concern.

1) I know the E55 is a fast car, but is it "fun" to drive. Obviously can't toss it around like a 3 series, but can you enjoy its handling characteristics on a day to day level? Is it more toward BMW's sportiness or the mushy luxury of a Lexus GS430? A test drive can only tell so much of the story.

2) Seems that quality is pretty solid with this model, and I realize things will break on a 5 year old car, but I cannot deal with squeaks and rattles. My experience (just mine, no flames please) with my prior BMWs are that whatever issues they may have, they are as tight as a drum and drive like new well in excess of 75K miles. My C320 at 17K, however, rattles like a 10 year old Land Rover.
I know w210 E55s are built solidly but do they become noisy as they age?

3) Do these cars ever leave you stranded? Haven't owned a car that let me down in this fashion for many years, and I haven't come across any common issues with the E55 that would lead to this result.


Thanks for any insights.

houston

My 00 W210 E55 IMO was alot funner minus the the extra power I get in my 04 W211 E55. I still remember it as alot easier to swing around and felt much lighter than my current. Also there's a few things you can do with the w210 which will make it alot stiffer and handle better, I'm sure the guys on this forum with w210's that modded their cars should know better.

broker1

I know that you asked for the advice from some experienced owners or experts, which I am not but I would like to give you my take. I just bought a 2000 W210 about 2 weeks ago and I love it! I have never owned or driven a C320, but in my opinion the W210 even though it would be an older car than what you have now, it is a much better car overall. Mine is in very good condition and I haven't sensed any of the things you asked about like squeaks or rattling. I have owned some pretty fast cars before this one ( '04 350Z heavily modded, '94 RX-7 TT 420HP ) and I have never been this happy with a car overall. It has power, looks, quality, and comfort all in one. I believe that for the money this car is the best value considering the fact that you can get a '00-'01 with decent miles for around $28-$34k

tjcMBE55AMG

Very happy with an 02 W210.

TJC

JamE55

W210 E55 + KS8 = :p

Fast55

Agreed. W210 E55 + HPS Gen II + custom injectors, + custom exhaust = My second supercharged W210. I may get a SL55 next, but she's a keeper. Not too many issues with the cars. I haven't owned a C320, but have driven the pi$$ out of one as a dealer loaner, so I think you'd be impressed. They handle much better than a W211, but you're right in that it ain't a 3 series. Very fun car even bone stock. Good luck.

zoink

IMHO, W210 has better quality than W211. In terms of power, no question... like heaven and earth.... but yes, I agree w/ Fast55 and Houston.... it is more fun to toss around than W211...

C class is a little more nimble than W210.... but w/ the extra power, better handling in regular "C" and 3 series is not an issue anymore

Not sure about rattles.... but my W210 - bone stock - doesn't rattle.... only some creaking noise when you enter a steep driveway, which some W211 owners have similar experience.

Other than that, you just need to be sure to get a car w/ warranty or make sure that the instrument panel is good (LCD is always problematic).

Good luck!

James and Fast55:
How much is your mod? What's the additional rwhp and rwtq as compared to stock? I never heavily modded my car.... so never know whether it's worth the $$$. Just like W211... it was worth every penny over W210, IMHO, until I realized my car was a lemon

ImaginAsian

i own a 99E55 so here are my answers:

1) love its handling. i too owned a C220 before this and even though the C will be a bit easier to dodge in an out, for a car that is much bigger then the C, the handling of the AMG class is superb. I love taking the U-shaped freeway on-ramps at 45 mph with no pull

2) no rattle on my 99. only when i go over bumps may the rear deck make a slight noise...also when i slam my 12" sub hard

3) too early to tell for me, as i have had this car for 3 weeks but the original owner took great care of this car. my local mechanic and other owners suggest to do an extra oil service between the A and B Service schedules. just remember to use Synthetic Oil.

also agree with zoink, get an extended warranty if you can. i got one which covers the major components for 4 yrs/uinlimited miles

Fast55

I went from 302 RWHP to 425 RWHP. The HPS setup is about 10K with tax and install. Kleeman is more, but I believe James has the cams and everything in the Kleemannizer, prolly 435-450 RWHP, maybe more, never seen a dyno on his car. It transforms the W210 really. I like the W211's, but I like this more as a performance sedan. HPS is still playin' with my ECU, but that's about all it's going to put out.

E55Cent

I enjoy my car and if I were you I would get the warranty. My tranny went out and it cost me 5k, but I drive the car very hard. I have Koni and H&R suspension and it handles ok, it is no BMW. The power is great and having a powerful automatic makes traffic less stressful. I will most likely sell my 55 early next year and get a 02 M5. I love BMW's and the Mercedes was a nice adventure but not sure it is the car for me.
Mario

r_liebo

5 Grand? Ouch. Unfortunately the car I'm looking at is just out of warranty, but it is so much cheaper than anything else I'm seeing, it may be worth it. Plus it is black, which I prefer over the silver. I'm discovering that these vehicles are rare birds, indeed. I could look into aftermarket warranties with the $$ I would save up front as well (haven't heard such great things about those, however).

I am a big fan of the E39 M5 (particularly with the caramel leather), but they are just too pricey right now for me. The wife sets limits, you know. Did the aftermarket suspension upgrades help the handling a good bit?

Thanks all for their input (and keep them coming!)

ImaginAsian

my aftermarket warranty cost me $1500 for the 4 yr/unlimited mileage. if the AC goes out, the warranty would have paid for itself let alone the tranny going south

E55Cent

The car handles a bit better but not much. The AMG is close to my aftermarket. I have set the front to soft and the rear to hard to give the car more oversteer. I even run more tire pressure in the rear, but the car is no where close to my old M3 or 540i. All in all iit is a nice car and it sounds great with an exhaust.
I have seen many M5 for 30k to 37k keep looking, most are in southern Cali, not sure where you are.
Mario

Smoltz

I have a fair amount of seat time in the W210 E55, but don't own one, so I can't comment on the reliablity/squeeks rattles. I have driven a number of different W210s with a variety of mileges and what not.

As far as fun to drive goes... I don't consider it fun to drive at all. The power is great, the car is comfortable but even the 7 series is more fun to drive in my expeirence. The steering on the E55 is slow and the car feels heavy (yes I realize the car is heavy, but it feels more heavy than other cars in its class as far as size/weight goes).

As far as squeeks rattles.... these cars are pretty well put together, not the best from MB, but hardly the worst either. Ive driven high mileage W210s and if will maintaned and not beat on the car will be largely free of squeeks/rattles.

Just my 2 cents, I'm guessing a number of poeple are going to disagree with me on the fun-to-drive factory, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Thanks,
Adam

brt3

I currently own an E46 M3, VW Phaeton, and an E55 Wagon. I have LOTS of seat time in the BMW Seven, both the current and previous iteration. You really do feel the weight in the E55 compared to BMWs. Even the portly Phaeton (5400 pounds!) seems -- in Sport mode -- more tossable. That being said, I only have 600 miles on the E55 and have not yet begun to explore it's limits. My biggest problem with the Benz seems to be understeer. It feels really difficult to rotate/drift the car in a tight turn with full-power applied. I realize that all these cars have traction control, but I wonder if Benz is being overly conservative in their traction control settings compared to the other manufacturers. Once I get her broken in I'll switch off the electronic nanny and let her rip...

Mdull

I am looking into ext. warr. currently. Could you tell me the name of the company & contact info. Local Benz dealer quoted 3770.00 for 6yr or 1005 warranty through service shield. Ouch!

MD

ImaginAsian

my warranty is through C.A.R.S. - its a medical warranty that covers all major components.