Back2Benz

Hi everyone! What a great site with lots of great info and hot pics!! I haven't owned a Benz in a while but after lurking in this site, I have officially entered the market for a 2000 and up W210 E55 . I'm in Socal and narrowed down to a few, but I need your guidance in getting one at a fair market price and choosing the right one for me. Here's what I'm considering so far...

1. 2000 E55 55k miles $24k used dealer 0 warranty
2. 2001 E55 54k miles $25k private seller 1-year Starmark warranty
3. 2002 E55 43k miles $29k used dealer Factory warranty til 2008

(I'm really liking the '01 due to the price and Starmark warranty...is the $4k asking price difference between the 01 and 02 worth it??)

1. Which of the 3 years is considered "most reliable"? Is the MAF issue common with all of them?

2. What sources do you used (NADA, Edmunds, KBB, Auto Trader, etc...) to figure a good fair price? I'm gonna average the four that I've listed...

3. Are the asking prices reasonable, or is there space for negotionas on the prices (at $3k to $4k off)?

Thanks for your time and ANY information/recommendations on which model is more desirable, which options are a must, and price, etc....is greatly appreciated. Please PM me if you prefer.

Thanks so much!

JAYCL600

reliability and issues are the same with all years.
I have a 2000 99k miles starmarked until 100k
silver/charcoal $19K
hit once front right fender fixed perfectly straight as an arrow

xxaarraa

The prices seem a bit high to me, considering the W210s dropped a lot in price when the 63s came out. I bought my 2000 E55 in June 2006 and paid $26k. It had 46k miles, no warranty. When I did my research earlier, I saw that 2000 was rated as the best for reliability with 2002 being the worst among all W210s. So far I havent had any major problems, spent about $1k cleaning her up (most of the problems I knew about when buying).

MBTEK

I Would Go With The 01-02 Model, They Have Me2.8 Instead Of Me2.0, The Computer System Gives You More Info And Diag Than The Earlier Version. Also Selling My Kleemann S/c 01 E55, Also Look For A Car W/ Nav And Cooled Seats.

Back2Benz

Thanks for the input fellas, I'll keep them in mind.

E55JAY- I'm looking for something with a little less mileage, good luck with your sale!

xxaarra- thanks for the info! I'll look more into the pricing!

MBTEK- As much as I'd love to be in a Kleeman, I gotta admit, I don't have the know-how nor the $$$ to maintain one if I should need replace anything.

Keep the recommendations and guidance coming!

JamE55

Why are you selling it?

Howellja

I would go with the 2001 based on price and warranty, you can always by a third party warranty after you buy the car and before the current one runs out. If you are patient you will find the you want for the price you want. If I were to do it again I would def. get a car with NAV and cooled seats. The bargain BENZ can be found you just have to look long enough. E55's here in NY, NYC, NJ are going for about 19K-22K with 70K and no warranty. But thats taking the abuse of NY roads, location of the car has a lot to do with condition of the suspension not just the cosmetics. I did both lower ball joints and a new steering rack / power steering pump (under warranty I purchased) on my E55 that i owned for two years from 63k-78K. Enjoy I miss that car soo much now that the weather has broke here in upstate NY

MBTEK

Selling My 01 Kleemann E55 Due To 06 E55 Dropped In My Lap, Kleemann Runs Great, I Went With The Headers,down-pipes And Hi-flow Cats, Center Muffler Delete W/ X-pipe And Ecu Tune.

JamE55

I have that same setup plus a few more added and it'll out run a stock 211 E55. From what i understand it's an equivalent to a K2/K3 setup.

Just to let everyone know that is probably one of the last setup of the Kleemann autorotor s/c kit you'll ever own. Someone steal that 210 kleemann E55!

Ryan c230

I live in L.A. and saw the first two cars you are talking about. One was from a dealer in Hollywood and the other was from a private party right? The one in Hollywood is actually not bad, and very clean. I was thinking of getting it. I had a friend at a local benz dealer run the vin. It has had its fair share of warranty related repairs. Nothing major, but just a bunch of little things I can't remember at the moment. If you can get a warranty it wouldn't be too bad. The one from the private party just lacks navigation, and I want that. I kept searching and this is what I ended up with...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...5947822&rd=1,1

Back2Benz

Yup, we are looking at the same thing...and thanks for the update . I was going to drop by the Hollywood used car dealer yesterday but something came up, I think I might check it out. How easy-to-use is the Navi, what about upgrading the maps? Do all the W210 AMG's come with the electronic seat supports (lumbar, lateral/thigh, etc...)? thanks!

Ryan c230

I don't know how easy it is to use navigation as I have never had one, as far as I know to get the discs (maps), you probably have to go to the dealer, at least that is what I was told and I don't know the price. As far as I know they all come with that seat support mechanism, in fact I remember that being one of the things that was replaced under warranty and If my memory serves me correctly I think the instrument cluster was also changed under warranty. You can get the vin # from the carfax report that is linked from thier site and then go to a benz service advisor and tell them you want to buy this car and ask them to run it for you. If you do decide to get it, look into an extended warranty. There's one place (autowarranty brokers) that offers a good warranty but it only covers drivetrain. I ended up getting a two year Ford easy care warranty from the dealer and it covers just about everything. Also you may want to tell the dealer that you want to send the car to mercedes for an inspection. That is what I did, and the dealer drove the car to the closest Mercedes dealership and I got a complete inspection and diagnostic report on the car for 125 dollars. Good luck.

Back2Benz

awesome! thanks again for the tips! ....I'm getting more excited about all this

zoink

LOL.... you're one week too late.... otherwise, my car may have been yours already... How come no one was looking when I was selling one?

Electronic a.k.a. ortho a.k.a. multi-contour seats are standard. The only options - if I remember correctly - are parktronic, vent seats, NAV and linguatronic / voice command. Other then two-tone seats and designo, of course.

Tall Giraffe

Since we are talking E55 shopping, is there a disadvantage to buying a white E as opposed to the standard Silver or Black?

JamE55

Your timing is always off...

zoink

Why are you always picking on me, James?

I think we somehow have a chemistry even though we've never met.... Yaiks....

So are you selling your S8? Let me know if you want to let it go for $20K...

zoink

I don't think so... silver is everywhere.... black is second. White, red, techtite grey, and the rest are very rare.

JamE55

Chemistry? Zoinks!!

Does lime and peanut butter have chemistry?

Why would i let my car go when it's faster than your current 211 E55?

zoink

Sure... but you spent more than W211

JamE55

You'll always be spending more that's why it's called modaholic.

Thericker

I have a good friend who may want to buy your Kleemann blower, are you parting out? pm me for price and I'll pass it on to my friend! thank you!