ProV1

for me, it was when i saw one in flesh for the first time. it was in the summer of 1999 in London, I was walking out of the Ritz and BOOM saw a silver E55 parked outside and i was blown away. i knew i had to own one someday.

btw i'm glad my gf doesn't check this board, cuz i couldn't remember how we first met with as much detail LOL

xlr8tin

For me it was almost two years ago when I saw it in person to go pick it up. I live in Maine and I went to Buffalo, NY to get it. I thought it was beautiful online, but when I went to get it it was unreal. I was like, "this can't be the same car.." And than I started it to drive it back to Maine. Wow, what a great engine. That was one of the best ride for many more that followed.

chuck57

For me it's an affair that has grown over the years. Started with a '93 300E that my gf made me sell my 71 vette for; that got a bit stodgy after 5 years and went to a 98 M3, which I thouroughly enjoyed but always recognized that the engineering in a BMW is just not the same as Mercedes (the lightness just made me "think" japanese type import; then that same dang gf convinced me a 94 400SEL would be great....think that pretty much ended the relationship...but, when I went to trade it, the dealer saw me checking out the various showroom models and I told him of my desire for something more sporty....which is how I met my E55. I think the proof of the car is that when I consider trading it, I can't find another model that better combines luxury, engineering and performance.

ruBENZ

I bought my '00 E55 sight unseen. She was 3000 miles away. When she rolled off the enclosed carrier, I couldn't believe my eyes. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. My are only for her; I must be in love.

Nocturnal-G

The day I test drove one at the Volvo dealer about 5 months ago. Then I knew I had to have one. That one got sold to an auction so I had my baby shipped over from San Diego. "Love At First Sight"

zoink

Don't remember.... But I know she made me buy 3 more AMG's after that

jimmydagreek

Loved the car for a long time but fell in love when I saw and got to know James' E55 monster and I was driving my Carlsson'd out E420. I knew I had to have one then and went out and got one early this year. I love the car more and more every time I drive it.

bzliteyear

perhaps you guys might think i'm crazy, but i fell in love in the mid-1980's when MB first made "the Hammer"...and later the E500 built w/ porsche.

to me, the E55 is a continuation...though i'm not sure it applies to the W211 E55's. it's got lots of torque supercharged, but my gut feel is that given the reliability issues, in 10 to 15 yrs nobody's going to want to own any supercharged MBs.

overall, this sort of reminds me of the 1990 to 1994 porsche 911 carreras - many sell for less than the 1989's, and definitely less than the 1995's. in other words, i think there will be a big drop from the E63 to the E55 supercharged even though it's only one year difference. and i think the 2003 E55's might eventually sell for similar price to the W210 E55's, maybe.

jeff.bisonett

Road and Track, June 1996. They had an article on an E50 with two-tone white and black leather interior. It was beautiful and fast. I was not even driving age yet, but I knew one day I would have one. Then in 2002, my old man picked up an 2001 E55 with low miles. I got to drive it a handful of times and that was enough to convince me. About a year ago I bought it from him. He decided to get a prius.

I guess it also helps that most of my family drives mercedes and have been driving them as long as I can remember.

SleepersRock

'92 500E. One of the most bad *** cars ever made. I've been in love with Mercedes E-Class ever since then. I've always prefered sedans over types of vehicles (bit weird being 13 years old and wanting a sedan that nobody knew about vs. the Ferraris and Lambos of the day), and to have one that smokes 2 door coupes is my dream come true.

E55 Estate Fan

June 2007......I must be a late developer, after many years of BMW M5 ownership, I decided I needed a fast V8 Estate/Station wagon for sensible money. Last June was the first time I'd ever thought about a Mercedes let alone an E55 at that. When I went to see my first E55, which I subsequently bought it was love at first sight. It just looked fantastic, like a millionaire's car or something & got my heart pounding on sight alone. I went for a test drive in the passenger seat & was so impressed as a passenger (!) I bought it there & then!! I have never bought another car in 20+ years of motoring, on the basis of just first impressions/passenger drive. One of the best rash decisions I ever made!! It just felt right & I certainly don't regret it

ProV1

did u own a E39 M5 or E34?? E39 M5 is still 1 of my fav. cars, but used M5s cost $15k more than a similar E55 here. i cant justify paying that much more $.. i've never understood why AMGs cant hold its value for *****!!

E55 Estate Fan

Prov1

I've previously enjoyed a BMW M5 e34 1995 saloon, an M5 e39 2000 saloon, 1992 M5 e34 Touring & a 1995 M5 e34 Touring. For one brief period I had the last 3 M5's all parked on my drive. Spoilt for choice

Only sold e39 M5 because wanted a fast estate/family holdall for a relatively small budget. Why oh why didn't they make a Touring version of it?! Otherwise an excellent driver's car. Tried to live with the M5 e34 Touring as a replacement. Great car, but felt it was a small step backwards in term of performance & missed the V8 torque. The e34 Touring straight six is a wonderful engine but somehow I just felt I might end up having to rebuild the engine or something, given the relatively high state of tune it was in. The E55 Estate turned out to have everything I was looking for: lovely, understressed, naturally aspirated V8 engine (longevity), timeless understated looks, more comfortable/spacious than the e34 Touring, xenons & 7 seats. After years of stick shifting, I still can't get completely used to an automatic though and occasionally catch myself reaching out to change gear, often with a passenger on board. They must think I'm trying to touch their legs or something

sudo4re

I have always loved the idea of an iron fist in a velvet glove and the E55 to me, is the epitome of this saying. It's just another nice, luxury car until you stomp on the loud pedal and surprise the mess out of the guy next to you. After 4 yrs of ownership, she still brings a smile to my face every time I drive her.

Dawson AMG

The first was a 500E at the new car auto show in Miami Beach I remember this very large motor in a small 4 door back in 1980's then it was the RennTech E430 in Road and Track Magazine then at a track day there it was WOW! Then driving on US1 in Miami a Black E55 pulled up next to me that was I think 1998 or 1999 and of course now with my E55 AMG!!!!