AMGSport

Hi All..I've done several searches, and I hope I haven't missed a specific thread, but I have decided to pursue a 2001-2002 E55. From what I've seen their isn't a bigger bang for the used car buck than this vehicle.

I currently own a 1998 R129 SL500 Sport Package car (which I'll be keeping)and love it; my experience with this car is selling me on another Mercedes.

I do have several queries for the group; they are:

1) What are the common problems with this car; ie, I was considering a C32 but am put off by issues of IC pump failures, etc. Anything that I need to be aware of?
2) Performance enhancements - other than the Sprint booster and pulleys, what is available for this motor? Is the motor as rock-solid as it appears to be?
3) Pricing - I'm seeing pricing between 18k and 27K for nice examples. I've been watchin eBay and Autotrader and it appears that a fair price for a well-spec'd car (including nav) with under 75K miles is about 20 -22K...Am I on track here?

Thanks in advance for your input and advice...

JamE55

All of your questions have been discussed before. Try doing a search. Should help you with the answer you're looking for.

AMGSport

Thanks for the respone. As noted in my post, I've done several searches and was unsuccessful in finding specifically what I was looking for.

You're welcome to suggest search parameters that will help me...? BTW, I did review the below thread...

https://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg/215124-wtb-w210-e55-amg.html

JamE55

Try these parameters.

1. W210 common
2. W210 performance
3. W210 E55 price

Hope that helps. Good luck!

bzliteyear

i had my E55 for a year and it was as reliable as any honda or toyota...my friend just bought my 01. you'll like having the variety along with your R129(i used to have SL600).

btw, the 2002 is nice, but for some reason on edmunds the 02 E55 has a much higher price than the 01's. therefore, all things being equal, i'd get the nicest car you find. as for things to look for, the engine's pretty bullet proof but be sure to get a qualied MB mechanic to put it up on the rack. good luck and have fun.

chuck57

Had my '02 for 5 years now. Only regular maintenance with the exception of recently replacing the Engine/Transmission mounts because they were leaking (seems to happen at the 40-50Kmile point); one faulty door lock mechanism; self-induced tire-wear; think I saw it implied somewhere that the 02 has slight higher HP than the 01 (don't know if that is fact or not); your 20-22K price range looks about right - as with all cars I'd go for the lowest price, best feature, cleanest maintenance history combination you can find
If you can find one that's been lowered 1/2 inch or so - with lightweight 19-inch rims, exhaust mods - my personal thoughts would be that the performance/appearance is probably off-set by the addtional fun the previous owner had.
Bottom line...good luck...you won't be dissappointed! Thus far, this is the closest I've come to curbing my mood-swings and buy impulses between a practical car and performance car.

Karlson

yeah, spend an hour and you will know about MUCH more about e55. I am planning to buy one soon, but after reading this board I got a lot of new information, especially where to look when I wil bel buying it. Too bad MAF is not a subject for a recall.

jimmydagreek

As long as you find one that has been well maintained you shouldn't have any major issues and I wouldn't worry about high miles (again depending on the history and maintenance). The MAF sensor tends to be a problem but you're only talking a couple hundred bucks and that's nothing. Keep the car tuned and oiled and it will last a long time.

As far as performance upgrades, it all depends on the size of your wallet. From mild to medium you can start off with a pulley, airbox, headers, ECU upgrade, exhaust, etc. If you really want to go all the way like Jamesupercharger up above you can go all Kleemann with a supercharger, pulleys, headers, ECU, Quafe and on and on and on...

Good luck and let us know!

JamE55

Listen to Jimbalogna.

Some Kleemann parts(s/c) for the 210 have been discontinued.

jimmydagreek

Yeah Jamesearchalot but some of the parts could be found with people parting out and shops that might have leftover parts I would guess!

JamE55

That's true Jimbomatic.

1 BAD BURB

all above info is great knowledge... just thought i'd post up, but mine is for sale...
Aj