W210 AMG Discuss the W210 AMG's such as the E50, E55, and E60

03 S55? looking at buying, any major concerns?

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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 12:06 PM
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00 E55,03 GC OVERLAND,92 CHEROKEE
Exclamation 03 S55? looking at buying, any major concerns?

Found an 03 S55 that is flawless according to the add and i'm strongly considering buying it. I have heard mixed reviews of the first year with the supercharger and would like some input from anyone who knows a little more.
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 02:19 PM
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'03 S55 will probably have all the problems of an '03 E55, plus the S55 is slower. If you read the S55 and E55 sections, you'll see a lot of people saying they regret getting the S as it's noticeably slower than the E. Plus the W211 E55 is so cheap right now.
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by saintz
'03 S55 will probably have all the problems of an '03 E55, plus the S55 is slower. If you read the S55 and E55 sections, you'll see a lot of people saying they regret getting the S as it's noticeably slower than the E. Plus the W211 E55 is so cheap right now.
s55 slower than the e55......i know the S is heavier....but u will b surprised...
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 03:37 PM
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I guess this may be more an issue with the N/A S55 versus the N/A E55. With the Kompressor models, they'll both be fast. But still, the S55 won't be as fast.
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 04:19 PM
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From: So Lame(salem) OR
00 E55,03 GC OVERLAND,92 CHEROKEE
Originally Posted by saintz
'03 S55 will probably have all the problems of an '03 E55, plus the S55 is slower. If you read the S55 and E55 sections, you'll see a lot of people saying they regret getting the S as it's noticeably slower than the E. Plus the W211 E55 is so cheap right now.
grabbing the S because I intend on throwing my W210 E55 in the garage after a while except for weekend drives. I fear losing my piece of history to some moron in a honda ha ha.

What problems should I be aware of?
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 07:22 PM
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Same intercooler pump and ABC suspension issues of the W211 E55.
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 07:25 PM
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My dad has had a...

'96 S500
'01 S500
'04 CL55 AMG (Current)

All three have had the air suspension give out. Great cars, not discouraging you from buying, but it flat out is going to happen.
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 08:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Rex Kwon Do
My dad has had a...

'96 S500
'01 S500
'04 CL55 AMG (Current)

All three have had the air suspension give out. Great cars, not discouraging you from buying, but it flat out is going to happen.

CL55 with air suspension? you must mean abc.
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Old Aug 13, 2009 | 11:05 PM
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i've looked on/off as well for the S/C S55, and as much as it's tempting.
however, if looking strictly at the stats, you're better off getting 04+. in fact, 06 would be the ideal year.
for me, i'm going to wait a while before changing my 02 S55 (just did the ABC and other items), so might as well enjoy the car (plenty fast in 99.9% of the situations)...and wait for the newer MB prices to come down.
Patrick
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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 01:48 AM
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Originally Posted by bzliteyear
i've looked on/off as well for the S/C S55, and as much as it's tempting.
however, if looking strictly at the stats, you're better off getting 04+. in fact, 06 would be the ideal year.
for me, i'm going to wait a while before changing my 02 S55 (just did the ABC and other items), so might as well enjoy the car (plenty fast in 99.9% of the situations)...and wait for the newer MB prices to come down.
Patrick
05+ is the updated stuff...
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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 02:00 AM
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From: So Lame(salem) OR
00 E55,03 GC OVERLAND,92 CHEROKEE
Originally Posted by saintz
Same intercooler pump and ABC suspension issues of the W211 E55.
is it something that i can keep up on so i don't have to worry about those issues or should i just get an 04 or 05?
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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 09:00 AM
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The ABC is unreliable, regardless of what year you buy. The downside of the great ride of ABC is additional complexity, which translates into increased repairs. You just have to be prepared that the ride quality is going to cost a grand every now and then to maintain.

The IC pump breaking isn't a big deal. It's not terribly expensive to fix, and when it breaks, it's not like it leaves you stranded (just the car won't run as fast). You can just replace it with an aftermarket pump as soon as you buy the car, and never have to worry about it again.
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Old Aug 14, 2009 | 12:40 PM
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From: So Lame(salem) OR
00 E55,03 GC OVERLAND,92 CHEROKEE
Originally Posted by saintz
The ABC is unreliable, regardless of what year you buy. The downside of the great ride of ABC is additional complexity, which translates into increased repairs. You just have to be prepared that the ride quality is going to cost a grand every now and then to maintain.

The IC pump breaking isn't a big deal. It's not terribly expensive to fix, and when it breaks, it's not like it leaves you stranded (just the car won't run as fast). You can just replace it with an aftermarket pump as soon as you buy the car, and never have to worry about it again.
Thanks for all the help saintz, you really know your stuff and don't have a problem sharing. That is very cool man. I think with a I'll go with it now and just replace the intercooler and wait for the ABC to give out ha ha. Any high performance intercoolers I should look into?
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Old Aug 15, 2009 | 02:36 PM
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A guy I work with has an S65. He says it's the most amazing car, and the ABC is like magic.

The intercooler is water to air, so it's probably sufficient. It's really just the pump that's an issue. I think Johnson makes a replacement pump you can use. You can probably find more in any of the Kompressor AMG forums (W211 E55 has a lot of talk about it).
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Old Aug 17, 2009 | 01:52 AM
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From: So Lame(salem) OR
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Originally Posted by saintz
A guy I work with has an S65. He says it's the most amazing car, and the ABC is like magic.

The intercooler is water to air, so it's probably sufficient. It's really just the pump that's an issue. I think Johnson makes a replacement pump you can use. You can probably find more in any of the Kompressor AMG forums (W211 E55 has a lot of talk about it).
Again, thank you saintz. I will go with your suggestions when and if I pick the S55 up. The car has to pass my final inspection obviously. I will shoot you some pics of it if I grab it. If I do I'm going EVOsport all the way, full meal deal on the upgrades!

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