I am about to buy a 01 w/ 109k and have good faith in MB's especially hand-built AMG's. What should I expect to go out with this mileage. I am crazy about maint. I have a 2000 740iL now and certain things go at certain mileage...like waterpumps and suspension bushings.

Just would like to know what to expect. Autohaus AZ seems to have all the parts I'll ever need and very reasonable, actually all parts for this car so far I've looked at are cheaper than the BMW parts. Any other source for good inexpensive parts?

Thanks again, Nick

 

Well since you are coming from a BMW I can tell you that the Mercedes with be cheaper to own. The BMW bushings have a very short life or 50 to 60K and the Mercedes bushing do last longer but very few rubber parts will last longer then 10 years or 100K miles event on a Mercedes.

I am at 118K on my 02 E55 and till I got rear ended I was planning on 2 more years out of the car and then move on to an E63 or a FI S. The biggest caution I will pass on is make sure everything works to begin with especially the A/C, NAV, and SEATS.

The big item we have to replace on the Mercedes seems to be the MAF but those can be had pretty cheaply < $200 and take only a couple of minutes to swap. The E55 has floating rotors on the front that are a bit pricey too my cost on them is $230 each.

Oh last bit you can see on my other thread the exhaust is pretty pricy and I can see them as capable of totaling out the cars in the near future but the parts are all stainless and unless you have a accident they would never need replacement.

I find Mercedes in general pretty easy to keep and not to bad on parts prices and I have owed about 20 of them so far. I have owned 3 BMWs those ate me alive in maintenance (2 745s and a M Roadster). My M Roaster would need 8 to 10 quarts of oil between changes and my E55 uses almost one between changes both cars have pretty close to the same change interval I drive the E55 as hard as I ever drove the M Roadster plus the E55 is faster.

 

mine just turned 107,xxx and i bought it with 105k. some cars will have some of the stuff already done, and some will not. these are not necesarily typical 100k mile items, they might be needed on a car that has 70-80k miles just as much as a car w/100k.

so far i've done the following(some are because i got the car without records, and i like to keep my cars in tip top shape):

-coolant flush
-oil/filter change
-new spark plus
-new valve cover gaskets
-new motor mounts
-new tie rod ends(front and rear)
-new sway bar endlinks
-transmission service(fluid+filter) x2(because my car doesnt have a TQ converter drain plug)
-transmission adapter plug(leaking on to TCU harness)
-new air filters
-cleaned MAF
-new fuel filter
-differential fluid flush

next on my list are:
-new shocks all the way around
-passenger seat SRS sensor pad(SRS light on)
-maybe new front control arm bushings depending on how it feels w/ new shocks

either way ... do not fool yourself and think these cars are cheap to own. They are definitely not, i would say they are right on par with the E38 7er. If you do not DIY you better get an extended warranty.

Front brake discs are $500+ a pair at cost(retail to the avg person w/ tax is ~$700+) and no one sells them except the $tealer. That's only for the 2 front rotors. the rears are available from the usual parts places for a lot less and pads run about ~$150 for the whole car with decent stuff. It also takes 16 spark plugs and they cost right around $12/pop for OE plugs($15 at dealer).

other than that make sure the tranny shifts well and motor is nice and quiet. any ticking, any noises go ahead and walk. make sure the seats are in good shape(i.e they move well, and the heaters/coolers work),there are no lights on, etc. power should be good and the car should pull strong and shift nice and firm.

the engines are very solid on these cars, trannys are a little weaker but it's mostly the electronics inside that start acting up. mechanically it's fairly solid.

that said, this is the best value for your buck out there if you need a 4 door. The only other car that comes close overall is the E39 M5. I looked at them as well before buying this one, as i had just sold my CTS-V and E36 M3 and was eager to get another manual transmission decided, that for the money the E55 is a better buy. The M5 costs more to buy, more to maintain, and they are unreliable(motors are starting to grenade due to rod bearing issues).


let us know how it goes but i dont think you'll be disappointed.