mtnhouse

Hi all,
Its been a couple months that I'm still wishy washy what car to buy. Its gonna be my weekend car. I don't know if I should get an 06 subaru STI, 02-06 BMW M3 or 00-02 E55. I've been browsing here just to get a feel how you guys like the E55 and so far i've been reading good reviews. I guess good reviews because its a w210 forum My friends owns STI and M3 so I want to get different car. So far I like the 00-02 E55's. What i want to know from you guys is how do you guys like the E55 suspension? I will definitely lower the car if I ever buy one. Will this affect the ride? I am going to test drive a 00 E55 this weekend. What things should I be watching out when I test drive the car?
thanks for all the reply

Schweinhund

If it's a weekend car, go for a higher mile, lower end of the cost range, W211 03-04 and just own your friends outright. I've seen them for $16K and up. Add a pulley and an upgraded intercooler pump ($400 total) and now you have over 500HP.

xlr8tin

Well, considering your friends already have the other 2, it's a no brainer. These cars are awesome! Suspension is great. Get the Benz

SleepersRock

Not sure where you're at, but I just checked craigslist in the bay area and there are 4 210 e55 for sale ranging from 8999 to 18999:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/c...inAsk=&maxAsk=

mtnhouse

I am from the bayarea. I've been checking these cars. I will test drive the one that has 42k mileage this weekend. Is $18988 that has 42k a good price?

MBFLO

seems like Cali rides seem to retain better Values then the rest of the country . But for almost in 20 grand range . For a 2000 the miles sound lovely but im guessing its not coming with a pre-owned 100k miles warrenty seems a little high in price even though such low miles are kind of rare for this car .

KBJW

Just wondering if you have seen the car in person and did the test drive and how was it?

mtnhouse

No not yet it started raining here last Sunday. i will let you know when i test drive the car.

mtnhouse

I went to test drive the car. The car drives good but it doesnt have a clean record. the car got in a accident and it says possible frame damage but he showed me a paper work from a shop that says no frame damage. He still wants $18,500. Any of you guys have an idea how much to get the frame check? Do you guys think still worth it for $18,500 with 43k mileage? Oh another thing, it says lamp defective. Another thing I noticed is when I used the manual shift, it only shift up to 4th gear then it goes to drive, is it really like this?
Ask the dealer to lower the price and how much? or look for another car?

desired_speeds

That is normal for manual shift. Just pass on the car IMO. Just take your time and find the perfect one.

saintz

I've owned a WRX and E55.

WRX pros: AWD traction, easy/cheap to modify.
E55 pros: Less boy racer, nicer interior, fewer rattles, no turbo lag.
M3 will handle better than an E55 but is straight line the slowest of the three.

I would look for an under $12k W210 E55. If you're looking to spend closer to $20k, go for a W211 E55, S600, etc. Those sub-50k mile E55s at almost $20k are going to depreciate a lot. The 100k mile $10k models are already mostly depreciated. Since you're not going to drive it much, you can buy an 80k mile example and never break 100k miles on it.

desired_speeds

That's very good advice. This is why I chose a W210 just above $10k. A w211 still has time to depreciate, while at around $10k, W210 will stay about the same for a while.

diexodos

I drive a 2005 WRX for the last six years and I want to step it up. I still like the car but I envy the looks of 2001 -2002 Mercedes E55. How does it feel switching between an E55 snd a WRX? How easy is it to find a well maintained, serviced E55 AMG for 12,000? If I get a well serviced car, I am quite confident I can do most repairs. Even a WRX requires lots of maintenance every 15,000 miles and space may be tighter than in a E55. If existing owners know of nice E55 on sale, should help propsective buyers to acquire them. My location is in Columbus Ohio

desired_speeds

Sort of hard to find for around $12k. It took me over two months of constant searching everyday to find mine. I settled for one without ever seeing it in person, no service records, and some funky history (5 owners according to autocheck) I was lucky that mine seemed pretty well cared for when I took delivery and seems as if its been serviced on time. Whew....

saintz

Check eBay and Craigslist for any large nearby cities.

Working on an E55 is generally much easier than a WRX, because there is way more space under the hood. You only have to change the oil once a year, so maintenance becomes much less frequent.

Is your WRX modded? If it is, just understand that modding a W210 E55 is like... dating a German girl. You can love her, but she won't love you back. Mods are expensive and don't get you very far. Ask yourself "is this car fast enough or do I want to mod it." If you're not happy with the car stock, look at a C32, W211 E55, or S/CL600, all of which are much easier to mod.

If your WRX is not modded, then this probably isn't an issue for you and the E55 has more than enough power for a sane person. If you always want faster, you're likely to trade the E55 in after a year.

diexodos

My WRX is modded to 285 HP only. It is a fun car but I have out grown it. The E55 has plenty of power and I find no reason to modify it. Getting my feet wet with a MB model from 2001 or 2002 seems the safest way to go. I read too many negatives with 2003+ models not to mention more expensive to repair and maintain. Maybe down the road, I can move into a newer model. I have been looking for AMGs in nearby cities. There is one in Indianapolis with 62,000 mile on ebay with clean carfax. I am concerned though because it was bought from an auction. The owner description is perfect and described to be pristine. If anyone happened to come acrosss it, I will be interesed to know more about it.

saintz

I wouldn't be too worried about an auction car. Lots of Mercedes go through auction. An AMG is a unique and rare car, and often a dealer who gets one on trade will take it to auction rather than let it sit on the lot until someone comes looking for it. That's generally the case with an AMG. People don't just go shopping and buy one, they specifically come looking for it.

MR888

Change the oil once a year? how many miles do you put on a year

saintz

Average annual mileage for most people is 12k to 15k miles, which means they only change it about once a year (technically 1.2 to 1.5 times per year). That's with a 10k interval using FSS.

With my WRX, I was changing it 4 times a year. It felt like it constantly needed an oil change.

KBJW

I also saw their ad for a black one with over 70K miles. Did you see/testdrove the black oner when you testdrove the silver one? Looks like it's been there wof a while.

ESTJ

There is one here in NC not far from me, I can go check it out if you like. Having just recently bought mine and meticulously been through the entire car inside and out I know what to look for.
Primary Information about this vehicle:

AutoTrader Car ID: AT-1076881B

Price$17,499 Mileage67,938 Body StyleSedanExterior ColorSilverEngine8 Cylinder GasolineTransmission5 Speed Shiftable AutomaticDrive Type2 wheel drive - rearFuel TypeGasolineDoorsFour DoorStock No.01E55VINWDBJF74J31B333358

ESTJ

Here's another in NC if you like black

Primary Information about this vehicle:

AT Car ID: AT-10A4D66F


Price$13,995 Mileage60,427 Body StyleSedanExterior ColorBlackInterior ColorBlackEngine8 Cylinder GasolineTransmission5 Speed Shiftable AutomaticDrive Type2 wheel drive - rearFuel TypeGasolineDoorsFour DoorStock No.7134VINWDBJF74G0YA967134