Swim Wagon

Would this happen to be the 2000 silver/black in Houston TX?

CharlyE500

If good condition, its a great buy. The mileag is good for year 2000.
Try to get $12K if you can because every used car need spend some money.
You might have to spend $1k, change spark plug, flush all the fluid. I always do all the services when I purchase any used car (IMO)

aquasition

Will see what my AMG mechanic tells me to day.
it is the Silver/Black car on eBay in case you guys are wondering.

Shadow5501

Daimler purchased Chrysler in 1998, so the 1999 MB model year was during the DaimlerChrysler years. Daimler disposed of Chrysler (not sold - they paid to be rid of it!) on May 14, 2007, so the 2007 model year was mostly, but not completely, during the DaimlerChrysler years.

I completely disagree with your assessment of the 210 vs. 211 interior materials quality. I have seen arguements that a Honda Accord interior is better quality materials than the 210 - though I also disagree with that. I did prefer the window switches in the console, however - I like all the unique Mercedes touches.

I do agree that a 211 E55 is only suitable for folks that can write a $5K check at any moment in time (unless the car has a warranty - then perhaps $1K will do )

aquasition

well.....drove the car to the MB mechanic shop. Hit 80+mph on highway and felt a pretty significant vibration in the steering column, specially between 70 and 90. Brakes pull hard to the left along with a pull on the steering wheel to the rigth...
Tranny and engine feel strong and smooth.
A/.C works, as does all electronics. then I handed car over to Mike. inspection didn't go very well. he recommended to walk away from it.....
how do you guys feel about it? Will a full break R&R + front-end suspension job, plus alignment/balancing cure its problems, if so how much?...or should I listen to Mike and keep looking?
Thanks...

Shadow5501

Well, why don't you tell us specifically what Mike said about the car. The challenge with vibration problems and brake pulls is that they could be simple and cheap, or complicated and expensive.

What always concerns me with a car like that is that you've got a high end MB that received Toyota sedan level care - i.e. it still moves under its own power, so it must be OK. If the owner isn't bothered by highway speed vibrations, did the car receive routine maintenance such as transmission service, brake flush, and coolant changes?

aquasition

The car comes with zero maintenance history. Its being sold by a car dealer, bought at an auction. I discovered from public records that there is a lien on the car. That's besides the mechanical points we are discussing but adds up to lots of questions.
Mike told me car has been in front and/or rear accidents due to headligths, and paint jobs. Dealer admitted having painted the front of the car, but to remove swirl marks. Dealer also admitted replacement of headligths but just b/c he likes the aftermarket better, but failed to show me both original headligths...only one.
Mike said engine and tranny are fine, with a little leakage on front-end of block..but nothing to be concerned. No leaks at rear seal. that's all I know. Car felt powerfull and straigth at 60 mph or below. significant shimming between 70 and 90. Breaking scared me as car pulls hard to left. Tranny shifts smoothly. Dealer tried to convince me to let him do a full break job, and alignment to fix these symptoms.

mysticblu999

They should have already had that fixed. Maybe it got hit pretty hard. I'd walk.

aquasition

Dealer called me back saying they took car to an independent mechanic and he said the issues are being caused by worned out lower arm buchings. He said they will replace them, balance and align front-end, and invited me to test drive it again. I don't believe the shimming, and the hard pull during breaking above 60mph were being caused by worned out bushings....can it?

Anatoly

What's the asking price?

Just realized it's 13k. Is it clear title?

Shadow5501

LCA bushings are a wear item on the 210 chassis and the symptom is shaking at highway speeds. So yeah, that does seem to be a likely contributor. I don't expect that will fix the brake pull, however.

I dunno about a car that was hit front and back. Frankly, it sounds like a real sled. It's actually making the $18K car look pretty good by comparison...

Anatoly

Honestly when I buy cars it doesn't bother me if the car had little cosmetic damage. As long as it wasn't anything major ...

aquasition

I'll test drive it again at highway speeds and see if the symtoms got better, or remained the same.

aquasition

it's been hard to find good E55s. many of us are looking and there are lots of cars that have been driven hard and now owners are trying to get rid of them. I am still looking for the rigth car. money is no problem if the car truly deserve a premium. Let me know if you guys know of any.

CharlyE500

Keep in mind the car is year 2000 ! few investment in the beginning is normal but then will last very long. There is no free problem 10 years old car. You just have to take care of it when you buy it then have a for few more years.

mfletch69

Yes, Chrysler did join, buy, sell to (whatever) with MB in May 1998....and there is no way that the 1999 E55 was changed because of it. That car was already put to bed and most likely the '00-'02. It just takes longer than 6 month for product to come off the assembly line. The Chrysler 300 shared parts with the W211, and that was 1st released in 2005.

The only point I was trying to make is that some of us buy and drive these because we prefer them over the W211 - not because of cost....which was the point I was trying to add to the thread. I am not ******* the W211. It was a nice car and I drove a loaded one for 3 years. The seats weren't as comfortable as my '99. The arm rest and driving position wasn't either. And the soul was just not there. At least for me.

mfletch69

This guy is out of his mind on price but 26k miles

Schweinhund

That is exactly right- the W210 designs and forward enhancements were already done and in the pipleline. Chrysler had nothing to do with it. The W210 is a true old school Mercedes. The W211 is not. And I don't mean that in a bad way. The W211 is an awesome car.

ESTJ

It's time to move on from this car and look for the next one. There are a few in NC that look interesting. Check Autotrader.com. If you find one interesting, I might be able to check it out for you.

aquasition

ESTJ....sent you a PM. Thanks.

Shadow5501

I know, I know - just poking a little fun at you since the '99 was during the DaimlerChrysler years and the '07 might not have been. Detroit is actually my home town, so I do understand a bit about the auto business, development lead times, etc.

I'd always heard Chrysler had a lot of 210 DNA in the LX cars, not 211? I do notice whenever the rental agencies put me in an LX car that it feels somewhat like an MB.

I can fully appreciate prefering the 210 E55 over the 211. The 210 is more of a pure sporting sedan. The 211 offers unmatched performance, but it is filtered through too much electronics.

Regards.

Shadow5501

What color is this car with the LCA problems? It's a lot easier to match plain old white or black than the metallic silver or gold colors. That the dealer just had some bodywork done is a concern. The kind of dealer you describe most certainly used the cheapest place in town. Even if the paint match is good now, it won't age the same as the rest of the car and may not match in a year or five.

I see too many cars with mismatched colors on different body panels around town. It makes me wary of buying anything that has had paint work. Of course, that is easier said than done when talking 10+ year old cars.

Anatoly

I'll sell you mine lol, but I'm in Oregon

Shadow5501

OP doesn't say where he's located... Here's one from DFW craigslist: http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/2183770350.html I dunno if it's worth a look or not...

Swim Wagon

Aquasition can correct me if I am wrong, but I have deduced that the OP is about 2 hours south of the Dallas area. Probably around Houston, TX. I have seen that silver/black on autotrader.com. Looks pretty clean from the pics.