maizeandblue23

I was looking at the E55 and the 3 years i found is 2000, 2001,2002. What are the biggest differences between them. Are these cars reliable?

ruBENZ

For the most part, all three years are identical. Obviously, a 2002 will hold a slightly higher value. But, I would seek the lowest mileage 00 -02 E55. In terms of reliability, a W210 E55 AMG is considered bulletproof. And, they are one of the last MBZ models hand built by AMG in Germany. Good luck.

billbillw

That is slightly misleading for those who don't know the process. The car frame and non-AMG parts were assembled in the Daimler Bremen plant on the normal production lines. Then, the partially finished car was sent to Affalterbach where the AMG parts were put into the car. So, the drive train, suspension, brakes, interior and exterior trim parts were put on by hand at AMG. Its not like the entire car is built by hand.

I also read somewhere that they actually stopped doing that after the 2001 model year and in 2002 they were totally built in the Bremen plant. Not sure if that is reliable or not.

Of course, the engines were and still are hand built at AMG. One man-One Engine!

tsquare

The W210's are great cars. A rare mix of speed, comfort and performance that only an AMG designed automobile can bring, but at a very reasonable price and cost of ownership. The reliability on these cars is very good. The drive train is solid and the maintenance can easily be DIY.

2000 - 2002 had an extensive design upgrade from the original W210's (1996). In this forum, there is a post that lists all the service bulletins for 2000, 2001 and 2002, as you might expect the 2000 model has more than the 2001 model and the 2001 model has more than the 2002 model.

I have a 2002, I believe one important difference is the ECU, (others may correct me on this) it is different from the 2000 and 2001 models, in that the adaptive drving parameters are not as sensitive to daily driving perfromance loss. You may read posts in this forum about having to do a hard ECU reset because the adaptive driving parameters take some performance away in everyday driving - in fact, their was an ECU technical bulletin (should be able to find this bulletin in this forum or the Alldata Website) concerning this issue for the 2001 and earlier models that the 2002's did not fall under. My car does not seem to lose performance, or if it does it is not very noticable, because of regular everyday driving. I do not drive my car aggressive, but when I do the car responds without loss of any perfromance.

Do your research and be patient to find the car that will be best for you. Good Luck

Schweinhund

I think that is close enough to hand-built for me! The overall quality of the finished product had to be top notch if all of those pieces were put in with that much more attention by AMG.

ruBENZ

MBFLO

My 2001 doesnt seem to lose power in any aspect , when i need power its always there. Everytime i let her rip like a beast let out the cage ..

OP: if you want a low mileage ride look to spend 15k or higher depending on the sale .. At a dealer most likely you will pay that or more . If you can live with one with around 100k miles you will be able to find one anywhere from 8k-14 depending on condition , miles , for the most part seems like the prices have plataued and will not go any higher or drop that much more significantly . So it all depends on what your lookin for .. Personally your best deal will be from a private seller . Just make sure its been serviced regularly and on time and there is paperwork or service history . If u get stuck with one with problems will can turn out to be a bad investment and will leave u with a sour taste regarding the car ..

Schweinhund

+1 An eBay auction just ended for a 2001 on the east coast with 51,000 miles for $15K. That's a good deal IMHO.

joc

There is a 2001 E55 with 130K miles for sale on Kansas City, Mo Craigs lists, It has been on there for several months, iT started at $12,900 and down to $8750 It is worth looking at

2KE55AMG

I agree...low mileage and clean is sometimes hard to find on a high end performance sedan like the E55. They bought well.

I just paid 16.5k for 52k with two-tone interior in outstanding overall condition. I spent 6 months looking for it.

Tikolx333

Dont see myself buying from ebay before I see the car. I drove for 4 hours one way to see a 01 55 with 36K for 14k. Busted tranny. Couldn't tell from the pics but the car was slower than my 95 e320 coupe. Not to mention a 4 second delay after i hit the gas and shifted from 3 to 4.

No way I am buying a 55 without having my local benz mechanic look at it first.

joc

Heys guys , I have had my E55 for several months , it has 97,000 miles , all the records, new tires, rocker gaskets changed, new plugs, 2nd owner. I must have driven the car 3-4 times before I bought it. I also took it to local mechanic had the car in the air and read all the forums.The car is silver with black and red interior in near perfect condition. The front mumper had a small crack, so I had it removed and painted , re- finished the headlights. I paid $7750 and paid $800 to get the front bumper done correctly . The car is superb, fast and comfortable, I will probably do the X pipe and the resonators.
As I posted before there is one more E55 in KS on Craigslist at $7799 with 130,000 miles. I looked at it one time and it is in good condition. If somebody is close and want a good car it may be worth looking at
JOC

AMG_Drvr

@ joc - congrats on the car, we have the same color/interior colors. I really like it b/c it's the same red color of my '89 Toyota Supra Turbo I had back in the day. I wish I could have found one with blue interior, but mine only had 16K when I bought it back in 2005. I paid a lot more than $7750 for mine, but it's paid for now and just enjoying the miles.