E55 question after test drive...
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
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E55 question after test drive...
Hello,
We are looking at a 2001 E55 and it has 62,000 miles and they are asking $18500. We test drove it and it was an awesome car. The only problem is that the all 4 windows go down easily, but the window to go back up i had to hold the button for 20 seconds before it went up. Is this a common problem in the W210? Also the instrument display had the Km/h instead of MPH as the bigger display.. is your like that? also where the gear is displayed dosen't show up and also the temperature outside dosen't show up. Are any of these big fixes? how do you fix the instrument display? we are going to let an independent show look at it this week and also what do you think is a fair price to pay? 15k?
We are looking at a 2001 E55 and it has 62,000 miles and they are asking $18500. We test drove it and it was an awesome car. The only problem is that the all 4 windows go down easily, but the window to go back up i had to hold the button for 20 seconds before it went up. Is this a common problem in the W210? Also the instrument display had the Km/h instead of MPH as the bigger display.. is your like that? also where the gear is displayed dosen't show up and also the temperature outside dosen't show up. Are any of these big fixes? how do you fix the instrument display? we are going to let an independent show look at it this week and also what do you think is a fair price to pay? 15k?
Member
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: Huntington Beach, CA
2002 E55 040 2000 E320 Wagon 199 2004 Ford F550
2001 E55 with 62K
It is truly exciting to test drive these cars! Is this your first time behind the wheel of one of these monsters? Price is steep. The car should be flawless at $18.5K.
The missing pixels on the instrument display can be a pricey fix by Dealer. ($2-2.5K) Less expensive by Indie Shop. ($1.25-2K) or $100 DIY project.
The windows should be "one touch" meaning, depress window up firmly, and they will raise back up on their own. Same "one touch" feature to open the windows.
The bigger question is:
Are all of the maintainence records available?
All services up to date? A&B Service along with tire tread depth n brake pads.
Do they have both keys?
What options are installed? Navigation, heated/ventilated seats, parktronics.
Are there any Mods to the car? Lowered, rims, exhaust ECU upgrade.
The best thing that you can do is have that PPI performed to uncover the hidden items that you might be blinded to given your excitement. After the inspection and the option list, we can give you a fair asking price.
The missing pixels on the instrument display can be a pricey fix by Dealer. ($2-2.5K) Less expensive by Indie Shop. ($1.25-2K) or $100 DIY project.
The windows should be "one touch" meaning, depress window up firmly, and they will raise back up on their own. Same "one touch" feature to open the windows.
The bigger question is:
Are all of the maintainence records available?
All services up to date? A&B Service along with tire tread depth n brake pads.
Do they have both keys?
What options are installed? Navigation, heated/ventilated seats, parktronics.
Are there any Mods to the car? Lowered, rims, exhaust ECU upgrade.
The best thing that you can do is have that PPI performed to uncover the hidden items that you might be blinded to given your excitement. After the inspection and the option list, we can give you a fair asking price.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Charleston, SC
GL450
The window regulator is probably out. It requires a bit of work to fix.
The pixels require either a new cluster (very expensive), sending out to be resoldered (several hundred bucks), or DIY with foam spacers (temporary fix).
The cluster in KMPH instead of MPH means the car was likely an import. I would try to get a Carfax. That doesn't really bode well for its value.
You can get a 2003 supercharged E55 in better condition for that price. It would have a few more miles, but what's the point of getting a low mile car if it has more problems. Low miles and more problems mean the car was neglected more. More miles but fewer problems mean the car was driven and serviced regularly.
https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-...4-e55-20k.html
The car is worth probably $12k retail, if the window and pixels were fixed. As is, it's more like a $10k car. If the seller (guessing this is a used car dealer) thinks it's worth $18k because it's low mile, they are dreaming. After some months of it not selling and them refusing reasonable offers, they'll send it back to auction for someone else to try to sell.
If it's a private party, make a reasonable offer and wait. Eventually after it doesn't sell they'll see reality.
Whatever you do, this is not the market to overpay for a car. With the age of the car, no one can get financing. The chance of them finding a cash buyer with that amount of cash is nil. If they won't budge, save $10k by buying a higher mileage car instead. Paying that much more for lower miles won't pay off in the end.
For example, this car has double the miles but is in about the same (or better) condition and is half the price:
https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-...rthern-va.html
The pixels require either a new cluster (very expensive), sending out to be resoldered (several hundred bucks), or DIY with foam spacers (temporary fix).
The cluster in KMPH instead of MPH means the car was likely an import. I would try to get a Carfax. That doesn't really bode well for its value.
You can get a 2003 supercharged E55 in better condition for that price. It would have a few more miles, but what's the point of getting a low mile car if it has more problems. Low miles and more problems mean the car was neglected more. More miles but fewer problems mean the car was driven and serviced regularly.
https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-...4-e55-20k.html
The car is worth probably $12k retail, if the window and pixels were fixed. As is, it's more like a $10k car. If the seller (guessing this is a used car dealer) thinks it's worth $18k because it's low mile, they are dreaming. After some months of it not selling and them refusing reasonable offers, they'll send it back to auction for someone else to try to sell.
If it's a private party, make a reasonable offer and wait. Eventually after it doesn't sell they'll see reality.
Whatever you do, this is not the market to overpay for a car. With the age of the car, no one can get financing. The chance of them finding a cash buyer with that amount of cash is nil. If they won't budge, save $10k by buying a higher mileage car instead. Paying that much more for lower miles won't pay off in the end.
For example, this car has double the miles but is in about the same (or better) condition and is half the price:
https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-...rthern-va.html
Last edited by saintz; May 1, 2011 at 11:16 AM.
Thread Starter
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the car was in awesome shape and has had 2 owners. The car looks like it was kept in awesome shape.The KM/H being the main one is kinda weird? It has navi and the parking sensor.It is also black and Black and the engine looked really good.
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From: Bay Area, CA
2007 SL55 AMG
I think $13k is worth it for the car. All old cars will need some work, but if those are truly the only things wrong with it, then it wouldn't be a bad buy. The dead pixels can be fixed yourself for under $50 if you're a DIY type of guy. I did it and it took about an hour and turned out great. As for the window, maybe it just needs to be resynced. Digital display for KMH and MPH can be switched in the settings.
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Posts: 1,803
Likes: 12
From: Charleston, SC
GL450
The speedo being in KM means it was probably either imported or they switched the cluster. It would be rare to import a car like this into the US (normally you import them out of the US). What I would worry about is if the cluster went bad before (the temp and gear read out) and so they switched with another one. My concern would be possible odometer inaccuracies, which the dealer or whoever did the swap should have corrected, but possibly didn't. A Carfax would give you a better idea. You can also punch the VIN into a new listing on eBay and it will generate an Autocheck to help look for odometer fraud or import.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,803
Likes: 12
From: Charleston, SC
GL450
I guess, but this is odd. Normally you import into Canada from the US, not the other way around. Cars are generally more expensive in Canada, so it doesn't make a ton of sense.
That's why I would run a Carfax. And deduct from the price/value, because any questions you're asking now are questions you'll be asked when you sell the car. It's going to be much harder to sell a foreign import car, and you're going to get less for it.
That's why I would run a Carfax. And deduct from the price/value, because any questions you're asking now are questions you'll be asked when you sell the car. It's going to be much harder to sell a foreign import car, and you're going to get less for it.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: MICHIGAN
2001 E55 - 2008 CLS63 -2016 F-150
I'd be very weary of the odometer rollback
Also my buddy just got a speedometers from UK to,try n swap out led colors and it only had 3km on it when he installed in dash it only had 3km on the car. It only cost couple hundred to,turn back miles so make sure if it don't got,the right paperwork you might get worked
Also my buddy just got a speedometers from UK to,try n swap out led colors and it only had 3km on it when he installed in dash it only had 3km on the car. It only cost couple hundred to,turn back miles so make sure if it don't got,the right paperwork you might get worked
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 283
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From: Metro ATL
2001 E55 AMG (sold)
I can't believe you are still looking at an E55 for your teenager after everything what was said in the other thread. If your dead-set on getting that suicide machine for your kid, I'd say that is a $12-13K car max. I've seen ones with less problems for under $12k.
Last edited by billbillw; May 2, 2011 at 04:49 PM.
