Guys,

started to think about replacing my current BMW e39.
One of the candidates I spotted on eBay is here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SILVE...item336de9d67b
What do you think about it, what is good price for it? Does it miss any "important" options? I am going to look at it, it's like 50-70 miles from me.

I am driving millennium e39, 540i, auto, sport with dinan stage 3. I am relatively new to MB, though I bought 98 C230 for my daughter and have a great luck with it. How this e55 compares to my e39? I love my car and it is second successive to my earlier e39, so want to try a different car now.
Was thinking about w211 e550 or e55, but is very horrified with air suspension based on what I read about it.

 

Well, I'm not sure how your experience with the E39 has been, but in general, the W210 should be more reliable. I looked at a few E39 and when I started reading about all the common issues, my head spun round and ran away.

That car you linked looks very clean. I don't like the choice of tires (those BFs are Loud and rough), but otherwise it looks good from the photos. I might be wary of trying to get one with such low miles though. Not sure what their reserve is, but it may be too high. Many around here will not agree, but I'd rather have one that was driven average miles consistently over the years compared to one that sat for long periods of time (that car only had 15k miles in the first 5 years). I don't think ultra low miles commands as much a price premium as many seller do. I probably wouldn't go over $15k for that car.

The E55 didn't have many options, but that one has the major ones (COMAND and Ventilated seats).

The W211 are nice looking and have great looking interiors, but they are not really 'drivers cars' like the E39 and W210 E55 are. They isolate the driver instead of involving them.

 

I really think E55 W210 is more comfortable and reliable than BMW E39 platform. In term of Power, E55 should have a little more than 540 so driving experience is nice with good amount of torque. So far its pretty reliable to me since I own W210 E55 for only 7 months, only changed brakes and oil. I think this is a nice E55 with good color combo. The Navi is not a big plus...... Mercedes Navi no comments...... in my 06 E55 sucks so i assume W210 even worse. You should test drive others before you go so far to see that one. The price is too high in my opinion even is low miles. The fair price in my opinion should be no more than $15K
Good luck with your purchase.

 

Billbillw and CharlyE500

thank you for exhaustive comments, really appreciate. I am impressed with such complete and useful replies.
I had "simple" 97 528i which was reasonable in reliability, I had it since 95k and sold @155k. Great car. Next one I've got is 00 540ia, sport. It drives excellent, plenty of power, great road handling and feel, good steering but not great like 528i which had rack and pinion, 540 not. But transmission failed on it @130K (I bought it with 90k on odometer). I took a look at newer 5 series and just hate it's look inside and outside and that idrive too. Thought about 2003 540i sport, but want to have a change, hence is e55. I love the look of w211, but used to have some spare ponies under the hood and those come with air suspension and I heard they will eventually fail with many thousands to invest more. Besides I think that traditional suspension is better fit for my taste.

I already got the idea about motor power, what about behavior on a road, handling, steering feel of e55?

I agree with you about that car on eBay, it looks great on pictures and "paper", but I have some gut feeling for that particular one. And sure I need to test drive. I have not got good feeling for e55 yet. I know I should and I will, definitely.

 

My opinion is that the E55 has excellent road manners. As long as the suspension is kept up and aligned, you will find precise steering that is light but has good feel. Like most Mercedes, they are superb high speed drivers, with near telepathic ability to keep the right line on high speed sweepers. Outstanding brakes, great handling for a larger car, great exhaust sound (not too loud, but great V8 snarl when you get into it). It won't handle like a miata, but for a large 4-door sedan, they hold their own and I doubt you will be let down coming from an E39. The ride quality might be a bit firmer that what you are used to. Much of that is from the 35/40 series tires, but also due to AMG tuning. Don't worry, it doesn't beat you up, but you may find the harshness over large bumps annoying. Mine is bad when the rear end goes over a sharp drop or edge. However, I'm not sure that my suspension is completely sorted out right now. I just got mine in July and I'm sorting though a list of 'to do' items on mine.

BTW, there is more to worry about in a W211 than just the airmatic suspension. What really scares me is the electrohydraulic brakes! Non AMG models also have early versions of the 7G tranny that can be a source of trouble as well.

 

The true is..... handling part you have to test it yourself. I had a 745Li before and I regret the most. I had a lot of electronics issue, sensors failure, at some point I spent $4K in 6 months of time. I couldn't take it so sold it at big lost (it was 04 i think) I have my 06 W211 E55 for 2.5 years so far nothing went wrong. Just oil change. If I compare both E55, The W211 is faster but W210 is quicker. The body style, I prefer W210 more classic boxy feel. The most thing i love about the W211 is the Quad-exhaust other than exhaust look I like better W210.
Make sure you do the tranny oil change every 50K miles and 5K engine oil, spark plugs, flush the coolant and thats it. Everything else is the same reliability as a Camry. I recommend just test drive at least 2 E55 then you know the difference. For me, I drive Monday to Thursday W210 and Friday W211. Week-end Mini van

 

Ha-ha, little bit of harshness on the road may be beneficial, the car makes passengers less sick, unlike of Lincoln Continental ;-)

As for w211, I would go "just" for e550, sport and sure not earlier than 2007. As I got it has many issues addressed, reverted to traditional braking, but still not mechanical suspension.

 

Clean looking car! FYI I just smoked a E39 540i with upgrades the other day. I think you will find the W210 to be reliable. The car still turns heads. There is something about the car that is just classy. I loved the E39s when they were new, fantastic cars but for the M5, they just haven't aged as well.

The W210s have a few common problems but nothing major with proper preventative maintenance.

They have a restrictive exhaust- hi-flow cats and headers should add 30-45 hp, add a tune and you are over 400hp. Headers used are around $800. New they start at $1500 and go up.

 

I drove a 04' 530i from Detroit to Miami this year . Honestly I didnt miss my E55 one bit and would gladly trade for it ..
Test drove 540's and E430's<~ more tho, maybe about 10 of them in a 2 month span then came across my e55 drove 350 miles to see it , test drove it rest was history . Been almost 2 yrs and nothing but oil changes and coil springs.
But you really have to drive one for yourself . If it been maintained and modded you will definitely have a hard time walking away from it . Hopefully it will come with a nice wrap sheet of service history records . As your on your second 5 series you might like the way you car handles but then again with the right set of tires and suspension setup not sure it will handle much better then AMG .
I was actually sold on gettin a 5 series but I couldnt stand the woodgrain just didnt seem to sit well with me on the interior now had it been a bushed metal trim id prob be drivin a bmw .

 

If i understand correctly you drove the 530 E60 body. They are newer body compare to W210. Its more comparable to W211 body. However, 530 is really underpower compare to E55 W210. 530 E60 is much better handling car and more updated but power wise, it can't compare to the E55.

Standard Engine 3.0L 225 hp I6 Horsepower 225 @ 4900 RPM Torque (lb-ft) 214 @ 3500 RPM
Its huge different in term of HP and torque. 177 more torque make the drive very very different unless you drive very slow. E60 is more update look but W210 is more classic boxy Mercedes look.

 

Been a BMW fan and started with two 2002, then a 95 m3, 98 540sport, a 2003 540 sport, and now a 2001 e55. Mine had 48k miles and now has 52k. The 55 can corner just as fast and definitely more power than the 540s but handling not as crisp. Ride is similar, interior and trunk is bigger. I like the fit and finish of the E. In general, I find myself driving slower and more controlled in the E. Maintenance? In the last 3 mos, changed oil, trans oil and rear brakes otherwise great daily driver. Can't say much else except they are very different cars and both a blast to drive. My family and clients like the E better but the 540 sport makes you feel younger, faster and stylin vs the E more sophisticated, subtle, and more power. Do I miss the BMW? No. The E is much easier to drive long distances as well.

 

That car is overpriced. You can get a W211 E55k with not many more miles for what they want for that car. You can also get a CL600 or S600 for what they want.

I agree with Bill, a moderate mileage, daily driven car is a better bet than a low mile queen. If it is not driven regularly, there is no guarantee it is serviced regularly. Stuff goes bad as it sits, like rubber gaskets and valves. While lower miles are nice, it just isn't worth the premium many people seem to want.

The Airmatic is much more reliable than, say, the VANOS system on the E39 M5. I would not be that concerned. The W210 E55 is reliable because it was over engineered and used conventional components, like spring/coil suspension and N/A motor. But there is a tradeoff between an older W210 with conventional suspension and a newer W211 with Airmatic. Although the W211 is not built as reliable, it is newer, and that can mean fewer repairs, at least in the short term.

If I was buying a BMW, I would skip the 5 series entirely and buy either a 335 or (not likely) an e46 M3. I think the Mercedes E class is a better bet for the price, as are any of the AMG models.

 

Guys, thanks for the input.
The more I read about different AMGs, the more I stay concentrated on W210 E55. Love modern and updated styling of W211, but still reliability is main concern, and it is not only money it is a hassle going to a shop for repair.
C55 looks attractive too, but afraid of smaller size, I used to E sized cars.

 

Here is one more candidate
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

And that one even better, but higher millage
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

And what is this grill style come from?
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

This one the price, mileage are reasonable. Try to get it $12500 if possible. However, the Climate control unit was swapped with the stereo unit. The best way is to see the car itself and test drive it.

 

Partstrain.com for the front OE rotors, your choice front pads, sensor is like $1, I would use Mercedes brake "goo" on the sides of the pads... $800 is a "fair" deal for fronts.

Rears are $65 each rotor, your choice of pads.

Nothing special about the labor, except correct useage of the MB brake goo..

 

It's still there. The DVD tilts down. I had a setup just like this with old E430 with SL rims and rearview camera

E55 - I can't tell you how many compliments I receive at the gas stations. Either people are starring or just yelling out "Nice Car" AMG huh!

Updated headlights really bring this car back to life. But the beauty, pure elegance , sex appeal, sollid all around, powerband able to pull like a bat out of hell is priceless. I'll be sad to see this one go~ I plan on selling it next fall, hopefully I'll be able to sell her back on MBworld that's where she was bought. S65 in the horizon.

*in short OP go with W210 AMG E55 you will not regret it

Armani

 

Today, I got a chance to check and drive both cars.
Black one is from small used cars dealer. It seems that front (bumper and front of the hood) were repainted, thought I may be wrong, not that experienced, but I got strong gut feeling, besides usually at that age and millage (78k) should be numerous nicks from rocks and sand, but almost not presented on this car. inside relatively clean, though I will require further cleaning. Could be fine thought. Now, test drive. Oh, MAN, the car is shot! Initially it went well, but once I got on the road on way out from dealer's lot, the car started behave funny. It goes but I put more pressure on a gas, nothing, I floored, after couple seconds it decided to go and fast, I just returned back and it was going like a pedestrian on the parking lot, I barely parked it back. Once I stopped and took key out, 3 multifunction codes came up. ABS, something like ESP, and one more do not remember, but it was serious too. I do not even think about approaching this car!!!!

Well, now silver car. That one is sold by private party. This car is complete opposite to black. Everything looks perfect, I could not find any leaks, engine, transmission, differential, everything is dry. And those are not washed like it was at dealership, just like from regular everyday car. Inside is perfect too. Almost no wear, every part works and nothing broken or lost, even tiniest ones. Took it for test drive. Shifting is smooth, on acceleration and deceleration, not hesitations and roughness. And it has a nice two tone leather seating, black and white. I started to think pretty serious about getting this car. Alas, the life is not perfect! There is one but. The owner is young Indian and his wife most likely is a good cook. As a consequence, there is some odor inside the car, not that big strong, but no mistakes it is there for sure, like mix of curry plus other, what is typical for their food. Do you think it will be gone after some treatment?

What do you think?

 

Here is one at mercedes dealer in new hampshire - a lot higher miles than others you are looking at but it is only asking $9K. Silver with two tone interior like that one you are thinking about.
http://www.benzcars.com/used/2002/me...jf74j52b455043

Oh, and that grill on the one you are shopping. Please change that back to stock if you buy the car!!

 

Could be the brake light switch. Mine f'd up one time and gave me ESP, ABS and something else and said to take it to the mechanic asap. It only happened once and I dropped $35 at the dealer for a new switch. Mine did do it while I was driving though.

Figured I'd give you a heads up on what could cause that for future reference.

 

hahah indian owned and smells like curry

 

Yes, it is. I appreciate your humor.
BTW, I called couple detailing shops and they confimed that they can rid of the smell.

 

I test drove many E55s and the differences in performance were as you described. Although I never went back to the slower cars, I strongly suspect an ECU reset (a 2 minute procedure that needs to be done weekly on these cars while sitting in the drivers seat) would have fixed the slower performance issues, no matter how drastic.

These powertrains report anything that goes awry that would affect performance that much. They are all the same cars, same displacement, etc. They should me nearly the same power if running fine.

If you are interested in the dealer car, cite the problems, make him a low offer. If they bite, do the ECU reset and try it again. If it fixes the problem, you now have the car you wanted, the way you wanted it.

 

+1

I have write up on DYI for brake light switch. Do a search on soft reset on ECU. Hell my car after sitting traffic or in the garage for a few days I can notice the loss in powerband. Lots and lots of rebuttals back in fourth regarding ECU on the w210.

Good Luck on your search!

Armani

 

Thanks for good info on troubleshooting, but I passed on that car (black), but decided to pursue second, SILVER E55, 2002
Tomorrow morning will go for second check and if everything right, hope to bring it home before evening. Wish me luck!