I've been looking into buying a 01 w210 e55 and since I'm paying my way through college I wanted to know how much maintenance will cost me. I can do my own oil changes and brakes and simple things like that but will I have to service it with Mercedes like people say? Is it reliable for a daily driver?

 

Stick with your Toyota Camry through college. All good things come to those who wait.


I'm speaking as an individual who spent way too much money on frivolities when younger. Many times I wish I had saved by not spending money on high-performance cars. I could have quadrupled that money by now...<sigh> (and I should have bought Dell stock back in 1996. I'd be a multi-millionaire now if I had.)


I bought an '99 E55 about three months ago, I can (now) afford it, and do all of my own work. As of this week, I've spent about $2000 bringing it up to par. $667 per month. I haven't even started learning the CAN bus system or purchasing the tools required to troubleshoot it.... A Mercedes is more expensive than one would think. But...it is considerably cheaper than taking it to the dealer! Sort of a Pyrrhic victory....


On the bright side, I now have purchased several hundred dollars of very nice tools. Were you aware Mercedes tends to use bolt sizes that are not standard in tool sets? Can you afford to spend several hundred dollars on tools that you may use once every two to three years? Your tools need to pay for themselves; if not, don't buy them. It's nothing but a cost/benefit calculation. Plus, how much is your time worth? Can you afford to spend time working on your car when you should be studying for final exams?


Graduate college. Get a good-paying job. Then buy your dream car.


If you inherited money or created some awesome app, none of the above applies. But then again, in most cases, it only takes three generations to destroy a fortune.


FWIW & YMMV.
PS. Read Dave Ramsey.
BSEE -Digital Design
MS- Electromagnetic and Acoustic Theory
US Army Command and General Staff College graduate
None of the above would pay for a Mercedes while I was in school.

 

Additionally, I've had my E55 on jackstands for the last three weeks. I keep finding large and small things that need to be repaired. Many of them require special tools.


I enjoy working on cars and I'm fortunate I can afford the parts and the special tools to install those parts. I have a really nice environmentally controlled 900 square feet garage. What really costs is the amount of time it takes to learn about the car and adapt to the requirements.


Would I buy the car again? Yes.
Would I recommend the car to a college student? No.
Would I recommend the car to a graduate with all loans paid off? Absolutely! This car is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and is faster than spit on a griddle.


My advice? Choose your battlefield as Sun Tzu would recommend. Now is not the time or place for you to seek battle.

 

Thank you so much for the honest advice. I greatly appreciate it?

 

I have recently purchased an 01 E55. Would I have purchased it when I was your age, probably. However I was less than responsible at your age, and when it broke I would have had to park it.
I bought mine, or rather ours (my fiance and I) to use as a summer toy. I don't foresee many problems with it, but if a problem does arise, I won't be left stranded.

These cars are usually well cared for, and when you do decide to buy one, you should not have much of a problem finding a nice example. You have a goal to finish college, when you do, reward yourself with a nice E55.

 

I bought my 02 E55 my second year of college and doing all the maintenance/ service work myself, I've spent over $3k in only parts, not to mention mods. Far from cheap, especially when you start to have someone else do a thing or two on your car.

 

(and I should have bought Dell stock back in 1996. I'd be a multi-millionaire now if I had.)
Not too late to get some TSLA cheap.....lol