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I've been looking at buying an '02 E55, and went to do a precursory inspection on it yesterday. It has 170km on the odometer, and he's wanting 8.5k CAD for the car.
Some maintenance that he said had done to it in the past few years was:
- Complete transmission rebuild at 120,000 km - All fluids replaced at 142,000 km (Oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, differential fluid). - Regular oil changes below the FSS interval with Mercedes-Benz spec 229.5 oil - Water pump replaced - Fan clutch replaced - MAF replaced - Brand new front wheel bearings - Brand new front brakes with OEM Mercedes-Benz AMG rotors and Akebono ceramic pads. Calipers were also serviced - Front brake lines replaced - Cabin and engine air filters - New brake switch - New battery
He used to daily it, but just recently bought an ISF so it's been sitting in the driveway for a few weeks.
Before I set up an appointment for a PPI, and come up with a reasonable offer, there were some small things missing from the exterior/interior. I was going to try and tally up the prices of the missing pieces and then factor it into my offer. One thing I couldn't find the price apart from the driver side door sill was the square piece of plastic behind the front tire that fits into the side rocker panel. I've added a photo of the car showing the missing piece.
1991 964 Turbo, 2002 Black E55, 2002 Black E55 " The Beast"- 2014 E63s
I guess your main concern should be the rust , google the most likely spots for rust in a W210 Mercedes, make a list and have a body shop look at all those spots. Make sure you use a good body shop to Inspect the car and saving few dollars here could easily become few thousand dollars easy. ? Spark plugs?
I guess your main concern should be the rust , google the most likely spots for rust in a W210 Mercedes, make a list and have a body shop look at all those spots. Make sure you use a good body shop to Inspect the car and saving few dollars here could easily become few thousand dollars easy. ? Spark plugs?
Thanks! I gave it a once over for rust, there wasn't any apparent on the body, I can't speak for the undercarriage though.
My main question was about the missing piece of plastic on the rocker panel, I still couldn't find the part number for it.
Yeah, really strange as well. Thought it was in decent shape from the test drive, no apparent signs of rust and it was a smooth ride. I went and saw another one in a little worse shape cosmetically with some rust just below the passenger side door, a hole in the seats, and even he didn't shy away from getting it inspected by a mechanic.
Tell the mechanic doing your private inspection to check the following (since most mechanics don't know **** apart from the basics and useless repairs that don't really matter):
Check the motor mounts and front/rear flex discs for the drive shaft.
Remove air cleaner and check valve cover gaskets and plug wells for oil
While air cleaner is off, check ALL breather & EGR hoses, vaccuum hoses, etc..
Check the headlights & wiring for failure or shorts or cracked wiring
Check the sunroof and all windows for speed proper function
Front upper & lower control arm bushings
Front Upper & lower Ball Joints
Rear Subframe Bushings
Front Brake Rotors
Check radiator hoses (all) for wear & weakness
Some of the things I listed are cheap, some expensive. But they can all add up to a LOT - especially brakes & suspension parts if you're not doing the work yourself. Even if these things need repair - and if you're willing to repair them - at least you'll have an idea on a much lower offer to make the guy, depending on how bad you want the car. If the undercarriage is 100% rust free, I'd say buy it but I have no idea how handy you are.
Was it driven in the winter? Do they salt the roads up there or use gravel?
Tell the mechanic doing your private inspection to check the following (since most mechanics don't know **** apart from the basics and useless repairs that don't really matter):
Check the motor mounts and front/rear flex discs for the drive shaft.
Remove air cleaner and check valve cover gaskets and plug wells for oil
While air cleaner is off, check ALL breather & EGR hoses, vaccuum hoses, etc..
Check the headlights & wiring for failure or shorts or cracked wiring
Check the sunroof and all windows for speed proper function
Front upper & lower control arm bushings
Front Upper & lower Ball Joints
Rear Subframe Bushings
Front Brake Rotors
Check radiator hoses (all) for wear & weakness
Some of the things I listed are cheap, some expensive. But they can all add up to a LOT - especially brakes & suspension parts if you're not doing the work yourself. Even if these things need repair - and if you're willing to repair them - at least you'll have an idea on a much lower offer to make the guy, depending on how bad you want the car. If the undercarriage is 100% rust free, I'd say buy it but I have no idea how handy you are.
Was it driven in the winter? Do they salt the roads up there or use gravel?
Hey, thanks for the info. I'm definitely sure it'll come in handy in the future when I actually do get the PPI.
Yes, they do salt the roads up here unfortunately, and he said he daily'ed it for about 2 years before he bought his new car.
pull the door seals out at the bottom of the doors. rust is notorious here and can quickly be bad enough where the door can't be fixed.
Also pull up the rear trunk seal. very common problem that can escalate very quickly for rust. If the car is pretty clean in both of those spots, then you probably dont have anything to worry about.
pull the door seals out at the bottom of the doors. rust is notorious here and can quickly be bad enough where the door can't be fixed.
Also pull up the rear trunk seal. very common problem that can escalate very quickly for rust. If the car is pretty clean in both of those spots, then you probably dont have anything to worry about.
these are both areas that routinely get missed.
As in the rubber door seals/weather stripping? I'm not really familiar with the body of the W210 as I don't own one yet. Thanks!
Hello all, going to revive this thread since I'm still in the market for an E55 and the car in the initial post was sold already. I found this one on FaceBook it's a 2000 with 220k KM's on the odo, the main selling point was the 18in monoblocks...It does have some rust just above the wheel well (I'm sure in other places as well), dents, dings, and i'm sure scratches that aren't picked up by the camera. He's wanting 3200 CAD for it.
We both have busy schedules, and I haven't had the opportunity to take it in for PPI yet. He was willing to lower the price if I just went ahead and bought it.
What do you guys think? I wanted a black one, could I buy this, fix up some of the exterior issues, and get it up-to-date on maintenance wise and sell it and wait for a black one to come up? Or avoid it altogether?
2000 C230k sport (sold), 1999 c43 Amg, 1997 C280 sport sold) 1996 C36 Amg, 2001 E55 Amg
Honestly for $3500 you can’t expect better then this. I’ll be honest with you I paid just a little more for mine in New York. Mine got typical fender, Drivers door bubbling as well but it’s so much car for the money. 150k miles and still running like new. I’d say take it for a test drive and see how it drives first get that over with. No matter what w210 you buy in Canada there’s a 85% chance they’ll all have rust somewhere. Especially if it’s a 99-01 those are said to have skimp rust protection compared to a 02 w210. If you really want a e55 and don’t want to wait then I’d say go for it and get the rust repaired. If your diy handy you can prep the car and shave the rust off the fenders,doors etc for a body shop. I’d see how bad the rust is first before marking a decision. Check the jack points to see if it’s still intact or eaten away and if your able to somehow check the spring perches that would probably be helpful in making or breaking the deal. Try to get it for 3k Or 2.5k it won’t hurt to ask. Hope this helps Goodluck
Thanks for the input, I'm going to take it for a test drive this afternoon and see how it shifts once I put it through its paces. As for the rust on the rear fender I think just shaving it off and applying bondo or something would work wouldn't it?
Yeah, for sure..Like you said, Low_C230, if it's possible to check for rust on the spring perches then I will. The way I see it though, is that if the car does end up being a rust bucket and a piece of junk, I could always sell the 18in monoblocks since I think they go for a little bit and just part out what's salvageable on the body/engine to recoup some of what I paid for it.
2000 C230k sport (sold), 1999 c43 Amg, 1997 C280 sport sold) 1996 C36 Amg, 2001 E55 Amg
Originally Posted by ph0bolus
Thanks for the input, I'm going to take it for a test drive this afternoon and see how it shifts once I put it through its paces. As for the rust on the rear fender I think just shaving it off and applying bondo or something would work wouldn't it?
Yeah, for sure..Like you said, Low_C230, if it's possible to check for rust on the spring perches then I will. The way I see it though, is that if the car does end up being a rust bucket and a piece of junk, I could always sell the 18in monoblocks since I think they go for a little bit and just part out what's salvageable on the body/engine to recoup some of what I paid for it.
Oh okay cool make sure you check for any sloppy shifts or slips. If the seller is cool with you putting it in the +\- mode on the shifter I’d try that too. Downshift and upshift with it to see how the transmission responds. The previous owner of my e55 was cool with me doing all that! he even let me floor it within the first 3 mins on the test drive lol and I’m 19 so I knew he had nothing to hide. These tcus adapt to the how the owner drives. So if the owner drives like an old man it might feel sluggish, slow and shifts may be earlier then usual. The engine appears to be in good shape on that silver e55 usually there’s weeping/leaky by the valve covers like mine was but it seems like those have been replaced and done on the one your looking at. It might be my eyes but seems like the engine is slanted ?? Not sure if one of the motor mounts is squishy and needs replacement? Guess you would find out later when you sit in the cabin you might feel a shake/vibration. As for body work That should do the trick, personally I’d practice on something else before I attempt an e55. I have to learn anyway cause my 210 and 202 c43 have some rust that needs to be treated so this is a must learn thing for me in the future. Also check the glass see if it’s still the factory blue tint all around. Those are hard to come by and can be expensive asf! Especially the windshield it has rain sensors try to see if any have been replaced. The way I look at it is you can always make your money back on that e55 if you do decide to purchase it. Either way If you decide to part it out or sell it as a whole. it’s always going to be a desirable car to some people and like the saying goes “ones mans junk is another mans gold”!!
So, I pulled the trigger. Kind of wish I didn't, there's a bit more rust on it than I had signed up for. The car is mechanically sound though, which I thought was great at $2.5k.
The repair highlights are the engine mounts, new tires, and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head. All done within the past 2 years.
I'm going to try to repair some of the rust on my own..at least to the point of filling it in. I might leave the repaint to a pro...
2000 C230k sport (sold), 1999 c43 Amg, 1997 C280 sport sold) 1996 C36 Amg, 2001 E55 Amg
Originally Posted by ph0bolus
So, I pulled the trigger. Kind of wish I didn't, there's a bit more rust on it than I had signed up for. The car is mechanically sound though, which I thought was great at $2.5k.
The repair highlights are the engine mounts, new tires, and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head. All done within the past 2 years.
I'm going to try to repair some of the rust on my own..at least to the point of filling it in. I might leave the repaint to a pro...
Congrats on the purchase!!! As long as it drives good and makes you smile behind the wheel that’s all that matters Plz document any rust repair I’d love to see plus it would definitely help me and any other e55 owners. I’m looking to tackle rust repair in the winter time for my 210. Be ready to reveal some hidden rusted behind the side skirts, back bumper, etcccc. anyway congrats man hope she treats you good.
Congrats on the purchase!!! As long as it drives good and makes you smile behind the wheel that’s all that matters Plz document any rust repair I’d love to see plus it would definitely help me and any other e55 owners. I’m looking to tackle rust repair in the winter time for my 210. Be ready to reveal some hidden rusted behind the side skirts, back bumper, etcccc. anyway congrats man hope she treats you good.
Thanks, I wish I could enjoy it, but just thinking of all the rust I need to remove just cancels out any sort of happiness I should have. I just want to get it presentable, and get it off my hands. I'll try to document the process all throughout, but the non-stop rain here definitely isn't helping :|
1991 964 Turbo, 2002 Black E55, 2002 Black E55 " The Beast"- 2014 E63s
So many months of DIY plus quite few thousand dollars more to make it presentable, probably makes it $5-$6000 and its still no where close to what a non rusted sample would have been. I'd say, sell it for the same or even bit cheaper, suck up the loss and buy something better to begin with.
So many months of DIY plus quite few thousand dollars more to make it presentable, probably makes it $5-$6000 and its still no where close to what a non rusted sample would have been. I'd say, sell it for the same or even bit cheaper, suck up the loss and buy something better to begin with.
Eh, it'll be good practice for me to try some body work.
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so I knew he had nothing to hide. These tcus adapt to the how the owner drives. So if the owner drives like an old man it might feel sluggish, slow and shifts may be earlier then usual. The engine appears to be in good shape on that silver e55 usually there’s weeping/leaky by the valve covers like mine was but it seems like those have been replaced and done on the one your looking at. It might be my eyes but seems like the engine is slanted ?? Not sure if one of the motor mounts is squishy and needs replacement? Guess you would find out later when you sit in the cabin you might feel a shake/vibration. As for body work That should do the trick, personally I’d practice on something else before I attempt an e55. I have to learn anyway cause my 210 and 202 c43 have some rust that needs to be treated so this is a must learn thing for me in the future. Also check the glass see if it’s still the factory blue tint all around. Those are hard to come by and can be expensive asf! Especially the windshield it has rain sensors 
try to see if any have been replaced. The way I look at it is you can always make your money back on that e55 if you do decide to purchase it. Either way If you decide to part it out or sell it as a whole. it’s always going to be a desirable car to some people and like the saying goes “ones mans junk is another mans gold”!!
Plz document any rust repair I’d love to see plus it would definitely help me and any other e55 owners. I’m looking to tackle rust repair in the winter time for my 210. Be ready to reveal some hidden rusted behind the side skirts, back bumper, etcccc. anyway congrats man hope she treats you good.
