Well...I recently sold my Brokedown Motor Works 740i that I had owned since 2000. No warranty anymore, and the thing was bleeding me dry...$2k-$3k visit to the shop every 2 months or so like clockwork, usually computer/sensor issues or perpetual suspension problems. Sent it off to what will hopefully be a good home, and now it is time to find a replacement. Meanwhile, my old 1998 SL is still going along just fine....only things I've ever had to do to it have been some convertible top cylinders (leaking fluid, replaced under warranty), and replacing the top. Other than that, car has always been perfect. This got me to decide on another benz.

I started off wanting a 2004/2005 CLK55, because I like my neighbor's and it had 4 semi-useable seats, but after reading this forum I realized that for just a bit more money I can get a lot more car with the E55 instead. Having driven numerous examples of both, the E55 seems to be a much more substantial car in every possible way, and I love the performance, so that part of the decision is behind me. I have the hardest time finding a decent one, though.

My 'dream' 55 would be a 2003/2004/2005 in Black/Black with heat/vent & active/dynamic seating, nav, pano, sunshade, keyless go, parktronic, and xenons, and still within the factory warranty period so I can extend it. After poking around, I see that these cars book out in the 50s but I think that's somewhat high and think they will fall as Kelley, Edmunds, etc. update, given that the new E63 is becoming more common and body style updates quickly kill residuals on the old ones. It seems like a fair price for the above is in the neighborhood of $38k-$48k, depending on year and mileage, though you're welcome to correct me if I am off. I would be fine with this price point or anything around there, if I could find a decent one.

In my search, I have looked a ton of absolute junk. And I mean real trash. The only one I could find with all the options I wanted and the right colors was an Ebay car in Ft. Laud, and when I showed up I could see scratches and scrapes and misaligned body panels even before I got out of the car, none of which was disclosed in the description, naturally. Total waste of my time, though the seller was a nice guy nonetheless.

After awhile, I started widening my horizons and even looking at other colors....still no go. Looked at 3 in Miami, two at Autohaus in Pompano, one at Mercedes of Daytona, and another one at Brumos. All of them had an achilles heel of one thing or another. One was mislabelled and ended up being a CL which I would've liked if it didn't have that nasty blond wood. Out of the E's, a couple were just fugly colors and the rest had issues. I got really excited about a silver one I drove last weekend in south florida until I saw the carfax which showed that the car was a forced manufacturer buyback, and the VMI that showed a history of electrical problems at the dealers that continued up to just a couple weeks before I looked at it. In fairness to the sales guy at Braman, he was one of the most honest I'd ever encountered, saying "well I wouldn't buy it either". Nice people, very nice cars (except that one), and reasonable prices. I would've liked to buy from them but they didn't have what I wanted. I have since looked at every one within driving distance, to no avail. Everything is either absolute junk or obnoxiously overpriced. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.

I need another vehicle with 4 seats to replace the Broke Man Walking, and I really don't have much more time to wait. To be honest, I was surprised by how fast the 7 sold on autotrader, and I was kind of caught with my pants down. I am so picky that it usually takes me a long time to find a car I like, and I really should have found a new one before getting rid of the old one.

Anyway, I have narrowed my current options down to this:

2003 E55 with 39kmi. Black/Black. Asking $41k
Car is at Lokey Mercedes-Benz in Clearwater, FL.

The Good:
-Colors I want
-Authorized Benz dealer
-CPO car w/ 100k warranty extendable for 3+ more years.
-Immaculate condition
-It's a trade-in, so the price figure will be negotiable.
-Dealer says Mercedes is running some financing special on '03/'04 models at a very low rate, 4.9% I think. That's at least 3 points better than I will get through my credit union, which is enough to equal real money over the life of the loan.
-Carfax and VMI are clean.

The Bad:
-Zero options, except parktronic. Missing almost everything I wanted.
-In fact, I would just exclude it outright except for it being black/black, a CPO car, and here in FL (so no travel), which are all very attractive attributes.

You can see the car here:
http://www.netlook.com/public/auto_result.cfm

2004 E55 with 39kmi, Capri Blue with black int. Asking $41k
Car is at Bentley of Downer's Grove in Downer's Grove, IL.

The good:
-Car has every option I want, except sunshade and keyless.
-Black interior
-Burl Walnut wood that isn't bleached (very rare, and non-bleached is even more rare)
-Within factory warranty until 6/08, at which point I will extend it through either starmark or with Mike at Daimler-Chrysler Warranty Co.
-This car is also a trade-in, so the price should be somewhat negotiable.
-1 private owner, carfax and VMI are clean.
-Dealer seems to have a good reputation from what I can find, doesn't appear to sell junk.

The Bad:
-It's 1k+ miles away and who really wants to do a 3hr plane ride and a 16 hour drive in one weekend.
-Though a close second, it's not black
-No financing special, but they think they can match my CU's rate.

I am unable to post the link because the protocol they use will just direct you to the search function, but you can go to Bentley Downer's Grove and do a search for it if you want.

2004 E55 with 22kmi, Pewter/Black. Asking $44k
This car is at some Saab dealer outside of Chicago, IL.

The Good:
-Nicely optioned, except for the most important one, nav.
-22k mi
-22k mi
-did I mention 22k mi?

The bad:
-No nav (but they tell me I can add it for $1500...is this true? That seems low)
-It's still not black
-Same travel pains and expense as with the blue one
-Factory warranty expired a week ago, but Mike at DC Warranty Co. says he can still backdate the contract for up to 45 days and write the extended warranty anyway. However, this obviously tacks another $2100+ straight onto the upfront cost of the car, which makes the price seem especially high.
-Given the above, and with no warranty remaining, I think the price is high even considering the miles.
-Car was bought by Saab dealer at auction, so probably will be less negotiable than the others.
-Carfax is clean, but VMI shows something like 6 service visits in 8 months back in 2005/2006, all for minor electrical issues (brake actuators, lighting, etc). Also, the car has been for sale for awhile, including as a CPO mercedes at an auth. dealer, yet it still ended up going to auction. Given the miles and condition, this seems kinda fishy.

2004 E55, Silver/Black, 46k mi, asking $41k
Car is at Hyundai of Aurora

The Good:
-Very nicely optioned
-Excellent condition
-Under factory warranty for another month or two, so can extend through either starmark or through Mike at DCWC if the bullet under this one doesn't work out.
-Vehicle was actually a mercedes CPO with 3yr/100k left on it that got traded in on a freaking Hyundai (WTF??? someone needs a slap in the head). The dealer says they haven't titled it yet, which after poking around about how CPO transfers work *should* mean that I will be able to pay a $50 transfer fee to take over the balance of the CPO, since Mercedes will be none the wiser about the trip through the Hyundai dealer. It's a maybe, not a sure thing, though.
-Clean carfax and VMI.

The Bad:
-Car is in Michigan, so same travel hassles and expense as with the other two.
-Hyundai dealer, and a very high-pressure one at that. I got a headache on the phone..."Oh we have 473 people a day looking at that car, you better buy it right now!"...you know the drill.
-I still think something musta been wrong with it for anyone to trade such a nice car on such a crappy one.

You can see this car here:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=876


So, what are your opinions? It took me forever to narrow it down to this set, and I can't figure out which one to go after, or whether I should just wait until after the holidays. Suggestions would be MUCH appreciated.

As a side note, you guys have a great forum here. I have learned enough from you already to avoid several lurking disasters. Wouldn't even have thought to pull a VMI if I hadn't seen it here, etc. Thanks!

-Chris

 

Sounds like you are in south Florida, and that is good, cause we have a pretty high concentration of AMGs here. I am sure you will find exactly what you want, just a mater of time.

 

If you can shorten that dissertation to about two lines I'll be happy to help.

 

Rock, you are such a giver.

 

First, welcome to the forum. This is about the best place on Earth to be asking questions like you are.

2nd, dayum, that post was like War and Peace.

All joking aside, I took the time to condense the post for the guys so that you will hopefully get some more info.

Here we go...............

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Had a bad experience with my last BMW, but my older Benz still runs like a top so I am ditching the Bimmer and looking for a newer Benz. Wanted an SLK, but I am finding that an E55 would be the most car for the money.

Everything I am looking for seems to be pretty beat up and I was hoping for better looking used 55's. Seems like the cars are either near new and still like 70-80k or used and abused.

After looking and looking, I narrowed it down to these 4 cars. Which would you guys choose. Keep in mind I REALLY want black and as loaded as possible but would prefer not to travel to pick it up/inspect it etc.


2003 E55 with 39kmi. Black/Black. Asking $41k
Car is at Lokey Mercedes-Benz in Clearwater, FL.

The Good:
-Colors I want
-CPO car w/ 100k warranty extendable for 3+ more years.
-Immaculate condition
-It's a trade-in, so the price figure will be negotiable.
-Dealer says Mercedes is running some financing special on '03/'04 models at a very low rate, 4.9% I think.
-Carfax and VMI are clean.

The Bad:
-Zero options, except parktronic. Missing almost everything I wanted.
-In fact, I would just exclude it outright except for it being black/black, a CPO car, and here in FL (so no travel), which are all very attractive attributes.

You can see the car here:
http://www.netlook.com/public/auto_result.cfm

2004 E55 with 39kmi, Capri Blue with black int. Asking $41k
Car is at Bentley of Downer's Grove in Downer's Grove, IL.

The good:
-Car has every option I want, except sunshade and keyless.
-Within factory warranty until 6/08, at which point I will extend it through either starmark or with Mike at Daimler-Chrysler Warranty Co.
-1 private owner, carfax and VMI are clean.

The Bad:
-It's 1k+ miles away and who really wants to do a 3hr plane ride and a 16 hour drive in one weekend.
-Though a close second, it's not black
-No financing special, but they think they can match my CU's rate.

I am unable to post the link because the protocol they use

2004 E55 with 22kmi, Pewter/Black. Asking $44k
This car is at some Saab dealer outside of Chicago, IL.

The Good:
-Nicely optioned, except for the most important one, nav.
-22k mi
-22k mi
-did I mention 22k mi?

The bad:
-No nav (but they tell me I can add it for $1500...is this true? That seems low)
-It's still not black
-Same travel pains and expense as with the blue one
-Factory warranty expired a week ago,
-Carfax is clean, but VMI shows something like 6 service visits in 8 months back in 2005/2006, all for minor electrical issues (brake actuators, lighting, etc). Also, the car has been for sale for awhile, including as a CPO mercedes at an auth. dealer, yet it still ended up going to auction. Given the miles and condition, this seems kinda fishy.

2004 E55, Silver/Black, 46k mi, asking $41k
Car is at Hyundai of Aurora

The Good:
-Very nicely optioned
-Excellent condition
-Under factory warranty for another month or two,
-Vehicle was actually a mercedes CPO with 3yr/100k left on it that got traded in on a freaking Hyundai The dealer says they haven't titled it yet,
-Clean carfax and VMI.

The Bad:
-Car is in Michigan, so same travel hassles and expense as with the other two.
-Hyundai dealer, and a very high-pressure one at that. I got a headache on the phone..."Oh we have 473 people a day looking at that car, you better buy it right now!"...you know the drill.
-I still think something musta been wrong with it for anyone to trade such a nice car on such a crappy one.

You can see this car here:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=876


Thanks for any input guys!!

 

I'm in almost the same boat as you (in terms of finding what I want for the right price), but prefer silver/black and still have my daily driver so no time pressure. Have you considered anything on the west coast? If you're willing to fly to Michigan in November, I would think the Bay Area or SoCal would be a walk in the park. The reason I ask is that it likely opens up the largest inventory of used w211 e55s to your search. Granted the drive back would be longer, but might be a small price to pay to get what you want.

On top of that, I have lived in Michigan and would NEVER buy a used car from the upper Midwest. Once you have seen what salt on roads does to cars, you would feel the same way.

Good luck,

Jimbo

 

OK here goes:

1. Forget the '03. It's too old for that price, mileage, and lack of options.
2. 39K '04 cannot be "starmarked" (obsolete term), by anyone other than a dealer. Aftermarket warranty is it. You could add the power rear shade, but not keyless go.
3. 22K '04 is good, but you're right, no way in hell you're adding nav for $1500.00. Try 2.5-3K. You're back to an aftermarket warranty.
4. 46K '04 Awful lot of miles on that car. Personally, I think you're trying to low ball the prices and you definitely get what you pay for. I'd spend a little more on a low mile '05 or '06 CPO car. There are hundreds of them out there if you are willing to travel a little more. This will not be like your last MB. There will be problems and a CPO warranty is the best insurance against them.

 

Lol. Ok guys, I get the point. I will try to condense it.

In response, I was thinking the same about the '03, so that's off the list. Nav and xenons were pretty non-negotiable for me, and this one has neither.

As far as the Mercedes CPO warranties go, I guess I'm still using old terminology...last time I bought a mercedes the term was "starmark", so that's where that came from. It's been awhile...lol.

My thoughts about extending the warranties through mercedes CPO is valid, though...you can definitely extend your car's warranty prior to the expiration of the 4yr/50k through your dealer, once you already own the car. I called and asked my service writer for quotes on an '04 55, and the price was somewhere around $4100 to go through mercedes CPO. I always do everything through the dealer, so my preference is CPO. The only aftermarket warranty I would consider would be Daimler-Chrysler Warranty Co., since they cover all the same stuff as factory and the dealers will deal directly with them. They are a bit cheaper but have a deductible setup. IIRC, their price was $2100 with a $50 deductible, for the same coverage as CPO. I'd probably still go for mercedes CPO, though.

As to stuff going wrong, I figured as much, and am definitely sticking to cars with warranties. That much horsepower and so many complicated ancillary systems in a midsize car is not the ideal reliability package. I also see the non-warranty E55s pulling in the $35-$40k range on Ebay even in excellent condition, so I guess that's the reason why.

On lowballing prices, I dunno...my problem so far has been a lack of anything that I would buy at any price, let alone the price I think is fair. There has been something off about each one, usually condition related, or it has had negative carfax or VMI history. It seems like the general consensus is to keep looking?

I am in Florida, currently up in Jacksonville but I get to S. Fla pretty regularly. I have looked at the West Coast, and everything over there seems to have a lot of miles, relative to what we get here, which is a problem warranty-wise. I guess you west coast guys drive more.

Hadn't thought about road salt, but whoever said that has another good point.

I appreciate the advice.

-Chris

 

I know you really want black, but you if you can live with silver, this is about the best example of a pre-owned E55 you're gonna find. And he just happens to be a member here.

I think he wants mid-50's for it:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...&highlight=E55

 

Don't be too concerned with the VMI. If you saw the history on my '06, you wouldn't touch it with a 10' pole.

 

mb nav is absolute junk by the way. my $200 mio digiwalker is 10x the unit my mb nav is.

 

Seriously?

I have been eliminating every car I came across that had multiple issues within short time periods, and especially the ones that went in multiple times for the same thing, or had a bunch of electrical problems.

I figured I was being smart, after reading some horror stories online about the significant percentage of 2002-2005 Mercedes with electrical gremlins, and especially when I ran across that lemon-law one in Miami with that very problem. That one really broke my heart too...well-priced, great condition, and well-optioned with low miles. If anyone wants it, they'd probably let it go for next to nothing because of the lemon title...I'm not sure they knew about it when they took it on trade.

If I am just eliminating things needlessly based on VMIs, then maybe I need to revisit a couple of the ones I have looked at. I have just been trying to avoid getting into a constant headache with the electrical problems I've read about.

I just looked at the link for that silver SoCal one, wow...that's gorgeous. Definitely a cut above everything I have driven/looked at so far, and I have looked at a LOT of these in person. The price seemed a bit steep until I realized it was CPO'd to 2011, which actually makes it a pretty good deal. It still isn't black, though, and at those figures I would want everything the way I want it. I am also trying to stick with things along the east coast, since I can do a NE-FL fly & drive over a weekend, and everything else in less time, but a transcon would take a few days that I don't ever have.

I see the pics some of you have up and am amazed...they're seriously better than new, and some of it is just insane...like that guy that spent $15k converting his 55 to a 63 body.

I guess I will keep poking around for a black/black with options. I agree, something is bound to turn up eventually. I just hate waiting, and I keep getting OCD over it and thinking about getting one in the wrong color or equipment just to have it now.

 

Really?

I haven't really played with the nav in the ones I've driven. I knew that the previous gen. CD-based command was notoriously crappy, but figured the newer DVD-based units from 2003-forward would have to be an improvement.

 

My vote is to be patient and find a low mileage 05/06 with the options that you want.

I disagree with the comment regarding the "junk" Mercedes nav system. I have nav in my Audi and Lexus and the Mercedes is the best system. Talk about crap, the Lexus will not let you or your passenger program a destination on the fly.......and that's not good when you're lost in a bad neighborhood, like Vic55's.

Good luck.

PS.............. See Vic, I am a giver!!

 

not the software but it did it to me today! told me to drive down a street, make a u turn and come right back the way i came to get onto i95. its just stupid imho. tells me to exit highway than get right back on, cant input say radio shack like my mio either.

 

Seriously. It's been in for the trans a few times (just got it back for a leak), CD changer once, oil sensor failure once, a mysterious case of the trunk opening itself (kid you not), and the pano roof rattling. Effing hauls a$$ with the K-1 though, even stock it made 435 RWHP. You just have to be prepared to put up with a little glitch here and there. These ain't Toyotas. Give it time, you'll find what you want.

 

Have you considered a 63 ?

 

I was in the same scenario as u are now a month ago...i started out looking at the 03's/04s, wanted a black with ever possible option but after doing all my homework and several trips i ended up with the best color yet Tech Gray/Merlot Interior with every possible option.... just be patient and look around

 

Thanks for the post!

 

No problem. We both know it's gonna end up in my garage at some point.

 

Cant blame ya there.I can work with ya on the price but not the color..lol

Be patient and keep searching.I had my eye set on getting a white with pano but my patients level was running low.I got lucky and found my car with all the options I wanted except one,rear sun shade.

Now Im in the same spot as before,looking foir a white with pano roof e55...only problem is I have this silver one still.Which isnt really too bad of a problem in the long run I guess! lol

 

LOL....You wouldnt like it.I cant get it too come out of the garage if theres clouds in the sky or chance of rain! Im forced to drive the yugo instead.

 

I recently bought a E55 for 46k on ebay. You guys think this was a good deal?

 

CWW, have you looked at MBUSA.com, and done a nationwide search? Don't settle for a car with less options than you want (or the wrong color)....there are so many cars out there for sale it's just a matter of finding it in the haystack. The website will tell you exactly which options the car comes with.

As for NAV it works just fine. Installed for pretty cheap... I have a Lexus too, and touch screen, interface, blah blah blah. Who cares? I use nav 1 or 2X a week max and it works fine in both cars. In fact I have old discs in both cars and I still haven't had any problems getting to point B.

I came from having BMW's since I was 16 as well. The maintenance issues with Benz are not trivial, but once sorted under warranty the 211 is actually pretty solid (and I have an 03 and an 04!).

Focus on the warranty and you will be happy. Good luck.

 

Werd!