ndw434

Hey all, new to site, and looking at picking up an E55 AMG. First off up until now I've been a pretty big BMW supporter and have posted alot on BF.c for several years now, but now I'm looking for a bit of a change. I currently drive an E46 M3 (and have had E36 M3 and an MCoupe) and its a great car but I need something different. Now why buy an E39 M5 when the W211 is close enough to the M5 price range to justify a car with better tech, more HP and TQ, and a better ride.

Now I'm looking at '03 E55's and was wondering just how expensive this car is to maintain... How much are oil changes if done myself, how much for say a brake job, and regular maint.? I would def. look into picking up an extended warranty, but the regular maint. I'll have to take care of myself. Is it a mistake picking up an '03 with anywhere from 55-75k miles or are they solid cars that will last 130-150k miles if taken care of? Now if this is a bad idea, the '05 C55 AMG's are also in that price range but the E55 is so much more car.

Glad to be here and thanks for any and all help.

NGS_E55

Like ///M's get extended warranty. Oil service can be found around $150, if I recall correctly(less if you do it yourself). Note: One of the 1st things I learned is that there is no dipstick(electronic). Brake jobs are expensive IMO. $1200+?

That said, I came from E36 M3, E39 M5 and on the street the E55 is the true torque beast. Handling, driver feedback and ergonomics slightly better on the BMW. Luxury, style, straightline speed goes to the AMG.

AMGfan

1st off welcome aboard...now to your questions...I would first determine your upper price range and get the latest model and lowest mileage you can for that price (a CPO version would be a plus). As far as cost of regular maintenance...I'll let the other guys chime in since my 04 has the regular maintenance covered under warranty.

Jon

Blacksport350

If you can afford it, I would buy a lower mile car so if it is an '03 no more than 36K miles, less for a newer one. If you can't afford a low mile car, I would still try to buy one with less than 50K.

The problem is not so much owning them into high miles as they are solid cars (expensive to maintain like an M5 though), but taking a bath if you buy a higher mile car, put more miles on, and then try to sell it.

If you are into DIY, it is not expensive for routine service:

OEM Brake Rotors are about $135 per corner
Poterfield R4S pas are about $500 for all 4 corners
Engine Filters are $65pr
Oil change at dealer is around $110
Alignments at the dealer get silly so $135-350
Brake flush (must go to dealer) $120
Cabin filter $40
Cabin charcoal filter $140

That is about it for things that need to be done on any sort of routine basis.

As to high mile cars, there was just a thread and there are very few 70-150K mile cars out there. THere were a couple at or over 100K if memory serves and they have happy owners but I wouldn't want to own one.

The E55 is worth is over the C55 is you can swing it as there is nothing like a supercharged AMG. I would take a C32 over the C55 if I had to make that choice and when I sold my C32, I didn't even consider a C55 as it didn't have the thrust of the SCed cars. I wanted an SLK55 to replace my SLK32 but once again, it felt boring by comparison. THe best thing that ever happened at MB was the blown V8 and V6, it is very sad that they have given them up.

ndw434

Thanks for the replies so far guys, I really appreciate the input. Blacksport thanks for the input, I hadn't considered the bath I would take on selling one with much higher miles down the line. My situation is that I will be looking to pick up one of these cars in about 6 months and my budget stops at 32k. Should I still look at the E55 in this regard? Also what else could you recommend thats maybe a bit newer than the C32's but comparable to the C32/55?

Blacksport350

Well, if you got a good enough deal on a higher mile E55 it could be worth it but may still be hard to sell used compared to an E39 M5. Outside the E55 and C32, there are not any other explosively powerful AMG sedans. The C55 is just smooth and powerful.

I would personally go E39 M5 before a C55 and would have a tough time picking between a C32 and E39 as they are both great for different reasons. THe E55 makes the decision easy....what M5?!