Considering a 2005 E55.....good idea?
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2002 E39 M5
Considering a 2005 E55.....good idea?
Hello everyone! I'm a current owner of one of your rivals: A 2002 BMW M5.
It has just gotten too massively expensive to maintain and is pretty useless in the winter when there is the slightest hint of water anywhere (not even frozen).
I wasn't considering it, but the dealership that I have a good relationship with has a 2005 MB E55 w/ 31,000 miles on it. Black exterior and black interior. I took it for a drive today and man is that thing a rocket! Very luxurious as well and in fantastic condition.
They are asking $43k and I'm sure I can bring them down from there. They will give me $27k for my M5 so I'd finance about $14-$15k on it.
How well do these E55s hold up? How much will the warranty cover? Do they break constantly or are they reliable? How many cool mods can I make?
Just give me the whole summary of why you think it might be the right/wrong car for me. Thanks!
It has just gotten too massively expensive to maintain and is pretty useless in the winter when there is the slightest hint of water anywhere (not even frozen).
I wasn't considering it, but the dealership that I have a good relationship with has a 2005 MB E55 w/ 31,000 miles on it. Black exterior and black interior. I took it for a drive today and man is that thing a rocket! Very luxurious as well and in fantastic condition.
They are asking $43k and I'm sure I can bring them down from there. They will give me $27k for my M5 so I'd finance about $14-$15k on it.
How well do these E55s hold up? How much will the warranty cover? Do they break constantly or are they reliable? How many cool mods can I make?
Just give me the whole summary of why you think it might be the right/wrong car for me. Thanks!
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Corrolla
check this one out buddy, the guys here selling his with alot mods on it
https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-vehicles/245280-fs-trade-2003-e55-white-pano-extras.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-vehicles/245280-fs-trade-2003-e55-white-pano-extras.html
Thread Starter
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2002 E39 M5
check this one out buddy, the guys here selling his with alot mods on it
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=245280
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=245280
Looking for something with a warranty that I can extend. CORRECTION: I see that it is still under warranty. Still, can't justify the extra price above a 2005 with less than half of the miles that I can customize myself.Also, in Tennessee, you can deduct the amount of your trade in so you don't have to pay taxes on it. Considering the 10.0% tax on car sales, that's a ton of cash. But you have to buy the car where you trade it in......sigh
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2002 E39 M5
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2008
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2002 E39 M5
Could someone please give me some perspective? How expensive are E55s to maintain? Will warranties cover a lot of the major issues? Will it hold up over time? How will I enjoy it compared to my M5?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Oklahoma City
2015 AMG C63 S
The car you listed and price seem reasonable. The issue is the warranty, that will be running out in about 1 year. Get a later model with lower miles and a Certified PreOwned (CPO)warranty from Mercedes. I don't think the car above has a CPO warranty. The e55 is a great car but it is also expensive to maintain. It will hold up over time and outperform the M5. Whatever car you go for... do your homework before making the plunge. Is your M5 really only worth 27K, the dealer is probably hitting a homer on this deal.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 64
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From: Southeast
2012 E63 / 2013 911C4S
I am in TN too -- is this the car at MB Nashville? Anyway, I bought an '04 with 42k miles on it in Nashville a few months ago, I got a service contract and I have not used it -- yet (although the audio gateway did go out in my car within the first 1000 miles at a cost of $1100.00 -- but the dealer who sold it to me paid for that repair). I made a deal with myself that I would not buy an E55 without warranty or a service contract (I got the EasyCare service contract) and the only thing I would do differently would be to insist that I buy a MB CPO car but I got impatient and leapt. The dealer I bought my car from caused me some issues but I finally got them resolved and I have to say, for the first time in my 39 years of life (and about 100 cars) -- I love the E55 and am SATISFIED! As a matter of fact, my wife took it the other day (she drives an XC70) and came home saying -- "...I want one too". So, turns out, she may get a 2004 E55 -- when I find a CPO '06 that is reasonable and get my next bonus check!!!
Anyway, check service history closely to make sure it is not a "problem" car, make sure it has the options you want (the car @ MB Nash seemed a little light on options to me?), and trade in your M5 for the BEAST!!! Good luck and God bless
Anyway, check service history closely to make sure it is not a "problem" car, make sure it has the options you want (the car @ MB Nash seemed a little light on options to me?), and trade in your M5 for the BEAST!!! Good luck and God bless
Thread Starter
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2002 E39 M5
I am in TN too -- is this the car at MB Nashville? Anyway, I bought an '04 with 42k miles on it in Nashville a few months ago, I got a service contract and I have not used it -- yet (although the audio gateway did go out in my car within the first 1000 miles at a cost of $1100.00 -- but the dealer who sold it to me paid for that repair). I made a deal with myself that I would not buy an E55 without warranty or a service contract (I got the EasyCare service contract) and the only thing I would do differently would be to insist that I buy a MB CPO car but I got impatient and leapt. The dealer I bought my car from caused me some issues but I finally got them resolved and I have to say, for the first time in my 39 years of life (and about 100 cars) -- I love the E55 and am SATISFIED! As a matter of fact, my wife took it the other day (she drives an XC70) and came home saying -- "...I want one too". So, turns out, she may get a 2004 E55 -- when I find a CPO '06 that is reasonable and get my next bonus check!!!
Anyway, check service history closely to make sure it is not a "problem" car, make sure it has the options you want (the car @ MB Nash seemed a little light on options to me?), and trade in your M5 for the BEAST!!! Good luck and God bless
Anyway, check service history closely to make sure it is not a "problem" car, make sure it has the options you want (the car @ MB Nash seemed a little light on options to me?), and trade in your M5 for the BEAST!!! Good luck and God bless
What are the options I should be wary of? Is there a list somewhere? Thanks!
PS: Is this the list of options I should look for:
Adaptive Cruise Control
Designo Espresso Edition
Designo Graphite Edition
Front and Rear Parking Sensors
Heated Front and Rear Seats
Keyless Ignition System
Navigation System
Power Door Locks
Power Panorama Roof
Power Rear Sunshade
Power Trunk
Satellite Radio System
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Ventilated Seats (Front)
Wood Shift Knob Trim
Xenon High Intensity Discharge Headlights
Last edited by AWBoy; Jun 6, 2008 at 12:24 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Los Angeles, California
2006 E55 BEAST
I cant tell you if that particular E55 is good or not, I dont know anything about prices anymore since I bought mine. But I can tell you that buying an E55 will be one of the best decisions of your life. Imagine waking up with a smile on your face every morning just beacuse of the drive to work. An E55 can really change your perspective on the world.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 348
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From: Bay Area
2005 E55 / 2008 E63
Agree, picked up an 05 with 21k 5 months ago. Not a single issue, and gets the blood pumping everytime I jump in. Negotiated the CPO out to 48 months, so covered darn near thru 2011. Cost of maintaining the last thing on my mind...
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2008
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2002 E39 M5
I cant tell you if that particular E55 is good or not, I dont know anything about prices anymore since I bought mine. But I can tell you that buying an E55 will be one of the best decisions of your life. Imagine waking up with a smile on your face every morning just beacuse of the drive to work. An E55 can really change your perspective on the world.
It's just disappeared since it looks more like a giant meanacing monster that eats all of my free cash.
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Posts: 2,450
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1989 Toyota Tercel EZ - dyno'd @ 70whp/77wtq
Adaptive Cruise Control
Designo Espresso Edition
Designo Graphite Edition
Front and Rear Parking Sensors
Heated Front and Rear Seats
Keyless Ignition System
Navigation System
Power Door Locks
Power Panorama Roof
Power Rear Sunshade
Power Trunk
Satellite Radio System
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Ventilated Seats (Front)
Wood Shift Knob Trim
Xenon High Intensity Discharge Headlights
- I don't think heated rear seat is an option
- Dynamic seat
- Phone
- Manual side sunshade
But back to your original topic:
I think just like buying used car in general, you are gambling against how the car was treated and driven before. If you're lucky and buy a well-maintained properly-driven (not too easy but not too abusive either) car, I think W211 E55 is pretty bulletproof. My car, for example, only needed replacement/repair of tensioner pulley & belt, S/C clutch & I/C pump (just because I'm ****
) and pano roof rattles. Other than that, it is so far trouble free.But just like what you experienced w/ your M5, better get a car w/ plenty of warranty. If you have to buy 3rd party warranty, I'd suggest you buy it from stealership where you're going to bring the car for service. It may be more expensive (not in my case) but it will remove the hassles of getting the work approved and reimbursement (if at all needed).
Enjoy the search.... it's more exciting during the search than having the car later on
May be it's just me.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,880
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From: Seattle
05 E55
Just picked up an 05 with a little over 20k miles about a month ago with no regrets. I drove about 6 or 7 before I bought it and it was very apparent which cars were driven harder and which ones weren't. IMO and through the test drives, the cars that were one-owner and NON-leased consistently felt like new.
On a side note, after all my test driving, I ended up buying a car that I didn't even drive before I bought! lol But I had the dealership check it out, it met my minimum history criteria (one-owner and NON-leased) and had a buddy and a cool, fellow E55 forum member drive it for me.
The car was perfect when it arrived!
I will say this though.....I drove a few E39 M5's before the purchase because that was actually my second choice. The connection between the driver and the E55 is nothing compared to the M5's feeling. But the s/c V8 trumps that.
Good luck with your purchase.
On a side note, after all my test driving, I ended up buying a car that I didn't even drive before I bought! lol But I had the dealership check it out, it met my minimum history criteria (one-owner and NON-leased) and had a buddy and a cool, fellow E55 forum member drive it for me.
The car was perfect when it arrived!
I will say this though.....I drove a few E39 M5's before the purchase because that was actually my second choice. The connection between the driver and the E55 is nothing compared to the M5's feeling. But the s/c V8 trumps that.
Good luck with your purchase.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 412
Likes: 0
From: Bay Area
03 E55
The bleeding problems you are having with an out-of-warranty M5 will be similar to your experience with the MB. However, the M5 was a particularly problematic car with VANOS issues, early piston rings, carbon buildup, etc. etc. as I'm sure you have heard about. The E39 M5 was prone with problems, while the 211 AMG seems somehow more robust. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 187
Likes: 0
From: Daytona Beach
2004 E55 AMG
Nearly everyone on this board will tell you to keep the warranty up after the OEM. I just bought a MB extended contract for $1700. 30 days into it and I've already saved myself a $900 repair for the I/C. Peace of mind, my friend.
