My dad is going to buy an S430 in a month or two. I'm guessing that the price is comparable to the E55. Can someone list some good reasons to get the E55? Is the new E55 going to have the supercharged V8 like the SL55 and CL55? And when will the E55 be available in the states?

Thanks

jsm

This is very easy to convince your dad. First of all S430 and the new E55 is 2 different leagues. One is AMG which is the E55 and the other is just a plain S430. The E55 i believe uses the same engine as what's in the SL55, S55 and CL55 except it has less hp. The W211 will have 476hp and the S430 has about 302hp i believe. As far as availability on the W211 E55 sometime around April/May accorindg to my dealer. Hope this helps.

Maybe he would rather have the S430...What's wrong with that?

Nothing! Guess it's just a matter of personal taste.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, either. Guess I'm a little selfish in that I would like to drive it once in awhile.

If you want rear leg room, get the S. If its performance youre looking for, E55 is the ticket. I highly doubt your dad will want to have 476horses on tap but thats just my guess since it sounds like he is an elder gentleman.

Just because MB says the car will be intoduced in the US in April/May does not mean the car will be available. Dealer v.p.s tend to grab the first available units so they can resell them at substantial markups, it is a limited production car, and of course there are reservations for this car already. I've seen several dealers with SL 55s that have a sticker price of about $126,000 presently trying to sell these cars in their showrooms (as a "used" car) for $189,000! If you make a reservation for this car now, it may be a year before you can get one. In the past MB said they were only importing about 400 E class AMGs each year.

There is no question that the new E55 will be a great car. Anyone who buys one though should be aware that the trade-in price for a high performance AMG is lower than the standard cars if they have a lot of mileage. I had two dealers tell me that if an E55 has over 20,000 miles they can not sell them (they will just resell to a wholesaler. )

I can definitely understand your situation. In 1971, my father was in this same situation. He wanted to buy a 280 SE and I wanted him to get a 280 SL. When he sold his 1971 280 SE 9 years later it sold for roughly 50% of the purchase price(which in 1971 was $9300). Had he purchased the SL, in 1980 they were selling for around $15,000 in the same condition his SE was in. Had I used this info back in 1971, maybe I'd be cruising in a classic Merc today. The take home message is:

Limited production, high demand due to extreme performance, significantly higher residual in later years= LOWER COST TO OWN AND OPERATE. This says nothing about the priceless value of driving satisfaction (which in my opinion the S class delivers none), and making one's children happy.

The idea of higher residual applies only to low mileage vehicles. I still have a high mileage 1996 S420 for sale and am reluctant to accept what a clean car with no significant issues is bringing on todays depressed used car market. AMG cars will always bring a premium despite the difficulty that the W210's are having right now.

Nice to read something from someone with a positive spin on things, Dr Chill.
Whan crunching numbers and talking deals it is always apparent that cars are not investments, and that they are in fact financial sinkholes.
But keeping the big picture in perspective is important.
Life is short, it is a true pleasure to drive an AMG car on a daily basis, and the loss of $$ is even greater on most other models.
Have a great '03.

If your Dad buys a limited production 2004 E55 AMG with 469HP which does 0-60 @ 4.8 seconds he may not let you drive it!

The S430 only has 275HP.

Have your father test drive a E500 and see if he likes the car in general. If big HP is not his forte, then there's nothing you can do, because you are trying to get him to buy a car for you and not him. Hopefully he will like the E500 enough to where a compromise can be reached (E55 AMG). Keep in mind that he can go and buy a S430 NOW, whereas he won't see a E55 for some time. Even when the E55 starts to make its way onto U.S. streets, the waiting list will be an issue.


AMGLAB, it's a shame about how AMG vehicles with higher mileage give low trade-in values. I suppose people are worried about how they have been driven because they are high performance vehicles. They still hold private party sales well, moreso than regular MB's (or so I thought).

On the mileage note, maybe it would be better for him to get the S430 b/c he puts alot of miles going back and forth b/w home and the office. But then again, he keeps his cars forever so he doesn't really care about resale value. He's put 175K miles on his current '90 LS400 and definitely got his money's worth out of that car. What's sad is that where he works, I'm sure there are already a bunch of S-class cars in the parking lot. It'd be nice to be a little different. Besides, one of his co-workers just got a 50th aniversary Corvette. The E55 would give him a run for his money.

jms

So guessing you'll convince your dad to get the E55?

I'm gonna sure as hell try.