thatg

So after, I'm going to say 2 years of debate ive decided to get a new car to replace my current one. I've narrowed it down to a 2005 c55 or 2004 e55. But heres where the problem comes in, ive always driven japanese cars and this would be my first german. From my experience with japanese cars the worst of my worries has been squeeks and funny noises from the poorly crafted interiors. other than that an oil change and its smooth sailing. So this is quite a jump for me to move to a german performance AMG vehicle. The only thing holding me back from going ahead with the purchase is my concern about the reliability of either car. i'd prefer the e55 but the supercharger makes me a bit more worried about the engines longevity and necesity to service. I plan to purchase either car with 60k or less miles and only drive about 6k miles a year. so either car would most likely be out of factory warranty or just near that. so my question to everyone on the boards is what extended warranty will give me some sort of peace of mind that god forbid something went wrong with the transmission or some other major work needed i wouldnt have to sell the car or worry about having to pay out of pocket. thanks for any help really appreciate it guys!!!

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Get the e55 over the c55
About you warrant question search function is you best bet, that topic has been covered a numerous times.

thatg

hey thanks for the response. why do you recommend the e55 over the c55? are there any kind of maintenance costs to worry about that a warranty wouldnt cover? and after doing some searching it looks as though everyone loves the Chrysler warranty but theres been some recent worry about their filing for bankruptcy.

InTheBenz0

E55 because umm its got a way nicer interior, and is a ****load faster..

and warranty either chrysler or fidelity.. can't go wrong with either i suppose. I was all set to go with chrysler but when i called a bunch of my dealers, they recommended fidelity over chrysler.. and fidelity in my case (29k miles on my SL) was actually cheaper.

thatg

im wondering if in terms of actual cost after all is said and done the n/a c55 comes out to be less both financially and in terms of the headache of being at the dealer all the time or breaking down. thats a compromise id be willing to make for 120 less hp

Donovan386

I can't speak for the C55 but I think the reliability of the E55 is generally pretty good. It's not going to be as good as a Honda Civic but for a near-500 horsepower sedan, what do you expect? The motors in these cars are bullet-proof. It's the electronic gadgets you have to worry about. I considered a C55 when purchasing my E55 but the horsepower difference and the looks had me sold on the E55. The supercharger is alot of fun. The C55 is not a bad car- just not what I really wanted.

As for the warranty, I also went with Fidelity after being sold on the Chrysler. Haven't had to use it yet but it's there for 4 years if I need it. I will probably have moved on to something else by that time.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

thatg

just wanted to say thanks to you guys with input very helpful board, im assuming this is the biggest mercedes forum in terms of activity based on how quick the responses were. It looks like fidelity might have to be what i go with based on the state of chrysler and even warranty holder's uncertainty. ive been speaking through pm with a user here wondering what kind of maintenence costs id be looking at between the c55 and e55, i was hoping i could just purchase a warranty, change the oil every once in a while and be on my merry way and should i problem occur i could put the warranty to good use. i was wondering what you guys think of this strategy? thanks.

zoink

Based on my experience owning both, I would not mind owning a C55 w/o warranty but not dare to own an E55 w/o warranty. IMO, the extra power that E55 has is worth the risk

C55, on the other hand, is more fun to be tossed around... just need to put a coilover, and the handling would be much much better than E55. Plus, less electronics (mechanical suspension, no dynamic seats, etc. etc.) means less problems in the future.

In short, even w/ E55 right now, I do miss my C55 and have been tempted to get another C55 since the price is so cheap right now.

So it all depends on what you're looking for. C55 is certainly faster than 95% cars out there even in stock form.

Good luck!