im looking at buying a 03 or 05 e55. they both have a little over 100k miles. i am a 22 yr old and would be looking at this car as a daily..
would be my first benz coming from a family of w210 owners.
my other interest is a 2001 e55 with 80k. a little cheaper.. but you know how POWER calls.

 

Over 100k... Well just make sure you have some Oo s*** money saved. Couple grand... Incase you run into problems and you will be good to go.

 

check it out make sure its good and has been well maintained... there is guys her who have over 150k miles and running hard too.. all depends on how it was kept, if you keep up the maintenance she'll run you for ever.

 

The car has not been necessarily unreliable, it's needed it's fair share of repairs like every single car I've ever owned. The repairs can be hella expensive though which is the big difference from other cars I've owned. I do all the work myself, but just last year I replaced my rear airmatic bellows along with some suspension components that were oldish and my front brake discs/pads... nearly $2000 right there IN PARTS.

 

It depends heavily on how the car was maintained.

All the BMWs I've owned were far LESS reliable than the MB AMGs I've owned.

 

Im at 130k miles. No big issues, just standard maintenance. I will stress checking the car out completely before buying though. I was very lax when I bought mine and I ended paying around $7k the first year in maintenance that the original owner didnt do and didnt tell me about:

Brakes - $600
Rear diff - $500
Cracked headers - $600
Instrument cluster - $1200
Fuel tank - $1200
Spark plugs - $300
Belts - $100

Just to name a few

 

04 e55 with 118K on the clock so far;

at 113 I had a transmission oil leak from the front pump. I am a mechanic
so I took care of it for approx. 500 dollars.

When its cold outside the stereo crackles, turning it off and then back on again
takes care of the problem.

The rear sunshade stopped working within the last few hundred miles. I'm sure
it wouldn't be hard to fix. It is stuck in the raised position, which is the position
it was almost always in anyways.

I hope that helps. This car has been much more reliable than any of the BMWs that I owned before switching to Merc.

 

05 E55 with 56k!

Besides tires, brakes, brake fluid flush, and oil changes its been a GREAT car. Love the looks I get from other drivers when I see there car in the rearview mirror when we get on IT! Just smoked that new Lexus ISF

DG

 

Wow! I've owned 2 cars. Bought and '85 300SD and drove it until 265,000 miles and then bought a Saab with 99,000. Never owned anything with less than 40k!

 

I am with what some others have said. I think as long as the car was maintained like it should be, and driven frequently, then it should be trouble-free for the most part minus your normal wear and tear items which will eventually need attended to regardless of what brand car you're driving. Good luck.

Aaron