Advise on buying a W211 E55 AMG
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2003 Range Rover HSE
Advice on buying a W211 E55 AMG
Hello everyone, a new member here!
I am a prowd owner of a 2003 HSE Range Rover, which I got for a bargain (I'm a student, and don't have that much credit). Anyways, I recently tried a W211 E55 AMG, I don't know the year, but I immediately fell in love with the car! It was the 1st time I ever drove a Mercedes AMG! I decided to get me an E55! (I also thought about a CLS55 AMG, being that I always loved that car, but I don't think I can afford it).
So while browsing on the net, I found that the 2003-2004 W211 E55 had a max speed of 160 mph, while 2005-2008 had 200 mph! I would like to know if there is any difference about the W211 E55 AMG's being that I'm relatively new to Mercedes-Benz!
Also, being that I am from Albania, and live in Paris, France, for the time I'm studying, I need the E55 just for holidays! Like a couple of weeks in the winter and a couple of them in the spring, and 4 months in the summer! How is the reliability of the car, being that there, I cannot take advantage of warranty?
Thanks in advance!
I am a prowd owner of a 2003 HSE Range Rover, which I got for a bargain (I'm a student, and don't have that much credit). Anyways, I recently tried a W211 E55 AMG, I don't know the year, but I immediately fell in love with the car! It was the 1st time I ever drove a Mercedes AMG! I decided to get me an E55! (I also thought about a CLS55 AMG, being that I always loved that car, but I don't think I can afford it).
So while browsing on the net, I found that the 2003-2004 W211 E55 had a max speed of 160 mph, while 2005-2008 had 200 mph! I would like to know if there is any difference about the W211 E55 AMG's being that I'm relatively new to Mercedes-Benz!
Also, being that I am from Albania, and live in Paris, France, for the time I'm studying, I need the E55 just for holidays! Like a couple of weeks in the winter and a couple of them in the spring, and 4 months in the summer! How is the reliability of the car, being that there, I cannot take advantage of warranty?
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by 3R10; Oct 5, 2009 at 09:42 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Houston, TX
2006 E55, 2012 Jeep SRT, 2008 G37s 6MT (The Mrs.), 2005 Explorer
Sorry to burst your bubble about 2005s and 2006s but they just had a 200mph speedometer vs the 160 mph speedometer in the 2003s and 2004s. Factory they are all limited at 155mph.
There are some interior changes through the years like center consoles and the speedo. Exterior changes include the BiXenon headlights in 2006 (maybe 2005? I'm sure someone here can answer that.)
As far as reliability goes the biggest consensus you're going to find on the forum is to look at the history of the car in question regardless of year. If any year has more problems than another it would be the 2003s which is common on first model years for any manufacturer. However there are a lot of 2003s with lots of miles on them with minimal issues running around. So it the price is right and the history is solid don't be afraid. I personally wanted the center console out of the 2006 and the headlights and I found one with the options I wanted (dynamic/vented seats, pano roof, black on black and effing sexy<- this one comes free with all E55s) for the price I wanted. You can get an aftermarket warranty for them and Chrysler seems to be the best bang for the buck in that market. Hope this helps, ditch the Range and get a beast you'll never look back.
There are some interior changes through the years like center consoles and the speedo. Exterior changes include the BiXenon headlights in 2006 (maybe 2005? I'm sure someone here can answer that.)
As far as reliability goes the biggest consensus you're going to find on the forum is to look at the history of the car in question regardless of year. If any year has more problems than another it would be the 2003s which is common on first model years for any manufacturer. However there are a lot of 2003s with lots of miles on them with minimal issues running around. So it the price is right and the history is solid don't be afraid. I personally wanted the center console out of the 2006 and the headlights and I found one with the options I wanted (dynamic/vented seats, pano roof, black on black and effing sexy<- this one comes free with all E55s) for the price I wanted. You can get an aftermarket warranty for them and Chrysler seems to be the best bang for the buck in that market. Hope this helps, ditch the Range and get a beast you'll never look back.
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From: Salt Lake City, UT
2002 BMW M5, 1992 AWD DSM, 1988 Yamaha FZR1000
IIRC the bixenon change was made in 2004 (2003 had normal xenons that didn't tilt/pan). 2004 also had the big screen w/ option for NAV whereas 2003 had the smaller screen and no nav.
Thread Starter
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2003 Range Rover HSE
Thanks for the advices guys! You've been very helpful so far! However, I'd like to know if I can remove the speed limit on both models? I'm not the kind of guy who enjoys driving fast, but I enjoy drag racing (yes, I know that I don't need more than 150mph for drag racing, but I prefer my car to unleash its entire power).
How about acceleration, how is it in comparison with the E63 and/or CLS55/63 AMG?
Thanks in advance!
How about acceleration, how is it in comparison with the E63 and/or CLS55/63 AMG?
Thanks in advance!
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2003 Range Rover HSE
Going on with the search, and of course, thanks to you guys, I've almost decided to get me a E55 AMG! It's like the perfect car around here! How about, removing the speed limit from the 2005 model? Is it possible? From what I've seen, it's possible to remove that! Not the same thing with the 2003-2004 models! What do you think about that?
Also, what mods do you suggest me to do to the car, once bought?
(how about rear entertainment system, does it exist in E-Classes? I know I can add an aftermarket solution, but I'd like to keep everything OEM!)
thanks in advance!
Also, what mods do you suggest me to do to the car, once bought?
(how about rear entertainment system, does it exist in E-Classes? I know I can add an aftermarket solution, but I'd like to keep everything OEM!)
thanks in advance!
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 917
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From: Glendale, AZ
E55
Going on with the search, and of course, thanks to you guys, I've almost decided to get me a E55 AMG! It's like the perfect car around here! How about, removing the speed limit from the 2005 model? Is it possible? From what I've seen, it's possible to remove that! Not the same thing with the 2003-2004 models! What do you think about that?
Also, what mods do you suggest me to do to the car, once bought?
(how about rear entertainment system, does it exist in E-Classes? I know I can add an aftermarket solution, but I'd like to keep everything OEM!)
thanks in advance!
Also, what mods do you suggest me to do to the car, once bought?
(how about rear entertainment system, does it exist in E-Classes? I know I can add an aftermarket solution, but I'd like to keep everything OEM!)
thanks in advance!
As far as your questions: They have been discussed countless times on this forum and have hundreds of threads addressing them. If you get a tune, you can have the electronic governer setting removed (it's currently at 155) to limit your top speed to gearing only. Removing this won't exactly "unleash all of the power" of your AMG, it will just allow you to go faster than you ever should go on a public roadway.
Rear-seat entertainment is purely aftermarket my friend. Anything can be done if you have the coin to put out for it. You can even make it look OEM.
