Hi there, i first registered on this great forum back in early 2001 when i took delivery of my c200k as my name suggests, loved this car, still own it to this day and use it as my daily driver right now.

Now my "toy" car has been a mitsubishi evo 8 fq400 for the last 4 years, having just sold this 2 months ago i feel as though i am lost without that thrill of acceleration!

After some quick research it is pretty obvious that the e55 is for me as i am after a change from the brash looks of the evo and how everybody stares in disgust at me when i drove it.

I dont actually need 5 seats or a 4 door car for that matter, however i plan to embark this coming summer on a 4000 mile road trip through europe which will include a few days at the ring.

I have a few questions about the car for those who own and are in the know:

Is buying a highish milleage car, lets say around 60-70k, is this going to give me any major issues i should know about? all the cars im looking at have full mbsh and no expenses spared as most owners do not skimp with these cars.

Is it reasonable to assume this car will be quicker in a straight line than my evo fq400?

Finally the most important question, what improvisions shall need to be made before hitting the ring? anything worth upgrading? or is it all built for the ring as a stock car unlike my evo?

I dont plan to drive the car a lot, maybe just 5-6k miles a year and plan to keep it for a few years. looking at 2004 model cars which have taken the depreciation hit already. prices are around £15k-20k uk pounds.

One more question, once the car is de limited what will be its top speed? would it crack 200mph with a dms remap?

Any other info or advice would be great for someone coming from high powered jap rice rockets lol

p.s i hate how in the uk NO ONE orderes mercs in white, i would kill to own an e55 in white, oh well, could always have her wrapped.

 

Aside from the launch, this car will blow the doors off your FQ400 in a straight line. The torque sensation is also much, much greater. I've never been in any of the UK FQ-trim EVOs, so I can't speak too much on your particular car. I do however have a 577hp AWD DSM that will kick the **** out of my E55 in a straight line, but it's a bucket of bolts (bolts that break, leak, twist, stretch, snap, etc) compared to the Mercedes. Even the EVOs we get over here in the States (base/MR/RS) are plastic Hot Wheels cars compared to the Mercedes.

Boy racer -> luxury muscle.

The main thing you're going to notice about the E55 vs the EVO is that it just feels SO MUCH NICER. EVERYTHING is nicer. The seats aren't pokey and rigid, the ride isn't harsh, the cabin feels a million times more luxurious, etc. Juts get out there and drive one and you'll sell yourself on it immediately.

Don't get me wrong; I love the Mitsu rice rockets. The 4G63 is one of the most incredible four-cylinder motors in the world. But there is NO COMPARISON to the E55.

As for hitting the 'Ring, your comment surprises me. Your FQ400 is MUCH more equipped for quick laps on the Ring than a stock E55 would be. I mean, sure, you could take an E55 out there and have a blast with it, but you would almost certainly get better times in your FQ. The Benz is a stately sedan with grand-touring characteristics (think M6) and a ****ton of torque (think M6+150lb/ft of torque). It's not going to burn around the twisties as well as the much lighter & race-ready FQ400.

Oh, and the E55 is absolutely perfect for a 4000 mile road trip. Get one with the active dynamic seating package and you'll be in love.

 

thanks for your reply, the merc sounds perfect for me!

I am also suprised that i just was not comfortable with driving the evo around Europe, i had issues with mine left right and centre, diffs breaking, driveshafts breaking, suspension problems and i even had issues with the rear doors jamming up which wasnt a problem for me but still reflected the build quality of the car. Every so often a hose would just burst off purely because of the boost she ran. This i felt was not acceptable for a car that i wanted to drive 4k miles around countries i had never driven in before.

If i had the means to have my old evo taken to the ring and a private jet there and back it would be ideal, but the bits inbetween i simply think it would have fallen to bits and i would have had no support for it anywhere in europe.

In my 4 years of evo ownership, i maybe launched the car once or twice, miss daisy driver you might say but i have never been inclined to launch any of my cars, i am more interested in the in gear acceleration and dont like the whole "boy racer" image of light to light racing. why did i buy an evo you may ask LOL, lets just say i was young and it fitted my needs perfect, 4 years on i guess we all change

I have a test drive arranged for a black 2004 model next week, looking forward to it however i am making it a point to try at least two examples before i buy.

One other thing i personally felt about the evo is its high speed ability was horrifically bad (granted i installed adjustable coilovers, which only made it worse at high speeds). The evo handled superb under 100mph, it took corners at any speed you gave it but the problem was the cars stability was awful above 100mph, i didnt feel safe taking long bends at speeds of over this. Where i live, i do a lot of driving on mainly straight country roads with long winding high speed bends rather than short, this meant half the time i was not able to push the car as it did not feel it was meant for this job.

I rarely get the time to do track days, the ring is just a one off that has been in the planning for a while, i dont really care about my lap times in the merc, i really just want to have a good time and enjoy myself and get use to the limits of the car.

Can anybody tell me the top speed on one of these bone stock with just the limiter taken away? im sure iv seen some videos on the internet of them doing 200mph, is this correct? if it is then i dont care about anything else im sold

DMS who remap these sort of cars are near me aswell so easily get a remap along with de limit and hopefully experience 200mph in Germany this year

 

Forgot to add, even my now 9 year old c200k is better built and gaven less problems than my evo did. Granted the c200k isnt the best built car, it still doesnt break mechanically like the evo use to.

I also am sick of driving a manual, it may be more fun but damn 4 years of pushing down a twin plate clutch one needs a change for a while haha.

 

The E55 is a excellent car, just make sure you get a good one.

Paul

 

Good luck looking for the 55!
Let us know how you go with the test drive.

 

I highly doubt that a stock e55 will click over 200mph. Mine hits a brick wall around 190..

 

Based upon wind resistance and basic physics, the E55 doesn't have the HP in stock configuration to hit 200mph. Closer to 180. Higher obviously if modded into the 500hp+ range.

 

180 will do just fine, i just hope its stable at high speeds, cant really go to such silly speeds on the test drives lol

Really looking forward to e55 ownership, its a perfect car for someone who wants a change from something like an evo

Thanks for your advice everyone