det42phx

Im a current bmw 540ia owner,but Im looking to upgrade, I thought of the M5 but bimmerfest community doesn't speak to highly of depenability. You probably know of bmw famous cooling problems.Even thought of the cadillac cts-v but I dont think my wife likes the looks. So what about the E55 AMG does it have its share of common problems? Anything I should look out for? I test drove 2002 a few years ago it was awesome but went with BMW instead. Any suggestions thanx det42phx.

M3-ADDICT

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...stionable.html

tscales

I sold my 540iT to buy my 05 E55 wagon. The 540 was supercharged with the VF kit. It was great, and quick, and handled well, but NOTHING compared to the E55.

I've owned mine for 30K miles and three years. Rock solid reliable. Mine is a CPO, so still under warranty. Any little thing that has come up, they've handled.

Drive one, you'll buy one.

allenjdmb

I'm going to disagree a bit. I've got an E39 M5 at the moment (currently for sale), and I've owned about a dozen of these late model AMG cars. As for reliability, I certainly wouldn't say that any of the Benz cars have been unreliable, but there are issues that do crop up. Of course, that's true of any brand. The M5's I've owned have their own issues, but all are fairly easily corrected. And of course, it is from a generation of cars where you can actually repair them. I guess what I'm saying is that although I don't lose sleep at night worrying about something going wrong with the M5, the AMG cars out of warranty do worry me a bit. But hey, that can always change--does depend on who repairs and services your car. I still must say there is nothing quite like that 400 HP torque machine with the nice 6 speed, and the numb steering and air suspension in the E 55's are not a plus. The E does look great modded and has more street cred, except for e39 M5 fanatics (and there are quite a few). Just my experience, hope this helps.

930chas

I agree with all this. Remember that the e39 M5 has far less electronical goodies. Thus most fixes are rather simple. The e55 is a pretty complex machine, and there are alot of fixes that are best left to a certified tech. The e39 is a blast to drive, and the sound of that motor at WOT is heaven, but the e55 is at another level. The instant torque is intoxicating.

Also,this forum is an absolute wealth of knowledge. Example, changed my batteries out the other day. Thanks to this forum, I knew to run a jumper to my aux battery so as not to lose my settings, and also when the car was restarted and got the ESP malfunction visit dealer icon knew to turn steering wheel far left and then far right to clear that message.

Eddie 500

The 2002 E55 and the 2003 E55 are worlds apart in terms of performance.

2002= W210

2003= W211

W211 is supercharged from the factory and will blow the doors off of the W210.

930chas

Oops...didn't see he was talking about the w210. Yes, two totally different cars. I would definitely take an e39 M5 over the w210.

det42phx

Well first of all thank you for your honest oppinions.I should say even though I did test drive a 2002 e55 amg the ones I have been looking at recently are 2004-2005.I do love my current e39,I just wanted to step up a bit.Back in December I was going to look at a M5 in my area and of course posted on bimmerfest for advice.It was a 2001 low miles,a r/s title,
but for only 14k pics looked great,but almost every post said to stay away from it.It sold before I could ever look at it.So Im just trying to sort through the maze of truth. It looks like your saying purchase only with warrranty. Which is also a little scary is the warranty I purchased after market is probably going out of business.So I assume cpo only.Keep the advice coming. det42phx

930chas

I am shocked that you were told not to buy a low mileage m5. What was their reasoning? The easiest thing for you will probably be to buy an w211 e55 with a good existing transferrable warranty in place. Example, there is a nice one for sale in the classifieds for $21k..including warranty. That seems to be a great deal!

det42phx

His ad was a little cheezy " this car will smoke any vette" gawdy ghetto wheels,restored title,but they are never to positive about the M5 cost to maintain etc..Ive had my share of issues with my 540 most small other than cooling at 70k. They say you can expect to double the problems with the m5. Where is the e55 you are talking about?I,m in the Phoenix area. There is 2004 out here with only 38k with some warranty for 29k.

930chas

Ok. I can definitely understand not buying that one. Everything about it, the listing, wheels, salvage title, etc is a HUGE neagative!! I owned three e39 M5s and never had an issue. They are superb cars. You just want to find one from a trusted seller who has maintained it to an utmost standard...same goes for the e55. Here is the listing for the one I was referring to earlier, https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-vehicles/334989-fs-2003-e55-silver-charcoal.html>

emoving

+1 I also owned 2 E39 M5s and other then the dreded MAFS, I had no issues. Put a clutch in at 45k which is common and a few MAFS which are cheap. They are strong good looking cars. If Gustav didnt own M5Board and wasnt such a dictator, I would probally still own one!

det42phx

Thanks,I'm going black when I do buy. Yes I know its hard to maintain but we love black. Out here many buy white because of the 100-120 deg heat we have in the summer.That does not stop me though.Here is another e55 from reputable dealer in Phoenix.http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/ctd/1571373156.html

Nait Sirhc

I'd have to disagree here, I test drove a slew of e39 M5s when I was shopping for my previous car (wound up getting a 4.2L Audi S4) and there WAS no fun feeling of torque. I was expecting a lot more out of it. The E55's torque blows the e39 away.

New M5 is a different story.

CharlyE500

Why even bother with that thread ?

Nait Sirhc

wrong one