Looking at an E55
First post here, so hopefully I won't embarass myself. I am not an owner yet, but I am seriously considering a 2003 E55 AMG.
The seller is not local to me so I want to make sure the plane flight to check it out is worth it before I go. What are some things I should "look out" for? I am thinking about issues with electronic systems, supercharger or similar items that can be prone to failure.
Any good keywords to search the forum for on this topic?
The car has 36K miles and is listed on ebay here.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-...item43a3f03379
Thanks for your help and I look forward to hopefully joining your ranks as a proud owner.
Remember this is the first year of the w211.
The car looks clean and it certainly has low milage.
Do a car fax.
Good luck




The avatar for the owner lists his location as Stratford, CT. He has the car cross posted on rennlist.
Thanks again, very considerate. Especially considering I have zero history on this site............
Trending Topics
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Worst year recall model in Mercedes history.
sbc airmatic valeo radiator be sure you have it inspected fully by a pro
if you do decide you want to overpay for your whistle(Ben franklin)
3 owner car
W211 run or not you need to really decide if you can afford all the things about it that tend to go wrong.
$26k a steal? That's thousands over dealer retail
02's are in the 12's
04's are selling for less than 26k with the 3500 buck dynamic seat option
there's an 05 brabus going for 29k with 52k miles
there's an 05 going for 27k in denver
add in the cost of flying and transport and you would be getting hosed even more.
My two cents(Only)
Last edited by ohlord; Dec 18, 2010 at 05:18 PM.
All that aside, if you do get one, it will ne a fantastic car. They are amazing to drive!
Last edited by jamcclureuk; Dec 18, 2010 at 05:57 PM.
Wow all I can say
All I can say is that you get what you pay for, if you can get an E55 for $20K go for it, but I could almost guarantee that you'll end up with high repairs bills. There is a reason that dealers are paying $15,000 to $29,000 at auction for E55's. The condition of the car obviously dictates its price.
All I can say is that you get what you pay for, if you can get an E55 for $20K go for it, but I could almost guarantee that you'll end up with high repairs bills. There is a reason that dealers are paying $15,000 to $29,000 at auction for E55's. The condition of the car obviously dictates its price.
TMV edmunds is a real survey of all markets and true sale prices.
even adjusted for 700bucks mile adjustment for the low miles an 04 comes in at under 23grand. 2006 don't even demand much over 30K
It is wonderful that it is a car to enjoy when it is not busted and in the shop
That still won't change the fact that most are a pricey time bomb waiting for the next break down. Proof? Look at the bottom line of your profile..........oh wait you removed the line about"when it's not in the shop"
Make sure your steering wheel nut has the recall performed on it,that will really be one amazing ride
why do you think the car linked to at the top of the forum has dropped from 30k asking to 26k over 3 months and still not sold? It will keep dropping till it hits the true market price or some poor slump that listens to someone say 26k is a steal and jumps to buy it at the wrong price often uninspected no warranty price.
BTW there's an 06 for sale with 60k miles remaining warranty pano roof dynamic seat $4200 626 option package selling for under 31K in the S.E.
and if you think an 04 for 34 is the going price why is taso selling his for 10k under book? Probably because he knows what the market is.
Last edited by ohlord; Dec 18, 2010 at 09:17 PM.
Mine was a CPO that I bought out of state and had delivered to my house sight unseen. When I had it inspected by my local MB dealer there were oil leaks, transmission leaks, ball joints were questionable, etc. I'm glad I had the CPO warranty as it covered everything. I paid $32k to include a 2 year 100,000 mile warranty for mine (New tires, new brakes, B Service, New SC belt) but if it weren't a CPO I wouldn't have paid nearly that much. So, to the OP, you will pay more for CPO, but I think it's worth it for the piece of mind knowing that you have Mercedes basically certifying that the car is in good order.... and if it's not (as it was in my case- they will fix it)
Last edited by jamcclureuk; Dec 18, 2010 at 11:51 PM.
His car is a cpo for under 25k



