just as an aside, and to make sure you're sound in your logic....
The 07 E63 that you use in your link as a comparable is not in warranty-has 53k, so it's out. That being the case, will it need $10k to be ready as well?

And no insult intended, but your 09 doesn't have a 6 in the first number of it's value...it would be a low 5. Don't need to argue that point with you, I'm simply saying that to some people, the depreciation is so steep on these cars that owning a $25k one doesn't upset them. They'd rather drive it a bit, get out, and lose 3-4k in a year or two than to watch another car depreciate another $10k or so in a year.

My point was, and is, different strokes for different folks. ALL cars cost money to own. It's just a matter of how you want to pay for it, and where you want to place the risk. Flame on.....

 

I agree. It is kind of sad that a newbie comes here to get info on buying a 55 and the first thing everyone does is start *****ing about....GET A WARRANTY, DONT GET A 03, MAINT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD, YOUR GONNA GET SCREWED, YOU BETTER HAVE 5 MILLION DOLLARS ASIDE FOR REPAIRS. It is really pathetic. This board is getting to the point like the local news, I dont watch it because it is all negative crap that happens to a few people but they paste it all over the TV so the whole world is freaked out. It is a complete joke. I have had 3 E55 on was an 03 with 54k and no warranty, I had a 06 with 33k and warranty and now my CLS with 19k and no warranty. I have never had any huge problems, I have modded some and drove others stock. I have never paid for an extended warranty and have never paid more then 1k in normal maint. Hell my Toyota Tacoma needed a $500 30k a few weeks ago. Most people here fail to mention the cars they buy are high mile turds, they mod the hell out of them, they race them and then they break. And then they want to come here and tell everyone what a piece of crap the car is and how you better get a warranty. The faile to mention they started with a piece of crap. I go to M5board often due to having a few M5s in the past and quit a few friends there, they never sit around like the babies on this forum and ***** about the cars and what turds they are and preach warranties. Simple fact.....buy a decent car that has been taken care of, no matter the year, take care of it yourself and you will enjoy the 55. Mod it and beat the hell out of it, and know, SHIAT MIGHT BREAK. These are 4 door Mercedes Benzs, not dragsters. My 2 cents because it is getting painful to even come here anymore as it is watching the 6 o'clock news.

 

^^^^^^^^

I agree wholeheartedly. I believe part of the problem is that a handful of people who are lucky to have a warranty rack up amazing repair bills, post like crazy(even brag) about it, and now everybody thinks that these cars cost $10k a year to maintain.

I also see a lot of people pull out the attitude of "I'm better than you because I bought my car new/overpaid for it/it has low miles/it's more "desirable"/I wash it every day/etc., so I'm going to do whatever I can to discourage you from getting a good deal to make myself feel better". It is quite pitiful to see people act like little jealous babies, but that's the way it goes around here sometimes.

 

The bottom line is that well taken care of cars with documentation and history will always command a premium. Lowballers will always try and convince sellers that the nice cars mentioned above are worth the same as those with a salvage title/auction pricing. Let the lowballers buy the crap cars and the rest of us will enjoy the well taken care of examples.
I always pay a premium for well taken care of cars and those that purchase cars from me are willing to pay a premium too because they realize they are not buying junk.
Do your research and buy from those that take care of a car the way you do and quit focusing on the lowest price too.

 

Love This Guy! Amen Brother. For the pussies worried about warranty on a used car maybe you should go lease a Camry. On the other hand if there weren't folks this pessmistic these cars would be in much more demand and worth alot more resale, leaving less money for mods!


FWIW in over a year of ownership of my CLS55 I had not yet spent a dime on my car other then the smallish dump truck of money spent on mods. My motor mounts need replacing and maybe lower control arms. I just bought those both for $330 shipped. Labour will be about $500. Not bad for a car with movie star looks and enough torque to stop the spin of the earth now and then.

 

fwiw, I bought my 2009 E63 new with an end of model year discount, and so the car cost the same as a new E550. I normally don't buy new cars but this time I did. And I pretty much knew about Mercedes depreciation.

But after being a member on MBWorld I've developed a huge paranoia that my car is junk and will fall apart in no time. And it will cost me a fortune if I don't add an extended warranty. It's got me believing that these cars are just big mistakes waiting to implode (or explode if you remember that long 'the world's going to end' thread about fuel sender leaks.)

It's probably left me with an unrealistic view on these cars. I keep thinking about dumping this potential nightmare before it's too late, even though the reason I bought it new was to have a car to keep around for a long time. It's just my grocery getter and not a modified project car; after all it was designed as a Mercedes first and it's really not the best candidate for a drag car, imho.

But the reality is I've had no issues with this car so far. It runs great, no valve train noise, no oil usage at all, no transmission issues, no airmatic failures. I keep it maintained and it's no more expensive to own than my Porsche (except the P-car has had less depreciation over time.)

Yet I'm still paranoid after reading posts here. I even decided to sell it, although I enjoy driving it and there's nothing wrong with it.

Everyday I tell myself to just stop reading MBWorld and enjoy the car. On the AMG PL forum, people are raving about their AMGs. And there are a lot of high mileage owners on there who are happy with their cars.

I think in the end, these cars are no worse than any other high tech, high performance car. Repair and parts costs might be a bit higher, but still very close to other brands. And all brands have samples that develop issues.

Like emoving says, it's like prime time news. There tends to be lots of drama. And it doesn't really reflect on the real world.

 

First, the repair history quoted above is just great to hear about and is probably realistic in a lot of cases. You do hear about all the repairs here. I've owned two E63s and have had virtually zero issues. Sorry guys I was just trying to help the OP and express that there was an alternative. Most of you are car guys that are able to deal with issues and get the repairs done at a reasonable price.

And no, most people don't just have an additional $25K to spend for something newer but there are upgrades, mods, etc. in addition to repairs that can add up in a hurry (i.e. a smallish dump truck of money). Really, needing motor mounts and upper control arms can't easily be handled by most people. What would these repairs be if you just rolled the car into the dealership and said "fix it"? And then, add to that some other crazy thing that the stealer says is needed.

Some of you are saying "heck crap the warranty" but I have read a pile of threads that recommend getting a warranty. How much is a warranty for an '03? Can you even get one?

By all means, get the low mileage Pewter '03 and enjoy it, add a pump or whatever that comes along. While $10K might be on the high side for repairs it is not if you want to mod / dress up the car and then have repairs on top of that. Perhaps, spending more money just buys depreciation but it certainly is still a choice.

Finally, I don't understand all the "high emotion" of talking about a "possible" alternative. If it is a dumb fuking alternative then that's all it is.

Edit: Whoever up there thinks that a low mileage '09 E63 can be had for the low 50s, that would be a great deal. So, instead of getting the '07 suggested in Post #16, the OP could get an '09 E63 for approximately an additional $25K. The alternative just looks better and better.

 

This is what was originally said: "You need to look at this low price and add 40 percent for needed repairs".

Needed repairs are a far cry from spending money on upgrades and mods. While it is true that some cars have issues out of the gate when purchased used, year and mileage don't seem to be a determining factor. I remember reading posts about 2 year old cars with 20K needing struts already. It really is a crap-shoot, and in all honestly "high" miles don't bother a lot of people, nor does buying a car that's 6 or 7 years old.

I do think people should be prepared for unforseen repairs down the road and realize they can get very expensive, but the common issues are well-known. We all know that ANY car can fail at any time and be very expensive to fix. Fortunately the drivetrains in these cars are very strong, and most of the issues that come up are not insanely expensive to fix. I still stand by my claim in other posts that these cars love to be driven every day, and the worst thing you can do is "baby" the car and let it sit for days or weeks at a time.

 

i just picked up an 05 Pewter E55 a couple weeks ago w/ 55k miles on it from a trade in at an Infiniti dealership. Price was $29k and no warranty. I got the dealer down to $24k, traded in a car and got $9500 for it and put $8k down. So i financed not that much for an E55 AMG.

Previous owner took good care of it. Even the sales mgr who owned an E500 wanted to buy it and got it inspected at the MB dealer next door. I even called the MB dealer ith VIN and went over the maintenance history and was up to date on everything. Car has Contintentals DWS tires 3 months old, front brakes almost new, rear about 25% left on pads. Dynamic/heated seats, nav, xenons, and auto trunk release were the only options. I did pick up an easycare 4 yr/50k warranty for more than i wanted to pay $5k) on top of the purchase price. Yes its alot, but piece of mind should things break. I do know what i'm getting into since brand new it was an $85k car that i got for a good deal in my opinion.

 

Got my E55 for 17k. Clean 2 owner car with all maint done @mbz dealer. 2700 for 2 year warranty.
90 k is high but car is in great shape.
I am a very happy new owner

 

Well said