austinholloman

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-...item43a434eff4

I had no idea these cars prices had dropped this much!? Only 35k miles!?

timeskew

Yes, I've been looking at this one. One of the few Pewter/Black 55's out there. Being an '03 it has scared me away a bit, but man is it a clean ride!

mikey33

It has three owners and it is an east coast car which means it probably has rust. Plus, pewter is not a desirable color to be honest for most buyers. Price is reasonable.

timeskew

I actually prefer the pewter, and if its clean (no rust) its a great car. I would love to find my exact car only with a 55 engine.

Only worry is the early model year for me.

mikey33

^^^ True

Rhaunschild1980

Low miles is a plus but Miley hit the nail on the head....3 owners on the east coast....rust bucket....but it is your decision and ultimately your money! Good luck with the car hunt!

chawkins2001

PEWTER, nuff said

KLR CLS

uh.... is anybody else not surprised given it's a 7+ year old car?

AMG depreciation is up to 2% per month over the first 36-48 months. Considering a 2006 CL65 originally sold for $200+K can be had for high 30's now, I think 26K for an 80k car 7 years later is pretty damn good.

eye_s

east coast = rust bucket is not completely accurate. i have never had problem with rust on a car and i have lived on the east coast my entire life. i think with a certain class of car or with "well maintained" cars rust wouldnt be an issue with a car on the east coast.

FCSmthree

I was actually curious about rust on 211's, I have yet to see a 211 with rust unlike the 210 rust buckets and I live in Chicago. Anyone have issues with rust here?

I have 2 211's, but both do not see winter....

tgoss

That car also has very little factory options.... If you care for that sort of thing.

sack5000

With no warranty your out of pocket might be easily $4-5 grand right away. You need to look at this low price and add 40 percent for needed repairs. You will be needing fresh tires soon and that alone is $1,500 for PS2s. Anyway, I would get into a newer car with a CPO warranty and you will be money ahead.

Unlike some others around here, that Pewter looks good when it is clean and in the sun. Good luck finding what you want.

220S

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...36k-miles.html

MB_Forever

AMG depreciation can be good sometimes

Make sure you thoroughly check out the car and definitely look into buying some type of extended warranty.

austinholloman

Totally understand what your saying here but a 7 year old car with only 35k miles is a different story. I would expect this price at 60k miles plus but 35k? Thats pretty low for an asking price of 25k....

sack5000

Price is not low. If you put $10K in the $25K car you still have a 8 year old car, is it still worth $35K?? For $35K, you can just almost get into a 2007 E63 with some warranty remaining. Extending that warranty will be a whole lot cheaper than the 2003 E55. Think about it. See it here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-...item53e571749b

mikey33

True, but most people only look at the cost when convincing themselves that a) they can afford the car and (b) that they are getting a steal. Warranty was my number one priority before I ever even started looking for my e55, and as much as I hated it because my dad made me, it was the correct decision for I was thinking with my emotions rather than my logic.

austinholloman

Tires are at 90%? How is that soon? And the 40%, are these cars just really hard to keep running or what am I missing. Ive never owned one or even test drove one. Is the 55k motor really expensive to maintain or what? Sorry for the lack of knowledge but every one really seems to think this 35k mile car is already worth less then 20k? If thats true, im glad I didn't look into getting one of these further a few months back when I was looking. Is the E63 a lot better because its NA?

MB_Forever

I agree with you generally on what you said.... but you have to remember, not all used cars require a lot of maintenance to bring up to speed. The previous owner of that vehicle could be someone who have kept all his vehicles very well maintained. And of course, maybe not.... the OP won't know until the vehicle is thoroughly examined

Also, if they're asking $25k, he can probably drop it down to $23k. Then add $3k for Fidelity Extended Warranty, and he could have one heck of a deal

sack5000

Ultimately, its what the OP wants, we all know that. I have read many similar threads here that all seem to directly advise getting the newer car and spend the additional coin. In this case, I agree that it is much easier to get into the 2003 but the future upkeep is always going to be an issue. The possibility of getting into the E63 and have a car one-half the age seems attractive. It's not really a toss-up since the two cars are so different.

allenjdmb

at the amount of knowledge here on a car that apparently no one has seen, touched, or smelled or driven.
I do in fact, agree with some of the things tossed around here. Yes, financing is a bit tough on cars that are 7/8 years old now. There are also those who feel strongly that they wouldn't own an 03 211. And rust was an issue on 210's, no doubt. Personally, I don't care for pewter, so I don't buy them.
BUT...
That's why there is more than one car for sale. That's why a car that was around $90k is $25k today. That's why 03's are cheaper than 06's. Remember, there are some of you that won't own an 07/08/09 either (you know, since the 63 is a POS, and the 55 is so far superior?). There are some of you that like to take your cars to the strip and have modified them accordingly. I would never in a million years consider a car with that history--but others will, and that floats their boat. But just cause it doesn't move me doesn't mean I can call it "worn out"--just like being from the northeast doesn't make every car from up there a "rust bucket". And $10k (40%)to bring a 35 thousand mile car up to speed? Not including a set of tires that you just assume it needs?
Anyway, I just find this amusing. Moderator will probably dump this, but the reality is that you must take EACH car on its own merits. If it doesn't suit you, then move on. It won't make your car better, or theirs worse. I'm sort of emotionally insulated from all this stuff, since I've been in and around the industry for years. I do feel a bit for this guy who has what appears to be a nice car, but has now been trying it on Ebay for a couple months with no results.
OK, I'll shut up now and let you guys tell me what a dope I am. Enjoy.

220S

Sorry my link above didn't work (you have to be a member to view.) The seller is a Porsche owner (996 and 964) and he's looking to get into a 993. As far as the seller is concerned, there are no issues there. But the car is a 2003 (7-8 years old now) and anything can happen. It's not a one owner so nobody will know the previous history.

But just wanted to give the heads up on the seller. He has a good rep on the Porsche forums.

sack5000

First, will the OP get some more details about this car from the current owner?

I was talking $10K to bring it up to speed over time and that includes normal mods that the OP will want to do (fix things and make it pretty). For the same money, the OP could get an '07 E63 for about the same price so why all the hassle. Also, it sounds like the OP is not a car enthusiast that wants to *** with the car that much. All your points are well taken and understood except the math, heck I purchased my 2009 E63 about a year ago brand new for $71,000 and it's worth less than $60,000 now. So for less than an additional $25,000 the OP could have a CPO '09. (most of this could be financed easily) And you really think he wants to jack with a 2003 that is 7-8 years old? Aren't we trying to help the OP, frankly he doesn't sound like a guy that wants to get his AMG stinger wet in something that has been driven around the block a few times and then sat around for 7-8 years with questionable rust issues. Regardless, it is definitely difficult to compare these two cars. Just my $.02.

izzyz28

How's this for anecdotal evidence. I'm the third owner of my E55, Bought it with 62k on the clock. It cost me a whopping $175 for a new CM30 to "bring it up to speed". In the last 40,000 miles(101K now) I have spent right around $1.5k in maintenance and repairs, excluding tires of course. The car has been in Indiana and Chicago its whole life, and has no rust.

Every car is different, and I laugh at the guy saying "just spend an additional $25K and get this car or that car". Not all of us "just" spend $25K additional on a car because we feel like it. Saying that a car will cost $10k in maintenance out of the gate is a joke. There are certainly cases where big ticket items have been repaired and brought up the costs, but it's not as common as some would make it out to be.

skratch77

the only thing Iv changed on my car is the pump also 60k miles with no problems,I dont know why some here think these cars are high maint.

My brother has one also and the only problem he had was the pump and sbc recall