Hello gentleman, I have been diligently doing my research on a future car purchase. I have narrowed it down to three different options. But first a little history.

My budget is around 25k plus or minus 5k. The car will be a daily driver and the car will be modified. The car will not have an extended warranty but more on that later in the post.

My three options are:
04+e55 amg
04+s55 amg
04+s600

I know this is the e55 amg forum but it is also the most "alive" section of the forums

The e55 and s55 are nearly the same cars so the only issue I see would be the extra weight on the S model vs the E model. 300lbs or so is not an issue and I feel for the same money as a nice e55 you can get a nice s55 making it a better purchase from a value standpoint. I know the reliability of this engine is fairly good and there are many aftermarket solutions to common failing parts.

The s600 intrigues me as I can have the ECU/TCU reflashed for a minimal amount of money and be faster then the 55k cars. So from a modding standpoint the 600 makes the most sense. I have heard the the big v12 tt is less reliable and harder to work on then the 55ks. Is this true?

I mentioned before that whatever car I choose wont have a warranty. I will not spend the outrageous prices for an aftermarket one that may or may not cover a failure. I have my own shop complete with lift and air tools so any work will be done on my own if possible. I fully expect a failure at some point in time on either car.

Because of no warranty and my stubbornness to purchase one, the single most important aspect of the car will be reliability, then ease of modding.

I hope this post hasnt been to long, I am just looking for some guidance from those of you that own these cars.

Thanks
Paul

 

How deep are your pockets? No warranty and buying a S600 or S55, just the side mirror glass is $800 (From Mercedes). S600 is a 140k new it will cost you in that range to get it fixed without warranty. I am sure you are in love with the power number with a tune. Just the iginition pack on one cylinder bank side is over $1000 for parts alone (S600) this needs to usually be replace around 100,000 miles. You cannot just rip these cars open and do the work yourself its not a Chevy or a Ford. Everything has specialty tools.

Furthermore 2004 is horrible year for Mercedes reliability, I would not buy an S without a extended warranty. The electrical bugs will drive you nuts, unless you plan on investing in a STAR system, to read and reset everything on a regular basis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kznOa3Mv7fs

Minute 5:15 starts my point and Minute 5:45 drives it home! Clarkson also loves and primarily owns only AMG cars!


If you want to buy one, buy the E55 less to go wrong electrically or mechanically. In the end based on what you wrote above you are trying to back into a Luxury car thats over 100k new. Which probably means in 10 months you will go on a rant about how expensive/hard it is to fix.

Just a front airmatic failure piece on a E55 is over $700 for just the part.

In the end do not buy any of them without extended warranty. My $.02

 

I haven't had a warranty since 2008, and I'm only out $3,000 (battery, trans bushing, brake flush, oil change, valve cover gasket, two front tires, air filters, terra clean fuel injectors, service B, and service C) not too bad

 

Oh forgot to mention that all was done by dealer

 

The car you end up buying will either be reliable or it won't. The comfort level you have fixing something and paying for the parts will also determine that moving target of reliability.

The gist of it all is that if you're comfortable going in and can do the work yourself, and have money in the bank for parts costs (which are extremely high, as has already been mentioned), then don't worry about it. Plus you seem intent on modifying the car and so you already know what that can lead you in respect to reliability.

But again that comfort level is subjective.

The cars do require diagnostic software and sometimes a visit to the dealer or an Indy with SDS will be necessary, no matter the level of your own skills.

These aren't inexpensive cars to maintain. You could possibly spend quite a lot on parts, but if you have no issues spending that money out of pocket, then fine. Warranties are simply insurance and not something you're necessarily guaranteed to ever get back money-wise. We've all spent big money on car insurance premiums and never got anything back. But we do have peace of mind. It's your call on the car warranty.

 

Only transmission bushings and valve cover gaskit would have been covered under the warranty..the rest would have been the maintenence...

 

thanks for the all the responses they have been insightful.

So the S body cars are less reliable then the E body cars? As in an e55 would be more reliable then an s55? I did not know the S class had so many electrical gremlins even in its latter years.

I can certainly understand what you are saying about the cost of maintenance on the v12tt. Those prices and examples are exactly what I am looking for in regards to making an informed decision. I assume I would be correct in saying that the s600 is going to break more and be harder to fix then one of her 55k counterparts.

I should say that I was originally dead set on the e55 before I started researching the S class of cars.

Thanks

 

I never quite understand the people that are searching for bottom of the price barrel cars, do not want to spend money on an extended warranty that could pay for itself in one repair on an E55 or S55, but then say they will be modifying the car. How is it that you have money to modify the car, but NOT to buy a warranty or a top of the heap, low mileage, example? I do not say that to be mean, I say that because I honestly do not understand. If you want to modify the car and wing it without a warranty, that is your deal. But at least curb your chances of big money repairs by spending what it takes to buy the best maintained example you can find, which will probably eat up most of your indicated budget and land you around $28k - $32k for an E55. Hell, if the Airmatic fails on this car, that is thousands of dollars. Supercharger starts busting parts, be ready for big money there too. These are the reasons people buy warranties for these cars.

 

These things can be horrendously expensive to run without a warranty. I've run up some 13,000 USD in the last year or so. Get a good one, and get a warranty...
Brgds

 

I had a 2002 S55 and now I have a 2005 E55. I think in the long run the E55 will be a tad more reliable. The major difference between the two are the suspensions. The Active Body Control suspensions in the S55 and S600 are very expensive to repair.....and they almost all need repair. My hydraulic pump was replaced under warranty, but it would have cost $2,900 (I think). Airmatic isn't much more reliable, but it isn't as expensive to repair. The rest of the cars are not that different. Most of the available options could be had with both. Personally, while I love my E55, I REALLY miss the extra room the S had. The back seats in the S class are fantastic....they have more legroom than my Excursion has.

 

Yes, the ABC of the S, CL, and SL is the Achilles heel of the car. The coil packs on the V12's is the other. I don't believe you will make it to 100,000 before they need to be replaced. Most fail short of 80,000 miles but the cost of the coilpacks, even though they are thousands of dollars, pales in comparison to the cost to repair the ABC suspension.

The bi-turbo V12 is a dream of an engine and is an absolute monster when properly tuned. You can't beat the torque or the smoothness of the delivery. Make no mistake, the ABC suspension will cause the S600 to be more expensive to own than the E55.

 

I didn't even touch on the differences between the 55's and the 600.....I don't know about the reliability, but the cost to repair a 600 is probably at least 50% higher than the 55 engine.

 

If all you want is mod ability id go with the E55 (im biased ) but the list of possible mods is endless

 

A nice well maintained E55 isn't going to be cheap. Buying a used,multi owner,high mileage car with out warranty and expecting it to be reliable,not going to happen,period.
If you are not willing to spend on extended warranty,then you better cough up some dough and buy a nice example.
I bought my single owner,adult owned '06 CPO E55 with 18,000 miles almost 28 months ago and the only thing that went wrong so far were, front driver control arm bushing and the valve cover gaskit. The rest,the car has been rock solid and nothing but smiles (i hope i don't jinx it now), however the sucker wasn't cheap though.

 

I am one of the newer members here and love the E55. I was lucky enough to find a low mile 05 with 34,000 miles , well kept garage queen with an extended warranty. I appreciate everyone here suggesting the warranty as it has paid for its self already.The Right front shock went out ,thats 1800.00 total repair, heater valve stuck 500.00. Dont get me wrong, it has been a great car otherwise for the last year and driving it everyday you can easily forget the cost , But like other have said if you dont , you better have some deep pockets or the desire to turn some wrenches to keep this car long term out of warranty.

 

I can certainly speak to the nightmare ABC can be. I was lucky (in a way) on my SL when the dealer quickly found out my hyd pump had failed. Often times they start repairs by doing a costly system flush, then replacing parts until finally the problem is solved. This type of "change it out and hope" diagnosis can get very costly.