ArmoE55

Well, I'm back in the market for an E55. Sold my 06 and regretted since then.

Anyway, the market for a clean 06 is scarce, although there are a few I am interested in.

I am thinking to expland my search for the 03-05s as well...the price difference is substantial, but I'd rather pay more for an 06 and not have problems. From what I've researched, it seems back and forth about whether there are truly more problems with the 03/04s.

Any tips from people that owned both, own an 03/04 etc?



How much more problematic are the 03/04s versus the late 05 and 06s? I am assuming the power is the same between all years? Are the 03/04s any slower or is that too varied?

I am worried about getting an 03 and facing many problems. The 06 I had was awesome in the 2 years I owned it, only aux batt.


Any or feedback?

Thank you!

efiftyfizzle

I think generally the later years of any car should be less problematic as the manufacturers can see what goes wrong in their previous year models and have the opportunity to correct / revise the next year. Also, all the parts on a newer car are also newer, obviously... so that gives you some longevity in terms of breakdowns and maintenance. In general, buying a first year model car is never really the best idea as it's usually the most problematic out of the rest.

As far as power goes, they are all the same powertrain so there isn't any power differences, but there is some info on the earlier 03 models having weaker rods in the motor? Someone double check me on that... but if you plan on doing a good deal of modding, that may be a concern for you.

SPatykAMG

General rule of thumb you avoid first years, which while I was shopping I wanted at least an 04 but got and unbeatable deal on an 03 so I went for it and so far no issues (knock on wood). Also from the looks of it I even still have the original air struts. A good thing to do with an older one would be to pull all the service records to get an idea of how the car was treated since this is the last car that you would want to neglect. Just my two cents.