johnmarshallkid

Hello all,

I have been considering the purchse of an E55 AMG for several months. I found a low mile car within my price range in northern NJ (I am in central VA). It's an '05, with 25k miles, Black on black. Asking price is $26k.

Carfax shows it is a 1 owner vehicle with good service records, BUT, also shows a front end collision occurred in Aug. 2009, and the car was only driven about 2k miles afterward. Other possible concerns are:

Aug. 2006
Alternator/Generator replaced

ABS pump/motor replaced

Computer(s) checked

Computer reprogrammed

Electrical system checked

June 2010
Hydraulic control unit replaced

Internal transmission repaired

Driveshaft flex disc replaced




I would like to avoid a lemon, obvisouly. Any thoughts on proceeding with a PPI? Would you recommend a dealer do the PPI or an independent shop. Price reasonable based on Carfax? Thanks in advance for your thoughts, I really value these forums!

Carfax is available for free here: http://www.thriftautosales.com/web/u...ersey/7151710/

efiftyfizzle

The mileage sure does make it intriguing, but I would avoid that car due to the amount of repairs it had from the accident. You can find plenty of good deals on E55s these days... maybe not with that mileage, but I feel like that mileage is hazardous for a car this old. These cars need to be driven.

johnmarshallkid

I am not sure that the Carfax indicates what repairs were done as a result of the accident. Only thing I noted was refilling the AC refrigerant. The car was towed, so obviously there would have been some cosmetic work, I think, but difficult to confirm without a PPI, I suppose.

I hear ya. Any specific concerns with such low miles? Would a PPI pick up any related issues?

efiftyfizzle

The cars that sit long (aren't driven much) are the ones that are more prone to having leaking airmatic bags. But seeing things like "Internal transmission repaired" and "Driveshaft flex disc replaced" would scare me because these parts don't typically go bad on these cars.

JACK PRESTON

STAY AWAY FROM THAT CAR!!
that car has WAY more miles on it then 25K!
i looked at that car a month ago and it clearly had far more miles on it.
easy tells on millage are seat, steering wheel, gas and brake pedal ware.
if you can get it on a lift for a full inspection look for original wear items like tires and brake pads, @ 25k these should still all be present.

these tells are all generalizations but should still hold true for MB as well.
and yes millage rollback can be done on these cars and is quite prevalent here in NY, NJ and CT.

hope this helps and good luck with your search.

johnmarshallkid

That's interesting. Carfax appears to give a guaranty that the odomoter is accurate. Anyone have experience with how that works?

rxsamg

Before I purchased my '06 yesteday, I was eyeing that car (the low mileage was a big carrot!) & almost took a road trip to check it out BUT the carfax & "looks to good to be true" meter was too high for me.

I also searched for reviews on the dealer & FWIW, it didn't inspire confidence.

GregMB

Accident damage could be minor, or it could be major. You need to see the paperwork to know if the airbags were replaced, etc. Also, the rear seat HVAC controls look pretty beat up for a 25,000 mile car....the same is true for the trunk area. It looks too shabby for a low-mileage car.

Find a dealership that is willing to run a VMI on that car's VIN number.... just because CarFax doesn't show an odometer rollback (or cluster swap) doesn't mean it didn't happen....

I bought a single-owner, 25,000-mile 2006 E55 about 2 years ago.... it looked immaculate, smelled new and the VMI checked out perfectly. Do your due-diligence or you will probably be sorry.


-G

Ronan Mc Cabe

Looks like they were carrying animals in the back seat & trunk

johnmarshallkid

Thanks all for the feedback and comments. I am going to pass on the car given all the red flags. Will keep looking!

ArmoE55

The trans on these cars are damn near bulletproof (stock car, anyway). Having said that, "Internal transmission repaired" and "Driveshaft flex disc replaced" would be sufficient for me to walk away.

I'd move to the next...good luck, take your time, the right car will come along. I searched for the better part of 8 months before finding my car.

AWH3

I would recommend finding an Indy near you. The MB dealers will do a "service" and provide a visual inspection. They can be hesitant to point out areas of concern, etc given liability issues. I was told that by two MB dealers in SoCal. I was lucky and found an Indy that saved me from making a bad decision on an 06 e55 that had some undocumented body work. Find an Indy and know that a PPI is the best money you'll spend towards this car. Good luck.