Hello everyone, the names Josh.

I have a background in MB, as I am doing a crossfire 6-speed V8 conversion right now. I have star DAS with developer and access to good vendors.

My wife and I have decided it is about time to retire our 2000 V6 camry DD for a Merc. Most people don't think 136K miles on a toyota are bad but they have never owned a Merc . We have had a coil go out under the intake manifold (horizontal layout), the timing belt replaced, the suspension is getting weak with pour rebound, 2 window motors replaced, 2 windows knocked off the track and much much more. Maintained maticulously since my mom bought it in 99 as a 2000... But it's all crap that never goes wrong on Merc's or stuff they never had in the first place (timing chain rather than belt). So we kicked around many different ideas and finally settled on the E55 due to how cheap they are for what you get with, and out of it.

So my biggest question is, how many miles are too many for one of these? I have heard with good maintenance it doesn't matter, that you mainly have to deal with the IC pump. I know the SLK320 is bullet proof... My crossie has not had one problem since I bought it 2 years ago except for a lack of power ... The couple I see here and there in So Cal are running around $16K to $20K but it is difficult to find one under 100K miles (close enough to snag it).

Does anyone have experience buying one 90-110K miles and running it for quite a bit more without major issues? What are some more of the minor issues people deal with at that many miles?

Thanks in advance,
Josh

 

You only need to be sure that it was maintained and I personally would stay under 100k miles. There are guys, especially on this forum, who are fanatics and you wouldn't need to worry about over 100k miles, as their cars are probably better then most 50k mi cars. But, you need find 'that' car for a decent price.

I am casually selling my 2004 e55 w/ 83k miles and every maintenance issue done by me at 78k miles when I got the car and brand new rear tires and brakes 200 mi ago, clean carfax car with many extras and I have it listed for $18500! I see that you are in Cali so I am not pushing my car on you but just giving you an idea. I am sure I will sell it sooner or later but I still use it and I only have it on NY craigslist and in the forum here somewhere so, I am not trying very hard. I like it for different reasons than the reasons that I got the CTSV. Good luck in your search and look at each car very well.

 

I bought my 3 owner '04 E55 with 96k from a Ford dealer back in October of '12. It sounded risky, but I took it to the MB dealer for a PPI. He pointed out a few things, but added that none were critical and could be fixed on my schedule. (These were leaking motor mounts, leaking valve covers, etc.).

I now have 107k on it, with the only issue being the fuel sender unit needing replacement a few months ago. I fixed that myself, for a total cost of about $450. I plan on changing the spark plugs and valve cover gaskets in the next few weeks.

After hearing some the the stories of purchasing high-milage E55's, it appears I have dodged one or two bullets. I have a highly optioned version and everything still works.

My recommendation is that you only buy a high milage unit under the following conditions:
1) you are capable of doing basic service yourself
2) you have another car to drive while you wait a week for parts to come in.
3) you fully understand the value will continue to drop (I figured it had bottomed out at the price I bought it, but I guess not)
4) you can keep $2,000 in the bank at all times to pay for some unexpected repair.

This is a hobby car for me, although I do drive it a lot (1,000 miles/month). It is a blast and I'm glad I bought it. But I would be nervous if it was counted on to be a rock-solid DD.

 

I agree on preference being under 100K, it's just difficult to find here. No matter which I decide to look at it will be going under a thorough exam... I wonder if the small time dealers will cringe when I hook it up to DAS to pull up stored codes lol.

As far as your car, I would love to, but registration transferring into california from another state is a b!**h! You might as well sign your soul to the DMV.

Thanks for the input, I will be careful and make sure maintenance was done properly.

 

That's interesting input, unexpected repairs aren't a problem but we would be using this as a DD. I will still have my bike and Xfire, but the kids have to scoot in something too.

As far as mileage, our car see's about half of what yours does even as a DD. We average about 600 miles/month. Being down would be a problem.

What repairs typically require the car to be down more than a few days that aren't expected? Usually parts work themselves to going out, can you not catch some things?

 

The only repair I've done the sender unit. I could have driven it with the smell, but in trying to find the actual leak, I snapped off that stupid plastic nozzle that connects the sender to the outlet tube - so no more driving for me. It took a week to get the part delivered.

I hope to stay ahead of problems with preventive maintenance (airmatic replacement before failure, engine and transmission mounts, etc.). Its just that there is a limit to what I can do and there on those on this board that have had some real issues that all happen together.

As I sit here, I have no problem hopping in it for a 1,000 mile road trip with the kids. But I don't know if I am the exception or the rule.

 

I hear you. Hopefully when I snag mine it has no problem lasting. I was thinking of the E500 but the amg has those touches on it that just pushes it over the edge, 500+ ft-lbs is nice too lol...

 

It's my belief that a car that has been driven and well taken care of will treat you better than a car that sits. I wouldn't be afraid of a car with 10k-15k/year mileage on it. So for an '06 that's 70k-105k. Find and **** owner who is ready to move on and then you can put the next 100k on the car. There's plenty high mileage E55s on here with simple preventative maintenance.

 

The MB service tech that did the PPI was a real AMG fanboy. But even he was very careful in pointing out that these cars are not for those people that grudge every penny they spend on a car. You can really have fun if you go into it with your eyes open, accepting the fact that potential big-dollar repairs are the buy-in for a 469 hp/500 ft-lbs luxury sedan.

 

That is a great way to look at it actually. Makes a lot of sense. Maybe a forum member trying to sell somewhere near me will pop their head in. I would much rather buy from a forum member than a knock-off no name dealer.


I am pretty open minded when it comes to MB now. At first I was truly terrified of cost, but when you work with the forum to get your help it usually ends up being a minimal thing. I can't tell you how much money I have saved from stupid little tricks that people have found out over the years of trying to deal with these things. Granted the one I have is bare-bones in the luxury department compared to the E55 but mechanically even... Plus everyone kept saying that I would spend tons and tons of money on my swap (mechanically before electronics), but that really isn't the case at all. A little fab here and there and you can turn a $5-7K project into a $2.5k project. Depends on how much research you want to do, and how dirty you're willing to get... Hopefully I can get the sucker and find out anything that may go and just start replacing and stocking replacement's for that just in case.

 

I bought mine about 2 months ago with 98,000 miles I hit 104,000 miles my car was extremely clean when I bought it. I looked at atleast 30 e55 before I bought this one and trust me I've seen some with 50,000 miles and they are worn out ! What I'm trying to say is make sure if you buy one you have record on the tha car and like what others says have some exta $$$ laying around for unexpected expenses. I drive the hell out of mine and I've also spend 5,000 on mods in the past month. The car will make you smile every morning on the way to work it's a blast. Good luck with your buy and one of the major issues with this car is the airmatic ! Watch out

 

This ^^^
Shop - At the end of the day, find one that is well maintained. They are relaible, just keep up on the maintanance.
I don't DD mine, so when I do go for a spin I have a
GL

 

low mileage isnt always better... for what its worth, the majority of maintance issues and repairs hit me at around 65-75K mileage mark... after those were addressed the car has been great up to its current 118K mileage... so it would of been cheaper for me to have bought this car when it had 100K miles than when it had 40K

try to find a car with service records or at least some of the big ticket items already having been replaced like airmatic

 

My story is similar. I bought mine back in April and drove a ton of them. I drove some low mileage cars that were rough, had mystery vibrations, worn interiors. In fact more than a few, and honestly the smoother, great shape, great driving ones were all high mileage. Look for records and services done.

 

Thanks everyone, it seems the general consensus is find one with maintenance records with an average of 10-12K a year put on it. And airmatic replaced lol.

I look forward to driving one of these beasts! Now I just need to make sure my wife doesn't realize that it will be in comfort mode for 2nd gear starts and such lol. The power will (not might) be overwhelming for her at first...

How is the car when you're staying out of it? Pretty mild? Or is it still a go getter even at 10-30% throttle?

 

Car drives like a normal sedan when your not at throttle most comfortable car for daily driving

 

When driven by someone used to a Camry, here are the difference/similarities:

Throttle: It behaves perfectly natural and easy to control. There should be no fear of a little tap on the accelerator sending you into the back of the garage. It behaves perfectly well until your right foot tells it otherwise.

Steering: It will feel different. This car is designed for cruising at 150 mph. So for the steering to handle high speeds, it's low speed steering is more firm. It will not have "only have to use your pinky finger" to make a sharp turn at neighborhood speeds. Its not heavy, its just not overly assisted like all "normal" sedans.

Ride Comfort: It is really nice, but like the steering, it is different. I always have a sense of how fast I'm going because of the feedback and "feel". My girlfriends Camry is so insulated, there is no difference in feel or sound between 20 mph and 60 mph. I find it easier to unintentionally speed in her car than in mine because you always know where you are in these cars.

Everyone that rides in the car comments first on the speed, then on how comfortable it is.

 

Super469, I appreciate that post, very nice comparison. Sounds like a dream lol.

 

E55 is a great car to own. But keep in mind these cars are expensive to buy new and expensive to maintain them used.

Maintenance/repair is the KEY. If it has more than 3 owners; I would walk away. Make friends with a good MB indy (not easy as working on a Toyota).

I always had some kind of warranty on every MB I owned (have owned 8 MB in last 17 yrs). Some were nightmare (CL600) and some were bullet proof. I currently have a 07 E63 (bought it pre owned CPO) - I think an average of $2500/yr has been spent in warranty repairs (I have Zero issues outstanding).

 

Do a bit of research on the common things that go wrong with the cars (I own an E63 and already have about 5k stacked up in the first 7 weeks of owning the car) and make sure you understand the repair costs and check them before a purchase no matter what the mileage

E55 (a quick forum search will show)
-Fuel sender leak
-Airmatic
-.........

 

I dont know why people are making the airmatic such a big issue, its really not that bad at all. Arnott selling them for cheap as hell plus with lifetime warranty... as long as you take care of the maintenance man you will love the car everytime you step foot in it and have a smile on your face.. just look out and see if its been well kept and you'll be good.. you've got guys here on the highest mileage thread rocking as high as 200k miles... soo treat her well and she will return the favor, good luck

 

cheap is relative. (Camry vs MB). Yes the OP should be aware that a MB is going cost more than a Camry.

OP asked for minor issues to be aware of and those 2 are perfect examples. Cheap or not its good to let new potential MB owners be aware of them.

 

OP- Keep this bottom line on your mind when buying a Mercedes (especially an AMG) is that most of these cars were once $90-$100K and people buying these cars new, I would hope, have the means to maintain and upkeep the car in optimal condition. Therefore, maintenance items are along the lines of a car damn near a hundred grand or more.

Just remember that ... these cars aren't Camry reliable and cheap maintenance, it's all relative.

I have a Camry myself , love the car , just cracked 170K and going like it has 10K miles ...one of the best out there.

 

I don't necessarily agree that MB is going to cost more than my camry... I think you're forgetting that I do have quite a background on MB lol. I'm close to figuring out the electronics for the second 500 R170 6-speed in the world, first in the Americas. I would however agree that some things are going to cost more due to them being unique to MB on the amg's, but this is why I never brought cost into this. I said in an earlier post that the cost was not a problem. I have star das, so no need for stealership code reading or troubleshooting... and I have access to great vendors for certain parts. I also have a 32 amg block with some random c32 amg parts in the garage along with my old 320 engine and a spare E55 trans with 100xxx miles. Also, I did my swap in a weekend, and yes, there was some fabrication.

But thanks for the insight. Just don't need the whole this cost more than this car thing because people, apparently, would be pretty surprised how bad the earlier camry's are or the exact model we got.

That makes sense on maintenance reflecting the original price/quality of the car.

As far as the camry being reliable... That is very subjective lol. When you are a strict DIY'er and you have to replace the V6 timing belts, and coils under the intake mani, wheel bearings, suspension, windows, window motor's, fuel pump, an injector, the check engine light bulb...over and over. It can get pretty ridiculous. That car is a hunk of crap and was babied it's entire life. My mom gave it to me and she bought it new. I have done all of the maintenance on that thing and know it inside and out like the SLK. I pick the SLK, I have not had one problem on that the 2 years I have owned it. And I know people think because of the badge your basic parts are more expensive but I have receipts to prove otherwise. Merc makes a motor and sticks it in 20 different models that all have relatively the same stuff in them. Depending on how good you are at research and shopping, you can walk away with what you need from ebay, a junkyard, or just random specialty companies online for damn near nothing.

The OP was for typical problems to look out for/expect. Once again though, I'm not worried about price of the actual part. Expensive is an opinion typically based off lack of research.

I really do appreciate the constructive insight though guys, and really look forward to owning such a great piece of art. I have wanted one for quite a while.

 

Typical Items, can be repair & maint or both:

- Airmatic
- Motor/Tranny mounts (function of right foot as well)
- IC pump (stock one is garbage)
- Aux Batt
- Valve covers like to leak

Those are ones off the top of my head. Not terribly expensive if you can do your own labor.