jamieacura

I currently drive a 2000 323i sport. Like the handling. Want a little more room, more power, and a lot more luxury/gadgets.

Test drove a 530i with Sport and LOVED the road feel/handling. But I don't like the shape of the car that much, and the interior wasn't that plush. My eyes are drawn to the 7 right next to it. I love the appearance of the 7 and the luxury of the interior. However, the steering seems too soft and the ride a little isolated. (Maybe the Sport package or EDC would help here?) Plus this car is maybe a little bigger than I was thinking. I'm only 29, no wife/kids, etc. So I thought maybe the E-class would fit nicely. The interior is ok and you can get some cool gadgets. However, the steering on the E500 was also really light. I've heard that the E55 is much sportier, but I don't have any way to test drive it. Anyone have any comments on the E55?

545i - Love the handling, steering feel (with sport). Assume the car is the quick (but haven't been able to test drive one yet). Not as much luxury as I was hoping for. Don't care too much for the body style.

745i - Love the look. Love the luxury. A little bit big (not a big deal though, I guess). Main problem is the handling is a little distant, closer to E-class than 5-series.

E55 - Costs about the same as 745i. I'd guess that it's super fast. Wonder about steering feel/handling though. Maybe this is the best choice, but who knows, since I can't find a test drive?

Don't want to spend much over 80k. Can anyone provide me with any guidance?

Thanks in advance.

Tedster

E55...simple choice.

Nicholai_AMG

E55 all the way! juste test drive it !!!

JamE55

E55!

Pbglas

I was in a similar dilemma. I cast my net wider --- included Jaguars, Audi RS6 and Porsche Cayenne. For what it is worth, I put a deposit on the E55 without a test drive. This board was a major influence on me.

I am sticking to it although I did ultimately test drive the E55. I was disappointed with the traction but not much else. However, my test drive was short. Every car had something less than perfect. If something goes wrong with my order I will probably go with the Cayenne.

E55BEAST

E55 E55 E55 ALL THE WAY NO COMPARISON..

I HAD THE 745 AND I HAD NOTHING BUT COMPUTER PROBLEMS.
A FREIND OF MINE HAD A 530 AND WAS HAVING OIL PROBELEMS. WITH MYSTERIOUS LEAKS,OVER HEATING,ETC. AND ALSO LIGHTS WERE GOING OUT ALL THE TIME ON THE CAR.

GO WITH THE E55. FOR THE RAW POWER,SPEED,STYLE, AND ENDLESS PERFORMANCE. U WONT REGRET IT

krispykrme

E55 does not cost about the same as 745i. A loaded E55 will cost close to $100k.

jamieacura

You're right. But on Edmunds.com the Total Cost of Ownership is supposedly about the same over 5 years. Maybe lower depreciation on the AMG? Of course TCO is just speculation....

ajoe

I owned a 745i and it was a horror show in terms of reliability and still continues to have problems. If handling feel is your main priority then get an audi rs6 it has the highest fun factor but imo it's a piece of overpriced crap and really doesn't handle much better than an E55 or 5 series. I love my E55 because it's scary fast and stealthy and has the best interior environment in its class. If size is the main issue than try an audi a8. The 745 did drive well for a car this size but the reliability issues are immense. Good luck!

highstylinS430

E55 definitely! It's got both sportiness & a luxurious look. Mercedes made the best E-class for 2003. Whenever you see one on the road, you take a second look. Plus AMG cars have hand assembled engines so the engine quality will be great. I drove a 745i w/sport package which had the 3 spoke steering wheel. It was good but the looks aren't that great. At least with the E-class you won't think twice about whether you made the right choice whenever you look at it.

onesixeight

Jamie...

I still have my 745Li and just got the E55...Which keys do I reach for everyday...the E55! The 7 I still have because I need it when I have guests in town and I don't like SUV's.

It's a love-hate relationship with my 7...some days I love it and some days it pisses me off. One thing is the brakes. It's overly assisted making it difficult to modulate. If you though the E's SBC was bad...wait till you drive the 7

The 5...I really don't like. The materials for the inteior are really poor and I hate the new idrive even more...maybe because I've learned how to use the 7's and now I have to re-learn to use the 5's...(push in the direction, instead of turning to select something)

It sounds like the E55 is more the car for you..Young, no kids. You can get it under 80k without any options...maybe just get the lighting package and you're set. The other options are nice, but I'd rather have an e55 without options than the 545 or 745Li...

amg55

If you have any passion at all for driving, I don't think you're even looking at the right group of cars. The E55 is in an entirely different league from the 530/545 and 7 series.

Have you ever driven a car with 493 hp?
That all by itself is almost enough to sell the E55.

But in addition you get luxurious appointments in the E55 which are certainly not outdone by the 7 and which are markedly better than the 5.

If you're used to a lighter, great handling car, my opinion is you'll notice the weight of the E55 and it'll feel a little sluggish in aggressive cornering. But that's about the only legitimate shortcoming the E55 has. Reliability has been very good thus far (dramatically better than the 7), resale is better than on the 7 and 5 as well.

If you want to find some peer competition for the E55 you need to look at the RS6 (was only manufactured for 2002-2003, poor resale, body has already been totally redesigned).....
Jaguar XJR (much slower, cramped interior, poor resale, not the image most 29 year olds long for)....
M5: most legitimate competitor but you'll have to wait awhile.....
Audi A8 (mentioned by someone else) is not at all in the same league as it's very sluggish and slow and is the largest production sedan in the USA (bigger than the 7 and S Class).....
Lexus simply doesn't make anything sporty enough to be considered.

You can occasionally find dealers who will allow an E55 test drive but mostly in larger coastal cities, it seems.

EX-BEEMER

Take it from a BMW guy...Go for the E55!

I Faced the same decision myself and am nothing but pleased that I chose the E55.

Bottomless torque, classy styling, flawless quality (so far)

I'll say it again...E55!

tjcMBE55AMG

Wife's - 530i ... real decent car with NO SOUL.

Mine - 2002 E55 (W210, the 'unbeast')

She drools every time she drives the E55, PLUS, my turn signals don't short out (like 530i) the driving position and overall road feel are really superior.


TJC

krispykrme

you are joking right. coming from 530i sport, i can gurantee you that my stock 530i sport offers way much more road feel then my E55. Even the base non-sport 530i has much better road feel then any E can offer.

W210

Have you driven a W210 E55 for an extended period of time? It's not a bad car at all.

jamieacura

Thanks for the feedback. I drove the E500 again last night. The handling on Sport II wasn't as bad as I remembered. Seems doable. However now that I've spent some more time in the 7, the E's interior seems to pale in comparison. The dealer is supposedly working on getting me a test drive in an E55, so I'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I'm gonna go drive a 7 sport this weekend.

I'm still a little nervous about dropping $80k on a car. I keep trying to figure out if there's any other toys that I should get before putting most of my disposable income into a car....

Thanks again.

W210

The special leather and wood in the E55 do dress up the interior very well. I would also suspect the E55 having much better resale value than the 745 sport.

I buy my car with cash and resale value is an important consideration.

BoBcanada

Ok i had 745i too one of the first one in Toronto, i liked it at first very nice lots of button to push, even a IDRIVE to use, but then in about few month problems started to show up, and i been to dealership every friday, sometimes wednesday and friday , i sold it as fast as i could, nice car but they have to take all the electronics out.

Test drove E55k WOW what an awesome car lots of power roomy looks hot, But the main problem is traction i LOVE IT, but now i'm in the middle of debating wether take E55 or CAYENNE TT, some people say e55 cannot drive in the snow ( we have fair amount of it in Toronto) some say it will drive with proper tyres.

Test drove the cayenne i didnt feel that it was fast ( after e55 lol) but i liked it nice steering feel, brakes, build quality is very good!



HELP what should i get after summer?

Pbglas

I too debated between the TT and the E. Chose E ultimately. I'll put snow tires in hte winter or all weather tires.

Traction WAS a problem during the test drive. Do you hitnk wider rear tires would fix it? I wonder why MB did not do it.

Bauer

Between those cars...the E55...its not even a decission in my mind. I am not really a fan of the new 7 and 5 styling...they only look ok in black, other than that I dont like them at all. Will have to wait and see what the M5 looks like with body effects. Truthfully, I have not driven either but based on what I read and how they look...get the E55....or maybe an RS6

EDWARD CONROY

From your post you seem like most of us in that you want it all. But I sense that you lean a tad more toward luxury and amenities and a nice look over driving dynamics. You'd like the E55. What you get far overrides what you lose. And if you read the various threads you'll see that it's a great platform to do mods with. Besides, you don't want to reward BMW for screwing up their styling.

MMAfia

went through the same thing... and yer situation sounds similar to mine as i also am only 29 yrs old... ended up with a 745Li ....

yes, the earlier models have had many issues... primarily electronic. the 2k4 models have most of the bugs worked out already.

i love my 7. i've sat many other cars, but so far, nothing gives me the 'airplane ****pit' feel of the 7.

it all depends on what u r gonna do with the car. i commute often to ny from boston to visit my fiancee, and there is no other car i'd take for that 3-4 hr drive than the 7.

if u do mostly city driving, the 7 will be a pain cuz it's a large car.

MMAfia

IluvS500

E55 AMG all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AMG Fan

E55 without a question. I owned a 745 for about 7 months and thought it was good. I drove my friends E55 and then bought an E55. I honestly think comparing the two cars isn't fair due to how much driving pleasure the E55 brings its driver. A closer comparison would be comparing the much boring S500 to the 745. I've never driven the 545, but am sure its more enjoyable to drive than 745. The issue with this car is the very cheap interior and awkward exterior design. Good luck!