redlinegw

Help me out, I am considering purchasing what looks to be a very clean 2 owner 2005 E55 with 116k miles. I can get it for $10k but I need someone to tell me I am getting a good deal and hold my hand LOL! What say you guru's of the AMG? https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/5844996355.html

shardul

iTrader: (1)

It will have the maintenance cost of a 80k car.

redlinegw

I do most of my own maintenance so the labor doesn't scare me too much. I have read mixed reviews about reliability on these bad boys and this car has a full service history. Am I just trying to talk myself into it or should I keep my 05 CDI and be content?

maximus16v

I doubt you'll find another car as fun as this for $10K!!

redlinegw

Thats what I am saying!

Hulk

As shardul said , parts are still for a 80-90k car.

Do a compression test etc.

atoms

Let me out it this way, if I were looking for one, I'd definitely spent the time/effort to take a look at it in person. Pictures and description can be deceiving. Assuming it passes initial inspection, off to a mechanic for a thorough check.

sakodik

https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-...14k-miles.html

Thats a lot of car for $10k if you're in the market. Just missing parktronic as one of my "must-have" options.

redlinegw

Ok so I am going thru the history of the car and the original owner had to have the car jump started on multiple occasions throughout his ownership and I am just at the 91k mile mark. I am beginning to think this car is a lemon or maybe it needs to be on a trickle charger.

maximus16v

That doesn't mean its a lemon

I work away from home on 2 week on 2 week off shift. I put a brand new battery and when I come home and start it I get the low batt convenience message. But it goes away after short drive and never comes back for the two weeks.

I'm guessing it was probably just sitting for long periods. My 04 s class did the same thing it would sit for month or two at a time and be almost dead.

Only cars that I have ever had that don't like sitting are these Mercedes. My chev truck sat for 5 months and cranked right up. Go figure.

Ls1toAMG

Really depends on what is important and your money situation. If its your only car and you don't have an emergency fund then I would stay away. If you have multiple cars and a few thousand won't drain you a few times a year then buy it and enjoy it. It's a great car. I have 2 trucks I drive also and they are basically maintence free cars.

C32Mark

I paid 10K for mine with 151K from my friends mom who was the original owner and she maintained the car 100% at our local dealer. I have no regrets buying mine. Most Awesome car I have owned. I have put over a 1000 miles on the car since I purchased it and had no issues with the car. Good luck.....

Max.H

Sure it does, just set aside 5-10 grand for repairs, parts and maintenance items.

@ 100K + that's when the most expensive maintenance occurs on these cars. But, f you bite the bullet and do all the repairs, then the car should be good for another 100k++ miles.

redlinegw

He is motivated to sell and will let it go for $9500! At this point I don't think I can loose. I will probably buy it and keep my CDI, drive it for a month or so and figure out which one I want to keep. I have a few other cars to drive as well. I will let you know if I get it. Thanks for all the input.

lseguy

get it. The 516 lb/ft of torque on these is still tremendous today, not to mention for a car of the early/mid 2000's era. Especially since the outside temps here on the east coast have dropped to the 40's and 50's and the air is cooler and denser. The power on these is monstrous. Nail the accelerator at almost any speed and it's brutal acceleration. And the engine/transmission in these have a reputation for being fairly bulletproof. The tranny is also used in the V12 models..so it can handle the torque and power of the E55

Even current 2016 Hurracan's and GTR's dont have as much torque as these make. The Aventador puts out even less HP than this E55.

At $9500 you can take your time and fix small to moderate issues yourself and still come out ahead.

Get it.

Ders

$9500 is a steal. Do it.

I recently crossed over the 100k mile mark and *knock on wood* haven't had any issues yet. I bought my car with ~96k on the odometer. Only things I've had to get fixed was a purged valve that threw a CEL. ~$100 repair.

Everything else has been standard stuff. Brakes, belts, alternator, lights, etc. You'd be surprised how good these engines are. The big thing to pay attention to would be airmatic suspension.

Now for $9500 you could also probably look into a Carmax or equivalent warranty. Let's say that cost $3000. You're still paying less than 13 and that is still a deal..

MB RUSH

At 9500 would seem like a steal. Test drive it you will know. Bought mine in Oct. of 2014 w/ 105,000. It has 110,000 now and just made it's first 10 second pass a month ago. My only real problem has been the torque converter and front seal going. Would not worry about the miles if it was maintained properly.

oneslow55

Cheap is expensive,i would look for a lower millage car..It's a shame there this cheap now they were 90 grand cars.If these cars were still 30 used not many would buy them or own them.Best bang for the buck it's this or a pos bmw m5.I had a m5 and it's was a junk box

redlinegw

Well I just texted the guy and was planning on going to look at it tomorrow but he sold it to someone that saw this post! You snooze you loose! He let it go for less then $9500 as well! I will probably see it back on Craigslist for $13k. This was a difficult decision for me because I really love my 05 CDI so maybe it was a sign that I need to do a Green Diesel tune to bump it up to 490 lb ft torque and still get 38 mpg!

Hulk

Sometimes when you snooze something else comes up better. Don't fret

IMO it was too cheap maybe we will see it on wheeler dealers and the issues they had to fix lol

BlackHammer

+1. Not sure of your $ situation but if possible try to buy one of these modded-up, tuned, and maintained (they are out there).

Reality is this "$10K talk" regardless of mods or maint history is tough for some people to take on this forum. There are likely a lot of guys who bought new ones and have $100k+++ in them. In 2003 and 2004 E55's were going for MSRP + in certain markets which means some guys have $100K+++ invested (car, mods, etc.).

Also, there are a few guys on this forum who are new to the E55 game with tons of knowledge on cars buying 100K mile examples. Why is this? Despite being a bit "antiquated" they are still beasts (look at the 10 second car a few posts above my post) and awesome cars in many respects.

Like others have said, just know what you are getting into in terms of maintenance and repair exposure.

There is a 2005 silver (49K miles for about $19K) and a 2005 silver (90K miles that runs 10's). If the $9K to $10K extra is a "deal breaker" for you then I would suggest you are looking at the wrong car (no offense) as something will pop up that costs you $.

Best of luck!

Toadster

This thread makes me sad... My '05 with 107k miles is a beast... But $10k is a great deal if its in good shape �

Strigoi

When I was E63 shopping I dragged my feet on a couple of fairly clean ones and they ended up selling shortly before I decided I'd buy them (I'd driven them and had PDIs done). I ended up finding one at the local MB dealer and it was way nicer than any I'd checked out and the price was right. It also had the color combo and options I wanted. I pretty much jumped on it. They had to call a guy that was on his way to buy it when I finished up the paperwork. The only issue with the car was that it needed engine mounts, which were cheap. It was also the only one I'd checked out that hadn't had something repainted.

Anyway... There's always another one out there. If you miss out on one you may find something better. I'm very happy I ended up with the one I did.

jkiddd33

I bought her ! 😋

She's pretty clean, well for the price. Never seen a car with so many dings though. I got most of them out but some weren't salvageable.

Will post pics when she's almost done.

So far: Paint correction/ ceramic coating, motor/tranny mounts,new radiator fan, ic pump, evo sport headers, c63 mufflers, diffuser from Gary Suveneer, lowered via star, ( 63 front bumper/ splitter being installed today.

Following: pullies, heat exchanger, tune

V-AMG

You got this for $9,500???!!!