bzliteyear

anybody care to explain why the resale value of the E55 is so much lower(both $ and also %) than the M5, especially given the problems that were well known engine problems. i've seen a few M5s out there but the prices are in the hi $40's/low $50k's vs. hi $30's/low $40k.

absent

E was replaced by new model,M5 was not.
Wait till the E60 M5 shows up and the current M will drop like a brick

AMG Fan

W210 E55 has been out longer than M39 M5 too.

dgussin1

because stock for stock the M5 is Kickass, and the w210 e55 is just OK.

E55 KEV

Mercedes could barely sell 500 W210 E55's per year and the M5 sold about 2500 each year at a premium.

moa4r

y are you complaining, it just makes the choice easier

norb

Judging by the looks of the new M5, the value of the old one will stay up.

looker

Well only having a 2000 for about 3 days, I may be a litte off when it comes to E55 and how much I LOVE it. But I just got back from visting a friend who has a M5 and he loved the E55, whised he had an auto, just stomp and go. I have had a lot of time behind the wheel of the M5 and owned 2 M3's. The diff between the E and the M is so small if you can drive either car at the limit you have a lot to talk about.

As for resale value 3 US models in 5yr's only one M5 soon to be 2. and if the new M destroys the old one in performance you will see the prices fall as well. When looking for my car I would say 1/2 or more of the people selling were buying new E's.

mikE55

Not quite true. MB used to market the E55 as exclusively limited to 500 units a year, but it was really due to production limits as the E55 was being hand built at AMG. Once the AMG cars changed to being built on normal MB factory lines and AMG changed to build only the engines, the numbers of all AMG cars (E55 included) increased significantly. I've seen numbers showing that as many as 1500+ E55's were sold in 2001 as an example. MB now touts the W210 E55 as its best selling AMG car of all time, so I think the 500 number was just marketing BS.

However, the point about the premium on the M5 is a factor. Back when the W210 E55 was one of the "it" cars to have, MB had a "no mark up" policy, while BMW did not. Hence the M5 often sold for 10K more than MSRP. Perhaps that difference is also reflected in the used car prices today.

Finally, the W211 in general and the W211 E55 are big hits. The general public sees the W211 as an improvement over the W210. Not so for the BMW E60 5 series. Many still feel that the E39 was better, the E60's styling is a big turn off for a lot of BMW fans, and the new M5 has not been released yet.

E55 KEV

Only the detractors make the loudest noise. Those not bying the upcoming M5 because of looks will be few. The performance is what sells the car. The sales number will not be reflective of this once the car hits. BMW fans have questioned the styling of all cars with the Bangle Butt however the number of sales is steadily increasing every year and betting MBZ hands down. The M5 will always beat the E55 in yearly sales.

Also, the W210 may have been the most successful AMG platform but that is for worldwide sales and that has no reflectiion on the measley hard to sell 500 units for the U.S. This discussion is about US sales volume and adding stats about worldwide sales is moot. There are only abut 2200 W210 E55 in the entire US for model years 1999-2002 and that amount equals yearly sales of the M5.

mikE55

Where do you get your data from? I've seen reports that have stated around 1500 E55 units sold in the US for a single year. The 500 number was used back in 1999 and was probably valid back then. The number stuck as a "marketing" number to make it seem exclusive, but the reality is many more were actually sold in the US. Granted the M5 still out sold the E55, but the 500 number is bogus.

Regardless of the actual numbers sold, my point was the low volume was not a true reflection of its demand. Its production was limited as it was the last AMG car to be built entirely at the AMG factory. The M5 was built on normal BMW factory lines, as are the modern AMG cars of today. Had the W210 E55 been produced in higher numbers, MB would have had little trouble selling them when the car was in its prime.

E55 KEV

Where do you get your data from? What single year was that? I doubt that a planned US production of 500 would have or could have swelled in a single year to 1500 units. That would be a 300% increase and that is hard to believe. The stats I am speaking of came from Daimler-Chrylser Media Service. But that was almost 2 years ago. Doubt that I can find it now.

E55 KEV

The best year was 2001 and they sold 2500 E55's worldwide. I doubt that 1500 come to the US in 2001 and then sales dropped off to 500 in 2002. If MBUSA sold 1500 units in 2001 they would have ordered a similar amount for 2002.

From AMG Media:

"Stuttgart/Affalterbach, Feb 18, 2002
DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Mercedes-AMG GmbH posted record results in business year 2001. AMG sold over 18,500 vehicles last year, up more than 60 percent on the figure for 2000. Revenues meanwhile climbed by around 40 percent to nearly € 430 million. To handle the unprecedented rise in new orders, the company invested around € 27 million in real estate, buildings, production facilities and, above all, in the development of new products. As a result of this positive business development, Mercedes-AMG GmbH was able to create 60 new jobs, thereby increasing its workforce to around 540 employees.

AMG’s main markets are the U.S., Canada and Germany. All in all, the company sold about 3,800 C-Class vehicles (C 32), over 2,500 E-Class passenger cars (E 55), more than 2,000 CLK 55s, around 2,200 SLK 32s, more than 3,500 M-Class vehicles (ML 55) and nearly 4,000 S-Class vehicles and CL coupes (S/CL 55) last year."

mikE55

Kev, I still stand by what I said before and you don't seem to get it.

You are saying that the W210 E55 was hard to sell and in low demand, thus only a measly 500 a year sold. I disagree.

My points:
1) The low volume was not due to a lack of demand in the car's prime years (heck there were six to eight month waiting lists). But the low volume was due to "physical" production limits at the AMG factory. The W210 E55 was the last car to be built the old fashion way at AMG. Even now days the hand built engines are the limiting factor in cranking out AMG cars. But MB is able to build a lot more, ever since it changed to building the cars on the normal factory lines.

2) You are clinging to a "marketing BS" number. Your own findings prove that. MB states that over 40% of the AMG cars go to the US. If 2500 E55 were sold in a single year, that's over 1000 going to the US, not 500.

As a former BMW M owner, I can tell you BMW does the same thing. With past M models, BMW has stated that the cars were limited to X number a year coming to the US. But in reality many more are actually sold. It's just "marketing" to drive up the hype & demand for a model to make seem like it's so exclusive to have.

E55 KEV

Where did I post 40% of 2500 E55's went to US? I don't see that. I have posted credible evidence, where is yours?

This from Motor Trend in 2002:

"BMW plans to import about 2400 M5s this year; Mercedes will bring us just 550 AMG-ified Es."

mikE55

My data comes from the MBUSA website.

Go to the AMG Center and check the FAQ: http://www.mbusa.com/amg/faq/index.jsp

> General
> How many AMG models are produced each year?

AMG models are special, limited production vehicles. Production and sales vary by model, but annual sales of approximately 1,000 for each model are typical, unless a model is in extremely high demand. In 2001, approximately 18,700 AMGs were sold worldwide. About 40% of AMG models are sold in the United States.

--
I knew you were getting the 500 number from the car mags. They stated that back in 1999 when the E55 was first introduced. It was probably valid then, but not in later years. I think MT just reused the old data numbers again for their '02 M vs. AMG issue. And notice they say "plan to bring", this is different than actual numbers sold. That protects them from being sued when more cars have in fact been sold.

I remember when the e36 M3 first came out, BMW stated some low number (can't recall the exact number, 1500 or something). Then the car was a huge hit and they sold tons of 'em. But many buyers were upset because they thought their car would be rare and instead they were all over the place. On a lesser scale, this same scenario applies to the W210 E55 and that limited edition 500 number. MB did sell more!

moa4r

1,000 cars for each amg model * 40% for the us = about 400 e55s in the US each year, give or take, so basically you guys are both saying the same thing.

mikE55

No, the 1000 cars/year is the US only figure not WW. 2500 E55's WW (per Kev's number)* 40% = 1000 US.

Here's another data point: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m.../article.jhtml

MONTVALE, N.J. -- MONTVALE, N.J., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ --
...Additionally, AMG -- the Affalterbach (Germany)-based premier builder of Mercedes-Benz high-performance models -- reported an impressive year with sales of 6,515. U.S. sales of AMG products have increased tenfold since they first went on sale here. In 2002, MBUSA brought to market several long- awaited AMG models...

--

This is a 2002 number. Divide 6500 by 6 models (C32, SLK32, CLK55, E55, S55, CL55) and you get around 1000 a year for each model in the US. It's not an exact figure, but you get the picture.