Franco802

Hello all. I've been looking for an E55 for quite a while now. I've went and looked at a few salvage title cars. Most of them look like hell.

This one I recently found seems pretty clean. Dude has been asking $7500, I got him down to 6k, might even offer less if it's okay after I see it. I know, I know, you are all going to say "RUN FORREST! RUN!!" .

The car has a hell of a record. It was purchased new in Albany, NY. Was stolen one month after purchase and then re-appeared two years later with 40k on the clock. It was then sold auction. New owner got into a minor wreck with right front corner, so It was totaled.

In 2011 it got a title with water damage (Hurricane Sandy??). Then was sold in Hollywood, FL. The new owner has owned it for over two years and put 40k on it. It now has 122k. Car looks clean in the pictures of course. But he swears it looks clean. He knew he purchased a salvage car when he was in Florida, but didn't know any other history on it. He told me the dealer lot just told him it was salvaged.

He has told me he has issues trying to sell it. Well, he gave me the vin after I asked and found out it had a flood title along with being salvaged before that. He was pretty surprised, because he told me he's never had any issues with it. I also called the indy shop he uses and it has been service regularly since he's owned it.

Only thing that sucks is, if I end up selling it in the future, I know I will have issues trying to sell it with that title. Been trying to do more research on how bad the damage was. Owner told me everything has always been fine. I am going to see the car Wednesday.

Here is the report:

Not all accidents / issues are reported to AutoCheck

Information Reported: AutoCheck shows accidents reported to AutoCheck for this 2004 Mercedes-Benz E Class E55 AMG (WDBUF76J94A557447). Below you will find the date and location reported for the accident. Not all accidents or damage events are reported to AutoCheck.

Accidents Reported on This Vehicle
Accident No. Reported Date Location
1 09/03/2011 NY
Reported accidents or damage events are a result of vehicle collisions or other non-collision incidents such as vandalism or theft. Not all accidents or damage events are reported to AutoCheck.

State Title Brand and Other Problem Check
Problem Reported: AutoCheck's database for this 2004 Mercedes-Benz E Class E55 AMG (WDBUF76J94A557447) shows a title brand reported by a state agency or other negative event reported by a data source that is not a state agency. When displayed on AutoCheck, these events can indicate serious past damage or other significant problems and disqualify the vehicle from AutoCheck Buyback Protection. Review the Vehicle Use and Event Check for reported accidents.

4 Problem(s) Reported: 15 State Title and Other Problem areas checked:
No abandoned record
No damaged or major damage incident record
No fire damaged record
No grey market record
No hail damage record
Insurance loss or probable total loss record
No junk or scrapped record
No manufacturer buyback or lemon record
No odometer problem record
Rebuilt or rebuildable record
Salvage or salvage auction record
Water damaged record
No NHTSA crash test record
No frame or structural damage record
No recycling facility record
Odometer Check
Your Vehicle Checks Out: AutoCheck examined the reported odometer readings reported to AutoCheck for this 2004 Mercedes-Benz E Class E55 AMG (WDBUF76J94A557447) and no indication of an odometer rollback or tampering was found. AutoCheck uses business rules to determine if reported odometer readings are significantly less than previously reported values. Not all reported odometer readings are used. Title and auction events also report odometer tampering or breakage.

0 Problem(s) Reported: Mileage Date Reported
10 06/11/2004
50,000 09/27/2008
50,188 07/15/2010
50,332 07/28/2010 not included in rollback calculation
50,202 08/23/2010
53,130 05/23/2012
53,243 02/13/2013
78,743 08/22/2014
80,246 09/08/2014
80,246 02/13/2015
83,400 03/19/2015
Vehicle Use and Event Check
Information Reported: AutoCheck shows additional vehicle uses or events reported to AutoCheck for this 2004 Mercedes-Benz E Class E55 AMG (WDBUF76J94A557447). This includes reported vehicle uses such as rental or lease, and events such as whether the vehicle has been reported to have had a loan/lien or duplicate title issued. Other events show if the vehicle has a reported accident and how many calculated accidents or if it has been reported stolen or repossessed. It is recommended to have pre-owned vehicles inspected by a third party prior to purchase.

0 Event(s) Reported: 6 Vehicle uses checked:
No fleet, rental and/or lease use record
No taxi use record
No police use record
No government use record
No livery use record
No driver education record
3 Event(s) Reported: 9 Vehicle events checked:
1 Accident record(s) reported through accident data sources
No corrected title record
No duplicate title record
No emission/safety inspection record
Loan/Lien record(s)
No fire damage incident record
No repossessed record
Theft record(s)
No storm area registration/title record
Detailed Vehicle History
many ownersmany ownersCalculated Owners: 6 Below are the historical events for this vehicle listed in chronological order. Any discrepancies will be in bold text.
Report Run Date: May 8, 2017 20:07:47 EDT

Vehicle: 2004 Mercedes-Benz E Class E55 AMG (WDBUF76J94A557447)

Event Date Event Location Odometer Reading Data Source Event Detail
04/30/2004 ARMONK, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
06/11/2004 ARMONK, NY 10 Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE
07/08/2004 NY Motor Vehicle Dept. THEFT
06/15/2006 NY Motor Vehicle Dept. THEFT RECOVERED
09/27/2008 OLD BRIDGE, NJ 50,000 Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:ER200827100000185)
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
POSSIBLE TOTAL LOSS - VEHICLE TITLED/REGISTERED TO AN INSURANCE COMPANY
05/18/2010 BRIDGETON, NJ Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:V3201013800000147)
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
07/15/2010 BRIDGETON, NJ 50,188 Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:V3201019600000049)
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
07/19/2010 BROOKLYN, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
07/28/2010 OZONE PARK, NY 50,332 Independent Source INDEPENDENT INSPECTION/THEFT DETERRENT EQUIPPED
08/23/2010 BROOKLYN, NY 50,202 Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE
08/23/2010 BROOKLYN, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. SALVAGE
05/16/2011 CHESTER, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE
05/16/2011 CHESTER, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
06/24/2011 HOLLIS, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
09/03/2011 NY Police Report ACCIDENT REPORTED (Case #:3971)
11/04/2011 HOLLIS, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE
11/04/2011 HOLLIS, NY Motor Vehicle Dept. REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
04/09/2012 NY Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
05/23/2012 FL 53,130 Motor Vehicle Dept. ODOMETER READING FROM DMV
06/01/2012 HOLLYWOOD, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:0109045860)
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
02/13/2013 FL 53,243 Motor Vehicle Dept. ODOMETER READING FROM DMV
02/13/2013 HOLLYWOOD, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
02/13/2013 HOLLYWOOD, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
02/25/2013 HOLLYWOOD, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:0109045860) (Lien Reported)
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
07/15/2013 HOLLYWOOD, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
07/12/2014 HOLLYWOOD, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
08/22/2014 FL 78,743 Auto Auction REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
09/08/2014 FL 80,246 Auto Auction REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
02/13/2015 FL 80,246 Motor Vehicle Dept. ODOMETER READING FROM DMV
02/13/2015 MIAMI, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
02/13/2015 MIAMI, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
03/10/2015 MIAMI, FL Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:0109045860)
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
03/19/2015 FL 83,400 Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:0109045860)
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE
SALVAGE
WATER DAMAGE
04/10/2015 SHERMAN OAKS, CA Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE
REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
SALVAGE
01/13/2016 SHERMAN OAKS, CA Motor Vehicle Dept. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL

Hulk

Flood car
Run now period

E55wannabe

Universally true, especially with these cars and their electronics.

tlambert

I've done collision work for years. I wouldn't have a problem driving a previously damaged car that has been repaired properly.

Buying one that has been flooded....forget it. These cars have too many electronics to be effected by water. Especially salt water.

Then you would have the problem selling it again later. Or dismantling it and selling all the parts from it when it finally died.
Just my .02.

Strigoi

Don't do it.

I'm guessing you're not looking to spend a lot since you're checking out salvage title cars. If that's the case and you're limited by budget an E55 probably isn't the best idea. They were expensive when new and can still cost a lot to fix when something goes wrong. That $6,000 salvage car could turn into a $10,000+ car easily.

Dublinoh

What they said, and you may even have trouble insuring the car. Are you listening Forest, this is a box of...well not chocolate.

MACEDON

It's already 122k on it man....

Okay so I paid $14.5k for my 05 E55 95k (high!) about a month and a half ago. It's an auction car that's bounced around from Chicago where it was taken good care of, then to Miami where it was driven by some adult for a while, then a child for about a year and then finally landed at an auction, and I can see why. I was in a hurry to buy it because I'm mentally challenged, knowing that it might be a problem piece... but I did it anyway hoping the dealers I'm getting it from stayed true to their word with their inspection.

The car isn't in TERRIBLE form but I had about $4k worth of work to get done at a very good indy (flex disc, tensioner, spark plugs, differential bearing etc), and the airmatic is pooped too.

And my car wasn't even flood damaged.... this should give you an idea of the cost of stuff around this car, not sure how experienced you are with Mercedes in general, and I can imagine electronically things can get pretty scary if the car's infrastructure is already slowly eroding.

So you can imagine that this car is definitely a gamble... personally I'd get it inspected at a dealer, I called Lokey Merc in my area and they said $150 for a pre purchase inspection before buying mine (which of course I didn't get because I was so eager to drive out of that lot with my E55 right away after testing) so I would say it's pretty affordable if you're really that interested in the car.

But like everyone else said, flood damage is the key word here. Typically you can buy a E55 with that many miles for around 12-14k, a 2005-2006 at that.

If you're willing to gamble the 6-7k you're saving on repairs that might come up (and time wasted on repairs) then go for it. If not, I'd open up your browser and search for a car in Miami (craigslist is your best friend), and get yourself a Merc that has been driven in the sun.

Yuille36

Also try www.listingallcars.com as there are tons of AMGs on this site.

coolchuck

Unless you plan to make this a racecar, id pass like everyone else said. The title issue combined with flood damage could make this car a hassle.
just curious, why are you looking at salvaged cars?

Yuille36

Please understand that we are trying our hardest, to talk you out of buying this salvaged/flooded car. Mercedes-AMG cars by nature are overly burdened with electronics, and if those electronic get wet, say from a flood....you will chase those electrical gremlins for eternity. So listen to those who know, and have owned multiple AMGs. Just because your getting the car cheap, isn't a reason for buying it. Remember these car had a price tag of over $100,000 when brand new. And there maintenance cost are still equivalent, with a car costing $100,000. There are so many E55 out there, but you will have to travel a further distance to acquire one. But ultimately the choice is yours, but I don't want to hear that you bought this car, and your looking to the forum for answers on issues. Because those queries will most likely go unanswered. It might be another "I told you so" moment.

Franco802

I really appreciate your help guys. Thank you for the kind words. I decided to go against purchasing this flood car and any other salvage car. I'll just bite the bullet and purchase a clean title car.

The thing that sucks is, there's cars out there with over 150k and people still asking $14k+ for them which I think is pretty rediculous. I have found some cars with the same mileage at about 10k. But I'm looking for something at around 80-100k. Miles don't scare me. I know the engines and transmissions on these cars are pretty bulletproof.

As far as my technical experience goes, I've never worked on a Mercedes. But I've been working on cars since I was 15. Building my own engines, raced cars and motorcycles. So I'm not scared to get my hands dirty. I rarely ever take my cars to a technician unless it's covered under warranty like my newer truck is. That's because it's free and I don't have to waste my time on it.

Want to also thank one of the guys who posted that link. I'll check it out.

The true reason I was looking at salvaged cars is, my sister and I are helping my parents refi their two properties. They are retired and don't get too much retirement. They live on retirement and one of the rentals they own. So we're all in the process of that and having a trust set up since they are older. Well in the meantime, we can't buy anything. Can't get any type of loans period

I just sold my C4 Corvette a little over a month ago for 7k and the money is burning in my pocket. I've always wanted an E55 for the longest time. So now they are in reach. Just not in reach to get a sorted one cash and now.

I guess the best thing to do is wait until this refi is over and take out a small loan to get a nicer E.

MACEDON

Oh damn you're all the way in Cali...

Be careful with your money bro, these cars are definitely high maintenance...

Strigoi

There was also a member on here recently that had his W210 E55 totalled. He's in CA and was looking for a W211 E55. He ended up going with a W211 E63 because finding a nice E55 was proving very difficult.

If you plan on modding it, go with an E55. If you're going to keep the engine stock go with an E63.

It's definitely better to wait and find a good car. When you do find one that you're serious about, get a PPI done.

Franco802

I definitely plan on mods. Hence why I'm sticking with an E55. The E63s do go for more money even with the higher miles.

MACEDON

Are there no members selling theirs? I feel that forum members are always a good source to buy from...


BTW is there any benefit to joining mercedes club with the paid subscription? Is there another hub where people list their vehicles so other members can buy?

Franco802

There are members who are selling theirs. Although they do take very good care of them compared to others, they tend to ask for much more.

I recently found a two owner car with 80k on it for $12,000 clean title. Going to look at it this weekend.

Scott Lenger

That cheap AMG would turn out to be the most expensive car you could buy.

With all the electronics on these water damage will be a never ending nightmare as corrosion builds up over time. Remember, you're maintaining a $100K supercar so while the cost of a 10 year old vehicle has come down the repair costs haven't fallen. Don't get one that hasn't been kept up.

tumbler510

Where are you looking for E55's? Craigslist? Autotrader? ??

Yuille36

I have found (3) E55s in the LA area, one in Sherman Oaks ($12,400), one in LA ($16,995) and the another in Inglewood ($10,999) all of them on www.listingallcars.com

Franco802

Everywhere. Carguru, CL and AT.

I saw these all online. All with over 120k miles. Kind of high miles for those prices, except the one for 10999. The one I found is a 2003 2 owner car with 80k for $12,000. Seems very reasonable.

I'm just so damn sick of looking for an E55. I'm starting to look at E63's now as well. I went and looked at an E63 that's here in town with 126k on it for $14999. Had a resonator delete with xpipe, everything else was stock, unless it has a tune I don't know about. The thing sounded like a monster. It also looks aggressive as hell compared to an E55, although I like both.

cetialpha5

Are you afraid of the head bolts on the E63's? I like them better than the E55 but worry about the head bolts. I think the face lift interior looks better and it seems the newer ones tend to have more options than E55.

coolchuck

if you plan on modding, the E55 is the way to go. You may have to wait a little to get one in the condition you prefer BUT, by the time you find one, your financial situation may have worked out too. Trust me I was impatient and wish I waited for a cleaner one, but the car still makes me happy.
Oh..you can always do an E63 bumper conversion.

Yuille36

The head bolts are an isolated issue, as I didn't effect every E63. I have now owned (2) E63, and a C63 with the M156 engine and never had this issue arise. The E63 compared to the E55 has less issues, trust me. And a lot of these issues with the E55 stem from people modify them.

SleepersRock

That would be me. As much as I wanted (and still want) an E55 the headache of a sketchy one would not be worth it. Be prepared to wait for the "right car". I took nearly 2 years to find my 210, and nearly 3 months to find the 211 e63.

SleepersRock

Even replacing the head bolts immediately along with the intake manifold gaskets and torque bolts as preventative maintenance would be significantly cheaper than the repairs needed on a higher mileage e55 in rougher shape.