KingDEL23

Hey guys, just wanted to get some of your feedback. I've been on the hunt for preferably a Brilliant Silver W211 E55 AMG. I've missed out on a few really good looking ones over the past few months and don't want to miss out on anymore!!

Anyhow, I've had my eyes on this one in Chicago, IL. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...3614/overview/

CarFax shows that they've had this car for almost a year now, is this a red flag OR is this showing what the market is actually willing to pay for this car these car? Does anyone know anything about this dealership?

Also lastly, what do you guys think a fair price for these these days, I'm seeing some of these approach 07-08 E63 price territory and I'm wondering if that's just way off base.

Obviously, these are great cars but I'd just hate to overpay for one of these!

Thanks for any help, it would be much appreciated!!

Dublinoh

Ok I'll chime in. Dealership has 400 reviews averaging 4.5 out of 5, pretty respectable. E55 has only 50k miles, and they say service is up to date. If your serious get a PPI done, then go see it in person. Price is in line for low miles and mechanically sound. Just my opinion.

KingDEL23

Thanks for jumping in! Quick question though, how do you guys usually go about scheduling a PPI when you're a distance from the car. This would be my first long distance purchase so I'm actually not too sure the best way to go about it. I was thinking of flying down and scheduling a PPI with a local Benz dealer or independent shop nearby and bringing the car there myself but I'm starting to think this isn't the most efficient way.

Dublinoh

Usually the seller will arrange the PPI with someone of your choosing at your expense of course. A near by Mercedes dealership would be an option. But if you have the time to fly there, you could set it up ahead of time and drive the car to the PPI (or not if you find game Enders on your own) then drive it home if all goes well. If the seller wants a deposit be sure it is refundable. Also have a plan to return home without it.

Yuille36

I would research and locate a local indy shop, and coordinate with both the dealer and the indy to have the car delivered there, so that they can perform the PPI. But inform the dealer that you'll pay the cost of the PPI. Typically anywhere from $45 - $100. And have the indy email you directly with this findings, and not to the dealer. Since your paying for the service and not them. They shouldn't be privy to the information. This will also confirm what the dealer is saying is true with the indy's findings. Then you'll know if the dealer is trustworthy or not. I think then you'll truly know what your about to purchase.

cdumitru

I paid about 5k more for a twin of this car - mine was an '05 with 22k miles, but same color/trim. I think the price is about right for the car, looks to be in great shape and if the inspection checks out, you got yourself an awesome low mileage car for less than 20k. Good luck.

KingDEL23

Sounds like a solid idea, thanks. Let me check around to find some shops in that area

KingDEL23

Ah okay so these are actually fetching prices like this.........okay okay makes sense

maximus16v

I know I'm in a totally different market but I wouldn't have a problem paying that. It seems finding low mile ones is hard (I understand why after owning one lol) and definitely worth the extra $$. In fact, mine has approx 80K miles and I'm waiting for a lower mile one to pop up around me and I'll gladly pay few grand more than I paid for mine.

Pinned

It's easy to get jaded by the low prices of beat cars - nicely kept, well maintained, low mileage cars will always be worth more than the market average. There are a lot of people buying up cheaper E55s but they'll likely pay the same as a good one in the long run via additional maintenance cost.

Maybe $19k is on the high end, but it's not unreasonable for a very nice example IMO.

cetialpha5

Well according to Nadaguide.com, it's way about retail which is why it's been sitting around for so long.

http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2004/...E55-AMG/Values

Not a big fan of early E55's, they never had many options, no bixenons, parktronic, pano plus bluetooth was a little weird. Also the drawback with low miles is that you probably have SBC and airmatic bills in the future although the carfax mentions some struts being replaced. Pay attention to what the PPI says about those items.

KingDEL23

This is also a really good point!

How would I go about getting the build sheet on this thing? I'm sure it's somewhere on the forums but in case I can't find it does anyone know off the top?

I still don't really know why Mercedes put halogens in AMG level cars, never made sense to me at all.

94jedi

Not sure about a build sheet but if you have the vin - https://mbworld.org/forums/vindecoder.php

KingDEL23

Thanks 94jedi!

Wow yea, this one does have the halogens, that kinda sucks.

Question guys.............were halogens standard in the 03's and 04's? and then in the 05's and 06's came standard? I was too young to even know this in 03-04!

cetialpha5

There's a few other vin decoders out there like:

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Mercedes-Benz

Bixenons were always an option. They didn't get rid of halogens til 2014 when they all went to LED. A clue would be if you see the headlamp washers in the front bumper, but that didn't always mean bixenons depending on the year, could just be the sports package. The real clue is the sticker under the hood warning of 25k volts. I think early ones just had bixenons and at one point they got active curve illumination in the later years, but that might be the E63.

Try here to see what options were available for a particular year. Just change the year in the URL, select the model and then click on features to see the options.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/merce.../e-class/2006/

KingDEL23

Ah okay, that's a good resources thanks!

KingDEL23

So let's say in a hypothetical example, I get a PPI on the car and they come back saying something along lines of upcoming SBC repairs, or Airmatic issues.

How would you guys position this in negotiating talks? I feel like these sorts of things are typically easier to get some wiggle room with a private seller, but dealers always will say something like "oh well what would you expect from a car this age" or some other stupid reason to maintain the high margin on a car that doesn't really fetch that.

Mora2818

I paid $14k for my single owner 03 E55 with 63,000 miles that was meticulously maintained at MB in Seattle. Identical to this car sans TPMS and Nav. This was in January and I bought it from the Audi dealer in which this guy traded her in for an A7.

I think I got a bargain but it's pretty hard to determine price for low mileage great condition e55's.

-Kevin