94jedi

So, as I've said before, my goal for my next car is the best bang for the buck, Daily driver, 4 door cruiser I can find. That led me to these two cars. The Gen 2 CTS-V is out of my budget ($25k+) otherwise I'd consider it as well. I do plan on modding this car as I will be looking to have a little fun on the streets and highways of Mexico .

So with that in mind, which car should I get? I've looked at several e55's and have zeroed in on a black on black car, that might have some mods and looks like a well serviced 2 owner car. I'm going to offer way less than asking.
https://cargur.us/hnKxr

Not crazy about the wheels but I can get some oem wheels later.

The other car I'm consider is an 07 e63. Obviously newer, less miles (by nearly 20k) however a bit more expensive.
https://cargur.us/h62YG

All things being equal, which car should I buy? I want the car that will be the fastest out of the box. I probably sound like a test filled 19 year old but I'm turning 40 this month and as much as I talk about mods, the truth is I have a family and real world priorities that may (will) limit my mod budget so that's my reason for wanting the most bang for the buck at the start.

I'm not too worried about maintenance costs as I'm sure I'll have some but I should be able to handle most of the basic stuff on my own.

So with all that said, what are your thoughts?

I'm a little worries that with the e55, I'll become obsessed w/ mods. I'm also concerned that I'll grow tired of the e63 as the aftermarket and potential isn't as big as the e55.

Either car I buy will at least get a good tune, and some kind of exhaust. Ideally more, but again, priorities lol.

Strigoi

That interior on the E63 would be a deal breaker for me.

94jedi

Yea, not sure i can live with it either but prices are dripping like crazy on these cars.

tw2

E55 if you want to mod. All the videos stock E55 vs E63 have both cars about the same.... until you throw some mods in the mix. E63 is an awesome car but difficult and expensive to get any more power from it.

mightar

^this

IMO, if you really want best bang for buck, you should be looking at the M157...

Infiniti

I've had both and it's a tough call and will ultimately be your preference.

E63 pros over the E55
Interior- steering wheel, headliner/pillars are all black or color of the interior, cluster, shift knob.
Exterior- bumpers front and rear, side view mirrors
Tranny is smother and shifts faster
Sound! Nothing out there has that m156 sound

E55 pros
Motor is a beast. The punch an E55 gives is like no other and is very responsive to mods
You can swap the things of an e63 right over
Tranny is strong

You should drive them both as they are honestly two completely different cars. If you want to mod or have a faster car or even the ability to do so the E55 is your ride as others said. You can't go wrong with either or

cetialpha5

Wow, what's wrong with the interior? That E63 is pretty loaded. Pano sunroof, parktronic, side blinds in addition to rear blinds, multi contour seats, folding rear seats, power trunk closer, P2 which is bixenons and keyless go, and it even has distronics. Very rare to find one dare I say, as fully loaded as that one. Good luck trying to find an E55 with the same options. I prefer the facelifted E63 steering wheels and shifter. Only thing about the E63 is the head bolt issue, I think the E55 also has its share of issues, but probably not as bad as the head bolts.

Not a big fan of mods, you'll pay retail for them and you won't get anything back when you sell it. If you're concerned with cost, just get the E63 and forget about doing mods. It's a bit more modern, I think bluetooth still works fine but the equipment is older and trickier on the E55. The sale section is filled with ads from people who ask crazy high numbers due to the mods they make, but the fun with mods is doing the ones you like, not buying what someone else did. Usually they're trying to get an extra 5k over what it's worth because they put in 10k worth of mods, but if the price was 10k less, it'd sell instantly.

e500slr

Get the E63, stock for stock it's nicer and you don't want to mod so the nicer interior, exterior and a very nice exhaust note and driving experience makes it a better stock package.

The light interior on the E63 is nice but it is a deal breaker for some people. It's harder to keep clean compared to black but it looks very luxurious and nice, for me at least.

Be very very careful of the head bolt and cam lifter issues in the E63 though, it could turn into a very expensive bill.

94jedi

Is there a way to ensure that the head bolt and cam lifter issues have been taken care of via the vin and calling the MB dealer? Honestly, i wouldn't mind the e63...as for mods, I'd probably just put a tune and exhaust on it. Farthest I'd go with it would be headers. Basic exhaust + tune e63 should hold its own on the street. With headers, even better. Would you guys agree with those statements?

cetialpha5

That would be in the VMI if they did it, but I doubt it as it's a pretty expensive repair. Normally they don't give out the VMI unless you're the owner or if you're at the dealer doing a PPI but you might get lucky. Most people say they say no. They don't make any money when they give out info for a car you don't own over the phone. As the head bolts were weak and when they let go, you'd blow a head gasket and depending on when you catch it, it can ruin the engine, I would think it'd be bad idea to do a tune where you'd get even more power out of it. You could do the head bolts in advance though, couple ways to do it, can be as cheap ast 1k-5k depending on how you do it. The 1k method has some controversy.

Strigoi

The color combo is terrible. I found a nice white E63 with that same interior and it was worse in person than the pics. There's no way I could have lived with it daily.

CharlyE500

+1 the interior color is terrible...

cetialpha5

I have a similar light color in mine, but I don't think it's the same as I think that E63 has designo seats which is what I think the emblem in the center of the seat says. Anyway, don't have any trouble keeping it clean, I just wipe it down like any leather a few times a year. Not a fan of black, too dark and hot in the summer.

Anyway, that E55 is a stripper. Has bixenons but I don't think you get active curve illumination til 2007. No keyless go. Does have parktronic and the pano roof, but no folding rear seat or power trunk closer. Plus I'm not a fan of those aftermarket wheels. No distronic either, but that was a very rare option, they're more common on later model vehicles. It doesn't even have the cooled seats or the rear sunshade which I think was standard in the E63 (that's the button that's missing on the dash).

94jedi

My first thought was that too - terrible color combo. But, I saw it in person yesterday and it's growing on me. Especially since I think I can get the car for less than $16,5. I don't know, we'll see. It's been on the lot since Nov. 2016 and has been reduced from $22k. That's probably a bad sign, or the interior is that bad. My hope is to use it as a negotiating tool. I can imagine most people don't like that color.

94jedi

Guys, what are your thoughts on this e63? doesn't appear to be as optioned as the beige interior model, it's also more expensive. I saw it in person though and seems to be in good condition. Also, it has a much better interior.

Thoughts?

https://cargur.us/ht0Hg

cetialpha5

A designo interior is an extra cost item. Leather was standard on the E63. I don't think it's missing too many options, just distronics really but it's very rare to find that in a W211. Use this site to see what options it has:

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

I didn't think the interior would affect the price that much, I was just wondering if it was in an accident or if it has some issue. But if all things were the same, the first one has lower mileage and the price is lower with more options. Airmatic is the other issue that's always a problem, but that's in both the E55 and E63. At current mileage that can go at any time if they haven't already been done.

Dublinoh

I have an 07 E63. I will add one advantage, the E55 has a different brake system that requires a second battery and a pump. I like the more standard brake system on the E63. IMHO I would go for the more updated looks on the E63, but if you want a torque monster that can be modded to the extreme the E55 is the choice.

cetialpha5

Yeah, that was the SBC, electronic brake by wire. They got rid of it in 2007. That's also another repair that can range from 1-2k depending on what parts you need and where you do it. The again the cost of the rotors/pads on the E63 are way up there compared to the E350/E550.

Strigoi

That's just an AMG badge, all E63s have them there on the seat.

Is the E55 SBC like the non-AMG ones? If so, that's something to think about as those are fairly pricey to replace. I believe they last for around 300,000 actuations and replacement cost can be $1k+ when (not if) it goes out.

tw2

Drive both back to back and you will probably come to a quick decision. I went to buy an E63 w212 or w211 and came back with an E55. I was hooked after the first 15 seconds. The torque curves couldn't be more different. I would have both if I could.

94jedi

Drove this car today...It was raining so it was hard to get a feel for an sounds, or how the car ran but overall I liked it a lot. I'd never driven an e-class, let alone an e 55/63 so this was a first for me.

mightar

Like others have said, drive both of them - you will be amazed on how different they feel even though they share the same chassis. From a stock-to-stock comparison, the E63 is significantly better in looks, soundtrack, handling, brake feel, steering, and consistent linear throttle response. It is much more refined than the E55.

That said, there are lots of people who like the raw nature of the E55 and I can't blame them. And when mods come into play, the E55 will be faster (in a straight line).

CharlyE500

E55 ==> Cheaper to maintain and more reliable.
E55 ==> Coil-over ==> handle very well.
E55 ==> Stage 3 ==> Header, Pulley, TB ==> 600Hp.
Good luck.

C32Mark

I drove a friends E63 before I went to test the E55. I came home with the E55. The supercharger makes the car a beast. It put me back in the seat harder than my 540 ci 650 HP Chevelle SS. My E55 is by fare my favorite car out of all I have owned. Good luck with your decision....

patrick_y

Echoing these sentiments exactly.

The E63 is definitely the more refined car with better suspension, sound, engine response/dynamism, brake pedal feel, and significantly better steering feel.

The E55 has one benefit, it's supposedly more reliable than the E63 and it's generally faster. E55 generally has more minor problems and doesn't have the head bolt issue that is not uncommon on the 63 engine.

I personally really enjoy the V10 BMW M5. It's a very refined car (okay, maybe not the transmission) that's also extremely communicative for a car of its size. The BMW M5 is a 4000 pound ballet dancer or gymnast of a car with no torque.

The E63 is like a 4000 pound basketball athlete, not quite as light on its feet as the BMW, but with more torque than the BMW.

And the E55 is still 4000 pounds, but more of a wrestler/football player that has greater strength and the most torque-rich engine of the group. The E55 is the most "caveman" of them all with a computerized braking system, a steering rack that has little feel, and a heavy-footed suspension that's not particularly communicative neither.

So the question is what's your preferred sport? Are you an expensive gymnast, an expensive basketball player, or a more casual football player?