94jedi

Hey all - I'm seriously considering this E55. Miles are higher than I wanted but I like the color and it seems well cared for. Does anyone know this car?

http://www.michsforeigncars.com/deta...-16723158.html

Also, is that a factory color?

For a car w/ that many miles, with my intent to mod, what would you guys offer? I'm much more inclined to low-ball a dealer than an individual seller.

Thoughts on what would be a good price to buy it for?

bbirdwell

Personally, I don't regard the mileage as a problem for the engine ( I have 130K on my car and expect to get 300K); perhaps for the transmission but I regard that as a wear item.

Lots of non-informative info. Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection and here is what I would look at:

-Maintenance records? Go through them carefully.
-If the car has more than 60,000 miles, you'd better have evidence the fuel pumps/filters/relay were replaced every 60K miles via a service or the Mercedes repair (many posts on this subject). If no proof, cough up the $1000 for the parts (labor not included!) and replace immediately. There is a MB repair on the fuel tanks if the smell of gasoline is present; search for the posts with the warranty extension notice.
-Remove the belts; spin all pulleys and ensure smooth operation. Any roughness or noise, ruthlessly replace them. Rebuild the supercharger idler pulley for $27 or buy a new one for $540. Remember I said, "full set of Torx bits"? The tensioner pulley on the bottom of the engine uses an odd-size Torx bit that is usually not included in the standard sets. Very easy to strip the Torx bolt and it is in a *bad* location to remove if stripped. (No need to ask me how I learned this one.)
-Inspect the supercharger clutch springs for cracks. If cracked, replace immediately!!! If one of the springs lets go, it will buzz saw right through the oil line next to it. Purchase and install a supercharger clutch scatter shield from LM21 here on the forum. Beautifully made and worth every penny.
-On test drive, when the supercharger engages, do you hear the sound of grinding bearings? If so, the supercharger needs to be pulled off the engine and the rear bearings replaced. Only a few hundred dollars if you do it yourself or about $5000 if the dealer does it by installing a replacement supercharger.
-If increments of 100,000 miles, spark plugs and wires. Use the Bosch plugs.
-Inspect the motor mounts and transmission mount.
-Inspect the flex discs on the driveshaft and the center support bracket and bearing. Any cracks in the flex discs you should replace. If the driveshaft is out, replace the support bracket (it has a rubber support in it that sags over time) and the bearing.
-Take a look at how the tires are wearing; if both inside and outside of a tire are "chunking" or "peeling", it is a good bet you need bushings and ball joints. Don't let a static alignment fool you into thinking all is well. With the car on the rack it will align into spec but once you get it on the road the dynamics of the suspension will have the wheels and tires moving back and forth (thus the undue wear on both inside and outside simultaneously on the tires). By 90K to 100K miles, you can bet your lower ball joints are bad. Another clue to bad ball joints is the car will be very unstable in the rain; if you get apprehensive in the rain anytime you drive over 55 mph, your suspension needs a rebuild.
-Keep an eye on the SBC brake actuation count using Star. Plan on the expense of replacing the SBC rather than just resetting the counter. i.e. don't be a "Cheap Charlie". If the SBC on the car you are looking at shows <300K actuations, ask questions. The SBC may have been replaced or it may have been reset (leaving you with the bill for replacement).
-Use a Solar BA-5 (or similar) battery tester to verify the health of the batteries. If down to 50% of capacity, replace. Again, don't wait for failure! Preventive maintenance. If the main electrical system fails, all you have is that little tiny motorcycle battery under the hood providing the power to your brake system. It won't last long so be prepared to hit the parking brake with your foot while standing on the brake pedal.

Good luck. These are expensive cars to maintain. But, maintained properly, it's like flying a P-51 Mustang....

skylinrcr01

That car is way overpriced IMO. It's probably worth closer to 13k with that amount of miles.

Also looks like that car was owned by someone younger that probably trashed on it, given the tinted taillights and E63 bumper conversion.

hachiroku

odd color

94jedi

Not an OEM color, right? That might mean body work shenanigans.

SterlingE55

Almost looks like backin96's old car

bizzy247

Build sheet says the paint code is:
904U - Midnight Blue


Options include:
-heated non-dynamic seats
-bixenons
-non panoramic roof
-COMAND w/ navi
-CD changer

hachiroku

according to eBay, this is the same color for 904U - Midnight Blue. pretty ugly color if you ask me. should be called blood in your veins blue honestly.

PillDrive

Mileage is not an issue as long as the car was maintained. My S55 is now at 237k and still going strong. As far as a young guy beating it....if you look close at the engine picture you will see it has a belt wrap kit. Most kids dont put these kinds of add-ons into their cars. But thats just my 5cents. I do agree its too expensive 13k max on it. I checked the VIN and it IS a later built (was delivered April 2004).
Good luck with it in case you buy it.

skylinrcr01

Didn't notice the BWK. Good catch.