Would you buy a modded e55?
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Dodge Dakota, Saturn sl1
Would you buy a modded e55?
Been looking at a few 55's around me. Most have crossed the century mark in miles and a few have the Mercedes dealer service history up until about a year ago.
A few have bolt one around me and a tune, eurocharged and race iq. They have gotten up there in miles and the bolt one were added after the service history went cold. I plan on taking them to an mb dealer to do the PPI that consisted of
Star scan
inspection
Brakes
Shocks and suspension (almost all have been switched to coil overs)
look for leaks or rust ubderneunderneathtech said the computer can see a low compression cylinder but a compression check is better but costs a lot more. One of the cars threw a cel but the owner said its due to the catless exhaust.
I've tried to get a hold of raceiq to see if they can tell me anymore info on one of the cars. But cheers though, been looking for a car that fits me and I think I found it.
A few have bolt one around me and a tune, eurocharged and race iq. They have gotten up there in miles and the bolt one were added after the service history went cold. I plan on taking them to an mb dealer to do the PPI that consisted of
Star scan
inspection
Brakes
Shocks and suspension (almost all have been switched to coil overs)
look for leaks or rust ubderneunderneathtech said the computer can see a low compression cylinder but a compression check is better but costs a lot more. One of the cars threw a cel but the owner said its due to the catless exhaust.
I've tried to get a hold of raceiq to see if they can tell me anymore info on one of the cars. But cheers though, been looking for a car that fits me and I think I found it.
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Stock with good maintenance is better but I would take a modded car with an excellent service history over a stock unknown.
Of course it depends on the mods and how carefully they were thought out and installed. If it had a heat exchanger upgrade I would be checking the bumper sits right, they didn't drill millions of holes in the metal bumper bar or cut the plastic shrouds to oblivion. I would measure the clearance of any supercharger pulleys with a feeler gauge and get a scatter shield immediately. Crank pulley, walk away. Headers, I would check for flexy sections, exhaust leaks and engine mounts. Exhaust (rest of it) mods, I probably wouldn't even consider it. Meth/water injection walk away, trunk mount intercooler tank, underhood tank etc, walk away. Coilovers, again depends on how it was done. It will certainly add to the reliability of the car but you want to avoid crappy coilovers and a rubbish ride, these are never going to be sports cars, if they are slammed there may not be much height adjustment left in them, they don't build them for people wanting a normal ride height. Major stereo mods, walk away.
Of course it depends on the mods and how carefully they were thought out and installed. If it had a heat exchanger upgrade I would be checking the bumper sits right, they didn't drill millions of holes in the metal bumper bar or cut the plastic shrouds to oblivion. I would measure the clearance of any supercharger pulleys with a feeler gauge and get a scatter shield immediately. Crank pulley, walk away. Headers, I would check for flexy sections, exhaust leaks and engine mounts. Exhaust (rest of it) mods, I probably wouldn't even consider it. Meth/water injection walk away, trunk mount intercooler tank, underhood tank etc, walk away. Coilovers, again depends on how it was done. It will certainly add to the reliability of the car but you want to avoid crappy coilovers and a rubbish ride, these are never going to be sports cars, if they are slammed there may not be much height adjustment left in them, they don't build them for people wanting a normal ride height. Major stereo mods, walk away.
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C300 sport 2008
Stock with good maintenance is better but I would take a modded car with an excellent service history over a stock unknown.
Of course it depends on the mods and how carefully they were thought out and installed. If it had a heat exchanger upgrade I would be checking the bumper sits right, they didn't drill millions of holes in the metal bumper bar or cut the plastic shrouds to oblivion. I would measure the clearance of any supercharger pulleys with a feeler gauge and get a scatter shield immediately. Crank pulley, walk away. Headers, I would check for flexy sections, exhaust leaks and engine mounts. Exhaust (rest of it) mods, I probably wouldn't even consider it. Meth/water injection walk away, trunk mount intercooler tank, underhood tank etc, walk away. Coilovers, again depends on how it was done. It will certainly add to the reliability of the car but you want to avoid crappy coilovers and a rubbish ride, these are never going to be sports cars, if they are slammed there may not be much height adjustment left in them, they don't build them for people wanting a normal ride height. Major stereo mods, walk away.
Of course it depends on the mods and how carefully they were thought out and installed. If it had a heat exchanger upgrade I would be checking the bumper sits right, they didn't drill millions of holes in the metal bumper bar or cut the plastic shrouds to oblivion. I would measure the clearance of any supercharger pulleys with a feeler gauge and get a scatter shield immediately. Crank pulley, walk away. Headers, I would check for flexy sections, exhaust leaks and engine mounts. Exhaust (rest of it) mods, I probably wouldn't even consider it. Meth/water injection walk away, trunk mount intercooler tank, underhood tank etc, walk away. Coilovers, again depends on how it was done. It will certainly add to the reliability of the car but you want to avoid crappy coilovers and a rubbish ride, these are never going to be sports cars, if they are slammed there may not be much height adjustment left in them, they don't build them for people wanting a normal ride height. Major stereo mods, walk away.
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2002 C32AMG
There are several well maintained modded E55s for sale right now. I confirm this on a semi weekly basis. Now with that being said I wouldn't buy a modded car from a dealer but would buy one from a private owner. This way you can evaluate the owner as well and gauge how well he maintained the car. E55's are not cheap to buy/mod/maintain. That fact alone assumes a certain level of commitment/maturity from the owner. Not too many college bros can afford a car like this.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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C300 sport 2008
There are several well maintained modded E55s for sale right now. I confirm this on a semi weekly basis. Now with that being said I wouldn't buy a modded car from a dealer but would buy one from a private owner. This way you can evaluate the owner as well and gauge how well he maintained the car. E55's are not cheap to buy/mod/maintain. That fact alone assumes a certain level of commitment/maturity from the owner. Not too many college bros can afford a car like this.
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From: New Zealand
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From: Christchurch, New Zealand
CLS55
Mine came with Aba cd inside and maintenance records, i felt safe knowing some oldies had owned it and didnt kniw the intercooler pump was ****ed... hehehe. Id buy my car from myself coz i done lots of preventative maintenance and always look after it probably better than stock owners. Although i thrash the bit ch..... hahaha.
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Joined: May 2013
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2002 C32AMG
He's a perfect example of evaluating the owner as well as the car. His freaking SC pulley bearing was so SHOT it welded itself to the snout and he didn't even notice until it was too late.
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Quit whining and accept that life is hard. If you are not willing to learn and apply yourself to becoming a subject matter expert you are contributing nothing. What and who do you want to be? When challenged, one should accept the challenge, then improvise, adapt, and overcome. You think I bought my first Mercedes back in January 2014 with any knowledge about them? I didn't know diddley about a Mercedes and it was *painful* both financially and in the amount of my limited time I had to dedicate to fixing the darn car! Frustrating? Yes! A learning experience unparalleled? Yes! I stuck with it and now I understand some of the models pretty darn well. Suck it up, start learning, accept the life knowledge that will carry you through much tougher challenges in the future.
Yes, it should be obvious that 35 years in the military gives me limited patience. If you can't deal with the pressure, buy a freaking Fiat. If you believe you can run with the big dogs, act like one.
Last edited by bbirdwell; Aug 25, 2018 at 10:45 PM.
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'99 and '05 E55 AMG
FWIW, I'll be posting tomorrow or Monday on my preventive/preemptive maintenance on my E55. Just for the heck of it, I tallied up the cost of parts I replaced "just in case" or because the lifetime reached the recommended replacement time.
Cost?
Over $2000 just in parts....
Makes me look longingly at a Miata again but I sure do like the torque of an E55...it's addicting like crack....
Cost?
Over $2000 just in parts....
Makes me look longingly at a Miata again but I sure do like the torque of an E55...it's addicting like crack....
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2018
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Dodge Dakota, Saturn sl1
Stock with good maintenance is better but I would take a modded car with an excellent service history over a stock unknown.
Of course it depends on the mods and how carefully they were thought out and installed. If it had a heat exchanger upgrade I would be checking the bumper sits right, they didn't drill millions of holes in the metal bumper bar or cut the plastic shrouds to oblivion. I would measure the clearance of any supercharger pulleys with a feeler gauge and get a scatter shield immediately. Crank pulley, walk away. Headers, I would check for flexy sections, exhaust leaks and engine mounts. Exhaust (rest of it) mods, I probably wouldn't even consider it. Meth/water injection walk away, trunk mount intercooler tank, underhood tank etc, walk away. Coilovers, again depends on how it was done. It will certainly add to the reliability of the car but you want to avoid crappy coilovers and a rubbish ride, these are never going to be sports cars, if they are slammed there may not be much height adjustment left in them, they don't build them for people wanting a normal ride height. Major stereo mods, walk away.
Of course it depends on the mods and how carefully they were thought out and installed. If it had a heat exchanger upgrade I would be checking the bumper sits right, they didn't drill millions of holes in the metal bumper bar or cut the plastic shrouds to oblivion. I would measure the clearance of any supercharger pulleys with a feeler gauge and get a scatter shield immediately. Crank pulley, walk away. Headers, I would check for flexy sections, exhaust leaks and engine mounts. Exhaust (rest of it) mods, I probably wouldn't even consider it. Meth/water injection walk away, trunk mount intercooler tank, underhood tank etc, walk away. Coilovers, again depends on how it was done. It will certainly add to the reliability of the car but you want to avoid crappy coilovers and a rubbish ride, these are never going to be sports cars, if they are slammed there may not be much height adjustment left in them, they don't build them for people wanting a normal ride height. Major stereo mods, walk away.
Been looking at cts-v's, haven't sat and drove one. Drove a g8 that was REALLY nicely modded with lots of atte attention to detail. I liked the power on it, was supercharged, but the seats felt like a knife in the lumbar region.
The e55 was just about perfect for me.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,252
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C300 sport 2008
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,252
Likes: 35
C300 sport 2008
Quit whining and accept that life is hard. If you are not willing to learn and apply yourself to becoming a subject matter expert you are contributing nothing. What and who do you want to be? When challenged, one should accept the challenge, then improvise, adapt, and overcome. You think I bought my first Mercedes back in January 2014 with any knowledge about them? I didn't know diddley about a Mercedes and it was *painful* both financially and in the amount of my limited time I had to dedicate to fixing the darn car! Frustrating? Yes! A learning experience unparalleled? Yes! I stuck with it and now I understand some of the models pretty darn well. Suck it up, start learning, accept the life knowledge that will carry you through much tougher challenges in the future.
Yes, it should be obvious that 35 years in the military gives me limited patience. If you can't deal with the pressure, buy a freaking Fiat. If you believe you can run with the big dogs, act like one.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,965
Likes: 1,315
From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Thread Starter
Newbie
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Dodge Dakota, Saturn sl1
Looking through the mb service history they replaced the transfer case oil. Where the heck is the transfer case located? I think transfer case as a 4wd setup.
Also what is the best way to get ahold of john at race iq?
Also what is the best way to get ahold of john at race iq?
Last edited by stgdz; Aug 26, 2018 at 08:30 PM.
Member
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 166
Likes: 20
From: East Coast
2005 E55 AMG
Yes. I would and I did.
It's all about how the car was taken care of and the quality of the modifications. There can never be a definite, general answer of yes or no to a question like this. My car was modified and, I guarantee, was in better condition (mechanically and aesthetically) than any other car on the market during the ~3 or so months I was searching.
Spend the money and do the research before buying a car, any car, not even just a W211 AMG, and you'll always be better off in the long run.
Edit: There is no John @ RaceIQ. Tony does all the tuning. Lukas does sales. You can contact either on them on Facebook.
It's all about how the car was taken care of and the quality of the modifications. There can never be a definite, general answer of yes or no to a question like this. My car was modified and, I guarantee, was in better condition (mechanically and aesthetically) than any other car on the market during the ~3 or so months I was searching.
Spend the money and do the research before buying a car, any car, not even just a W211 AMG, and you'll always be better off in the long run.
Edit: There is no John @ RaceIQ. Tony does all the tuning. Lukas does sales. You can contact either on them on Facebook.
Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 82
Likes: 12
From: The UK
2004 E55 AMG
I did, and it was also a very well looked after car. The last two previous owners of my car were borderline OCD and fixed every problem that came alone. It had simple mods like 83mm pulley, tune, x-pipe and lowering module. The only problem I've had with it was the dreaded fuel tank issue, but that was unavoidable and would've been covered under warranty if I lived in the US.
And likewise, though I've continued to modify the vehicle, I've spent 10 times as much in preventative and regular maintenance, with folders of documentation to prove it.
And likewise, though I've continued to modify the vehicle, I've spent 10 times as much in preventative and regular maintenance, with folders of documentation to prove it.
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Dodge Dakota, Saturn sl1
Any concerns on a lower pulley breaking and having it replaced. Found this out during conversation with the owner. Front seal could be damaged but that would show up as an oil drip.
