fazxs

I sold my E55 last year and have missed it so much that I've decided to buy one. I've come across two cars and I'm just not able to make up my mind.

Car no.1:

E55 AMG Wagon, Year 2005, Black with about 115000 km. Absolutely clean and stock. No modifications. I'm a wagon guy and have always loved wagons, especially fast ones. My previous E55 was a wagon too but had to sell as I was relocating and I would love to own one again. I was almost going to spend on some modifications before I sold it.

Car no 2:

E55 AMG Sedan, Year 2006, White with low mileage of about 60000 km. Full service history at the dealership. Its in a private car collection. The front bumper has been updated to the E63 but I still prefer the more modest yet classy look of the stock E55. I guess this was done to accommodate a massive heat exchanger.

What draws me to this car is that it has the tuning package which I've always wanted - MKB Stage 4.

620 HP at 5800 rpm, 800 Nm at 4190 rpm
MKB high performance camshafts,
MKB Shorty headers stainless steel
MKB Supercharger clutch (don't know the size, but I assume it will be a conservative size)
MKB Heat Exchanger
MKB throttle body - I see members who have this package mention it as a 80mm however when I contacted MKB they mentioned 85mm.
Mechanical limited slip differential (45% locking ratio)
Reinforced and built transmission including a TCU Tune
Shorter transmission ratio 2.82

Here is another exciting part - The standard supercharger has been swapped out for a SLR 722 supercharger (part number A1550900480). This with the standard pulley is know to increase boost from .9 to 1.0 bar. Adding this to the existing tune, i don't know how much improvement it will have. I contacted MKB to ask if they can provide a re tune and they said NO if they car has been further modified. Only if the car had its Stage 4 package without any changes, they can provide a retune. They also said the car needs to be shipped to Germany for a custom tune if required. This was a bummer. However I'm sure, some reputed tuner can provide a tune if required. Car runs fine, no issues but its always good to know if you have that backing from your tuner when needed.

I've driven a CLS55 with the same package and tell, it was awesome!! The biggest difference is the transmission as it shifts way faster between shifts and feels solid.

MKB had some clever trickery in the early days when the E55 was out like removing the secondary throttle/bypass valve for more boost. They also use DTM software for this to function as the CLK DTM which has a similar setup. Panos the owner of MKB is an ex DTM racing engineer so I'm sure they are doing something right. I had done a lot of research for tuning on this forum and this was one of the package I wanted. It costs EUR 20000 if you want one today.



Decision time:

I love the wagon, I always will. I love the w211 wagon more than any other series before or after it. I can modify this to my liking, but at an additional cost compared to the already modified sedan.

The Sedan has the tuning package of my dreams - super expensive package and rare & exclusive with just a few around here in UAE. It also has almost every possible option that was available on the E55.

Can't do a PPI on both. Both are sold "AS IS"

I used my code reader to check both, the wagon has no codes but a rough idle. The Sedan however has the following code "P0410 P0154 P0154 P0141" all relation to an O2 sensor in Bank 1 and Bank 2. This cost is bearable as the car feels good the drive and didn't fine any other issues.

Both are available at the same price! This is making it harder for me to decide than ever. Which one should I buy?

takeiteasy

the sedan has more value with those upgrades . ether way you cant go wrong flip a coin

fazxs

Really wish it was that easy I usually take decisions quick and clear but in this case it's not even like a heart Vs head situation. Crazy but unable to decide.. hoping people here can chime in and influence my decision.

Strigoi

I'm not that into modding anymore nor do I want a heavily modified car, so I'd go for the wagon. I love wagons.

I don't agree about the sedan being worth more than the wagon. Mods don't necessarily make a care more valuable. If someone like OP was planning on doing those same mods then I could see that car being worth more to them. They could save a lot of money with those mods being done already.

MSG 55G

Why you kidding yourself, you wrote five paragraphs on the sedan and 1 paragraph for wagon. Hmmm, impartiality much? I’d take the sedan too! 😂

Let us know what you end up with.

drothgeb

The choice is too subjective. I myself think the wagons look terrible lol. I would take a STOCK sedan over that wagon haha. Good luck

N_Rob

Me too. I don’t think the wagons look terrible necessarily, still a handsome car, but more dated for sure. Looks too similar to the S210 especially from the back. I like the idea of a wagon that can dust a lot of sports cars in a line though haha

Sulaco

How on earth is any highly modified sedan worth more than a clean, stock wagon?? Are sedans fetching triple their book value on BaT now? I'm confused.

N_Rob

Multiple things to contribute to this. It's highly modified, but in package form from a reputable company. Less than 40k miles. Private car collection and fully maintained at the dealer with full records. Desirable color (white). Also, this is in the UAE and different markets fetch different prices. The UAE may have some awesome import laws too I don't really know. Me personally, if I was in the UAE and could import, I'd rather import a C6 RS6 than buy an E55 wagon. Looks better imo, all wheel drive, and a much more powerful TT V10 under the hood. All that might be possible there where here in the US you can't so it drives the prices of the few fast wagons we have available up.

failboat

i'd take the sedan, it's got awesome power and mods and low km's

fazxs

Finally decided and bought the Wagon. Here is how it went.

Since both cars were not available for a PPI, I started an inspection my self and got to discover a lot of small issues in the sedan.

1. Carbon fiber engine cover was broken
2. Some body panels resprayed, this was because the car originally had the MKB RS/E widebody kit. I have seen this very car about a year and half ago, it was of excellent quality but not to the liking of everyone. While removing that, I'm sure some panels required repaint as it could have been screwed on in certain places.
3. Speedometer not working, ODO too! This is the same mileage as seen about 18 month back. Dunno how much it may have been driven.
4. AIRMATIC has been swapped for whatever springs without adjust-ability. This was a bummer as I prefer the comfort of the AIRMATIC. The car height was higher at the rear than in the front.
5. MKB wouldn't support on a retune as the supercharger was swapped. They can do something only if the car was with them in Germany which in not possible. I can get it tuned by another reputed tuner, but someone who can mess with the programming of the bypass valve. I didn't want to do trial and error on this.

Later when I inspected the wagon. The bodywork absolutely clean. Interior almost new. Everything works except the batteries require replacing which will be done by the dealer. This is a Japanese import and comes with an auction certificate rating 4B which is very good. The car requires servicing and good to go. I negotiated on the price and got a better deal too.

I'm glad I chose the wagon as i didn't want a potential headache. I'm not trying to convey modified cars are bad or not worth, its just in this case there were a few things that put me off. I almost bought the sedan, would have if the Airmatic wasn't removed and MKB support was there.

Anyways, I'm chuffed and look forward to taking the delivery of the wagon today evening. Will take it straight to a Mercedes Specialist and inspect if professionally and replace all the oils and check if anything requires attention.

Will post some pictures on getting it.

fazxs

MKB being a reputed tuner drew me towards this car. Here in UAE the wagon was never sold and there are in my opinion not more than 15-20 E55 wagons in UAE. It extremely rare on our roads as we see more Ferrari's, Lambos and anything else that is termed exotic on the roads here.

The import laws are awesome here, we can literally import any motor on wheels here. The process and paperwork is so simple and thats what makes a great car culture here. I have driven the C6 RS6 and sure can tell, its one of the best Audi has made. I'm getting an Alfa Romeo 147 GTA soon from Japan thanks to the easy import laws here.

fazxs

I ended up with the wagon! I was a tough decision but finally had to take a decision. I plan to drive it stock for sometime and later do some modest modification. The first thing I want is a deeper sounding exhaust like an Eisenmann Sports.

fazxs

Same here in the UAE, E55 wagons are extremely rare and hold a good resale whenever one comes up for sale.

Sulaco

I think you will definitely be happier in the long run. Good call, in my biased opinion of course. I love the sedans and a quick one even more, but reaching antique status soon, and the wagon will pay big dividends in the long run that a sedan cannot. Plus, a stock wagon was almost a half second quicker to 60mph than a stock sedan with that huge cargo area. And in my opinion it’s the most beautiful wagon ever built, with the current gen E63 being a close second.

Exotic-metal55

I would take the low mileage sedan and by your post, sounds like what you want too.

hyperion667

Paragraph? LOL!

fazxs

Yes, my heart was set on the sedan. It has an amazing tuning package, low mileage and most options. I backed out after closely inspecting and the removal of Airmatic was a deal breaker. Moreover MKB wasn't willing to support when I spoke to them.

I'm waiting to get my hands on my new acquisition as it was sent on a truck to a Mercedes Specialist to do a full inspection and service. I'm travelling and will be back on Saturday and hopefully get to start driving it. My first trip is on Saturday and a long one, will be driving from Dubai to Muscat, Oman. Looking forward to it.

hyperion667

Have any pics OP?

fazxs

fazxs

I will be doing a complete detailing and nano ceramic coating some time soon. I expect the car to look perfect once it is done.

02jcrane

Good choice. I also just picked up a black wagon. I'm in the UAE too, any recommendations on where best to get detailing and ceramic coating?

fazxs

Congrats! I recommend you get GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Ultra. There a couple of detailers, I suggest you go to Elite Shine in Ras Al Khor. Meet Hussein. Usually they recommend Crystal Serum Lite as it's cheaper and sells more, but the Ultra is the one worth.