Adriel Maguez

I really want a E55. Now I know they are reliable and have their cons like suspension. But this car has start button feature and 200 mph on the dash. Those features I love about the E55 interior. But my big con is the 160k miles on it. I’ve seen the 400k mile ones and I’m willing to rebuild but is it a good choice, I would just like to hear people’s opinions on the car. Thank you guys in advanced 🙏.

SICAMG

For 10 -12 k you can find one with 100,000 miles.
You are also basing your purchase off a start button that probably wont work with all those miles and a 200mph dash that most of them have. You better do some research on these for cost of repairs before you buy.

Ls1toAMG

It's still a great car for 7k. But ideally it would make a better weekend car. Personally if it's nice and runs strong I would buy it. But I would take it to a place for a full inspection. Usually cost 150 to 200. Also Maintenance records would be a plus. Either way if you live paycheck to paycheck it's not a good option with miles and age.

Adriel Maguez

I get that but buying it cheaper and higher mileage could mean other problems have been handled and I would have more money to invest in the car. The small interior features would be a great add on since it’s the full package. I’ve seen repair costs and they are hefty and I’m aware of that but I’ve heard the m113k engine block is one of the strongest out there so might as well put money into something that holds value.

SICAMG

True. Hey listen....If I bought it I and wanted to keep it and it was clean, I would just pull the engine and trans out, freshen them up and go.

E55Greasemonkey

It could also mean those problems haven't been handled. As these cars age and are on their third and fourth owners, most at that mileage haven't been maintained. If you can work on cars and have a place to do it, go for it. If you're looking for a daily driver on a fixed budget, not for you. I have a second car to drive when my E55 is down for maintenance. I recently replaced ALL the air suspension components, rebuilt the front suspension, fixed all the oil leaks, spark plugs, wires, O2 sensors,starter all over a 3 week period... and all pulleys soon. Rear shocks (not air bellows) next ...Then I have cosmetics to attend to. This is @150k miles. If the fuel pump and filters are old, add that to your list. It will cost several thousand just in parts to get it reliable, i.e. fix it before it breaks... Transmission, has it been serviced every 40k? Mine has. If not, prepare for a $3k replacement soon.

Adriel Maguez

So how much overall have you spent on the car right now? I understand there’s always that possibility and I have to check the maintenance records and etc. I get the repair cost could be very costly.

Ls1toAMG

"If you're looking for a daily driver on a fixed budget, not for you."

There has never been a truer statement.

Strigoi

You don't sound prepared to buy one of these cars. They can get real expensive real quick. Especially if you're paying a shop or the dealer to do the work for you.

They were close to $100,000 new back in the mid-2000s. Just because you can get one for cheap now doesn't mean it will be a cheap car to own. Maintenance costs don't go down.

cfmistry

I disagree with most people here. I say GO FOR IT! As long as you have about $15k budgeted for the car, including repairs and maintenance. If you were thinking $9k was all you need, THEN this is not the car for you.

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap AMG.

Pmarino

Yuille36

I certainly agree with that statement, as my car costs me a pretty penny to maintain from year to year. And I haven't had any big issues.

E55KOMPRESSED

I recently picked up my 2nd E55 after a decade of missing my original. This one is not a DD, nonetheless I "invested" $2000 right off the bat in fluid & filter changes (engine & trans), rear Arnotts, trans mount... She had 128K on the clock when I picked her up and paid $9,000. So all advice above is warranted, you need to have your AMG savings account fully stocked.

Yuille36

Unless the previous owner, maintained accurate service records, you always need to put money into a used AMG = All Money Gone.

Sammy Rovalino

Price won’t go much lower, just make sure all the things work, check Air Lift and suspension buttons.
two different systems one lifts the car one stiffens the suspension.
check all bushings under the car.
chekc if they replaced the fuel pumps since the warranty for the 2005 it’s expired already.
check if all the front seat functions work, specially dynamic function that keeps you centered in the seat when cornering in the highway. as well as massage function/pulse.
check if it has any other ****.
I got a e55 2005 bought it at 160k everything works but it’s better to buy cars at 10k / 110k / 210k because you have to replace miles every 60-100k miles.
These cars are worth how much you put on them, or the previous owner cared about the car.

jbaker1121

Buy it at $7k and be ready to spend $7k (depending on if you're doing all the work yourself or not) - they're still a 15 year old high performance german car, and the maintenance is still for a high performance german car....

I bought my 04 in July '19 with 138k miles, one owner car daily driver maintained at dealer but neglected/sat last few years. I have 146k now, drove it throughout the winter, and the car needed:

Gas tank was replaced by dealer who sold it right before I bought it
front airmatic strut leak (replaced both front)
a bunch of gaskets on the engine - oil leaks, including valve cover, oil filler, cam sensor, others (when I replaced one, another would leak)
Alternator
Power Steering pump (cracked)
belts, including SC, pullies, and tensioner pullies
spark plugs
Also needed normal wear and tear like new tires, etc.

Also, other 15 year-old car things can happen. I got a crack in my windshield, likely weak from 15 years of road debris. cracked fog light glass. trunk 3rd brake light some LEDs are out.

Go into it expecting and ready to spend money on repairs, or at least for parts, and to be fixing it or sending it to the shop.

cdk4219

I have learned that there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. There is nothing on that car that is going to improve with time.
There are plenty of strong engine blocks in the junkyards from all sorts of different cars. $7000 isn’t bad, but only if you can work in the car yourself. A 16 year old Mercedes especially AMG models, isn’t going to be cheap to fix.

A few AMG repairs will make that purchase price seem small.

CharlyE500

$7K is cheap however are you handy to fix or maintain if anything goes wrong ? 160K miles you probable will need $3K in the first month to make it safe to drive. Good luck !

Yuille36

Why do previous owners get rid of their older AMG’s?

Answer: Because older AMG’s are too dam expensive to maintain.

But that’s the real attraction to prospective buyers, because they can pick up these cars cheap. Not realizing owning this car is going to hit your wallet very hard.

The moral of this story is, put lots of money away for repairs and maintenance. Or do your repairs yourself.

coupesedan

the W211 as a whole is probably one of the least wallet punishing euro cars you can buy. you can definitely do worse, like pretty much any BMW made this century.

either way, AMG = All Money Gone (on rear tires especially)

CharlyE500

Agreed. I kept my E55 for 11 years always wanted to change newer E63 (14-16) but that will be other even more expensive to keep. 2014 at least $40K to get a decent condition one. Plus when goes wrong will cost way more than W211.
And BMW M5 V10 will cost even more than any W211.

Yuille36

There’s nothing more expensive than a used AMG. Why are these cars, selling for so cheap? Because the previous owners are getting rid of them, as they’ve become too dam expensive to maintain.

Unless you’ve got extensive maintenance records, of all the services that were performed on the car during its lifespan, I would stay away.

But it’s your money and your call, but I think that you’ll end up regretting your decision later, as many others have gone down this same road.

if you truly want an AMG, gets something that is about 4-6 yrs old.

cdk4219

If you are going to go to the dealer or other repair shop to fix a 15 to 17 year old car, you may be wiser to save your money and buy a newer version. A few repairs on one of these cars at the dealer will negate any possible savings.

Even repairing the cars yourself will be much more costly than most cars, simply because lots the parts are specific to the AMG. I own 10 German cars Porsche’s and Mercedes, and they are lower mileage cars. They require repairing about every 2000 miles each. Some small things, some bigger, never really simple fixes, all more complex than they should be. Most parts are much more costly than usual parts.

They are rewarding when they work, but a pain in the rear when they break, which due to their design they do more often than not.