I'm ltossing around the idea of buying an AMG here in the near future and don't really want to take out a loan on anything so getting an w211 AMG looks like it could be a good option for a reasonable price. I've always loved the E63 as I think the post facelift w211 looks amazing and there's no denying that the m156 is an incredible motor, however, I know that these earlier model engines are plagued with the head stud issues as well as many others.

I started by search looking at the E55 as they're known to be very reliable cars, at least as far as the drive train goes, I also figured they'd be significantly cheaper than the E63. I ended up finding that the prices of the two seem to be fairly comparable where I'm looking and also there are actually a lot more E63's available for sale at the moment.

I guess what I'd like to know is what are the pros and cons of the two cars? What sort of common issues do each of the cars have that I should be looking for? And what are the differences in maintenance costs between the two?

I'm not naive to thinking that an older AMG is going to be cheap to keep running but I also don't want to put myself in a position where I spend the cost of the car on maintaining the damn thing... Thanks in advance

 

As an owner of many M156 equipped AMG’s, I’m partial to the W211 and W204 platforms. I will say this, both the E55 and E63 share the same platform and these common issues. I will not comment of the drive trains as their completely different, and don’t share any common components. Some of the things, that I’ve noticed is the Airmatic suspension which is a common failure point, I just replaced my front air struts after 13 years, Keyless Go door handles, various sensors. The E63 front rotors are more expensive then the E55. Brakes, engine coolant, transmission, and rear diff flushes run about the same. The major differences in cost will be with the engine and trans for both vehicles. If I think of anything else, I will comment.

 

They are both great cars. This topic has been discussed 100+ times in the 13 years both vehicles have been out. I would say that in general they are reasonable to maintain, for a 13+ year old high-performance German car. I would anticipate you’ll spend the same cost of the car over about 5-7 years (and that’s if you use an indy). These are definitely more cost-effective vehicles if you can do the work yourself.

 

M113K > M156 - IMHO

I would buy the E55. You could mod it cosmetically to look more like the facelift 63.

 

Not if you use the 1 pieces.

IMHO the M113K is a better platform once modded. Only real disadvantage is that SBC makes the brakes feel wooden and the 722.6 isn’t exactly the smartest box.

 

But the 722.6 is pretty much bulletproof.. like the M113K

 

Is this going to turning into another thread that suggests that the E55 is better than the E63 ?

If so, this has been discussed a 100 times before.

 

^^^^^ It already has and beaten COMPLETELY to death....again.

 

Really depends on what you want. What you will use the car for. Track, road racing etc. The E63 is by far the better sounding car. It's an old school muscle car feel and sound. The E55 is more of a sleeper type. They both have brute strength.while the E63 has a cosmetic advantage if you mod for speed the E55 is the better road to travel

 

I like both. I would have an E63 if remaining stock and an E55 if wanting to chuck on a few mods. They both have their pros/cons for reliability, parts and common problems, I really don't believe one is better than the other, just a different experience. Beware the fuel tank replacement warranty has expired on earlier E55's as of now.... assuming you are in the US, might pay to disclose your nearest country.

 

Nothing is bulletproof. I service my tranny every 20k miles but it still failed. I had to changed a used tranny last October so 722.6 is not BULLETPROOF. (currently 123K miles and I have serviced my tranny at least 4 times in my ownership of 11 years)
Some say my car is modified so made the tranny weaker but I only have ECU, pulley and header. Anyways, every car eventually breaks.
I love better E63 interior and exhaust sound. E55 stock doesnt sound much at all before my header. My next mod will adding 63 muffler for my E55.

 

This is a "beating a dead horse" topic. The two cars are very much the same and very much different. If you want to mod the engine to get more power for whatever the reason, the E55 is the way to go. If you are satisfied with 500hp and near 500 lbs of torque in stock form, the lack of SBC and better interior/exterior cosmetics would lean in favor of the E63. Large Atlanta Indie shop owner has an E55 wagon and an E63 sedan in his stable. The M156 in the E63 is, in his opinion, the most versatile engine of the two. Brute torque and ability to mod - the M113K is tough to beat.

I have an 09 E63. I looked for over a year for the right one - unicorn color, head bolts done, tappets done, intake manifold gaskets done. Bought it 2.5 years ago @ 67k miles and have put 30k miles on it since. A/C compressor failed, radiator plastic outlet nipple failed and I will have to replace the cam adjusters soon (tappet noise @ start up). Doesn't bother me one bit. Amazing performance and solid platform for $20.5k purchase price. My P30 car had a sticker price of almost $110k. Parts and complexity commensurate with a $100k+ car. These cars are relatively cheap to buy but do cost $$ to maintain. Don't kid yourself on that! If you have a Toyota budget (annual maintenance spend), then don't buy either of these cars. Airmatic shocks, brakes, tires, any maintenance beyond basics cost $$.

 

i wont beat around the bush....the E55 and the M113K are better in every possible way.

 

Says this forum guru. We E63 owners supposed to agree or leave with our heads down. 🤣🤣🤣

 

its just the ole family rivalry my brother.

 

You know, M5 LOL and the other forum members who are myopic when it comes to the E55 vs the E63, reminds me greatly of the personal computer gaming community I brushed by in the 90's and 2000's. Every 6 months or so a new latest and greatest video card or CPU would come out and the gamer geeks would salivate over the new kid on the block. The quest for the best and most bad-assed hardware led many people to modify their gamer rigs by overclocking the video GPU or the CPU. To compensate for pushing the hardware beyond stock and the excess heat generated, many of these geeks turned to running water cooling tubing throughout their rig. Imagine using some home made form of tubing and connectors and pumps and hose clamps to pass water over incredibly sensitive (to water) electronics. Overclocking and the quest for performance led to many forum posts like "Dude, I just bought the new SLI Radeon video cards and ran some water cooling and I ran the Crysis demo at 59 FPS at max settings including triple phased fog lighting!!" Never mind that Crysis is perfectly playable at 30-35 FPS (frames per second for everyone other than M5 LOL) and triple phased fog lighting setting (I made that up) is completely beyond the human eye's capabilities. But, nonetheless, the modding and overclocking and water cooling continued.

So, for the OP, if you want to mod your engine with a new pulley or inter-cooler or CAI so you can run 59 FPS, jump on that E55 train. M5 LOL will gladly welcome you with open arms and let you borrow his glasses.

 

this rivalry also hasn’t exactly been relevant since well...when Crysis came out

also should be noted that fps jumps are extremely noticeable to the human eye. to me the difference between 60fps to locked 144fps a stock E55 to a twin turbo aventador, it’s not even close.

crysis is actually a disaster to this day, my rig struggles to get more than 70fps at 4k on very high

 

Since we are thread derailing fast, I agree high hz screens are fantastic. 120fps 4k is the sweet spot currently... Just waiting for that new gpu...

 

I am partial to the E55 because I special ordered one in 2005 and kept it for 12 years. It had its share of problems, but ran like new with 130K on it when I let it go. You should get what you want. Both are fine cars if you find a good one.