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I’m coming here from the W212 section of the forums. I currently drive a 2011 E550 with 72k miles.
I have recently been considering trading with someone who has a 2006 E55 with 156k miles as I want something with some more power and I have a few questions.
the owner says it has been meticulously maintained and has a lengthy description to it. Is there any serious reliability issues with the e55? Any other issues I should know about? I’ve also posted a screenshot of the description I was given. Let me know your thoughts, thanks for any help in advance!
My E55 has never left me stranded, but you will pay a premium to drive AMG. You have to make the decision of whether it's worth it for you. Test drive one and if you don't fall in love I wouldn't recommend buying one because she's not a cheap thrill by any means. Very fun and fast car, just costly to maintain.
My E55 has never left me stranded, but you will pay a premium to drive AMG. You have to make the decision of whether it's worth it for you. Test drive one and if you don't fall in love I wouldn't recommend buying one because she's not a cheap thrill by any means. Very fun and fast car, just costly to maintain.
Do you think my trade would be a good one? I am skeptical of the 165k miles as every gasket and piece of rubber has to be replaced. The owner claims to have meticulous maintenance however I will have my Mercedes mechanic do a very rigorous inspection to determine what has to be replaced
It's a 15 year old car. You'll have some issues. Mine's been on a tow truck twice in 9 years of ownership. Once for a burned alternator, and the other for a burned fuel pump relay. If you can't fix things yourself expect a couple thousand dollars a year in repairs. I've got 156k miles but no longer drive it daily.
Last edited by E55Greasemonkey; 04-04-2021 at 08:16 PM.
Do you think my trade would be a good one? I am skeptical of the 165k miles as every gasket and piece of rubber has to be replaced. The owner claims to have meticulous maintenance however I will have my Mercedes mechanic do a very rigorous inspection to determine what has to be replaced
At 15 years old maintenance is great, but things out of the normal maintenance will start breaking. 165,000 miles is a decent amount. From crank sensors that fail without warning to airmatic failures get a AAA membership.
Do you think my trade would be a good one? I am skeptical of the 165k miles as every gasket and piece of rubber has to be replaced. The owner claims to have meticulous maintenance however I will have my Mercedes mechanic do a very rigorous inspection to determine what has to be replaced
Definitely get a pre purchase inspection. I'd recommend getting it done at a MB dealership. They will do an extensive look over the car and give you a great report. At that point you will decide whether it is worth it. My E55 has never left me stranded anywhere like I mentioned earlier, but she will burn you pretty good with the maintenance costs. The mileage shouldn't be too big of a concern as I've seen plenty of E55's running strong with 200k+ miles. If the car has truly been meticulously maintained and cared for, mileage shouldn't be a problem.
About to roll 196K miles on mine. I do, however, preemptively replace parts before they fail. So, I perform the same maintenance on my E55 as I would on an E550 (water pump, suspension parts, voltage regulator, batteries, etc). The only additional items on the E55 to be concerned with are the supercharger and its related parts (i.e. gaskets, seals, drive belt and pullies, heat exchanger pump) and the dual fuel pump system. The '03-'05 used a single relay to power both pumps and that relay is problematic (i.e. it melts and the car quits in the worst possible place). The '06 has dual relays (i.e. one relay per pump) and does not appear to have the "melted relay" issue. The fuel pumps and filter are one of the most costly items on the E55 (~$1000 for just parts and I replace my pumps and filter every 60,000 miles). Other than that, I would expect the costs to be virtually the same as for the car you currently own.
If it were me, I'd gladly purchase a meticulously maintained E55 with 156K that is bone stock.
I don't think "reliable" is a good way to look at it, at least that's not the way I tend to look at it.
If you want a reliable car, get a Toyota Camry. My wife had one when we were dating. she put 300k miles on that car, and didn't do a damn thing except irregular oil changes and tires when the cords showed. My wifes current car, a 2008 Ford Escape, 2wd manual trans with the 2.3l Duratec has been pretty reliable. 155k miles with only a couple of minor repairs. I've spent more on tires for our E55 than we have ever spent on our Escape.
My truck is a 1999 Ford F350, with the 7.3l turbo diesel and a manual transmission. by most accounts, this is considered to be one of the most "reliable" vehicles on the planet. By some measure, I guess they are right. its over 20 years old, has 340,000 miles and I regularly drive it across the country pulling a 14k trailer at 90mph. But at this point in time, I've replaced dang near every part on that truck except for the long block. I have spent more money on engine repair, maintenance and upgrades on that truck then I did purchasing my E55 Wagon. (in all fairness, I've also tripled the power output. A set of 250/200 single shot hybrid injectors is $3,000 alone and requires significant supporting mods).
I much prefer to use the word "robust", I think my F350 and E55 fall into this category.
The E55 is an excellent vehicle that is built very well. Its not likely to have many mechanical problems, it does not have that many serious issues. The issues it has are well known, and remedies have been supplied by either the aftermarket and/or the manufacturer. It is also a very repairable platform. Its not that hard to work on, not many special tools are required and parts are generally available. The platform gets good aftermarket support. Economically speaking, its a car that makes sense to fix when something breaks. The car is aging well, and as we discussed in another thread good examples are likely going to maintain value from here on out.
I think its wise with any used vehicle that you have a good understanding of your personal limits as far as finances and wrenching are concerned. Doing your own maintenance will save you a significant amount of money.
At any rate, if you are willing to invest the time and/or the treasure I think any W211 platform car is a good "robust" platform that is very much worth owning, even with high millage.
If you want something "Reliable" I think you need to own a very simple vehicle, which an E55 AMG is certainly not.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
As others have said these are as good as it gets particularly for an older car.
If you want to know whats unreliable go buy a 955 Cayenne of similar vintage and see the issues those POS give you (iv got two of the bloody things atm and both are off the road). They are actually imo a very similar car to an e55 with the computers and airmatic and how all that chit works. They are horrid things to work on compared to the simple supercharged setup on the E55. Intercooler piping and hoses all over the shop and even doing something simple like a valve cover gasket is a bit of an ordeal on those.
Basically any mercedes with the m113 or m113k is as good as it gets as far as older mercedes and german performance cars go. The supercharger setup is simple and theres no bull**** *** VVT solenoids, dodgy flappy paddle gearboxes and crap to deal with.
Give these cars a birthday when you purchase them and they are very reliable.
Last edited by austingtir; 04-07-2021 at 04:27 AM.
Keep up with maintenance/ learn to wrench, plus buy and learn to use a STAR diagnostic tool and you can keep a strong reliable E55 for reasonable operating cost. Plus these cars will be collected for many manay years. they just have the look and classic curb appeal.
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E63 Biturbo, UPD Cold Air induction kit, UPD performance crank pulley and UPD adjustable rear suspension with ride height adjustment.
At 15 years old maintenance is great, but things out of the normal maintenance will start breaking. 165,000 miles is a decent amount. From crank sensors that fail without warning to airmatic failures get a AAA membership.
Don't leave home without it, I keep a spare in the glove box.
I don't think "reliable" is a good way to look at it, at least that's not the way I tend to look at it.
If you want a reliable car, get a Toyota Camry. My wife had one when we were dating. she put 300k miles on that car, and didn't do a damn thing except irregular oil changes and tires when the cords showed. My wifes current car, a 2008 Ford Escape, 2wd manual trans with the 2.3l Duratec has been pretty reliable. 155k miles with only a couple of minor repairs. I've spent more on tires for our E55 than we have ever spent on our Escape.
My truck is a 1999 Ford F350, with the 7.3l turbo diesel and a manual transmission. by most accounts, this is considered to be one of the most "reliable" vehicles on the planet. By some measure, I guess they are right. its over 20 years old, has 340,000 miles and I regularly drive it across the country pulling a 14k trailer at 90mph. But at this point in time, I've replaced dang near every part on that truck except for the long block. I have spent more money on engine repair, maintenance and upgrades on that truck then I did purchasing my E55 Wagon. (in all fairness, I've also tripled the power output. A set of 250/200 single shot hybrid injectors is $3,000 alone and requires significant supporting mods).
I much prefer to use the word "robust", I think my F350 and E55 fall into this category.
The E55 is an excellent vehicle that is built very well. Its not likely to have many mechanical problems, it does not have that many serious issues. The issues it has are well known, and remedies have been supplied by either the aftermarket and/or the manufacturer. It is also a very repairable platform. Its not that hard to work on, not many special tools are required and parts are generally available. The platform gets good aftermarket support. Economically speaking, its a car that makes sense to fix when something breaks. The car is aging well, and as we discussed in another thread good examples are likely going to maintain value from here on out.
I think its wise with any used vehicle that you have a good understanding of your personal limits as far as finances and wrenching are concerned. Doing your own maintenance will save you a significant amount of money.
At any rate, if you are willing to invest the time and/or the treasure I think any W211 platform car is a good "robust" platform that is very much worth owning, even with high millage.
If you want something "Reliable" I think you need to own a very simple vehicle, which an E55 AMG is certainly not.
I would say the W211 platform joins the W123 as possibly the best enduring design examples. Both remain in wide use throughout the globe more so than any other DB series.
I made a similar swap, moving from a W212 E350 wagon to my current E55. The alleged "stoutness" of the powertrain is ultimately what convinced me to make the move. I am capable of tackling a lot of the known failure points like airmatic shocks myself as well as general wear items, so that did factor into the decision. If I were to be spending big money on regular shop maintenance and repairs I would probably stick with a newer car.
04-04-2021, 02:05 AM
