Doug Demuro just had a piece on cars under $50k he thinks/sees appreciating. E55 made the grade. Not trying to rekindle the perennial E55 vs E63 debate but was happy to see the W211 chassis get some love. Driving my kid around today in airmatic comfort with that gentle 8 bellow reminded me how much I love the W211 AMGs.

N

 

I hate to be that guy but I don't think hardly any old AMG's will truly ever rise in value. They'll just be old cars. They'll probably never drop below 10k for decent examples, but they won't rise any faster than inflation.

 

Honestly I think the same. Was just happy to see these old cars mentioned.

N

 

I believe strongly the w211 E55 will go up considerably. And we seeing it now with the Wagons. Yes they are rarer.

But the simplicity of the W211 E55 and its legendary hp on its launch has created a following like no other.

 

Yeah I think the E55 is a special car that fits the mold of appreciation potential, which Doug has made many videos about. The mold is, it came out, was a big deal, but then AMG continued to release new stuff and progress marched on. So the E55 fell into that typical valley of depreciation when it was in the "it's an old performance car" phase. But I think time will show that it is once again remembered fondly and yeah the (relative) simplicity of the car compared to the modern and supposedly better stuff will shine through. In time I think an E55 will be worth more than an M157 W212 E63, because I do not think those will age nearly as gracefully.

The wagons will be in a special category regardless of the generation, just like the CTS-Vs are.

The M156 cars are special, too, but will always have a tainted record and I don't think history will remember them as mainly "pretty good and nowhere near as bad as everyone says." I think their reputation is mostly well deserved. But I'm biased.

 

I disagree they won't go up in value - remember folks, value is in the eyes of individual purchasing the car, not necessarily the market. I paid $30K for my car (41K miles, 2006, all options except Pano and bet the majority of Buyers would NOT have paid that) and I have had offers in the mid $30s two years later. The V8Komp cars will become like the older gen BMW M cars. E36 M3s and E39 M5s, for instance, the mint low mileage versions, are going for $50K. Everyone wants one. I still want another BMW M Coupe (the clownshoe), but when I started browsing prices, the same car 5 years ago for $25K is now in the $40-$50K range - low mileage, rare examples are fetching crazy money but that's because people are paying for it. Market value goes out the window when this happens, people just don't care. This is another extreme example, but what about the 993 Turbo S cars? Last of the aircooled Porsche turbos - there are some on BaT and other online auctions going for $300-$400K. Rarity automatically becomes a factor when everyone wants a clean car that isn't as mass produced as a Toyota Camry. Some classic Japanese sports car - case in point, I bought my USDM all original 94 Supra TT 6spd with 39K miles on it for $65K four years ago this month. I bet can sell it for double that today, if not more. Does that mean their market value is $130K? No way. But someone will pay it. I get offers at every stop light, car meet etc. The R34 GTRs, the list goes on and on.

When there are very few low mileage examples out there and people want something, the price (hell, the value) is going to be what they want to pay. Hell, look at the real estate market - for damn near two years houses are selling anywhere from $10-$100K+ for more than the 'market' says they should be. Sellers are extremely happy and buyers are willing to pay above a premium for what they want and where they want. There's no arguing what has happened and continues to happen.

My .02

 

In the Netherlands I see that the E55 wagons still retain their value. Even specimens with 250.000km can still be quite expensive (22k-25k). I struck a good deal with my CLS55, but the E55 platform remains very populair here. I see that the cars on the various Youtube channels which record meetings etc are highly popular (Subaru Impreza, Honda Civics, Nissan Silvia, Nissan GTR (R32,R33,R34,R35), Toyota Supra Mk4, VW Golf GTI).

I always wanted a Honda S2000, they were 10k a couple of years ago for a good specimen, and they are now at 25-30k price point

I found out that there are only 86x CLS55 registered in NL, so I wlll cherish my car as it's pretty much a unicorn

 

I really agree with his take on all of these.

Also, his take on the E60 M5 is probably a "make-up call" from when he tanked their value in his original take on the car, where the title of the video is, "The E60 BMW M5 Is the Best Car You Should Never Own". It was an unfairly harsh take on a rare, known, somewhat predictable (by periodically testing oil samples for metal shavings) and easily fixable problem.

 

I've low key been considering picking up an E60 M5. But, it's more similar than different to my E55. So, I don't gain much. Sort of a side-grade.

If I buy something else, it'll probably have different features like a wagon booty or an SUV for utility. The cars we have now aren't great at the hardware store.

 

Rod bearings are not the only issues those cars had. That's just the beginning.

 

True. But, that's the one that he made a big deal about as the reason that you shouldn't buy the car.

I haven't watched that E60 M5 video of his in a year, though.

 

The E55 provides a thrilling German hotrod experience without many of the risks endemic to the E60 M5. While that vehicle DOES provide something that the E55 does not, generally, the market has decided it is not worth the risk/hassle. I guess the point that Doug made in the video is, as values appreciate, people will care less about that stuff because it will be "worth it" to put the money into the vehicle. Personally I wouldn't touch one in a million years. Too many other good cars to choose from.

 

I'm very familiar with the E60 platform. I owned (and tuned) an E60 535i (twin-turbo inline 6) using the award winning BMW N54 engine that was the direct ancestor to the turbo charged engine that powered M3s and M4s to follow soon after.

I'm not here to debate the pros/cons of the E60 or to compare it to the E55. They are similar but different cars. The M5 is an Autobahn cruiser that thrives at high speeds at high RPMs. It doesn't have the low-end fun torque that the W211 E55 has (very few cars do). The W211 E55 literally has 33% more torque.

Cool.

 

The W211 E55 AMG is a future classic for sure. Buy one now, because the market has already seen its "Supra potential" and there are very few for sale for a reasonable price.

"Supra Potential" means it's a future classic that you shall regret for not buying one whilst they were affordable and you dismissed them as "worthless junk".

 

Damn straight on going up in value, someone gets it.

And you’re absolutely right; I bought my Supra five years ago this past July for $54k. USDM, 6spd, 42K miles. I’d never, EVER, sell this car, but I could fetch 2,5x what I bought it for now. The buyers are out there, whether rich folks that just want to add to the collection, or that fellow that has always wanted one and now can afford one… mine is staying for life!

 

The will for sure, its already happening with low mile cars. Soon enough, they will be recognized for what their place in modern automotive history, The E55 single handedly started the horsepower wars, changed the sport sedan segment forever. The attention the trashla Plaid's get is what the E55 had went it was released. Those of us old enough to have remembered what is was like watching these cars take down exotics was jaw dropping.

 

Hell yea. I’ll never forget the guys at the top top for BMW for instance, “we will never engage in power wars, our cars will never be boosted, we are staying true to our NA heritage”. And I was a BMW guy back then too!

I’d love to have a sit down conversation with those guys in 2022…