Hello everyone,

Today I'm going to be looking at a 2005 E55 AMG with 135,000 miles on it. I haven't had quite enough bandwidth before Thanksgiving to do a ton of research so I'm trying to catch up on that today. It looks like these cars last well into the 200,000 mile range if properly taken care of. Anything here you would caution me to pay attention for when I take a look at this car? This will not be my daily driver just a secondary “go have fun car”.

Thanks!

 

First things I'd check aside from usual tire tread & overall condition of the car. Airmatics and if they've been changed, plugs, filters, ball joints, bushings other suspension components, transmission service just because, aux/main battery condition as this car can leave you stranded if electrical issues pop up - which is the most common culprit with these cars, especially as mileage goes up.

Good luck

 

If I remember correctly, I believe that BBIRDWELL has a topic here in the W211 AMG section that covers a lot of things to look for on the E55.

If you search his name in the E55 section you should find the topics he started and find what you need. Barry has several great topics for the E55.

post up some pics of your new ride. Congrats on the purchase.

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ml#post7169029
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I'm late to the party as usual. Packing and traveling the past couple of days to the Panhandle to visit family so screen time is minimal. Above link covers a lot; areas to check just in case.
Don't forget to search for E55 fuel pump and relay maintenance.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of y'all.

 

These cars are "live" when parked and abuse the battery when sitting for a while...few weeks,so replace at least the main so you don't have an issue.
We have four benz in the household so to speak and I replace the battiers every 3 years so I dont get "The call" if you know what I mean LOL

 

Thank you so much.

 

Speaking of late to the party LOL. Apparently I wasn't getting notifications of this post. Appreciate the information, thank you very much. I'll go through that a review.

Since then ive found an 2004 E55 with 116k miles on it. It's claimed to have a bc coil over conversion so no air shocks, a vrp stage 2 with a lot of new parts such as, radiator, ignition coils, ac condenser and compressor and a few other things. Should i be concerned with buying a modded E55 then one that hasn't been? The reason I ask is because the 2005 I was initially looking at appears to not have been modified but it has 135K on it and they're asking more than $1000 more than for the 2004 ( 10,900 vs 9500), than the 2004

 

I wouldn't automatically rule out a modified car, but all things equal (or similar) I'd prefer a clean stock baseline.

Check out and drive both.

At this age and mileage, it really comes down to the specific car / example.

 

Just be ready to spend some money for stuff up front.

 

So I went and test drove the 2005 E 55 today. Overall it drove well, definitely needs an alignment as the steering wheel is turned to the left in order to go straight. There was also a “clunking“ noise coming from the rear left Side of the car. I’m assuming there’s a suspension component that needs to be tightened or replaced, any thoughts on what that could be?A few dash vents that are broken or one that had the open close slider pressed in somehow, (are these easy enough to replace?)
i Think my biggest issue with the car was that it was owned by a heavy smoker. Besides the smell, you could also see the residue out of the vents and throughout the car.Let me get your thoughts on this, the factory tint (blue), seemed to be rippled or wrinkling in the car. Has anyone seen that before, is that as simple as taking it to a tint shop and having it removed or is that a symptom of a different issue?
they were willing to do 9K for the car but I ultimately feel like I should either wait to find one in a bit better condition or try to negotiate lower for the work that need to be done… Oh, and it needs four brand new tires. I’m actually surprised they let me drive it with tires That bad on the car.

 

I would pass - heavy smoke odors are really tough to get completely out of an interior.

 

I hate to say it, but I feel that way. It was a serious distraction while driving the car.
having said that there are very few E55s near me, so my options are quite limited.

 

HARD PASS. Keep searching.

 

Unless there’s a super good deal on the car I’d look some more. It won’t be the last one

 

And they really show up in a humid summer senario.

 

The steering wheel being off could be a simple alignment or something more major like suspension parts bent, or worn out.

Rear Suspension noise could be anything. Bushings worn, bolts loose, rear subframe issues. There’s others here that know more than I about this. But just some ideas.

The dash vents. I think the roller in the vents is part of the vent assembly and is a unit. It’s been awhile since I replaced one so I could be mistaken.

The blue tinted windows are actual tinted glass I thought. If there are ripples in the tint it sounds like aftermarket film that someone added and has lost its color from it fading.

Replacing 4 tires with Quality tires will be $1000 +.

The smoke smell probably never get rid of. It would always be in the dash vents and inside areas that couldn’t be cleaned. Even if the carpet was removed and cleansed along with the seats you’d never get the headliner cleaned without damaging it and most of them fall from age now anyways.

Spend more and get a nice car with less to repair. Also spend the money to fly and check one out before buying it sight unseen. Then if it’s nice drive it home or ship it. At least you won’t get stuck with some junk.

There has been guys on this forum that have found some super nice ones in the past. They’re still out there you just may have to be willing to travel to get it. Also check Bring a trailer.

Look at my thread on what I did to get mine. The link is in my sig line. Keep in mind myself and my son have done all the work on my car.

Good luck one will pop up.

 

I appreciate all the support gents.
While I was searching for another E55 I found an E550 coupe for sale not far away. I tried finding videos of the E55 versus E550 but it’s difficult to find the TT E550 versus the older models when searching YouTube.
Does anyone know what the E 550s run stock? with a tune, would they be comparable to the E 55?

 

Second question for everyone, The values of these cars seem to be all over the place, there is a 2004 in Naples that appears to be in good condition and they are asking 17K. However, when I look up the values on either Nada guides or Kelly Blue Book both show the car's worth about 12,500k to 13K for that mileage in "very good" condition. What's an accurate value for these cars provided most everything is in good working order?

 

Your not looking at the big picture with these cars. Kelly blue book will also reflect insurance company replacement costs and the numbers are pretty close in that respect.
The prices you SEE for these cars are what people are willing to pay and that can be all over the map. Does it make the car that more valueuble because someone paid more for it,no/yes. If you tach on 10k to every E55 out there then that is what they are worth now to a buyer because he will pay it if thats the normal range....dosent mean if there is an accident the insurance company will give you that 30k you paid for a 15k car.
Just like housing prices. My son said to me that what ever he tries to buy one for a client he needs to come in at 25-30k higher than what the house is worth just to get on the list to purchase it and the house is not worth that at all.
If you find something you want,buy it. If you pay a little more so what. I would also go with that modded one unless you want one totaly stock but coil overs alone eliminate any suspension issue right out of the gate and he replaced parts on it wich means he cared about it. The one that has a crooked steering wheel and bad tires....they did not care.
Hope this made some sense.....

 

+1^
What SICAMG said. Best value (even at a greater initial cost) is an owner who cared for the car. Unfortunately, quite a few folks cannot or do not want to pay the upkeep on one of these puppies. Some day I'll add up how much I've spent to maintain my '05 E55 but I'm sure it is more than the $20K I paid for it 11 years ago. When I go to sell it, I'm going to lose a large sum of money but, dang(!), this car is a blast to drive!
So...pay extra for one that was treated with TLC or be prepared to immediately sink $5K or more into the car to bring it back up to spec.

Sheesh. Just for grins and giggles I looked up the maintenance and repair costs for my car just in the year 2024. $9503. Ouch. And I perform a lot of the maintenance and repairs myself. That cost included some labor charges from a local indy for work that I did not want to perform. Highlights for the year include: new front seat covers from GAHH, radiator, exhaust manifolds (hooked the exhaust on a garage floor lip and cracked both exhaust manifolds at the joint), transmission service, paint work on faded body parts, new rocker panel on passenger side, a pair of rear tires and rear air springs.

If you are going to own one of these go into it with eyes wide open.

 

I wouldn't say that I am not looking at the “big picture” it's simply my naivete for the market for these cars. After reading your post it appears that it's very similar to when I sold my Trans Am last year. The Kelly Blue book values were horrible however the market supported stronger values. I appreciate your insight. Keep that in mind while I'm searching.
What are your thoughts on the TT E550 versus the E 55?

 

Auction results from Bringatrailer and Carsandbids should give you a better idea than KBB. They show the actual sales prices between parties.

 

Don't forget if it has weird vibrations could mean engine and/or trans mounts, if it doesn't shift right it could just need something small, or the trans could be failing, also be aware of coolant issues (possible head gaskets) and check for oil leaks (usually valve covers). I had a coil-over S55 I loved, but the amount of issues with E55s I was seeing out there made me leery about buying another M113K car. I ended up with a '14 CLS550 (which have their own set of problems).

 

I’m a little confused, in most of my research, (I’ll be at, I am relatively new to this), it appeared that the E classes were reliable cars, especially with the M113K engines and transmissions. Am I incorrect in thinking that?

 

240,000 miles on my W211 E55 so I would say mine is reliable (depending upon your definition of "reliable"). Nonetheless, it is maintenance intensive and expensive to maintain. I also replace parts before failure; most folks wait until a part fails. Personally, I hate sitting on the side of the road waiting for a flatbed truck (done it once with the W211 E55 [sucked a rubber o-ring under the throttle plate], never with the W210 E55). Also limped the W211 E55 home three times (all due to the fuel pump relay melting and going intermittent so the car would only run for 10-15 minutes before the engine would die).
The W211 is a great albeit expensive-to-maintain car. It is far from Japanese reliable so you must stay on top of the maintenance; the systems are more complicated and require TLC. FWIW, my costs on my 17-year old Mazda 3 over 16 years of ownership are less then 1/3rd of what I spent on my W211 E55 just last year alone. Sixteen years Mazda for ~$3000 versus one year Mercedes $9503. I only own my W211 and W210 E55s because I am at the point in my life I can afford it.
Both E55s are one hell of a drug I must say...they are both wicked quick, fast, and wonderful to look at. YMMV.