I sold my W210 E50 last week and i loved it soo much that i dont want to drive anything else. for the money you cant beat these cars.
Needless to say, I will be buying an E55. I want a black one 99-01 less than 20k..because i don't like financing.
What do you guys think will happen with these cars. Have you seen the prices of W124 500Es? I think E55 were even rarer than the famed e500E. So I wonder if the value is going to go up? Im worried because i see C43s for under 12,000$ i know these arent invesments but using the case of the 560sl, and the 500e, we might have something.
Would you trust a car with more than 80k miles? It seems like all the ones that are under 20 have about 80-100k miles.
Im also worried about the reliability of the E55. it seems the M113 is to computer reliant. There are alot of threads on here about the MAF, CSP, BAS.. I have never had any of these problems in an E50 with an M119. I have only had one problem with the tranny.
I like the idea of getting a 2000 model because of the D +- gear shifter. How does that work? Does it shift without input? I rented an SLK 280 and in manual mode it would shift if you hit the redline, rather than limiting the revs, it shifted, and it was really disapointing. Is the 2000 navigation system any good? Is it similar to brand new mercedes? How do you get up to date discs? Is there an interface for iPods? i.e a aux in or an RCA jack in the bak of the unit?
I will be buying blind.... i.e. i wont get to drive it. There are just no E55s in the area im going to. ..but i can work on the car myself. I plan on buying the car in chicago because chicago is a mecca for e55s, but a round trip flight from minot to chicago is $700 thats alot of money to see a car. Has anyone ever done this?
Is there anyone in the chicago area that could test drive the car for me when it comes time to purchase? That would give me piece of mind.
Im pretty excited about getting an E55.
I also failed to mention my budget restraints are due to having to buy my wife a wonderful 4X4 SUV of some sort. I am definitely not excited about that.
Just buy it! But see if you can try and get to test drive it first.
No matter which car you get into there'll always be problems. At least the common problem on these cars have been stated before and you can just do a search on it on this forum.
I sold my W210 E50 last week and i loved it soo much that i dont want to drive anything else. for the money you cant beat these cars.
Needless to say, I will be buying an E55. I want a black one 99-01 less than 20k..because i don't like financing.
What do you guys think will happen with these cars. Have you seen the prices of W124 500Es? I think E55 were even rarer than the famed e500E. So I wonder if the value is going to go up? Im worried because i see C43s for under 12,000$ i know these arent invesments but using the case of the 560sl, and the 500e, we might have something.
Would you trust a car with more than 80k miles? It seems like all the ones that are under 20 have about 80-100k miles.
Im also worried about the reliability of the E55. it seems the M113 is to computer reliant. There are alot of threads on here about the MAF, CSP, BAS.. I have never had any of these problems in an E50 with an M119. I have only had one problem with the tranny.
I like the idea of getting a 2000 model because of the D +- gear shifter. How does that work? Does it shift without input? I rented an SLK 280 and in manual mode it would shift if you hit the redline, rather than limiting the revs, it shifted, and it was really disapointing. Is the 2000 navigation system any good? Is it similar to brand new mercedes? How do you get up to date discs? Is there an interface for iPods? i.e a aux in or an RCA jack in the bak of the unit?
I will be buying blind.... i.e. i wont get to drive it. There are just no E55s in the area im going to. ..but i can work on the car myself. I plan on buying the car in chicago because chicago is a mecca for e55s, but a round trip flight from minot to chicago is $700 thats alot of money to see a car. Has anyone ever done this?
Is there anyone in the chicago area that could test drive the car for me when it comes time to purchase? That would give me piece of mind.
Im pretty excited about getting an E55.
I also failed to mention my budget restraints are due to having to buy my wife a wonderful 4X4 SUV of some sort. I am definitely not excited about that.
ANDY
Are you selling your E50 due to relocation?
In my opinion, I liked the pre-facelifted W210 E55 more, as the round headlights look bigger.
For the most part, a W210 E55 is extremely reliable. I believe the most common problem with most late model MBZ is the MAF sensor. The problem here is not MBZ rather Bosch. Late model BMWs have the same issue. I believe the average life of these poorly designed MAF sensors sits somewhere between 50K - 70K. Nonetheless, a fairly simple DIY. The transmission is adaptive. It will automatically shift between 2000 - 2500 rpms under normal driving conditions. At WOT it will shift between 5500 - 6500 rpms dependant on the weight of your foot. The W210 navigation system is antiquated. One would be better off with an aftermarket unit. I bought my '00 E55 blind. I have no regrets. The damn thing is bulletproof. Of the 2000 W210 E55 (years 1999 - 2002), I have come across of only one lemon. Those are good odds. FYI, years 2000 - 2002 saw a face lift which included ~ 200 upgrades or redesigns. I would recommend year 2000 or 2001. Good luck.
What ruBENZ said about the Command. I have the Command 2.0 in 2000....it's nothing compared to the newer touch screen systems. But I would try to get one with command, the trim peaces alone will save you hundreds if you decide to upgrade. I also like the 2000-02 models. You could always buy a used one with high mileage from a dealer and ask for a warranty. I would go with no less than 12,000 miles and one year. That will ensure if you do get one that someone is trying to pawn off, at least you can get it fixed.
Others have addressed reliability, but don't count on value going up anytime soon. Values are plummeting right now, and the car just isn't exotic enough to be a collectible, despite its rarity.
The silver lining is that W210 E55 are the best bargains out there for supercar sedans. They sold new at the same price as M5s and 911s, and now can be had from 2/3 to 1/2 the price of those cars, with comparable reliabilty.
__________________
Before the AMG, reverse chronolgy:
MB C320sport, AKA "The Lemon"
BMW 325ci
BMW540i Sport
Porsche Boxster S
BMW 328i
BMW 318is
Ford Taurus SHO
Toyota Supra Turbo
BMW 733i
Schwinn 10 speed
Others have addressed reliability, but don't count on value going up anytime soon. Values are plummeting right now, and the car just isn't exotic enough to be a collectible, despite its rarity.
The silver lining is that W210 E55 are the best bargains out there for supercar sedans. They sold new at the same price as M5s and 911s, and now can be had from 2/3 to 1/2 the price of those cars, with comparable reliabilty.
I agree with your assessment, definitely the least expensive super saloon on the market all though E39 M5 is now really taking a hit. its a great car.
I agree with your assessment, definitely the least expensive super saloon on the market all though E39 M5 is now really taking a hit. its a great car.
It is a fantastic car. It was actually my first choice, but prices were just too high to justify it over the E55 when I purchased about a year ago. I liked the interior better (much warmer hues) and the Esotril blue exterior is beautiful, the nav/stereo has a better interface on the 02s, and its handling is in a different league.
However, back then an equivalent M5 was going for low $40K, and my E was mid low $30K. Heck of a difference in price. Add in the E's nicer ride, exclusivity, and monster torque, and I have no regrets.
I wonder if the M prices have dropped down in the E55 range now?ll
I know an 02 911 is still quite pricey.
It is a fantastic car. It was actually my first choice, but prices were just too high to justify it over the E55 when I purchased about a year ago. I liked the interior better (much warmer hues) and the Esotril blue exterior is beautiful, the nav/stereo has a better interface on the 02s, and its handling is in a different league.
However, back then an equivalent M5 was going for low $40K, and my E was mid low $30K. Heck of a difference in price. Add in the E's nicer ride, exclusivity, and monster torque, and I have no regrets.
I wonder if the M prices have dropped down in the E55 range now?ll
I know an 02 911 is still quite pricey.
They have. The gap is not nearly as wide. E39 M5's are going in the low 20's (seen some go for like $22k ish). Also there used to be a 5-10K gap between E55's & CLK55s but now they are almost virtually identical so in reality the E55 has actually held up very well compared to alot of the other cars availible (but has still dropped).
Linear Mode
