kmagnuss

Have any of you guys owned one before? I'm thinking about getting one as a secondary DD to the 996tt. Seems like a ton of car for the money as long as they're not as unreliable as a Range Rover.

Dock

The own a CLK55 AMG Cab, so can only speak to general AMG costs (they are high). A good friend owns a W211 E55 AMG, and he loves it. It has cost him some repair money over the years he has owned the car though. I wouldn't say that it's been a cheap car for him to maintain, but he feels it's worth it.

kmagnuss

Yeah I don't expect a 14'ish year old European car to be trouble free... heck I don't even expect it to be as reliable as the 996's have been... but I've had a few Range Rovers that set the benchmark for what I can handle mechanically REALLY low. I just can't have it lower than those.

Road King

I have lusted after the 469hp E55 for years...they're so affordable now. A very close friend of mine has owned several, although none in the last 5 years. He says the fundamentals are solid, the engine is near bulletproof. Same for the trans. Can't say they same for MB electronics or their suspensions. And of course they're not quite nimble, but they are an awesome commuter. In fact my friend is now looking at '08-09 E63s. Same body but with the N/A engine.

I'm too busy with life to try another older german car ('02 Audi S8 didn't work out so well) but if I were to buy an E55 I'd look for something that was loved with 50-70K miles on it and pay $20-25K for the perfect one.

Just my 2 cents.

spooltime

I'm an actual former W211 E55 owner. I bought mine as a CPO vehicle and pretty much never had to use the extended warranty, but it was nice peace of mind. The car was a beast and in my car's case, just plain reliable. During nearly five years of ownership, I didn't incur expenses other than normal maintenance and doing upgrades on it - surprisingly, quite a few available given that it's a MB. I did a tune, headers, big brakes and an electronic lowering module. The torque the engine produces is just silly fun. The only issue that seems to come up is at some point the air suspension wears out and you have to replace the bladders. Most guys do Arnott aftermarket replacements. I'd have no hesitation in recommending the supercharged E55, but I would avoid the later normally aspirated W211 E63 due to the engine issues many of them experienced. If you can find one with low enough mileage, it would make a great DD.

32krazy!

w211 has 1 major flaw. theres a seal in the top hat setup for the fuel system that leaks and allows fuel and fumes to enter the car. since the fuel tank is under the back seat you can have a puddle of fuel under the seat. there is no fix only replace it with the same bad setup that failed in the first place. air suspension is also a weak spot but there s at least a fix for it. power wise you can mod them very easily but heat soak is a prime issue

spooltime

FWIW, mine had 128K miles on it when I sold it and never experienced this issue. I wouldn't let this potential concern deter a purchase of a good used W211 E55. On the other hand, my first generation Cayenne Turbo S suffered the finally recalled fuel filter flange leak issue and talk about gas fumes entering the passenger compartment . . . . . I was reimbursed $1,100 as part of the recall to partially cover about 65% of my out-of-pocket expense having it repaired by the dealer before the recall was announced.

32krazy!

worked on a friends e55 when he complained about the smell. removed the back seat and you could see the puddles of gas on top of the fuel cell. check the e55 forum this is as common as coolant pipes popping on the 996tt. no fix but potentially crazy dangerous if it spills around

and not meant as any deterent but as factual issues the car could possibly have

autobonrun

They were a competitor to my E39 M5 when I bought it years ago. I considered both. The E55 AMG was faster in a straight line no doubt. My understanding at the time was it did have more issues than the E39 but nothing exorbitant. Lots of discussion on the M5board of both models if you want to do a title search there.

They are fast and powerful as shown in this video (and please no safety warnings). The race is long over.

Dock

The E55 AMG is without question quick.

Do you know whether or not both cars were stock?

Road King

Yeah, I have read about the E63 head bolt issues and warned my buddy about it.

autobonrun

I can't recall the details but I seem to recall the 350Z was modded. I do know Jalopnik ran the story and the guy that actually ran the race posted about it on the MB forum here. It has the complete video and not just the clip I posted earlier.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...king-350z.html

It's been a few years but I think he describes the mods.

edit: went back and read the MB thread. In post #11, he says he has intakes and cutouts on the E55 AMG and nothing more. He says in the link that the 350Z was modded. I see the 350Z had a camera as well. I bet he deleted that video as soon as he came to a stop.

JC Lacayo

expect 3-5k in maintenance a year. and by maintenance I mean parts dying and replacing them one by one.

jayzbird

kmagnuss

Thanks for the advice guys... I bought one. Bring it home Saturday.